ministers black veil :: essays research papers

â€Å"The Minister’s Black Veil†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Mr. Hooper is the minister of the town of Milford. One Sunday, Mr. Hooper decides to come to church wearing a black veil. He delivers his sermon while wearing the black veil even though his parishioners shy away from him and the veil adds an ominous touch to the service. After church he goes to mingle with the congregation outside, while continuing to wear the veil, and people act like they don’t know him, don’t walk beside him, and forget to invite him out to lunches that are a traditional part of Sundays there. That afternoon Mr. Hooper oversees a funeral. He still hasn’t taken off the veil, though it is a bit more appropriate in this setting to be wearing it. Then that evening he conducts a wedding with the veil still on, making it the gloomiest wedding of that time. The village people think he is losing his mind and want to talk to him and find out why his wearing the veil, but can’t seem to get the courage to do it. His wife also l eaves him because he refuses to take off the veil. Mr. Hooper doesn’t take off the veil as long as his lives, and even on his death bed refuses to take it off his earthly form   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Mr. Hooper teaches a very good lesson with this veil. Everybody has a â€Å"black veil† that they hide something behind. It is not until that things are put in the open for everybody to see that they start shunning you. If you keep your secrets hidden inside you, people still associate with you because they don’t try to look past what is on the surface, in case they might find something that they don’t like or is out of the ordinary. I don’t like that people are superficial enough to let something as small as a veil get in the way of how they feel about the minister, because the veil doesn’t change who the minister is as a person.

Developing Strategic Management and Leadership

Assignment on Developing Strategic Management and Leadership Skills Unit 1 Edexcel BTEC level 2 Extended Diploma in strategic Management and Leadership (QCF) Assignment Topics AC(1. 1)Explain the link between strategic management and leadership. AC(1. 2)Analyze the impact of management and leadership styles on strategic decision. AC(1. 3)Evaluate how leadership styles can be adapted to different situations. AC(2. 1)Review the impact that selected theories of management and leadership have on organizational strategic. AC(2. )Create a leadership strategic that supports organizational direction AC(3. 1)Use appropriate methods to review current leadership requirements. AC(3. 2)Plan for the development of future situations requiring leadership. AC(4. 1)Plan the developing of leadership skills for a specific requirement. AC(4. 2)Report on the usefulness of methods used to plan the development of leadership skills. Note: The Chosen Organization for the Assignment is TESCO. [pic] Tesco is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom.It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues (after Wal-Mart and Carrefour) and the second-largest measured by profits (after Wal-Mart). It has stores in 14 countries across Asia, Europe and North America and is the grocery market leader in the UK (where it has a market share of around 30%), Malaysia, the Republic of Ireland and Thailand. The company was founded by Jack Cohen in 1919 and opened its first store in 1929 in Burnt Oak, Edgware, and Middlesex. The Tesco name first appeared after Cohen purchased a shipment of tea from T. E.Stockwell and combined those initials with the first two letters of his surname. Originally a UK-focused grocery retailer, Tesco has diversified both geographically and into areas such as the retailing of books, clothing, electronics, furniture, petrol and software; financial services; telecoms and internet services; DVD rental; and music down loads. Tesco is chosen for the assignment due to certain reasons. Tesco is one of Britain’s fastest-growing and most innovative retailers, recognized as one of the best companies to work for in the UK. Tesco gives their employees clear objectives and expectations.At the same time, they also allowed more freedom for individual initiative than most other retailers, as they believe that it is ultimately this sort of personal touch that can make all the difference to their customers. [Source: Tesco Website: http://www. tesco. com] Table of Contents |Task |Topic |Page | |AC(1. 1) |Explain the link between strategic management and leadership. |5 | |AC(1. 2) |Analyze the impact of management and leadership styles on strategic decision. 7 | |AC(1. 3) |Evaluate how leadership styles can be adapted to different situations. |9 | |AC(2. 1) |Review the impact that selected theories of management and leadership have on organizational |10 | | |strategic. | | |AC(2. 2) |Create a leadership strategic that supports organizational direction. |13 | |AC(3. 1) |Use appropriate methods to review current leadership requirements. |14 | |AC(3. 2) |Plan for the development of future situations requiring leadership. 17 | |AC(4. 1) |Plan the developing of leadership skills for a specific requirement. |19 | |AC(4. 2) |Report on the usefulness of methods used to plan the development of leadership skills. |21 | |- |Reference |22 | |- |Bibliography |22 | AC(1. 1): Explain the link between strategic management and leadership.To explain the link between strategic management and leadership we should have a clear understanding of what these two terms actually mean. After understanding these two terms we can easily explain the link between them. Strategic Management: According to Barratt and Mottershead (2000), strategy is described as the way of achieving our objectives. Strategy enables us to ensure that all our work and things we do every day are going to help us in the long term inte rests of the organization. Strategic Management is the process of establishing and maintaining good strategies.Making and defining strategy is not enough, you will have to work out a plan for implementing that strategy in its true spirit. Good strategic management is plays a key role in approaching business opportunities and challenges. Leadership: There are different ways of describing leadership so it is very difficult to provide a single definition that fulfills the task. As Brindley and Buckley (2004) argued that, â€Å"Leadership has been identified as the process by which individual and group activities are influenced towards organizational goals†. The same thing is narrated in Business ManagementStudy Manual compiled by The Association of Business Executives (2007). They are of the view that, â€Å"Leadership is a process by which individuals are influenced so that they will be prepared to participate in the achievement of organizational or group goals. † While Marcouse (2008) narrates that, â€Å"Leadership, at its best, means inspiring staff to achieve demanding goals. † All these things emphasize on one basic idea and that is Inspiration or Influence. So we can say that Leadership is the art of getting things done by inspiration or influence of the leader on its followers while Management mainly depends on the analysis and ground realities.After all the discussion we came to the conclusion that Leadership and Strategic management are interlinked with some minor differences. In the case of strategic management we are trying our best to achieve some long term goals and the same is the case with leadership. In both cases we should have someone with a broad vision; either it’s a leader or a manager. The bottom line of all this discussion is beautifully captured by the golden words of Field Marshal Slim that (quoted in Business Management Study Manual), â€Å"Leadership is of the spirit, compounded of personality and vision: i ts practice is an art.Management is more a matter of accurate calculation, of statistics, methods, timetable and routine: its practice is a science. † AC(1. 2): Analyze the impact of management and leadership styles on strategic decisions. Leadership and Management Styles: There is famous saying that, â€Å"Change is the only unchangeable thing in nature† (Heller & Hindle, 2008). Similarly in our daily life things are changing rapidly and we have to adopt ourselves to these changes. We can’t say that we will remain in the same situation forever.We have to act according the situation. Similarly there certain ups and downs in organizations as well. So the managers and leaders adopt different styles for different situation. According to Whitcomb (2000), some famous and widely recognized styles are: a) Autocratic: In this style people are told what to do and how to do. They have no role in decision making. Once made, a decision must not be questioned. b) Democratic: In this style decisions are made on the views of as many people as possible that are involved. ) Passive: In this style people are given general directions on the tasks to be tackled and then left alone to achieve them in the way they think is best. d) Charismatic: In this style leader influences and motivates others because of his/her outstanding personality or character. As mentioned earlier, that these styles depend on certain situations and to be a good leader/manager you would have to adopt all of them. All these styles of management and leadership have certain impact on strategic decisions. The organizations led by Autocratic leader are basically Task Oriented.According to Jenkins and Hamman (2001), the advantage of such style is that the decisions are made quickly because people know where they stand. But the employees in such organizations are not happy to some extent because they have no role in decision making. As Barratt and Mottershead (2000) is of the opinion that in Au tocratic leadership the Work-force is not encouraged to think for itself, and emphasis is more on quantity than quality. While the organizations led by Democratic leaders have proved good because they are both Task oriented as well as Relationship oriented.But according to Barratt and Mottershead (2000) the decision making process is slow and that can be dangerous. And the organizations led by Passive style are Relationship oriented. And Marcouse (2008) is of the view that this only occurs when the manager is very busy or very lazy or has confidence on his/her team and knows what they are capable of. According to Whitcomb (2000), Charismatic style of leadership is very rare but can be very successful in the extent to which they can motivate others to do things to support them. AC(1. 