Career Goals and Learning Plan Paper

Career Goals and Learning Plan Paper I am a Grad student at the University of Pheonix pursuing a Masters Degree in Psychology. I have selected this particular field of study because I intend to become a Forensic Psychologist. Forensic Psychology involves applying psychology to the filed of criminal investigation and the law. I have an undergraduate degree from North Carolina State University and my major was Political Science and Philosophy. I worked as a Legal Assistant in a Law Firm for 8 years and obtained my Paralegal Certificate from Blackstone University in Dallas, Texas. I have spent many long hours in courtrooms and find it fascinating. I have interest in the criminal mind, as well as the rehabilitation of criminals. What is Forensic Psychology Forensic Psychologists examine methods, theories and processes within the criminal, legal and civil justice systems, and also look at and apply psychological theory to a crime or criminal investigation as well as look at criminal behavior. They look at the psychological problems associated with that and fair treatment of criminals including rehabilitation. Specifically they look at the assessment and treatment of offenders. One particular area that interests me focuses around risk assessment with offenders and making decisions as to whether or not they are suitable for re-integration. Career Goals My goals are ambitious, and study at the University of Pheonix will propel me towards achieving them. Goal setting is an important part of the career planning process. At this point I will start with dedicating myself to doing well in my current classes. Procrastination is a problem for me and I have to deal with it. I have a full time job and a two year old baby so it is important for me to use my time wisely. I plan to spend 1 – 11/2 hours per day reading and being active in the discussion portion of my class. â€Å"Get Time On Your Side† by Jennifer Nichols was helpful to me. Several points which I intend to follow include; writing stuff down, tuning out distractions, talking to my professor, and making good use of my daytime hours. Nichols) Dr. Ferrari, Professor of Psychology at DePaul University indicates that â€Å"academic procrastinators tend to lack self-confidence†¦lie low during group assignments. † (Hoover 2) I was delighted to find that he even has an online discussion group which centers on chronic procrastination! Furthermore, I must deal with stress in an effectual manner. Being a graduate student will demand a commitment, but out of the stress-filled times I am hoping will come tremendous p ersonal growth. I alleviate my stress with exercise and try to get at least 30 minutes of strenuous workout per day. The degree that I am working on will help me to achieve my goals. First, the counselor that I am working with has been extraordinary and is available to me most hours during the day. He has directed me to becoming acclimated to the online learning system. Second, my advisor has put together my schedule which consists of 39 credits and all classes that will be informative and beneficial to becoming a Forensic Psychologist. Occupational Outlook Handbook According to the Bureau and Labor and Statistics Occupational Handbook, Forensic Psychologists use psychological principles in the legal and criminal justice fields. Significant points include: â€Å"34% of psychologists are self-employed, mainly as private practitioners and independent consultants. † Furthermore â€Å"job opportunities should be the best for those with a doctoral degree in a subfield such as health†¦those with a bachelor’s degree will have limited prospects. † This information did not surprise me. It is a very a very competitive field which sort of excites me. A positive point is that employment is expected to grow 12% from 2008 to 2018 because of increased demand for psychological services in schools, hospitals, social service agencies, mental health centers, substance abuse treatment clinics, consulting firms and private companies. I have a second interest with respect to my future career path and that would be to work in a substance abuse treatment center. Since I have not studied many psychology classes I am going to wait to make my decision. Multiple Pathways to Learning Test I completed the Multiple Pathways to Learning test in Chapter 2 of Keys for College Studying. The test aims to help me to identify a learning style so that I may choose study strategies and pursue learning goals. The assessment helps determine the levels to which ones eight intelligences are developed. (Center, Bishops, Kravitz) Howard Gardner is the one who developed the test and he believes â€Å"that the way you learn is a unique blend of intelligences resulting from your distinctive abilities, challenges, experiences and training. (Center, Bishops, Kravitz) The results indicate that I have highly developed verbal-linguistic, musical, interpersonal, and logical-mathematical intelligence. In sum I communicate well, have music sensitivity, communicate with others well and understand logical reasoning. This indicates to me that I will work well in groups, and maybe would do well studying with music. I especially like Classical music. The Personalit y Spectrum Assessment Personality assessments help you to understand how you respond to the world around you; which includes information, thoughts, feelings, people, and events. The Personality Spectrum Assessment adapts and simplifies this material into four personality types; Thinker, Organizer, Giver and Adventurer and was developed by Joyce Bishop. (Keys for College Studying). The results of my test indicate that I am inclined to be a ,â€Å"Giver. † Giver traits include honesty, authenticity, successful close relationships, and others, but more important; I am inclined to so well if I study with others, teach material to others, seek out tasks, groups, and subjects that involve helping people and put energy into my most important relationships. I find the handbook to be very informative. I will follow advice from the author(s) with respect to playing to my strengths. Even though I will be studying and reading alone in my classes at the University, we will have Learning Teams which will work nicely with my â€Å"Giver† personality. I am very eager to begin Psychology Courses at the University of Pheonix. I am going to have to be focused and dedicated to my studies and schoolwork. In the long run I hope that this determination will give me the ability to find a position or career and work environment that suits me.