3): Evaluate how leadership styles can be adopted to different situations.Leadership styles can be adopted according to the situations. For example; during a war a commander has to make quick decisions ( Brindley and Buckley, 2004), or in the case of a natural disaster there is no time for suggestions from the people, so autocratic style will be perfect. The bottom line is that for quick decision you should always go for the Autocratic style. In the case of a Research and Development Organization, employees are highly trained, skilled and professional people, so the style that best suits this situation is Laissez-faire.Because employees know what they are doing and what are their goals. And the situation that is the best candidate for Democratic style is a youth club planning for their summer camp. They will have to take suggestions from all the persons involved and then will make a decision. In this case the decision making process is slow but effective at the end of the day. AC(2. 1): Review the impact that selected theories of management and leadership have on organizational strategy in your chosen organization. Every single person on this earth is different.The difference may be in way of thinking, analyzing something, working or implementing something. Along the course of life humans made many theories about things around them, some of them were wrong and some proved successful. Human are called the most superior species on planet earth and this superiority is due to the fact that humans learn from their mistakes. So humans learnt a lot from their mistakes and devised new theories. In this task we are going to focus our attention on the different theories of leadership and management made during 19th and 20th century.Theories of management and leadership: According to Morris (1999), â€Å"The first-rate way of making a fool of oneself is to propose as new an approach tried and rejected by earlier generations†. There are a lot of ways of doing something, some of them have been tried before and some are not. So a successful manager always learns from the past experiences and tries not to repeat the mistakes. The 20th century has seen many theories of management applied to the organizations; some of them are described below. a) The Classical School: According to Morris (1999), this approach is ased on the main purpose and the structure of the organization. The organization is just like a machine, just feed the input and get the output. The role and position of every individual is defined. People are supposed to do things as mentioned by the higher level, human feelings are irrelevant. b) Bureaucracy: The main emphasis is on the performance and duties of the individuals. The duties of the all the individuals are fixed according to the area of their expertise. And like Classical School theory, human feelings are irrelevant. ) Systems Theory: This theory was developed in 1950s and 1960s. The theory is based on the working of a typical system. It takes certain input (raw material, people) and transforms them through a process into output (organizational goals). d) Human Relations Theory: This theory was developed in 1930s. The main theme of this theory is the human relations. The Association of Business Executives in Organizational Behavior mentioned that, â€Å"to understand and improve an organization, you need to understand the people who work for it. † ) Contemporary Theories: These theories are based upon the idea of sticking to the key functions of the organization and puts emphasis on going towards excellence. f) Contingency Theories: This theory emphasizes that there is no single particular way of running an organization. Everything is dependent on the situations through which the organization is passing by. Impact on Tesco: Tesco is one of the leading organizations, with a vision of providing people everything they need, under one roof at affordable price. Now we see the impact of the selected theories of management on the strategy of Tesco.The impact of Classical School theory on Tesco’s strategy is a bit disappointing because Tesco believes in excellence with the help of its employees. So the Classical Theory is surely going to inversely affect the strategy of Tesco. The Bureaucratic Theory’s impact is similar to the Classic School Theory. But this approach is providing a helping hand in organizing the overall working of the Tesco. But only defining the duties of the employees and organizing them is not enough. The Tesco’s strategy is to run the organization in a disciplined manner, keeping in mind the feelings of its employees.The impact of Human Relation Theory on Tesco’s strategy is not good enough. It should be kept in mind that this theory alone is not enough to provide any progress in long term. But the good thing about it is that it takes into account the ideas of all the employees. The Contemporary and Contingency Theories have a good impact on Tesco’s strategy. Both these theories are leading Tesco towards excellence. Changing the style according to the situation and sticking to the overall performance is surely good enough fo r Tesco’s progress in long term.AC(2. 2): Create a leadership strategy that supports organizational direction in your chosen organization. We have seen the impact of different theories of management and leadership on the strategy of Tesco. And we came to the conclusion that there is no single theory that can support Tesco’s strategy. Everything depends on the situation of that organization in a particular time frame. So in the case of Tesco the best strategy that supports organizational direction is the Bureaucratic approach along with a flavor of Human Relation theory.The Bureaucratic approach will be helpful in achieving the organizational goals and keeping everything on track. It will also help Tesco to maintain its day-to-day budgets in control and will make some serious profits for the organization. The Human relation approach will take into account the feelings and needs of the staff and the people attached with Tesco. It will ensure that the workforce is enjoyin g its time working with Tesco and take their work to perfection. This new combination will be very helpful in maintaining the discipline in the organization and will be very beneficial for the employees.So the working and the progress of Tesco will be very smooth. The people will be aware of their position and duty in Tesco and they will be free to work out a plan for performing their duties efficiently. Although this new leadership strategy seems a bit odd to many people but if it is implemented in its true spirit, it will be very helpful. AC(3. 1): Use appropriate methods to review current leadership requirements. There are certain methods available for reviewing the leadership requirements. Some of them are listed below.Blake and Moulton’s Managerial grid: According to Mullins (2005), Blake and Moulton’s Managerial grid is one of the several methods available for reviewing leadership requirements. According to this method, all managerial and leadership styles are re viewed on the basis of two main rules. 1. Concern for Results; and 2. Concern for People. In the first case, manager diverts all its energy on the accomplishing of tasks in given time. This is shown along the horizontal axis on the grid. While in second case, employees and their needs are given importance.And this is represented along the vertical axis of the grid. Barratt and Mottershead (2000) have narrated this grid as a Matrix of managerial styles. [pic] Figure: Blake and Moulton’s Managerial Grid (Source: http://www. gridod. com/images/LeadershipGrid. jpg) The numbers inside the grid indicate the degree of concern of the mangers. For example; managers with a rating of (9,1) practice Autocratic style because they show little concern for the employees. On the other hand, a rating of (1,9) depicts the behavior of a Democratic manager. It is also referred as â€Å"Country Club† management by some authors.According to my research and findings, the management style of T esco, on the basis of Blake and Moulton’s managerial grid, should be rated as (7,5). 