Becoming an adult

My childhood consisted of so many responsibilities, so for me adulthood came at a very young age. Due to a neglectful provider I had to find my own way. Most of my friends were so eager to grow up and get out of their parents house. I on the other hand was looking for a resting place with a nurturing parent. Unfortunately, I ended up in foster care at age seventeen. I became very emotional, but I didn't give up.Adulthood came with many egrets for me, but this sorrow due to loss of childhood had to wait, because responsibilities were â€Å"knocking on the door†. After the hasten process of maturity, I begin to view life from the eyes of what I was, an adult. Grasping the concept made things much easier. I begin learning my way and creating my own path at the same time. So therefore, I graduated high school early got a Job and attended a community college for my Nurse Aide 1 certification. Once I reached 18 1 got an apartment. I then obtained a position In substance abuse workin g as a Certified Nursing Assistant.After two and a half years of work I decided to attend college for Nursing, and It Is very telling getting off a night shift Job attending morning classes, but that Is part of being an adult nothing comes easy It takes hard work and determination. However, people seem to not understand the meaning of being an adult. I feel Like age Is irrelevant when it comes to being an adult due to the simple fact an adolescent can have more sense than a person that's middle aged. I myself have personally encountered this several times in my life.I will admit being an adult comes with a lot f responsibility, and you have to be responsible for your own actions and make decisions. Sometimes I would find myself getting upset, because I didn't have parents there for me and I had to be an adult before it was time for me to be one, but now as I look back I am thankful where I stand in life as a young lady, and I continue to learn and grow every day. The more that life goes on, I realize that I benefited from all the negatives I experienced as a child. I learned to turn all the negative Into a positive to make me a better person as an adult.BY seamiest jesting place with a nurturing parent. Unfortunately, I ended up in foster care at age obtained a position in substance abuse working as a Certified Nursing Assistant. After two and a half years of work I decided to attend college for Nursing, and it is very tiring getting Off night shift Job attending morning classes, but that is part of being an adult nothing comes easy it takes hard work and determination. However, people seem to not understand the meaning of being an adult. I feel like age is negatives I experienced as a child. I learned to turn all the negative into a positive to Becoming an adult As one takes the road to maturity through the phase of adulthood, various influences can be taken from experiences. But, it must be distinguished that most influences come from one’s kind of family or the environment within the family. The stage of adulthood is an important and at the same time, a critical point in a person’s life. Majority of young adults still live with their own families thus, it can be assumed that parents, to be more specific aid in rearing the young adults.From chapter 13 of the book, The Expanded Family Life Cycle Edited by Betty Carter & Monica McGoldrick, viewpoints and principles that might be grasped by some adolescents of both sexes were tackled. As adolescents progress in the long run, these outlooks can either be retained or chucked out. These viewpoints are interconnected in one way or another. Examples of the given values will be provided for further discussion. The list will start with the attempt of the adolescents on learning how to w ork. In a patriarchal society, men are expected to imbibe the concept of work earlier in their lives compared to the women.A male fresh graduate will dive in; head first, to get a good paying job for a sense of accomplishment. Second on the list is self-involvement. In this aspect, an adolescent can engage in activities that will enhance skills, personality and maturity. Enrolling at a dance class or being part of a community work can be some of illustrations of diverting attention to the self, instead of sharing a relationship with somebody. Idealism, another concept in the life of a young adult is probably one of the signs of cheap maturity.Cheap in a sense that idealism brings in the thought that life can be all rainbows and butterflies if taken seriously and carefully. But, in reality, life can knock you down in the most unexpected way possible. An example of this is when the young adult trust the wrong person. After experiencing such event, the adolescent will then find out tha t trust should not be given to everybody without any hesitations. Thus the young adult will then be arriving at the conclusion that the idealism regarding trust doesn’t exist.Another example is when the parents of a young adult underwent divorce. The young adult will now form a concept that when he grows up, he will choose his wife carefully and have a happy married life. Then again, if and when fate takes a bad turn, such idealism will be broken. Aside from the parents or older members of one’s family, a young adult can look up to someone near to him. This is to feed such need of defining the self. Mentors can influence the young adult in a good or bad way, depending on what type of mentor he is.Somebody who is musically inclined can pick a lead singer of a local band as an inspiration. On the other hand, somebody who wants to be popular at school may take in the role of a school jock who keeps on doing vices, seeing that the said jock gains friends and fame through t hose actions. Next is the concept of having a perfect love. Acquiring such notion is linked with the concept of idealism. Yes, the family can provide love and care but the young adult will seek live from a different level, a romantic level that is.In that kind of love, one can share the other side of his or her personality. For an instance, a daughter who is an only child will long for someone that she can take care of because she doesn’t have any siblings to look after. Or, she might seek attention from a guy if she is not given enough time by her parents. The stage of adolescence is also the peak of curiosity. Thus, the inquisitiveness in trying out things comes into the scene. Alcohol and drugs are the common entities that deal with such curiosity.The young adult can either get hooked on those vices when not used in moderation or just use it so to get something sexual experience or enjoy a party. At some point in time, the viewpoint of self-involvement that was introduced earlier will pass and will be replaced by the thought of becoming a householder. From simply enrolling at a dance class, the adult may find the need to give that up if he or she will get married. The adult might choose to save the money for a vacation with his loved one instead for paying for a dance class.A sudden change of priorities will definitely take place due to the notion of becoming a householder in the near future. Also, the concept of having a mentor will change in late adulthood. Thinking that the vocalist of a local band is somewhat inspiring, the adult will come to realize that he or she has her own style of artistry in music. Hence, a realization that the idealism of having an achievement is not based on what the vocalist can do but of what the adult can do. The young adult who perceived the jock as the fame getter will think that excelling in school is a better way of stepping up.As for the curiosity of trying the vices, some â€Å"habits† brought by the vices can change if the young adult will realize that all those are just for cheap thrills and should only be done in moderation if cannot be avoided completely. The differences done by the later phase of adulthood may have a positive or negative feedback from the family of the adult. A positive feedback can be solicited through being grateful of the sense of responsibility and independence while a negative feedback can be caused by the paranoia of the parents that they can no longer watch the young adult’s every move.The transformations can bring about independence but this will not be achieved if and when there is still financial dependence to the parents. A son who is already an adult but is still supported by his parents on his needs at law school cannot fully say that he is already independent. The ego of the son might be affected but he can’t do anything with the set-up yet. The viewpoint of continuity versus innovation can be related to the said example. After finish ing law school, the son has the choice to work in his town or travel elsewhere.The parents, being as protective as they are might hinder him to work in a far place. The decision of the son in leaving can be influenced by the fact that his parents provided his needs when he was still studying. So, he may choose not to work in other towns. If he chose to leave, the concept of family dynamics can be applied given that he has siblings. The attention that the parents used to give him will be diverted to the younger ones. But by the time he comes home for an occasion, attention will be drawn to him again.A different example would be when the eldest daughter got married but her husband died eventually. The daughter decided to move in with her parents since she doesn’t have a child. The room that was now occupied by a younger sibling that used to be owned by the eldest should be vacated since the eldest sister is now staying with them. Lastly, the manifestation of an adult’s p rogress can still affect the relationship of his or her parents. A busy household with two working parents can take for granted one’s relationship with the husband or wife.If their children would leave, they can catch up for the lost times when they are focused on taking care of the children. Otherwise, the flame may have died out many years even before the children grew up. The upbringing of a person done by the parents will be reflected through his achievements, principles or even mistakes. It must be taken into consideration that the link between the stages of adolescence can strike a mirror effect to the adult, the parents or the family as a whole. The effects, be it in the same or a different pole, should be used for one’s improvement and not for a fall down life’s hill.

Epic vs. Tragic †Macbeth and Odysseus Essay

When different literary works are examined similarities and differences are noticeable. This remains true in The Odyssey by Homer and The Tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare. The Odyssey’s main character is a courageous soldier named Odysseus who faces many obstacles on his journey home. The Tragedy of Macbeth includes a power obsessed king with the name of Macbeth. Homer’s Odysseus and Shakespeare’s Macbeth compare in their ambitions and their positions in society, but they also contrast due to the fact that Odysseus is an epic hero and Macbeth is a tragic hero. Odysseus and Macbeth’s similar ambitions drive them to get what they want. In Odysseus’s case it help him to return to his home, â€Å"All hands aboard;/ Come, clear the beach and no one taste/ The Lotus, or you lose your home of home† (Part 1, 52-54). Odysseus’s ambition leads him to understand that getting home is the most important thing to focus on. This ambition keeps Odysseus’s mind on his goal and drives him to eventually return to Ithaca. Macbeth has the same ambition when it comes to him reaching his goal of forever being king, â€Å"We have scotched the snake, not killed it† (III. ii. 13). Macbeth is explaining how killing one man has not completed his plan to ensure his reign as king. Macbeth’s ambition drives him to kill anyone that stands in his way of the throne. These men have opposite overall goals but the ambition that drives them to their goals is virtually the same. Odysseus and Macbeth also have great importance in their societies. Odysseus a king and a brave soldier holds much importance to the people of Ithaca, â€Å"Odysseus my lord among the rest./ If he returned, if he were here to care for me,/ I might be happily renowned!† (Part 3, 116-118). Here Odysseus’s wife, Penelope, is making it clear how this hero of the Trojan War and great king of Ithaca is a great lord to his people. He is a courageous soldier as is Macbeth and they both are kings over their people. Before Macbeth’s downfall, he kills the Thane of Cawdor in a heroic battle, â€Å"What he hath lost noble Macbeth hath won† (I. ii. 67). Macbeth is the king of Scotland and starts off as a heroic and brave soldier. He is not the best leader but he still holds great importance. Both men share their standings in society and the heroic acts they perform for their people. Odysseus and Macbeth are also different because one is an epic hero and the other a tragic hero. Odysseus, an epic hero, protects his men throughout The Odyssey and continues to grow as a character, â€Å"My faithful company/ Rested on their oars now, peeling off/ The wax that I had laid thick on their ears;/ Then set me free† (Part 2, 59-62). At the beginning of the story you can see Odysseus’s crew is faithful and they stand by Odysseus showing that he starts out as a great man and continues to progress. Odysseus and Macbeth are opposite because Odysseus grows throughout the work while Macbeth falls. Macbeth starts out as a great soldier but by the end he slowly fades into an evil man, â€Å"Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood/ Clean from my hand?† (II. ii. 60-61). This marks the beginning of Macbeth’s downfall as he commits his first selfish murder. Macbeth only falls farther as he continues to commit these murders only to get him farther in life. This difference is one of the most significant as one character rises to become a better man and the other falls to his death due to his lack of moral compass. Both of these important characters, Odysseus and Macbeth, have their similarities and their differences. Their ambition drives them to reach their overall goals and their importance to their people remains similar, yet they are different because one is a tragic hero while the other an epic hero. Comparing these to seemingly different works has allowed for many similarities and quite a few differences to come to light.

RADIATION AND IT'S BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS Research Paper

RADIATION AND IT'S BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS - Research Paper Example This paper discusses radiation and it narrows down to the biological effects of radiation. Introduction When a nucleus of an atom emits high-energy photons and particles such as gamma rays, this kind of radiation is referred to as nuclear radiation. X-rays behave in a similar way as they do gamma rays, although unlike gamma rays, they do not involve the nucleus. For this reason, in describing nuclear radiation and x-rays, the term ionizing radiation is used. While non-ionizing radiation is vital to life, excessive exposures cause tissue damage. All ionizing radiation forms have adequate energy to ionize atoms that may in return destabilize molecules within cells ensuing into tissue damage (Francis & Kirkpatrick, 538). Although radiation is useful biologically as aforementioned, for instance in the treatment of cancer due to its ability to destroy cancerous tissues, exposure of human tissue to higher energies associated with nuclear radiation has adverse biological effects – it causes severe damage to the tissues (McCall, 213). Whenever any radiation passes through a matter, it deposits energy along its path, which leads to ionization, increased temperatures, and atomic excitations. The ionization that radiation passing through living tissue causes can lead to the damage of organic molecules if the electrons are involved in molecular binding. In the event that there is the destruction of too many molecules in this manner or in the event that there is the damaging of DNA molecules, cells may either become cancerous or die (Francis & Kirkpatrick, 538). In addition to cancer induction, other biological effects include changes in the central nervous system, heritable effects, formation of cataract and early effects on body organs as well as their function (National Research Council Staff, 2). Deliberate exposure of living tissues to radiation therefore is something to be avoided unless it is utterly necessary. In fact, the World Congress on Medical Physics an d Biomedical Engineering 2009 documents that extreme care is not an option whenever radiation is used and the advantages of using radiation must always be greater than harm and risk from it (111). Radiations that are associated with nuclear explosions include gamma rays, neutrons, and to a much lesser extent, beta particles. During an explosion, most of the gammas and all the neutrons are essentially generated in fusion and fission reactions. The capture of neutrons in the surrounding air, water or earth as well as in the explosion-weapon debris generates additional gamma rays in addition to a large array of radioisotopes, which comprise the radioactive fallout. Normally, both gamma rays and neutrons are strongly absorbed all over the body thereby affecting all organs (Hafemeister, 5). Francis & Kirkpatrick point out that radiation’s outcome on people’s health is dependent on the amount of radiation that living tissue absorbs as well as the biological impacts linked wi th this absorption (538). To explain further, radiation’s harmful biological effects are attributable to destructive ionization generated within an exposed organism’s cell bodies. In animal tissues, both neutrons and gamma rays’ mean free paths are in the order of twenty centimeters, which is the range that inflicts maximum damage to the organism. In the event tha

In the file Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

In the file - Essay Example The problem facing this training sometimes is that a person joining that training may only be interested in earning more salaries that are being provided at that level. High salaries in many occasions indicate a greater value of employer, but empirically it is not well known whether it is true or not. Apart from the growth in business schools, there has been an increase on emphasis of personal development, mentoring, and executive training. Another significant development is increasing focus on development and training of entrepreneurs. New form of learning such as E-learning has increased since they are cheap and flexible. Due to globalization and flexible trade rules across the world, global leadership has become more evident currently. Right now it is not effective being a manager in one country, a good manager in the current world should be able to carry out management in different countries and cultures. A balance between theory and practice is one of the issues in training and development. Another issue is where management and development is based, whether it is a western business model provided by western institutions or eastern business models. The MBA courses taught in Asia by western teachers from western states may boost western business models that are not suitable to the locals because the teaching methods will require the students to adopt learning styles that are not in line with their culture. The information contained in this article can be applied in business organization and when doing global business. Businesses will learn that having people who have extensive training in business courses such as MBA are important in the management of the organization. The article also explains important issues about management training and development. One of the important issues is a broad issue of executive learning and development, this include formal and

A Clean, Well-Lighted Place by Ernest Hemingway Essay

A Clean, Well-Lighted Place by Ernest Hemingway - Essay Example Also witnessed in other works by the author, are the themes of social exclusion, death, loneliness, and modernity which demonstrate the relevance of the narrative in dealing with social issues. In A Clean, Well-Lighted Place, Ernest Hemingway focuses on several social issues that affect society, old people especially. Social Issue and Its Impact on the Narrative Old age is associated with a stage in life when individuals settle down and have a peaceful life away from complicated activities since their energy is dwindled. Spending time with the family, particularly the extended family and resting constitute the main depiction of individuals in their later stage of life. Pensioners enjoy the savings they made during their young ages as opposed to active participation in work. However, A Clean, Well-Lighted Place generates a different picture of a suffering old man lost in desperation, loneliness, and isolation. Despite having enough money and resources to sustain his life, the main cha racter old man struggles to fit in a society that cannot deliver the social life he deserves. Social exclusion of the old people is a social vice that destroys the dream of a peaceful rest for the old generation. The events in world political history left a huge scar to the human society since war and aggression create animosity resulting in death and desolation. A cold society depicted by the setting of the story after a time of war shows the coincidence it has with social insensitivity. To illustrate this, the author uses the presence of a soldier and a guard in the story for the obvious reasons of some force needed to quell certain disorderliness. In addition, the waiter’s treatment to the deaf old man shows insensitivity as speaking to the old man aware of his disability is quite an insult. Causation In terms of fictitious application of the plot, the author selects the events of causation that resonate well with the social issue of neglect, isolation, and desolation of t he old in the society. In illustrating the nature of the main characters, particularly the old man, it is clear of how the desolation and isolation manifest in the story development (Lombardi para. 2). It is perhaps due to the depiction of the difference in the condition of the commotion in daytime and late night silence that the author generates the gentle character of the old man, who chooses the late night for his drink. In contrast, the author paints the young waiter as a violent and insensitive character by opting to retire when the commotion in noisy and dusty street subside. â€Å"‘You should have killed yourself last week,’ he said to the deaf man,† (Hemingway line 19). The older waiter’s character seems to be in the middle of the two extremes in that his lenience for the old man’s choice of drinking time does not convince him to take over. He understands the social impact of old age and the risks of desolation and he is aware of the realiti es that await him in his later days not too far, unlike his younger colleague. The interaction of the three characters in the narrative shows the disconnect that affects the young and the old within the theme of responsibilities of a socially cohesive society. The young cannot understand the challenges of the old such as why they could opt to pick the late hours for drinking crowned with sheer lack of sensitivity. We also learn about the family setting for the old man, with only one niece making up the family that takes care of him. Lack of other family members raises questions on how practical his resting days are, shedding more light on why he is in virtual inexistence in terms of social life

Discuss the major factors behind the rise and decline of the Ancient Essay - 2

Discuss the major factors behind the rise and decline of the Ancient Egyptian Civilization - Essay Example Socialism played a pivotal role in the growth of the ancient Egyptian civilization. Karl Wittfogel, author of â€Å"Oriental Despotism† inferred that socialism laid the foundation for all primitive civilizations (Karenga 99). Socialism is an ideology, which advocates for public ownership in favor of privatization of a country’s economy. Ancient Egyptian civilization flourished under a centralized system of government charged with the responsibility of mobilizing the country’s resources. For example, the government oversaw the erection of permanent structures such as the pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx. In addition, Egypt’s strategic geographic location endorsed agriculture within the region, which translated into a reliable and stable source of food for its population. Ancient Egyptians capitalized on the flooded Nile River, which supplied water to sustain the irrigation of arable plains in the region. Under the government’s supervision, the h arvest was stored and controlled rations distributed to the population. Moreover, surplus harvest became a trade commodity boosting trade within the region. Growth was not limited to the economic sector only. The use of written words and symbols became a tool for the preservation of Egyptian culture whereby, scholars created permanent records of significant events. These served as reference points for future generations. Finally, the pharaohs (for example, Tuthmosis 1 and his grandson Tuthmosis III) secured the region’s borders by forming strategic alliances with their neighbors such as Assyria and Canaan (Hine et al 35). Historians remain divided regarding possible reasons, which contributed to sudden decline of the ancient Egyptian civilization. However, they all concur that the civilization collapsed during the end of the eighth dynasty after the long reign of Pepy II. It is estimated that Pepy II held the throne for ninety years. His sons were eager to rule in his stead