360 ° Feedback: According to Mullins (2005), â€Å"The idea of 360 ° feedback involves an appraisal and feedback from different groups within the work situation – peers and subordinates as well as bosses, and possibly internal and external customers. † The main purpose of the 360 ° feedback is to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of an individual or an organization. It may include a self-assessment questionnaire.This feedback helps in overcoming the weaknesses and exploiting the strengths of the organization. [pic] Figure: Mulins’s 360 Degree Feedback Cycle Source: http://recordtracker. net/images/pic_360. gif MBO (Management by Objective): Another common approach in reviewing leadership and management styles is Management by Objectives commonly known as MBO. According to Mullins (2005, p. 249), MBO is a system of management which is aimed at relating the organ izational goals to individual performances and development through the involvement of all levels of management.While Morris (1999), is of the view that the top manager should set an overall objective, and should convey it to the lower management for completion. MBO is potentially an attractive system. It provides an opportunity for staff to accept greater responsibility and to make a higher level of personal contribution. {Mullins (2005)} [pic] Source: http://leapcomp. com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/mbo-process-cycle2. gif Mc. Gregory’s Theory X and Theory Y: The figure defines both the theories in detail. The bottom line is that Theory X is Task oriented and Theory Y is Relationship oriented. [pic]Source: http://www. vectorstudy. com/management_theories/img/theory_x_y. gif AC(3. 2): Plan for the development of future situations requiring leadership. A good leader is always prepared for the any kind of challenge. He acts quickly and accurately according to the given situation . We can say that a good leader takes the right decision at the right time. I have listed a couple of future situations here that will require a firm leadership. Conflict Resolution: You cannot stop conflicts from occurring between individuals and organizations. Sometimes these conflicts are useful and sometimes they are not.When I say useful, it means that sometimes new ideas are created from these conflicts. Or these conflicts point to a deficiency or a week point in the management of the organization. So they are helpful in pinpointing the lapses. On the other hand sometime these conflicts leave a bad impression. Whatever the reason is, conflicts should be resolved smoothly. So for the purpose of conflict resolution a leader should be there with a remedy. And it is then up to the leader to resolve that conflict in any way he likes; whether by choosing Autocratic style or by Democratic style.Merger and Acquisition: Another most important situation for an organization is merger or acquisition. It’s a really very difficult decision. You have to be very accurate in your calculations and should have a good insight of market trends. A leader with a vision and deep thinking is essential in this case. Either you are going for merger or going for acquisition, you should be able to foresee the state of your employees and organization in coming years. Recession: A couple of years ago there was no concept of recession on a large scale. But now many of the world’s most popular economies are facing difficult times.Now-a-days recession has become a worst nightmare for many people around the globe. And according to the economist it is the only chance for organizations to control their budget. So for recession there should be a strong leader with a clear cut policy. This is the worst case scenario and a true test of a leadership that how it overcomes recession. Adaptation for change in technology, taste and performance: Change is the unchangeable law of nature . And adaptation for change is very difficult for certain organizations and it may be due to many factors.One of the key factors is that many old employees don’t welcome change because they are used to work in old fashion and any change in technology, taste and performance is a bit difficult for them. So a sincere leadership is required for any change to become successful in organization, a leadership that is able to remove the ambiguities from the minds of all employees about the nature of the change. Natural Disaster: Another very important situation that requires a leadership is a natural disaster. During the period of a natural disaster many employees and organizations are in a state of ambiguity.They are unable to perform their duties efficiently. That’s why a firm and dedicated leadership is required, that is capable of overcoming the difficulties, and is capable enough to restore the confidence of the employees and organization. AC(4. 1): Plan the development of leadership skills for a specific requirement. There are certain skills that every leadership should possess. True leaders have these skills in their genes and others adopt them during the course of their life. But one thing is certain that these skills are present in all the great leaders of the world.The possession of these qualities is not enough; a good leader should be able to develop these skills and to be able to apply them in accordance with the requirement. A good leader possesses the right skills and uses them in the behavior that best suits the current situation. The main skill of a leader is its influence. A good leader always uses its influence on its followers to obtain the best results. Inspiration can bring huge changes in organizations. So a good leader should always try to develop and enhance its influence by empowering its employees. So this skill can be developed by self-help by learning from mistakes.A good leader should have good communication skills. He should be able to communicate easily with his team members. Now-a-days the world is becoming a global village and to become a good leader, one has to be able to understand the feelings of others. So a leader should practice more and more to master this skill. A good leader should always be adaptable to change. He should have a vision and he should try to introduce modern ways of getting things done. He should encourage his staff to use new technology and new techniques for their routine work. He should be confident and determined in his vision.So he should arrange seminars and workshops to convey his vision to his followers. A good leader should be unbiased; he should be able to manage diversity within an organization. He should be role model for all the employees from any origin. He should be punctual and honest. It’s only through his own punctuality that he can maintain discipline in the organization. A good leader should be able to communicate the policy and regulations of the o rganization to every single employee. And that can only happen when he first exercises them himself before communicating to others.He should be able to expand the organization in all ways possible. He should be able to appoint new staff and train the old staff according to the new technology. He should arrange training courses and other developmental activities for his company. He should also use his powers to keep the organizations on track. And most importantly he should use his power of rewarding for winning the heart of his employees. He should be a good speaker so that in any situation he is able to explain the position of organization in an effective manner.A good leader should possess good coordination skills for maintaining the integrity between different departments of the organization. Discipline should be the main thing for a leader and there should be no excuse for it. Because it is the main factor that can change the fate of the organization. A good leader should be hon est and well-wisher of its people. He should stick to his commitments and promises. A leader should be a good listener; it helps him in overcoming the weaknesses of the organization and sometimes gives him a chance to grab some new ideas as well. AC(4. ): Report on the usefulness of methods used to plan the development of leadership skills. There are certain methods that we can use to plan the development of leadership skills. One of the best methods is to call a meeting of the staff and ask about their ideas. The best method, however, is 360 ° feedback. It helps you in understanding your exact position in organization. Another widely used method is to gather as much information as you can about the life of great leaders. It will help you in adopting their skills and their secrets of the trade. Another way of developing leadership skills is to get familiar with your followers.It will help you in understanding their feelings and their needs, which in turn will help you in managing their needs. So we used different plans for the development of leadership skills including; seminars, meetings, training courses, self-help, learning from mistakes and a lot others. All these methods are very useful to plan the development of leadership skills. Seminars and workshops are very helpful in understanding the point of view of other people. Training courses help in understanding and overcoming new challenges. These courses help organizations to implement effective ways of getting things done.They also help in creating a learning environment in an organization. Meetings should be arranged regularly; this will help a leader in developing his communication and coordination skills. Another