Financial Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 7

Financial Management - Essay Example This paper discusses on whether the capital asset pricing model offers the right evidence on where investors can get value for their money. There are two types of risks that any investor is afraid of and should take into account when planning to capitalize in a given market. These include the systematic and unsystematic risks (Resource Center, 2013 n.p). The systematic risk is that which is related to the whole market and over which the investor has not control. This type of risk has a huge impact on the amount of returns that an investor should expect. The CAPM discloses this type of risk to the investor and makes him aware on what to expect (Resource Center, 2013 n.p). It includes the recession, the dynamic nature of interest rates and other natural phenomenon that the investor would have no control over. The unsystematic risks, on the other hand, are specific to investments and can be handled by the investor. He is aware of this kind of risk and has planned for it. According to the capital asset pricing model, beta is the measure of the risk that any stock investment is exposed to (Shapiro, 2006 p7). It shows the relationship between the market and the stock by showing how the dynamic change in the market affects the returns from the stock investment (Shapiro, 2006 p7). It is done, over a certain period of time, to determine how the up and down movement of the market affects the up and down movement of the stock prices. Therefore, beta provides the much needed answers to the risk-return relationship (Shapiro, 2006 p15). Equity is all that remains after all the expenses of an investor have been completely taken care of, and when all the expenses have been settled, and there is residual remaining of the assets (Perold, 2004 p12). The capital asset pricing model does a return-risk assessment of the financial securities of an investor and concludes that equities are the most risky assets, and their premium is very high (Perold, 2004 p13). The CAPM says

Survey of Human Resource Management ip5 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Survey of Human Resource Management ip5 - Essay Example Selected employees must be highly qualified for the position they acquire. It is achievable through following the right recruitment procedures. Eventually, other tests such as drug and integrity tests may be of important. However, they are not very necessary. My company must be willing to adhere to the legal statues which affect the hiring and selection of employees. Many of these legal statues are outlined in the Labor Departments. Employees in the strategized new office must receive fair wages. Due to this, my company has set a fair wage for all employees according to their position in the new office. Further, they are entitled to an overtime pay once the working hours are extended. Child labor is prohibited completely in the work place too. Employees are entitled to compensation incase danger attacks them in the line of duty. Dangers include falling ill or getting hurt in the line of duty. Employees are entitled to medical care and compensation during these cases. Employees must always be guaranteed of security while working. The office must be strategized in a safe place where employees are comfortable and secure. The legal statues also are against discriminatory selection and hiring procedures. The discrimination may be based on race, tribe, color origin, sex or even religion ((Bendick, M., & Nunes, 2012). Disabled people should also not be discriminated especially in the selection process if they qualify for the post. The statues also protect the rights and the privacy of employees. Employees to be selected also have the right to form unions which would be used in the protection of their rights and in the airing of their grievances. Glory Parcel Service Company ensures that it is comfortable with all the legal statues that would affect the selection process. I, as the Chief Human Resource Officer of Glory Parcel Service Company ensure that the company is aware and abides

Psychological study of man Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Psychological study of man - Research Paper Example For many years, the psychologists have limited their work to the study of women psychology. However, with the passage of time and in-depth analysis of various aspects in the field of psychology, the professionals have realized that there are certain behaviors which are associated with men that need to be studied in detail (Blazina and David, 21). In order to make sure that there is sufficient evidence of work on psychological study of man, the experts have undertaken various initiatives to make valuable contributions in the world of psychology. Previously, the psychologists studied the gender roles by comparing them across various cultures (Lavent and William, 70). But recent developments in the research of these gender roles highlighted that the male behave in certain ways not on the basis of biological or social constructs but rather on socially and psychologically constructed entities (Carothers and Harry, 386). Joseph Pleck was the person who developed â€Å"The gender role strain paradigm† in 1981. According to this paradigm, a man has to deal with various strains to live up to the expectations of the society. It was even the starting point for the development of an additional branch of psychology for men (Lavent and William, 2). The gender role is defined as the set of behaviors, actions, attitudes and self-perception methods which are ascribed to all members of the particular biological sex i.e. male or female. There is a specific CPGR (Culturally Preferred Gender Role) which varies according to the cultures. Every male is encouraged to show compliance with CPGR and even forced to adopt it (Lavent and William, 132). According to Szukalowski, a man is generally nurtured on a way that the rules of masculinity are engrained in his personality (45). The three main areas of masculinity are strength (courage, rationality, self-reliance and aggression), action (ambition, dominance, risk-taking and competitiveness) and honor

Pet Stores are among the few retail businesses growing in the economic Research Paper

Pet Stores are among the few retail businesses growing in the economic downturn. Why Does this suggest a parallel (pet stores a - Research Paper Example Pet owners are purchasing more than sheer requirements when it comes to their pets. Actually, in accordance with the industry’s primary trade organization’s expenses statistics, they are ready to pay almost any cost for their pets (Dean, p. 4). The American Pet Products Association (APPA) recently published the comprehensive yearly evaluation of expenses statistics and information, which reveals overall spending within the pet industry increased by almost 7 percent from 46 billion USD in 2010 to a little more than 49 billion USD in 2011. The pet industry carries on displaying resilience regardless of the economic downturn and APPA is even estimating a 6 percent raise in spending to go beyond 52 billion USD within the coming year. Health-care linked pet expenses carries on to reveal the maximum expansion within the pet industry with spending increasing by 9 percent growth from 2009. Pet owners are becoming a lot more responsive towards their pet’s wellbeing, gener ally being practical with respect to veterinarian care and utilizing specialty formula foods, supplements, in addition to advanced, and sometimes, expensive cure preferences to guarantee that their pet stays in good physical shape. Of all categories, veterinary care has the major projected intensification at 10 percent that would cause a likely 15 billion USD in spending during 2013. Pet services is an additional group that has witnessed continued as well as diversified development in reaction to the rising demands pet owners face on a daily basis (Boler & Fahey, p. 81). The pet retail industry is a huge and quickly developing market. During the last ten years, the industry has seen exceptional increase from 25 billion USD to more than 50 billion USD – that is more than Americans use on films, music, and video games collectively. During 2011, Americans used 51 billion USD on their pets, with an estimation of 51.90 billion USD in pet spending during 2013. This yearly expenditu re is likely to reach at 54 billion USD during the next two years. That is an extremely incredible level of development keeping in view the country’s overall condition of economic slump. A shocking 95 percent of pet owners used the equivalent or additional amount on their pets in the most recent financial depression phase. A number of pet owners are even skipping extravagance in their own life with the intention of ensuring that their pets are living in comfort. Economic professionals now broadly advertize the pet industry as actually invulnerable to financial downturn. Even from 2008 to 2010, years that witnessed almost each industry of America’s retail financial system collapse, pet expenditure was up by 12 percent. In fact, the pet industry is the seventh biggest retail industry within America, surpassing the ornaments, sweets, toys, and hardware industries. In addition, following consumer electronics, pet care is the most rapidly expanding group within retailing, g rowing almost 7 percent each year. Evidently, consumer demand within the pet business is at an unprecedented high. Particularly, with respect to the pet services field, dog training as well as pet care spending have raised from 6.2 billion USD to 7.1 billion USD during the last three years with key development now forecasted for the coming five years. As showed by a recent research, Pet services are among the rapidly developing sectors within the pet

Insider Trading in India-an Analysis of Yesterday Essay Example for Free

Insider Trading in India-an Analysis of Yesterday Essay It also contained provisions prohibiting fraud related to securities trading. However, insider trading laws were mostly built with the support of US courtroom decisions. Ultimately, two legislations were enacted which specifically addressed the issue of insider trading, firstly, by the Insider Trading Sanctions Act, 1984 and secondly, by the Insider Trading and Securities Fraud Enforcement Act, 1988. ‘Utpal Bhattacharya and H. Daouk, in their study on insider trading, state that the jurisprudence on insider trading saw a rise from the 1990s, and only 81 countries out of 103 countries reviewed and had insider trading laws, while prosecution took place only in 38 countries. ’ In India, several committees were formed to check the applicability of the US regulations on Indian soil. The first committee which took the initiative to evaluate the regulations on short swing profit was PJ Thomas Committee, thereby introducing Sections 307 and 308 in the Companies Act, 1956. This basically requires the directors and managers of the company to make shareholding disclosures. However, such discloser requirements were still not enough to curb the nuisance and further deliberations were thought necessary over the matter. Hence, in 1979, Sachar Committee was formed, followed by the Patel Committee (1986) and finally Abid Hussain Committee (1989). All these three committees voiced out their opinion of having an immediate solution to the problem and advocated the need to have a separate law altogether on insider trading in stock market. Finally when the post liberalization period arrived, activities in the Indian stock market were at its peak and hence to acquire the necessary control over the domain, in 1992, the SEBI Act was introduced. The SEBI Act, 1992 in turn used its power to formulate a number of regulations and thus as one of those regulations, the SEBI (Insider Trading) Regulations was born. Later on, the said regulations were amended in 2002 and now it is known as the SEBI (Prohibition of Insider Trading) Regulations, 1992 (hereinafter â€Å"the insider regulations†). Since then, changes were made at least twice, one in 2002 and another in 2008. Jurisprudence behind Insider Trading Laws ‘Insider trading occurs when a corporate insider trades on information before it is disclosed to the general public. ’ The fundamental legal principle behind barring such an activity is that anyone who has acquired any kind of material or special information about a security in his fiduciary capacity should not be allowed to trade with the same security for his own benefit. In stock market, trust and confidentiality are two sides of the same coin. Investors invest their money based on the integrity of the market. Hence, to develop a healthy market, both prospective and current investors must feel secured to invest. Law in matters of tracking insider trading, could be of help in two ways, firstly, it could penalize those who engage in insider trading and secondly, it could create an incentive based system which would encourage disclosure of such activities. In past also, there have been catastrophic consequences where innocent public were robbed off their money because of few people who due to their greed jeaopardised the functioning of entire stock market. Stock market is a place where people expect simple demand and supply to influence the price of the securities. So when such prices are rigged, the investors start losing confidence, as a result either they start withdrawing money from the market or they end up not investing at all. This in turn stops the free flow of capital and other very important financial activities which could be very appalling for the economy. Description of Insider Trading as an Offence Laws related to insider trading in India are still in the nascent stage. The SEBI (Prohibition of Insider Trading) Regulations, 1992 gives a very detailed description of insider trading, however no where it has defined the term ‘Insider Trading’. For understanding the scheme of insider trading, there are four definitions which could help the various authorities to locate such an activity. The concept of ‘Insider Trading’ can be understood when the definitions of ‘insider’, ‘dealing in securities’, ‘price sensitive information’ and ‘connected persons’ are read together and understood in consonance with each other. The term ‘insider’ can be classified for convenience into at least two or more forms.

The History Of Smartphones

The History Of Smartphones Introduction Mobile phones are amazing device which brings most of the works in a single hand. In the world one quarter of the earths population using a mobile phone. Therefore another mobile phones are Smartphones which are great phones and its a phenomenal .Smartphones are rich mobile personal gateways into the digital universe and its growing and expanding all over the digital world. In the digital worlds its combines content, commerce, computing, and community. It keep the home of google.com, ebay.com, amazon.com, yahoo.com, bbcnews.com, slashdot.com, aol.com, msn.com, and much, much more can brings all the website tools in a single device. Easily we can access the universe through mobile web browser as provided on Smartphones interfaces that make the experience more intuitive, more engaging, and more valuable. And just as the digital universe is steering the evolution of Smartphones, the increasing prevalence of Smartphones will steer the next phase of the evolution of the digital universe. Smartphones are famous for their versatility in a single day a Smartphones may be a contactless wallet, a barcode reader, a satellite navigation system, an email or social network client, a Wi-Fi hotspot, and be used to make a phone call. Given the growing importance of Smartphones, we believe it is important to assess the privacy and security risks of these devices. But only a few years ago, mobile phones were expensive device. Now people can buy easily and no longer dream able device anymore .Mobile phones are the most successful device of consumer electronics in history. Smartphones are now an essential tool in all sections of European society, from top government officials to businesses and consumers. In the UK, Germany, France, Spain, and Italy alone, the number of Smartphones users are increasing day by day (around 62 million users). Lots of e-business companies their monetary value flowing through Smartphones, For example eBay expects 1.3 to 1.5 billion Euros in transactions through the i-Phone app in 2010. History of Smartphone 1984: Psion Organizer II8 bit processor9V battery, it lasted for several months!Develop own applications (OPL-language)Memory extensions, plug-in modules 1994: IBM Simon First real à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾Smartphone TouchscreenPIM, Data communication 2001: Nokia 7650First 2.5G phone(GPRS, HSCSD)Light/proximitysensorSymbian OS -Open system! Nokia N95 (March 2007) QVGA display(16,7 Mio. Fabens, 6,6cm) 5 MPixelcamera(Carl Zeiss) Integrated GPS WLAN, UMTS, HSDPA USB, 3.5 mm audio connector, radio, TV-Out, Micro SD-support 120 g, 99x53x21mm In this report we give an overview of the key information and opportunities for Smartphones users. We stress that the risks should be balanced against the potential benefits of Smartphones 1. A description of the many potential benefits in terms of, for example, cost-savings, increased efficiency and a better quality of life is outside the scope of this report. To give just one example however, Smartphones are being used as smart-health sensors, allowing heart patients to stay at home safely, while having their heart issues controlled and monitored by medical staff. In this way Smartphones increase a patients quality of life and, at the same time, save healthcare costs. Dramatic Impact of Smart phones on Personal Life San Mateo, CA, April 13, 2010 Ring Central, which is a cloud computing based business phone system provider, their new survey find out that customers on the changing nature of business communications. The survey included Ring Centrals small to medium-sized business customers around the U.S. reveals that the Smartphone has going to an integral part of their daily life and a dramatic impact on personal life. Survey results provide that intimate relations and Smartphones tied as the number one thing survey respondents cannot live without. Another proof is that an increasingly mobile workforce would rather give up their morning cup of coffee than their Smartphones. The majority of people in the city they are using Smartphones as compared to home phone or office phone. On the other hand Smartphones are using more than computers for business and also encroaching on computers as well, more than 25% of surveyed showed that using the Smartphone more than the computer for business. In fact, nearly 8% dont even take their laptop when they travel for business if they carry their Smartphone. We can say that Smartphones are the new resolution in every single day in our personnel life and business. Smartphone is Primary Business Phone From survey find out that more than 45% of their phone communication via Smartphones. And nearly 80% of the surveyed showed that people are using the Smartphone as their primary business phone. Coupled of Years ago, laptops came qas a new era of working remotely. Now a days, cloud based systems and Smartphones have dramatically filled this trend and providing different kind of facility and access tools what helps to the people to do instead of physical office work they can carry all of work in a single hand. The nature of business are changing and its no longer dependent on location because of increasing demand for fingertips technology, which has increased the demand for professional business communication systems that are designed for a fully mobile workplace. Information Security Risk of Smartphone Consumer The phone is an integral part of a persons daily life e.g. private phone-calls, social networking, messaging, navigation, gaming, online banking, on-the-go entertainment, location based services, Internet browsing, micro-blogging, email, photography, video recording, e-health, etc. Employee The Smartphones is used by an employee in a business or government organization. It is used for business phone calls, Internet browsing, corporate email, expense management, customer relationship management, travel assistance, contact management and business social networking, video conferencing, scheduling tasks, and reading documents. In some cases workflow applications are run on the Smartphones, e.g. to fill in forms as part of an employee task. High Official The Smartphones is used by a high or top-level official in a business or government organisation, or by his or her close aide. The Smartphones is used as in usage scenario E but in addition it is used for dealing with sensitive information and/or tasks. Usage in this scenario is subject to security policies and the functionality of the Smartphones may be restricted or customized, for example by adding cryptographic modules for protecting call-confidentiality. Information security opportunities From an information security perspective, Smartphones have certain advantages over traditional PCs and mobile handsets. In this chapter we give an overview of the main information security opportunities for Smartphones users. Note that any concrete security benefit provided depends heavily in all cases on the extent to which the opportunities are exploited in practice. We have ordered the opportunities taking into account the rating from the experts consulted when writing this report. The experts were asked to rate on a scale ranging from no opportunity, through minor and medium opportunities, to major opportunity. Better backup and recovery Some Smartphones ship with convenient backup and recovery functions to address the risk to data availability of failure, loss, or theft. Smartphones are often well integrated with local or remote backup and recovery services. For example, some platforms automatically back up contacts, calendar or emails to a remote service. Smartphone applications, furthermore, often rely on network-based storage and backup. Overall this can make recovery of data in the event of a device failure, theft or loss quicker and more convenient and increase overall service availability. In some cases, Smartphones can even be located remotely via the network, allowing the user to recover a lost device more easily. Additionally, some Smartphones can be disabled and wiped remotely (and data may be easily recovered by the owner). This combined with above-mentioned backup and recovery services can be used to mitigate the risks associated to theft and loss. Extra authentication and non-repudiation options Smartphones are equipped with a smartcard reader, which gives additional options for authentication and non-repudiation. Smartphones can be used to improve the process of online authentication and provide a mechanism for non-repudiation. Smartphones lend themselves to such applications because: The SIM card used in Smartphones is a smartcard (50) and, with the appropriate software, licences and certificates in place can be used for PKI-based authentication and digital signatures (51). Although unavailability of smartcards and readers is not the only impediment to the uptake of PKI, this feature of Smartphones could be one factor in encouraging the use of PKI and digital signatures for the authentication of users and transactions. Smartphones may also take advantage of the shared secret between the SIM card and the HLR (Home Location Register) using the 3GPP standard Generic Bootstrapping Architecture (GBA). Smartphones may also be used to create one-time-password codes without using SMS or network connections. Extra encryption options Smartphones allow users to use end-to-end encryption for phone calls and SMS more easily. Smartphones come with more processing power and third-party encryption applications are easily available to end-users. For call confidentiality, traditional handset users rely on encryption offered by the mobile network operator. Crypto-modules for additional protection are expensive and are typically only used by top-officials. However several third-party applications are now offering encryption for Smartphones voice calls, on top of the standard encryption provided by mobile network operators. Conclusion Across the technology world, other companies decided they wanted in too. Microsoft built its Windows mobile operating system, which today powers scores of Smartphones, while notable manufacturers like nokia, Sony Ericson and Samsung built devices of their own. Two years ago, apple staked a big claim when it introduced the hugely-hyped iPhone, and Palm shook up the sector again when it introduced its Pre model this summer. Today, Smartphone come in all shapes and sizes. some offer full alphabetic keyboard while others shun physical controls in favour of a touch-screen. Indeed, the variety is huge and you can bet that Smartphone will continue to change at the speed of light.