very important method is exchange visits. These are very helpful in developing leadership skills. These visits may be between different sections of the same organization or between different organizations. These are very helpful in developing the leadership skill of managing diversity. Refe rences: Barratt, Mottershead. (2000), Business Studies, Italy, G. Cannale & C. S. p. A Borgano T. se – Turin.Brindley, Buckley. (2004), Business Studies, A-Level Study Guide, Hants, Ashford Color Press, Gasport, Hants: Pearson Education Limited. Business Management Study Manual, The Association of Business Executives. Heller, Hindle (2008), Essential Manager’s Manual, London: A Penguin Company Marcouse, Surridge and Gillespie (2008), Business Studies for A Level, Third edition, Italy: Hodder Education. Morris, M. J. (1999), The First Time Manager, 2nd Edition, London: Clays Ltd, St Ives plc. Mullins, L. (2005), Management and Organizational Behaviour, 7th Edition, Essex; Pearson Education Ltd.The Association of Business Executives, Organizational Behaviour Whitcomb, A. (2000), Comprehensive Business Studies, 5th Edition, Essex: Pearson Education Limited. http://www. emeraldinsight. com/products/journals/journals. htm? id=sl (Accessed on 13th October, 2010) http://www. Tesco. co. uk (Accessed on 13th October, 2010) http://top7business. com/? id=2113 by Akhil Shahani (Accessed on 20th October, 2010) Bibliography: Greene, Stellman (2005), Applied Software Project Management, O’Reilly Inc. Jenkins, Hamman (2001), GCSE Business Studies, Italy: Hodder and StoughtonEducational Schermerhorn, Hunt, Osborn (2002), Organizational Behavior, 7th Edition, USA: John Wiley and Sons, Inc. http://www. ccl. org/leadership/pdf/research/LeadershipStrategy. pdf (Accessed on 13th October, 2010) http://www. emeraldinsight. com/products/journals/journals. htm? id=sl (Accessed on 13th October, 2010) http://www. nwlink. com/~donclark/leader/strategy. html (Accessed on 13th October, 2010) http://www. zeromillion. com/business/leadership-strategy. html (Accessed on 13th October, 2010) http://www. businessballs. com/leadership. htm (Accessed on 20th October, 2010)

There Are Lots of Ways to Say I Love You in German

A widespread clichà © of Americans among Germans is that they tend to love everybody and everything and do not shrink from telling everybody about it. And to be sure, Americans do tend to say â€Å"I love you† more often than their counterparts in German-speaking countries. Why Not Use  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Ich Liebe Dich† Liberally Sure, â€Å"I love you† translates literally as â€Å"Ich liebe dich† and vice versa. But you cant sprinkle this phrase quite so liberally throughout your conversation as you might in English.  There are many different ways to tell people that you like or even love them. You only say â€Å"Ich liebe dich† to somebody you really, really love—your long-term girlfriend/boyfriend, your wife/husband, or somebody you have very strong feelings for. Germans dont say it rashly. It is something they must feel sure about. So if youre in a relationship with a German-speaker and waiting to hear those three little words, dont despair. Many would rather avoid using such a strong expression until they are completely sure its true. Germans Use Lieben Less Frequently Than... In general, German speakers, particularly older ones, use the word â€Å"lieben† less frequently than Americans do. They are more likely to use the phrase Ich mag (I like) when describing something. Lieben is considered a powerful word, whether you are using it about another person or an experience or an object. Younger people, who have been more influenced by American culture, may tend to use the word lieben more often than their older counterparts. Just a bit less intense might be â€Å"Ich hab’ dich lieb† (literally, I have love for you) or just â€Å"ich mag dich† which means â€Å"I like you†.   This is the phrase used to tell your feelings to beloved family members, relatives, friends or even your partner (especially in an early stage of your relationship). It is not as binding as using the word â€Å"Liebe†. There is a huge difference between â€Å"lieb† and â€Å"Liebe†, even if there is just one letter more. To tell somebody you like him as â€Å"ich mag dich† is just not something you would tell everyone. Germans tend to be economical with their feelings and their expressions. The Right Way to Express Affection   But there is another way of expressing affection: â€Å"Du gefà ¤llst mir† is hard to translate properly. It wouldn’t be suitable to equal it with â€Å"I like you† even it is indeed rather close. It means more than you are attracted to somebody—literally you please me. It can be used to mean you like somebodys style, their way of acting, the eyes, whatever–perhaps more like â€Å"you are lovely†. If you have made the first steps and acted and especially talked correctly to your beloved, you can go further and tell him or her that you have fallen in love: â€Å"Ich bin in dich verliebt† or â€Å"ich habe mich in dich verliebt†. Rather ponderous, right? It all comes together with the basic tendency of Germans to be rather reserved until they really know you.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Among Adults - 2737 Words

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder among Adults UIN: XXXXXXXXX Psychology 270, Fall/2013 – Instructor Professor K. Reyes University of Illinois at Chicago Introduction In everyday life, it is inevitable that an individual will experience some form of stress. This stress may come in the form of daily hassles, inconveniences and major life events such as divorce or the loss of a loved one. When stress becomes traumatic, the individual is at a great risk of developing a stress disorder. According to the DSM-IV-TR (APA, 2000), traumatic stress occurs when the individual is presented with a traumatic situation in which the person experiences or witnesses an event that incorporated threats of death or significant harm and the person’s reaction to the event consisted of profound terror, helplessness or revulsion. A traumatic event can be a large-scale event with multiple victims such as natural/human caused disasters, war, mass violence or explicit experience in the death of others. Examples of these large-scale events include 9/11, the Holocaust, Hurricane Katrina etc. Other classification of traumatic events involve unintended acts involving fewer people such as motor vehicle collisions or life threatening illnesses and acts of intended personal violence such as sexual/physical assault, torture or child abuse. These traumatic stressors cause a significant more amount of distress than the everyday stressors mentioned earlier as they cause the individual to challengeShow MoreRelatedPost Traumatic Stress Disorder980 Words   |  4 PagesToday we are here to figure out why is it that past events are the triggers that cause Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is an anxiety disorder that some people get after seeing or undergoing a dangerous event. There are various symptoms that begin to show or actions that can give a clear answer whether one may be diagnosed with this disorder. One of the many problems is that no age range is safe from suffering PTSD. One must ask themselves what set of events happenedRead More Sexual Assault Among Women In the United States Essay1239 Words   |  5 PagesSexu al Assault Among Women In the United States Sexual Assault described in technical terms is defined as any sort of sexual activity between two or more people in which one of the people involved is involved against his or her will. (3) The description of against his or her will extends to varying degrees of aggression, ranging from indirect pressure to a direct physical attack. According to the Crime Victim Research and Treatment Center 1.3 adult women are sexually assaulted in theRead MorePost Traumatic Stress Disorder ( Ptsd ) Essay1453 Words   |  6 PagesAmong those who served in the Vietnam War, 84.8% of those diagnosed Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder still show moderate impairment of symptoms, even 30 plus years after the war (Glover 2014). As of today, the Unites States has 2.8 million veterans who served in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, of those it is estimated that 11 to 20% currently suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. As of 2013, a total of 12,632 veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars are currently diagnosed with Post-TraumaticRead MorePost Traumatic Stress Disorder is on the Raise Essay1155 Words   |  5 PagesPost-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is defined as mental health disorder triggered by a terrifying event (Mayo Clinic). This ordeal could be the result of some sort of physical harm or threat to the individual, family members, friends or even strangers (NIMH). While PTSD is typically associated with someone who has served in the military, it can affect more than just that genre of individuals. It could affect rape victims, victims in a terrorist or natural disaster incident, nurses, doctors, andRead MorePost Traumatic Stress Disorder884 Words   |  4 Pagesof traumatic incidents, such as mugging, rape, torture, being kidnapped or held captive, child abuse, car accidents, train wrecks, plane crashes, bombings, or natural disasters such as floods or earthquakes.