Political Dynasty: Advantages and Disadvantages

Political Dynasty: Advantages and Disadvantages Filipinos have always been proud of how much value is put into the concept of family. In the Filipino community, it can be seen how close families can be when they go as far as supporting even extended members of the family, despite the hardships and nuisances it may bring. It is not uncommon to see cousins, aunts, and grandparents all living together under one roof in the typical Filipino household. Being clannish  [1]  and family oriented people, Filipinos tend to give in to relatives and friends. Although it could very well serve as a positive trait that Filipinos have, it can also pose as a problem that no matter how principled one may be, it is so easy for one to bend the rules in favor of their beloved kapamilya  [2]  . The same clannish trait of the Filipinos is one that is not forgotten in the arena of Philippine politics. Since time immemorial, political dynasties have been in the Philippine political arena and still are very much around today. Sons and daughters, nephews and nieces, and even wives of political figures have been seen to enter politics not for merit or expertise, but simply because of affinity by blood to those who hold the political power. Power, in terms of how it is transferred from one family member to another, is handed from a seniority to his or her successor by means of a padrino  [3]  system where the successor is endorsed by an outgoing member of the family so that the successor would rake in the same support that the outgoing member had received from his supporters when he or she was in a position of power. Here it is not seen that it is not merely a show of power but that there is an organized transfer of this same power that runs within these political dynasties that keep them surviving up until today. The most famous or infamous of which, include the Marcoses  [4]  , with Ferdinand, Imelda, Imee and Bongbong, and the Estradas or Ejercitos  [5]  , with Erap, Loi, Jinggoy and JV (Joseph Victor) (PHILIPPINEPOLITICS.NET., 2000). In the municipal and provincial government, positions of power are usually dominated by a particular clan. Family members simply take turns in alternating between various posts for as long as the term allows. In the May 14, 2007 elections, as much as 53 candidates belonging to a background of political dynasties ran for office. Among which included families like the Aquinos, Biazons, De Venecias, Ortegas, Rectos, Roxases, Remullas and many others (Somosierra, 2007). Also in the recent May 10, 2010 elections, the same candidates from powerful political families landed key positions in government. Senator Benigno Simeon Noynoy Aquino topped the presidential race while Makati City Mayor Jejomar Binay surprisingly bagged the position of vice president. In the senatorial race, the likes of Senators Ramon Bong Revilla Jr. a nd Jinggoy Estrada were re-elected to the same position as they topped the list of winning senatorial candidates. Influence and Power of Political Dynasties The political dynasty undoubtedly plays an influential role in Philippine society. Families of political dynasties are sitting side by side to deliberate on important legislations that will affect the future of more than 80 million Filipinos both young and old for generations to come (PHILIPPINEPOLITICS.NET., 2000). It has been often contended that political dynasties go against the values upheld by democracy since it does not provide an equal opportunity for people to hold offices of power and service. With the set-up of the political dynasty, it seems as if positions of power are exclusively dominated by a particular clan or family. Arguably, the political dynasty is said to monopolize the system of governance since it limits the chances of other common Filipinos to serve the people. It creates a brain drain in the sense that the new and capable leader who could possibly perform better than those currently in office, would not be given an opportunity when running against someone wi th a name. Former Mayor, and now DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo of Naga City, who has firmly stood against political dynasties, he believes, The right to serve does not belong to one family alone. Ordinary people who deserve to be empowered should be given the opportunity to serve the community,  [6]  (Medel, 2007).It is undeniable that there are candidates who are voted into office simply because of their name and fame. Sons, siblings and even wives of politicians people who have no knowledge whatsoever of how to lead and serve, are voted into office simply because of their connection to previous leaders. Electoral votes are not so much based on the capability of one to serve, but rather on the name carried by one who is running. It is quite obvious that the family name of an elected official or a potential candidate plays a big role in the success of one who falls under the category of being part of a political family. It can be identified that power can be seen not only in exe rcises of excess but also in tangible things such as a candidates family name. This symbolic power could be seen as a perpetuation of the power system that runs through a political dynasty since it plays a big role in a dynastys continued existence and evolution. The validity of the political dynasty has always remained a highly debatable matter. Why do traditional political clans that which do not ground their resources based on their economic stance, still exist in the Philippine political arena despite some rejections by others that it does not provide equal opportunities for other candidates to run for public office? What key elements existing in these political dynasties make them dominant in the political arena up until today? Does the existence of the political dynasty really help the Filipino people, or is it just making the political maturity of the nation stagnant? (PHILIPPINEPOLITICS.NET., 2000). Despite the negative connotation brought about by political dynasties and its detrimental effects throughout Philippine history, political dynasties are not entirely negative and can bring certain positive effects. The solution to stop the negative effects linked to political dynasties is not to ban political dynasties in general, but inst ead, to educate people to vote more responsibly in choosing a leader. In this paper, I intend to find the factors that make political dynasties relevant today in the face of a democratic Philippine society by taking into consideration Michel Foucaults theory on power and Vladimir Lenins theory on organization. In line with what Michel Foucault mentioned in his work, Discipline and Punish, political dynasties in the Philippines are unique in a way that they possess dynamic qualities that keep them surviving up until today. He stressed in his work that power is exercised in ways that it can be excessive to maintain order and discipline in society. The example would be that of Francois Damiens  [7]  , who was publicly tortured and executed for his attempt to assassinate the sovereign. As Foucault recounts the event, one can see the display of the excessive use of power to punish Damiens for his actions, as seen in his recount wherein à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Damiens, who cried out profusely, though without swearing, raised his head and looked at himself; the same executioner dipped an iron spoon, in the pot containing boiling potion, which he poured liberally over each wound  [8]  (Focault, 1977). Here we can see the sovereigns excessive use of power to punish a subject who attempted to challen ge his sovereignty by attempting to take his life. Francois Damiens public torture and execution was made as an example to others that contesting the kings sovereignty would be subject to the same level of punishment or worse. What Michel Foucault was reiterating in his account of Damiens torture is that power is primarily being exercised on the body as a means of strategizing the deployments of power rather than to punish the violator by causing physical pain. The crime committed by Damiens was against the body of the king; therefore, the punishment that was given to the violator was also against his body, through the form of torture. The pain caused to the body was clearly not intended only for the body alone but rather reached out to those who have witnessed or heard about the execution. The gravity of such an event still touches on modernity in a way that whoever reads or hears about such an event could still feel the gravity of the excessive use of power. During the early 18th century, there was a display of excessive torture on the body according to Michel Foucault. In a span of a few decades, the process of torture became a process of organized disciplinary action in the form of a penal justice system. This evolution of torture saw the disappearance of punishment on the body and a loosening of the hold of the sovereign over the body. In the disappearance of punishment, it enters into the abstract consciousness of society rather than of perceptions. Moreover, there is a focus on the effectivity of punishment rather than of spectacles, wherein it focuses only on visibility or intensity of punishment such as that of Foucaults account of Damiens torture. On the loosening of hold of the sovereign on the body, one can see that punishment no longer touched the body but rather as Foucault would state, The body now serves as an instrument or intermediary: if one intervenes upon it to imprison it, or to make it work, it is in order to deprive the individual of a liberty that is regarded both as a right and as property  [9]  (Focault, 1977). In the spectacle of scaffolds, executioners served as the kings hand in punishing offenders. As time passed, doctors, psychiatrists, guidance counselors, judges and jail wardens now took over the executioners role of administering punishment. As Foucault aptly put it, To sum up, ever since the new penal system that defined by the great codes of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries has been in operation, a general process has led judges to judge something other than crimes; they have been led in their sentences to do something other than judge; and the power of judging has been transferred in part, to other authorities than the judges of the offence. The whole penal operation has taken on extra-juridical elements and personnel.  [10]  (Focault, 1977). Negative Sides to Political Dynasties The very excess of the violence employed is one of the elements of glory: the fact that the guilty man should moan and cry out under the blows is not a shameful side effect, it is the very ceremonial of justice being expressed in all its force. Hence no doubt those tortures that take place even after death: corpses burnt, ashes thrown to the winds, bodies dragged on hurdles and exhibited at the roadside. Justice pursues the body beyond all possible pain  [11]  (Focault, 1977) Similar to what Foucault had studied about power relations, this paper, uses the same theory but relates it to the phenomenon of political dynasties in the Philippines. Throughout Philippine history, the political dynasty has taken on a negative connotation. Often linked to problems like graft, corruption, and abuse of power, it has taken on a detrimental role to society. Perhaps the most infamous of all would be the political dynasty of the Marcos family. Alleged to have embezzled between US$5 billion and US$10 billion from the Philippines, Transparency International  [12]  has ranked Ferdinand Marcos at second on a list of the worlds most corrupt political leaders of the past two decades; surpassed only by former Indonesian President Suharto (Ferdinand Marcos: Killer File, 2000). Names like the Estradas/Ejercitos and the Singson families have also linked the image of the political dynasty to allegations of graft and corruption. Luis Chavit Singson, governor of the province of I locos Sur, alleged that he had personally given Estrada the sum of 400 million pesos as payoff from illegal gambling profits such as jueteng, as well as 180 million pesos from the government price subsidy for the tobacco farmers marketing cooperative. Singsons allegation caused an uproar across the nation, which culminated in Estradas impeachment trial by the House of Representatives in November 13, 2000. A more recent example, would be that of the Ampatuans, whose name has been thrust to the limelight after the event of the Maguindanao Massacre  [13]  where 58 individuals consisting of their family rivals, the Mangudadatus, relatives and some journalists were shot and killed preventing them from filing their patrons certificate of candidacy. Families linked to political dynasties flood the news with allegations of all sorts of crime ranging from corruption, theft, murder and even rape. Regardless of whether these are proven or unproven, it all translates into the tarnished and dirty image that the political dynasty holds in todays society. This is exactly what Michel Foucault talks about in the spectacle of the scaffold wherein there is a display of an excessive use of power through torture. As Foucault mentions, there are three criterions where punishment must follow in order to fall under the category of torture. The first being, that it must manifest pain on a certain degree, that could be seen in the example of Francois Damiens torture. The second being that such pain is regulated in a way that suffering is maximized rather than imposing death immediately because this suffering would insure a more effective notice of change on the offenders part. Last but not least, perhaps the most important would be that torture ma rks the individual and that it should serve as a spectacle. Torture marking the individual means that there is a reclaiming of the sovereign by the ruler and that the making of the execution as a spectacle would serve as a public display of the rulers sovereignty. Such a public execution seeks to reach out to the whole of the society by letting the thought of punishment run through their consciousness making them aware of the total power of the sovereign, them serving as his subjects. The context of the logic of torture is that there is contempt for body, wherein the body serves a possession of the sovereign. There is a political need for the sovereign to display his power which will serve as a recognition of his dominance over his subjects. In addition, this display of power actually runs through an internal organization of politicization and serves as a disciplining factor towards order. As Foucault mentions how the Enlightenment period called torture as an atrocity, atrocity is one of those that best designates the economy of public torture in the old penal practice.  [14]  (Focault, 1977) Further, he states that insofar as being the crime before everyones eyes in all its severity, the punishment must take responsibility for this atrocity: it must bring to light by confessions, statements, inscription that make it public, it must reproduce it in ceremonies that apply it to the body of the guilty person in the form of humiliation and pain. Atrocity is that p art of the crime that the punishment turns back as torture in order to display it in the full light of day  [15]  (Focault, 1977) In light of Michel Foucaults study of power, he shows how the display of excessive power can serve as a negative connotation towards disciplining society. In relation to the existence of political dynasties, their display of excessive power by means of running private armies or reliance on coercion in order to establish and maintain their power, could very well serve as a detriment to public order as well as to their own existence. This is where Vladimir Lenins theory on organization can come into play because power alone in a democratic society, especially excessive power, can clash with the values of democracy while power coupled with proper organization could compromise with the said values. Organization, furthermore, would tweak how power is distributed, dispersed and used on the sovereigns subjects. In the case of political dynasties where power is seen to be a tool used for political domination, power alongside organization can produce an effective dynasty, which operates on be half of and for the public rather than for itself and its interests. Good Sides to Political Dynasties In his book, What is to be done?, Vladimir Lenin talks about the importance of organization to serve as a focusing of all efforts towards a certain goal. An organized exercise of power would mean that there is a proper system that is undergone where it is both regulated and directed towards achieving a goal rather than just a spectacle. In the case of political dynasties, despite the weaknesses that they are prone to, it also has its strengths. Political dynasties provide continuity and political stability which is particularly obvious in provinces such as those held by the Josons of Nueva Ecija, Ortegas of La Union, and Dys of Isabela. There is minimal political risk and this plays a huge role when it comes to investments. With the continuity offered by political dynasties, investors can be assured that laws do not change mid-stream of an investors project and that business agreements made in the past would still be upheld in the succeeding generations. This sparks an interest in t erms of foreign corporations doing business in third world countries since it takes out premium on political instability insurance (PHILIPPINEPOLITICS.NET., 2000). Furthermore, this continuity assures that the desired goal is achieved overtime and will be implemented throughout a long-term establishment made by these dynasties. In addition, their continued existence help promote continued progress and development, so long as the succeeding leader is actually capable and not just voted for his namesake. For example, a son who is to take the place of his fathers position in office, would be able to benefit from the experience and guidance of his father. Assuming that the succeeding leader has been trained from early on by the example of good leaders who have also lead from his dynasty, he would be able to emulate the good qualities and learn from mistakes made in the past as well as assure the constant upholding of the good qualities taught by his predecessors. By this process of lear ning from the example of the previous generations, they would have a huge advantage in terms of leadership and experience. An example of a prosperous region, which has been ruled under a political dynasty for over a century, is La Union. The family of Ortegas have occupied elective and appointed positions in the province since the 20th century. In 1901, Joaquin Ortega was appointed governor by the US colonial administration. In 