† (NIMH) Families of veterans struggle to help their loved ones. â€Å"Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder caused by a person’s exposure to life-threatening or otherwise traumatic circumstances.† (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder affectsRead More Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Essay1266 Words   |  6 Pages Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can be a very serious and debilitating condition that occurs after a person has been exposed to a terrifying event or ordeal in which grave physical danger happened or was threatened. The kinds of traumatic events triggering PTSD in people include violent personal assaults (rape, mugging), natural disasters (hurricanes, tornadoes), man-made disasters (bombings), accidents or military combat. People who suffer from PTSD often reliveRead MoreMethods of Treating Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Essay924 Words   |  4 PagesWhen humans undergo traumatic events that threaten their safety and wellbeing, they may become vulnerable to nightmares, fear, excessive anxiety, depression, and trembling. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a psychological illness that results from the occurrence of a â€Å"terribly frightening, life-threatening, or otherwise unsafe experience† (Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), 2012). This condition often leads t o unbearable stress and anxiety. PTSD is significantly prevalent as indicatedRead MoreEssay on terrorism1348 Words   |  6 Pagesorderly and controllable. Studies have shown that deliberate violence creates longer lasting mental health effects than natural disasters or accidents.1 1 Scott, R., Brooks, N. amp; McKinlay, W. (1995). Post-traumatic morbidity in a civilian community: A follow-up at 3 years. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 8, p. 412. Consequences both for individuals and the community are prolonged, and survivors often feel that injustice has been done to them. This can lead to prejudice, anger, frustration, helplessnessRead MoreThe Negative Effects Of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder1539 Words   |  7 Pagesisn’t the cause in many men and women returning home from today’s wars. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder can result from a number of different traumatic events, but the intensity and duration of some people’s reactions can be quite different but that also has many factors. The negative effects of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is affecting families and the effects it has on families of patients. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder isn’t something new that has just appeared it’s something people have beenRead MoreNatural Disasters3617 Words   |  15 PagesZyy06mku SWK Psychological Consequences of Earthquakes Natural disasters, such as earthquakes, hurricanes and cyclones, floods, and tornadoes are some of the traumatic experiences that may cause posttraumatic stress disorders. This type of disorders and other disaster related psychological problems are prevalent after natural disasters. As a result it is important to analyse those individuals that develop psychological problems especially to prepare and plan

The Salem Witch Trials Essay - 902 Words

The events that transpired in Salem, Massachusetts occurred between the years of 1688 and 1693 constituted the most significant witchcraft outbreak in the history of the New England colonies. The entire event was quickly labeled as â€Å"colossal mistake† by the government after they had passed.(Ray, 2010) With this in mind the question remains; how did it get started and how did it get out of hand so quickly? Salem is a town in Massachusetts that has unfortunately earned its reputation from these trials. It was founded in 1626 when settlers led by Roger Conant settled in Naumkeag after a failed attempt in 1623 to create a fishing settlement at Cape Ann. (Salem, a brief history, n.d.) Its name was Christianized to Salem in 1629. The land†¦show more content†¦The residents of the village of Salem have what they believe is definitive and irrefutable proof that someone is bewitching these children and perhaps even the town itself. For them the question is not if it is happening but who is doing it. This was on the tail end of the Witchcraft craze that was sweeping through Europe where thousands of women accused of witchcraft were put to death because they were believed to be agents of the Devil causing harm to others through supernatural means. The craze started in the 1300’s and ended in the late 1600’s.(Blumberg, 2007) Even though overseas this was winding down, lo cal events caused it to flourish. In 1689, William and Mary, the rulers of England, began a war with France that was fought on the soil of the colonies. The battles were being fought In New York, Nova Scotia and Quebec. The refugees from the fighting into areas such as Essex county, including the village of Salem which already had trouble obtaining resources. This introduced more strain in the area, along with newcomers who could be under greater suspicion of these bewitchments. The girls who were diagnosed with bewitchment were encouraged or even coerced into implicating three women of afflicting them. Their names were Tituba, a Caribean slave, Sarah Good, a homeless beggar, and Sarah Osborne, an elderly impoverished woman. These three women on March 1,Show MoreRelatedSalem Witch Trials And The Witch Trial1494 Words   |  6 PagesFirst of all, I wanted to talk about what Salem Witch Trial is and who are the persons involve in this event. Salem Witch Trials, according to Encyclopedia Britannica is â€Å"A series of investigations and persecutions that caused 19 convicted â€Å"witches† to be hanged and many other many suspects to be imprisoned in Salem Village in the Massachusetts Bay Colony.† There are many people involve in Salem Witch Trials and I’ll be going to describe their role in this event, followed by the different case studiesRead MoreSalem Witch Trials And The Witch Trial Essay2225 Words   |  9 Pagesaccused of witchcra ft in Salem Village, Massachusetts, many more died in jail, and around 200 people total were accused of witchcraft during the Salem Witch Trials. Records from the event indicate that the Salem Witch Trials started when a group of young girls began acting strange, claiming they had been possessed by the Devil and bewitched by local villagers. The Salem Witch Trials is a much debated event; historians argue over the motivation and causes behind the trials and executions, not overRead MoreThe Trial Of The Salem Witch Trials905 Words   |  4 PagesI. Introduction In January 1692, when a group of juvenile girls began to display bizarre behavior, the tight-knit Puritan community of Salem, Massachusetts couldn’t explain the unusual afflictions and came to a conclusion. Witches had invaded Salem. This was the beginning of a period of mass hysteria known as The Salem Witch Trials. Hundreds of people were falsely accused of witchcraft and many paid the ultimate price of death. Nineteen people were hung, one was pressed to death, and as many asRead MoreThe Salem Witch Trials691 Words   |  3 Pageswere the Salem Witch Trials? The Trials happened in 1692 in Puritan Massachusetts, in a town called Salem. Nineteen men and women were hanged on grounds of practicing dark magic and making a pact with Satan (in other words, for being witches). Hundreds of people were imprisoned; several died there. Additionally, one man (of over seventy years!) was crushed to death with heavy stones and the lives of many were irrevocably changed. (Salem Witch Museum) IQ #2- How and why did the Salem WitchRead MoreThe Salem Witch Trials1202 Words   |  5 PagesThe Salem Witch Trials were a prime part of American history during the early 17th century. During this time, religion was the prime focus and way of life within colonies. This was especially true for the Puritan way of life. Puritans first came to America in hopes of practicing Christianity their own way, to the purest form. The Puritans were fundamentalists who believed every word transcribed in the Bible by God was to be followed exactly for what it was. The idea of the devil controlling a womanRead MoreThe Trials Of The Salem Witch Trials1866 Words   |  8 Pagessurrounding the cause of the Salem Witch Trials 1692 makes the topic captivating as many historian perspectives offer explanations for the causation of the trials, yet the personal context of each historian has determined its historic reliability. This questions the level of objectivity each historian has in their responses to the Trials. The aims and purposes of a historian, as well as their differing methodologies may alter the approach the have towards the investigation of the Trials. Many interpretationsRead MoreThe Trials Of Salem Witch Trials Essay1267 Words   |  6 PagesThe notorious witch trials in Salem began in Spring of 1692. This started after a young group of girls in Salem Village, Massachusetts, professed they were possessed by the devil. These young girls even went as far as accusing some local women of practicing witchcraft. As a frenzy spreaded throughout colonial Massachusetts, a specific court was summoned to hear cases. Bridget Bishop was the first convicted witch and she was hung in that June following her trial. Eighteen other people followed BishopRead MoreThe Trials Of The Salem Witch Trials1635 Words   |  7 Pagesovercome was the Salem Witch Trials. The Salem Witch Trials occurred in 1692 and 1693 in colonial Massachusetts. â€Å"More than 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraft – the Devil’s magic – and 20 were executed† as detailed by Jess Blumberg on the web article A Brief History of the Salem Witch Trials (Blumberg 2007). The trials had a major impact on the American society and the effects could be seen in colonial America as well as today. Why did the injustice of the Salam Witch Trials occur and whyRead MoreThe Trials Of Salem Witch Trials1069 Words   |  5 PagesEven though the Salem witch trials were made to seem formal, they were actually subjective and not based on fact. Since there were multiple people being accused of witchcraft, the trials were short and quick to sentence. The witch trials lasted less than a year. The first arrests were made on March 1, 1692, and the final hanging day was September 22, 1692. The Court of Oyer and Terminer was dissolved in October of 1692. The Salem Witch Trials occurred in the spring of 1692, when a groupRead MoreSalem Witch Trials And Trials1320 Words   |  6 PagesSalem Witch Trials was a series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in the Salem Village of the 17th century New England. The trials caused executions of many people but mostly women. Salem Witch Trials exposed the different roles men and women were supposed to play during the seventeenth century. Women were supposed to take on â€Å"wifely duties† such as, be mothers and housewives. Women were thought to follow the men. The trials also revealed that there were strict religious

Thorn Queen Chapter Five Free Essays

string(115) " hire me to go find her in the Otherworld, long before I’d known anything about Storm King and the prophecy\." I fully intended to make good on my promises, and in Tucson the next day, I began acquiring an odd assortment of goods that I hoped might improve the Thorn Land’s situation. Admittedly, they were kind of lame, but I figured I had to start somewhere and was rather proud of my attempts when I finished. I was sitting down in front of the TV with an early dinner that night when Kiyo walked in, clad in his white vet’s coat. We will write a custom essay sample on Thorn Queen Chapter Five or any similar topic only for you Order Now Naturally, all the animals lifted their heads or actually walked over to him in greeting. If I hadn’t been balancing a plate of ravioli on my lap, I would have leapt up and run into his arms. Instead, I gave him a dazzling smile, one that grew larger when I saw he carried a bouquet of flowers. â€Å"I would have been here sooner,† he said, tossing the coat onto a chair. â€Å"But I had an afternoon shift.† â€Å"Hey, I’m just happy to see you at all. I figured you’d still be busy with baby stuff.† â€Å"Nope.† He sat down in a chair opposite me and laid the bouquet down on the coffee table. â€Å"You were amazing there, you know.† â€Å"If by amazing, you mean shoddily dressed and leading on gentry princes-then, yes. Yes, I was. What are those for?† I gestured with my fork to the flowers-an arrangement of brightly colored gerbera daisies. â€Å"Do I need a reason? Aside from you being awesome?† I swallowed the piece of ravioli I’d just chewed. â€Å"Of course there’s a reason. There’s always a reason. We’ve talked about this before.† He gave me a lazy, dangerous smile, propping his head up on his elbow as his dark eyes assessed me. â€Å"Right. Standard practices in courtship and mating. Gifts given as subtle suggestions. ‘Here, take these plant sex organs.’ Hint, hint.† It was an old joke between us. â€Å"Fortunately, in your case, you don’t need to be that subtle. I already know you want sex.† â€Å"True, but I wanted to clear up any doubts. Besides, you’ve been so great lately†¦I don’t know. I just wanted to do something nice. Figured we could have a fun night-although, you’re dashing my dreams of taking you out to dinner with the way you’re inhaling that ravioli.† â€Å"Sorry,† I said through a mouthful of food. â€Å"I’ve got a job tonight, so I had to eat early.† His eyebrows rose. â€Å"What kind of raw deal is this? I get off work so I can take you out on the town, and you’ve got to go into work now? Why can’t you have Lara schedule you day jobs?† â€Å"Because I was busy today with Thorn Land business.† Kiyo gave me a wary look. â€Å"Hey, don’t judge me,† I warned. â€Å"I wasn’t actually over there. But I kind of found out recently that people are starving and going without water.† â€Å"Yeah. I’ve heard that.† Now I was the one with the incredulous look. â€Å"You knew and didn’t tell me?† â€Å"Don’t jump all over me! I figured you had people to deal with it. And probably those people had people.† â€Å"Yeah, well, all of those people are having a little trouble. In fact, I’ve got to go back tomorrow to help round up some brigands.† â€Å"Did you just say ‘brigands’? That’s very†¦I don’t know. Very 1683.† â€Å"Well, whatever they are, they’re a pain in the ass and possibly abducting girls.† I gave him a quick recap. â€Å"You want to go with me and help?† He shook his head ruefully. â€Å"You know, I came here hoping to spend time with you. Instead, I find out you’ve got a job tonight and are playing sheriff tomorrow.† â€Å"Would it help if I wore a cowgirl outfit?† â€Å"It might.† He came over to sit beside me and kissed my cheek. â€Å"And yes, I’ll go tomorrow. I’ll even go tonight, if you want the company.† â€Å"You see? We are spending quality time together.† â€Å"I just hope there’s some quality time in bed later to help make up for it all.† â€Å"Well,† I said haughtily, setting my plate on the table, â€Å"that depends on you, huh? I have no doubts about my quality.† He put a hand on my thigh and brushed his lips against my neck. â€Å"Oh, Eugenie. Don’t push your luck here,† he growled, â€Å"or you might be late for work.† I grinned and answered by way of a long, deep kiss that probably would have turned into more if my appointment hadn’t been so close. That, and we also heard Tim coming in the back door. He never took it very well when he found Kiyo and me in a compromising position. The two of us drove over near the university, to a quiet residential neighborhood that was split evenly between single-family residences and crowded houses shared by students. As we pulled up in front of a narrow two-story home in need of a new paint job, Kiyo frowned. â€Å"That microbus looks really familiar,† he said, eyeing the driveway. â€Å"Really?† I asked innocently. We got out of the car and approached the house. When we’d cleared the microbus, Kiyo paused to look at its slew of bumper stickers. Question Authority and Roswell or Bust! were only a few. He gave me a sharp, accusing look. â€Å"Eugenie, did Wil Delaney move?† â€Å"Nooo,† I said slowly. â€Å"But this is a friend of his.† Kiyo groaned. â€Å"If I’d known this, I would have stayed home. That guy is insane. And wait-did you just say he actually has a friend?† â€Å"A friend with a legitimate problem. And you can always go wait in the car.† Kiyo said nothing, merely steeling himself as we approached the door. Wil Delaney was a former client of mine. He was a conspiracy theorist who almost never left his home and whose sole income depended on a blog he ran that furthered his ideas on the government, aliens, mind control, genetic manipulation, and a whole host of other wacky premises. He was quite possibly the most paranoid person I’d ever met. He was also Jasmine’s half-brother. It was how we’d met. He’d been the one to hire me to go find her in the Otherworld, long before I’d known anything about Storm King and the prophecy. You read "Thorn Queen Chapter Five" in category "Essay examples" Apparently, Wil and Jasmine’s mother hadn’t been so virtuous and had cheated on Mr. Delaney a lot-even with gentry warlords. About a dozen locks unclicked before we were allowed into the house, which was almost as many as Wil had at his own home. The person who greeted us was a woman, a very young one. She was short with plump cheeks, cropped brown hair, and pink cat-eye glasses. â€Å"Is this her?† she asked. A moment later, Wil’s head peered around the doorway’s side. He looked the same as last time: pale blond hair in need of cutting, glasses, and skin that never saw the sun. â€Å"Yup.† â€Å"Who’s the guy?† asked the woman suspiciously. â€Å"Her boyfriend. He’s cool. Cairo.† â€Å"Kiyo,† I corrected. I held out my hand to her. â€Å"You must be Trisha.† â€Å"I prefer to be called Ladyxmara72,† she said. â€Å"Because really, we’re all just anonymous faces in this society, as far as the government is concerned. Plus, Ladyxmara72 is one of my World of Warcraft character names. Ironic that a virtual society like that can be more honest and egalitarian than our own. Or maybe†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She paused dramatically. â€Å"It’s not so ironic.† Wil stared at her adoringly. Beside me, Kiyo made some sort of strangled noise. They led us inside a home nearly as dark as Wil kept his. I guessed Trisha-I refused to call her Lady-whatever-worried about the same issues with radiation that he did. Her home was neater, however, and bore slightly more feminine touches, like furniture that matched and a few scented candles. The candles appeared to be homemade, undoubtedly so they wouldn’t poison the air with artificial scents or be laced with trackers that the government could use to listen in on Trisha’s conversation. â€Å"So,† said Trisha as we entered the living room. An episode of The X-Files was paused on the TV. â€Å"You’re here to take care of the alien problem.† â€Å"I’m here to-what did you say?† I looked back and forth between Wil and her. â€Å"Aliens,† she said. â€Å"My house is infested with them.† I peered around, half-expecting to see E.T. hanging out on the loveseat. All was empty and still. â€Å"I don’t really understand. Didn’t Wil tell you what I do?† â€Å"We don’t know for sure that they’re aliens,† he said hastily. â€Å"But there is something here.† â€Å"Of course they are!† she exclaimed. He cowered a little under her glare. â€Å"I’ve seen them looking in the windows-just like on that documentary.† Immediately, his chagrin turned to outrage. â€Å"Oh, come on! You know that’s a hoax. The evidence is overwhelming.† â€Å"The hell it is! There’s no way anyone could fake that kind of-â€Å" â€Å"Um, hey, you guys?† I said. â€Å"Can we just get this taken care of? Tell me more about the ali-whatever. Have you both seen them?† They nodded. â€Å"They’re short with big eyes,† Trisha said triumphantly. â€Å"But they wear paisley suit coats,† added Wil. â€Å"And they do chores at night.† â€Å"Doesn’t sound so bad to me,† murmured Kiyo. â€Å"Why get rid of them?† â€Å"Kobolds,† I said after a moment’s thought. â€Å"You’ve got kobolds.† â€Å"There is no known planet by that name,† argued Trisha. I sighed. â€Å"Just take me to your basement.† Trisha led us through the house, and Wil drifted over beside me. â€Å"Isn’t she amazing?† I swear he was on the verge of swooning. â€Å"Your first girlfriend?† I asked. â€Å"How’d you know?† â€Å"Instinct.† Engaging Wil in conversation was always dangerous, but seeing as he never left the house or had much social interaction, I just had to ask the next question. â€Å"How’d you guys meet?† â€Å"On a forum. We were both in this thread and kept arguing about whether there was a government connection between the overdoses of Marilyn Monroe and Heath Ledger, and then we-â€Å" â€Å"Okay,† I said, grimacing. â€Å"That’s enough. Really.† We reached the basement door, and Trisha started to go down. â€Å"Don’t,† I warned. â€Å"You guys need to stay up here.† I gave Wil a stern look. â€Å"Don’t let her down there until we’re done. You of all people know I’m not fucking around.† Wil blanched further-if that was possible-and gave a hasty nod. Wil had traveled with me to the Otherworld and fully understood the perils of my job. I could hear Trisha arguing with him as Kiyo and I descended the stairs, yet somehow, Wil managed to do his job and keep her away. â€Å"I never thought it was possible,† said Kiyo, once we were out of earshot. â€Å"He’s found and fallen in love with someone exactly like him. I guess there really is someone for everyone.† â€Å"She’s a little more assertive than he is, I think.† â€Å"Good. He needs it.† â€Å"On the bright side, this’ll be cake. Kobolds aren’t an issue.† Kiyo nodded his agreement but wrinkled his nose when we reached the bottom of the steps. â€Å"They’re bad-smelling ones, though.† The basement wasn’t finished and bore the usual clutter one found in such places. Lots of hiding spots for kobolds. I pulled on a hanging chain, and a bare bulb offered meager illumination. Taking out my wand, I extended my arm and swept the whole basement. â€Å"By the earth and fire you serve, I command you to reveal yourselves.† Shamanic magic tingled from me, through the wand and its gems, and into the room. A moment later, three forms materialized. They were about three-feet high, male, and hardly resembled the big-eyed aliens popular in modern culture. These guys were wizened, with patchy yellow hair. Wil’s comment about the paisley coats wasn’t entirely accurate either. One wore plaid. â€Å"Why did you call us out?† the one in plaid demanded in a high-pitched voice. â€Å"We haven’t done anything to you. We haven’t done anything to anyone.† â€Å"You guys, you can’t stay here,† I said. â€Å"Not in this house. It’s not yours. This world isn’t yours.† I was a stickler for world ownership. â€Å"We’re helping,† argued one of the paisley ones. â€Å"Do you know how messy these people are? Books and paper everywhere.† If Trisha’s house had resembled Wil’s before the kobolds arrived, I could well imagine it. Kobolds were kind of like benign goblins, originating in northern Europe and rarely given to maliciousness unless provoked. My hope was that they could simply be talked into leaving. â€Å"That’s really nice and all, but I mean it: you can’t stay here. I’ve got to send you back to the Otherworld. Give me a hard time about it, and I’ll make it the Underworld.† The plaid one scowled. â€Å"You’re as cruel as they say, Eugenie Thorn Queen. We’ve done nothing to deserve this.† I tried not to scowl right back. Before learning about my gentry blood, I’d often conducted shamanic business under the pseudonym Odile Dark Swan. It was what Otherworld denizens had known and feared me as. I wasn’t thrilled to know that no part of my identity was a secret anymore. â€Å"You guys, I am not screwing around. You know who I am. You know what I can do, so stop wasting time.† Wand still in hand, I began to channel an opening to the Otherworld. â€Å"You can’t take on both of us, let alone one.† â€Å"No,† agreed the other paisley one. â€Å"But he can.† â€Å"He-ahh!† Furry hands reached around from behind me just seconds after Kiyo exclaimed, â€Å"Eugenie!† Kiyo was normally on high alert but had been as cocky as me about dealing with the kobolds. His attention had been on them, and he hadn’t sensed the other threat lurking in the basement. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. Kiyo had scented this creature, if the odor emanating from its hands and arms was any indication. He just hadn’t made the connection. I still didn’t have a good look at my furry-armed captor, seeing as I was still struggling to break free of its grasp. Kiyo was on it in a flash, needing no weapons save his own brute strength. His hands closed around the creature’s arms, and he managed to pull them loose enough for me to slip out of its grip. Once free, I was able to get a good look. It was a†¦ Huh. I wasn’t really sure. It was furry, brown, and tall, with rounded ears like a mouse or bear and hooves like a deer and a whole other assortment of random animal parts. It gave a strangled roar of displeasure, and I braced for it to turn back on me. Usually, that was how it worked. Creatures who came after me usually had one of two goals: either rape me on the spot or kill me to prevent me from fulfilling the prophecy. But Smokey the Bear, or whatever it was, was going after Kiyo, ignoring me while the kobolds watched gleefully. Kiyo socked the creature hard in the chest, and I noticed a faint ripple of light spread through it that faded quickly. Smokey then returned with a punch that took Kiyo hard in the face and sent him toward the wall. It was hard, too-that punch had been meant to kill. Kiyo’s reflexes were too fast, though, and he caught himself before his skull could smash against the solid concrete. I leapt into the fight then, pulling out my Glock. I’d loaded it with silver bullets earlier and was glad I’d done so. I got off a couple of shots into the monster. Each time, I saw its form ripple, but it still didn’t come after me. It was too intent on killing Kiyo. The two grappled further, and I continued firing, knowing I had to be weakening it. Nonetheless, one lucky blow knocked Kiyo off his feet and onto his back. The kobolds cheered when he remained still. Me, I screamed in rage, taking my wand in my other hand and facing the furry monstrosity head-on. It attempted no killing blows on me and merely kept trying to get a hold of me as I fired and began the banishing words. Suddenly, Kiyo was on his feet again, thrusting himself between us. â€Å"Stay the hell away from her!† he snarled. I saw all the muscles in his body tense and had a feeling he was on the verge of shape-shifting. Smokey looked angry and turned into full assault mode again. â€Å"Get out of the way,† I said. â€Å"I’ve got him.† â€Å"I’m not letting him lay a hand on you,† retorted Kiyo, eyes fixed on his foe. A flash of gold glimmered in Kiyo’s eyes. Gold like a fox’s. â€Å"He’s not trying to kill or rape me,† I argued, as Kiyo dodged another crushing blow. â€Å"He wants to subdue me-you he wants to kill.† But Kiyo was dead set on protecting me, and I finally decided he’d be safest if I hurried up and just finished the banishing rather than attempt to protect him. Firmly channeling my power into the wand, I again began opening a gate to the Otherworld. As I did, though, I kept thinking about those ripples I saw when I’d attacked the beast, like it couldn’t quite stay together. An idea struck me, and rather than direct the banishing magic into ripping open the fabric of this world, I directed it toward Smokey-or, rather, toward the Otherworldly magic holding Smokey together. Kiyo sprang away from the fight, realizing what I was going to do. Sure enough. A spiderweb of light suddenly covered the monster, fragmenting his form. With the wand, I destroyed the magical bonds, and suddenly-he exploded. But not like Aeson had exploded. It was more like he fell apart. Gone was the large, hulking, furry form. Instead, scuttling on the ground was a swarm of woodland creatures: mice, rabbits, a deer, and a couple of ducks. The mice and rabbits immediately scurried into whatever nooks and crannies they could find. The ducks looked confused. The deer ran up the stairs. With the banishing magic already started, it was easy to complete the actual opening to the Otherworld and send the kobolds through. Just before they vanished, Kiyo leaned toward them-keeping out of the magic’s way-and fixed them with a dark, angry expression. The blood on his face from the fight only added to his fearsome appearance. â€Å"Tell whoever sent you here to leave her the hell alone, or I will come after him myself and rip him apart limb by limb. And I’ll do the same to you guys while I’m at it. None of you are ever going to lay a hand on her again,† he growled. The kobolds’ faces reflected true fear as they disappeared from this world. Silence fell, aside from the quiet and confused quacking of the ducks who still didn’t know what to do with themselves. â€Å"Well,† I gasped. â€Å"That was one of the more convoluted schemes I’ve seen yet.† Would-be rapists often did attempt to distract me with a seemingly ordinary banishing and then would swoop in unexpectedly. This person had sent the kobolds to lure me out and then that woodland conglomeration to actually subdue me and bring me back as a war prize. Kiyo, as an obstacle to that plan, had had to be eliminated first. I took in his ripped shirt and blood. â€Å"Are you okay?† â€Å"Fine, fine,† he said, wiping his face. â€Å"It’s superficial. What the hell was that?† â€Å"Some monster that a gentry put together with magic. Bound all those animals into one stronger form and ordered it after me.† â€Å"Will it come back together?† â€Å"No. I broke the bonds, and they’re all spreading apart anyway.† â€Å"Um, Eugenie?† Wil’s voice suddenly rang down the stairs. â€Å"Is everything okay down there? A deer just ran through the living room†¦.† Kiyo and I both decided later that it was a good thing Smokey had disbanded like he had. Otherwise, if they’d seen his full form, Trisha and Wil would have had enough Bigfoot material for their forums to last until the next century. Goodness only knew what kind of threads and rumors this event alone would start. Trisha paid me in cash once we frisked the deer out of the house, and I told her she was on her own for the other animals in the basement. As we were leaving, Wil briefly caught me alone, his goofy, paranoid expression replaced by a much grimmer one. â€Å"Have you found Jasmine yet?† he asked in a very soft voice. I bit my lip. No matter how absurd I thought Wil was, whenever I saw how much Jasmine’s disappearance grieved him, it broke my heart. I’d never told him the truth of her heritage. The only information I’d given him was that she was on the run and hadn’t been kidnapped. I thought he’d take comfort in knowing she wasn’t being held against her will, but it hurt him to think she didn’t want to be with him. He truly loved his sister, no matter how much she despised the human world. It was really quite sad. â€Å"No, I’m sorry. I really am.† His face fell further, and he gave a weak nod. â€Å"Yeah. I figured. I know you’ll keep looking, though. And you’ll let me know if you find her?† I tried to give him a reassuring smile. â€Å"Sure.† The truth was, I didn’t know if I would tell him. It all depended on what state I found her in. If I found her pregnant and bent on conquering the worlds†¦well, I wasn’t entirely sure what I’d do then, but one thing I felt certain of was that there was no way I was ever going to let her return to this world. How to cite Thorn Queen Chapter Five, Essay examples

Information Technology Risk Management Operations of Business

Question: Describe about the Report for Information Technology Risk Management and Operations of Business. Answer: Introduction Twenty-first is the era of Information Technology, commonly known as IT technology, as almost every business is using this technology for various operations of the business. The use of IT services has been increasing day by day. One of the main purposes of IT is the security. IT services have been use for the purpose of security[1]. The IT engineers develop various security services for companies as per the requirement. This development process is called the Secretly System Development Life Cycle or SSDLC[2]. However, there are various risks and threat involves with the security system development process. Thus, there is a need of a contingency plan for those risks and threats. SSDLC There are various needs for information technology in an organization. Security System Development Life Cycle or SSDLC is the process of design and implementing a particular information system in an organization[3]. There are various stages involved in the process of implementation of an information system in an organization. They are investigation, analysis, logical design, physical design, implementation and the last step is maintenance and change[4]. Every step has its own importance in the implementation process. The first step includes the investigation of the organizational need of the IT software. In the next step, the needs of the organizations are analyzed and decision has been taken. The next two steps involve the logical and physical design of the software. Then the software has been implemented for the organizational need. Lastly, it is the time for maintenance and changes if required. Threats and Risks There are various kinds of risks involved in the security system development process. The risks come in form of theft, attack, vulnerability, threat agent, exploit and others. Some of the threats are discussed below: There are threats of software piracy. There are various duplicate software in the market. They are a big threat for the IT services. The program can corrupt due to the installations of pirated software. Another risk is the human error. There can be mistakes from the employees end that can affect the IT services. One of the greatest threats is the attack of viruses, malwares, worms, macros and others. They can affect the IT system in the possible worst way. The system can be totally crashed if there is not any effective security program to protect the system. The use of outdated technology is another threat. The companies must install updated software to cope up with the technological changes. The damage or destruction of the IT system is another important risk. The damage can be happened either by intentionally or by unintentionally like natural calamities and others. These are the risks and threats of information technology[5]. Contingency Plan As discussed earlier, there are a lot risks involved in the security software development process in various forms. Thus, it is very important to have a contingency plan to encounter these kinds of threats. For this purpose, the strategy of risk assessment and risk management is taken by the strategic managers. In the first part, the potential risks are analyzed along with the effect of those risks on the bossiness. This process helps to obtain a clear picture of the risks of the information technology. After that, the risk management approach is adopted. In this approach there are three aspects. They are managerial control, operational control and technical control. In the first process, the managers control the overall process of the security development system. In the second process, the operational mangers take care of the operational risks involves with the system. Lastly, in the third process, the technical managers control the technical risks of the IT system[6]. Over the years, the scenario of information technology has been changed drastically. One can say that the growing use of information technology is responsible for this change. Now-a-days almost every sector of business is using information system for their business operations. However, with the growing progress of information technology, the risks have also been increased. There are various kinds of risks which are discussed above. These risks are very much harmful for the business operations as they have the ability to damage the total IT operations of a business. Thus, it is necessary to have contingency plans as precautions against those risks. These plans will work as a shield to protect the company. A business with a proper contingency plan will be less exposed to the risks involves in information technology. Bibliography Ahimbisibwe, Arthur, Robert Y. Cavana and Urs Daellenbach, 'A Contingency Fit Model of Critical Success Factors for Software Development Projects: A Comparison of Agile and Traditional Plan-Based Methodologies' (2015) 28Journal of Enterprise Information Management7. Dong, Jun et al, 'Energyenvironmenteconomy Assessment of Waste Management Systems from a Life Cycle Perspective: Model Development and Case Study' (2014) 114Applied Energy400. Hassine, Jameleddine, 'Describing and Assessing Availability Requirements in the Early Stages of System Development' (2015) 14Software Systems Modeling1455. Klesch, Rachel,Information Technology Guide(, 2016) Liu, Jin Hang, Hong Xia Xia and Heng Bo Zhang, 'A Research into the UML Legend in the Waterfall Model Development' (2014) 519-520Applied Mechanics and Materials322. Nehari Talet, Amine and The Society of Digital Information and Wireless Communication, 'risk Management and Information Technology Projects' (2014) 4International Journal of Digital Information and Wireless Communications1.