2006, ten Ortegas were holding various elective posts in La Union  [16]  (Medel, 2007). The prosperity of the region speaks clearly, of how well the dynasty has managed. Boasting a 97% literacy rate and a 94.77% employment rate, La Union is classified as a first class province (La Union, 2007). The City of San Fernando is now the seat of national government agencies in Region I and center of trade, commerce, financial and educational institutions, among others. From a deep rooted potential of stable community governance, to international shipping, an airport with viable capacity to accommodate international air traffic, natural terrain conducive to tourism development and a pe ople endowed with cultural and virtuous heritage of industry, spirituality, nationalism and aspiration for growth, peace and prosperity, the City of San Fernando has emerged as the booming Metropolis of the North. (San Fernando City). In response to issues raised regarding the continued existence of a political dynasty in the region, Mayor Mary Jane C. Ortega replies, It is not an issue. Why punish people who deliver? Like in Frankfurt, they have a Mayor for 25 years and she keeps delivering. Look how developed Frankfurt is. It is not an issue if you are in power for a long time. It is not actually the length of service. It is the quality of service that you give. If the leader delivers, why punish him/ her? On the other hand, if you have a term limitation, three years is too long kung hindi naman nagdedeliver,  [17]  (Medel, 2007). Another respectable leader belonging to families with a background in political dynasties include Senator Mar Roxas, son of the illustrious Senator Gerry Roxas, and the grandson of the venerable President Manuel Roxas whose public service careers have greatly benefited the country. Mars public service life began in the House of Representatives in 1993. After his congressional stint, he was appointed as Secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry; and then in 2004, he was elected to the Senate with a staggering 20 million votes the largest ever obtained by a candidate in any Philippine election. Mars stint in the House is most noted for his principal authorship of RA 7880, also known as the Roxas Law, which ensures fair distribution of the education capital budget among all the provinces. This gave life to his advocacy for fair and equitable access to education, free from regional bias and political patronage considerations. Owing to his record of accomplishments as a public se rvant and political leader, the international community described Mar as one of the young leaders in politics and business who will bring Asia and the Pacific to the forefront of world affairs. (Senator Mar A. Roxas) At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Mar was named as one of the Global Leaders of Tomorrow who is expected to shape the future. (Senator Mar A. Roxas) Recently, the Singapore Government has awarded him as the 16th Lee Kuan Yew Fellow (Senator Mar A. Roxas). Another example of a leader who has chosen to stick by his principles despite the temptations offered by that of a political dynasty is Governor Barbers. Governor Robert Lyndon S. Barbers is the eldest son of Senator Robert Bobby Z. Barbers and Vergie Smith of Makati City. The family has a deep-rooted background in politics. His brother was second district Rep. of Surigao del Norte and was succeeded by other family members who ran for governor in the province. Despite his familys involvement in a political dynasty, Lyndon Barbers has made a clear stand against nepotism; relatives are banned from benefiting from any project on account of his position as Governor. This has been proven on several instances. A relative of his was once caught operating a sand-gravel quarrying business without a license or permit and was brought to court. In another instance, a cousin of his was arrested for illegal gambling operations  [18]  (Medel, 2007). In addition, there are many other families be longing to political dynasties that have also contributed a great deal into building the nation and serving its people. Families like the Magsaysays, Osmenas, Biazons, Cayetanos, Villars, Duavits, Escuderos, Espinas, Gordons, Madrigals, Mitras Plazas, and Rectos have done a good job of keeping a clean image. These are the leaders who prove that the political dynasty can be beneficial to society so long as it does not abuse its power. It cannot be discounted that one will not practice the use of power, although, there can be ways wherein this power can be diverted into good reasons to achieve societal order and development. This is what Vladimir Lenin is stresses when he mentions in his work that, Such workers, average people of the masses, are capable of displaying enormous energy and self-sacrifice in strikes and in street, battles with the police and the troops, and are capable (in fact, are alone capable) of determining the outcome of our entire movement but the struggle against the political police requires special qualities; it requires professional revolutionaries  [19]  (Lenin, 1902). In this quotation, Lenin stresses that organizing a mass of people requires a strategic use of power as opposed to a fueling of the mobs emotions. A possible historical example would be that of the American Revolution in contrast to the French revolution. The French revolution had failed to recognize their freedom becaus e they failed to organize their efforts of systemizing their revolution. The leaders of the French revolution relied solely on power and doing so led to the abuse and struggle of power. In the end, the French revolution served as a spectacle of disorganization, wherein towards the end, Napoleon Bonapartes emergence to take hold of power was recognized. This emergence of Napoleon from this disorganization is an opposite to that of an organized succession and transfer of power seen in the American Revolution. The American Revolution, through proper organization, gave birth to freedom, liberty and equality among the states. The transfer and succession of power from one president to another required organization as well as a regulation of their, being the presidents, powers. The political dynasty has its own share of pros and cons. There are examples of good political dynasties as well as bad ones. However, it is usually the faults of the political dynasty that are highlighted and scrutinized. More often than not, the news is filled with reports about charges of theft, plunder and whatnot. As a result of which, many have turned to the solution of trying to ban political dynasties completely. Laws Regarding Political Dynasties In terms of the legality of political dynasties, Art. II, Sec. 26 of the Constitution says, The State shall guarantee equal access to opportunities for public service, and prohibit political dynasties as may be defined by law. However, there is no clear definition of political dynasties and therefore the provision is none self-executing. It is the most ignored policy by Congress due to certain reasons. The framers left it to the congress to define political dynasties which it has not done (Cruz, 2007). This loophole in the law has allowed the political dynasty to continue up to the present day even if it is technically not allowed. The only law being actively enforced to prevent the abuse of power is the term limits on elective positions. However, providing a term limit for elective officials is easily countered by having families pass on their power. To retain political hold on his constituents, a forcibly retired official arranges to have his wife, a mistress, one of his children, his own siblings, or a parent to occupy his position for one term. After which, he will be qualified again to run for office (Cruz, 2007). In an effort to ban political dynasties, there was an anti-dynasty bill that was filled by Majority Floor Leader Arthur Defensor of Iloilo. Section Five of House Bill 783, which reads, Any person who has a political dynasty relationship with an incumbent elective official is disqualified from running for any elective public office within the same city and/or province where the elective public official is running. This bill will only be proactive. It will not affect those who are already currently holding positions. The bill also limits the definition of a political dynasty relationship as existing only among relatives up to the second degree of affinity or consanguinity. Thus, only the spouse, children, siblings or parents of the incumbent are deemed disqualified and similar in-law relationship. The bill disallows a relative of an incumbent from running for a position like governor, vice governor, mayor, vice mayor, as these positions are vested executive power. Another distinct feat ure of this bill is that it allows relatives of the incumbent to run for posts such as board member or councilor where power is shared owing to the collegial nature of the office. The idea of the bill is to bar relatives from holding positions where power is concentrated in an individual, but not from positions where decision-making is made through deliberation and consensus (Bordadora, 2007). Solution to Problems Regarding Political Dynasties Although this new bill seems like a good and effective idea for countering the negative effects of the existence political dynasties, it has yet to have been decided by legislators whether this will be fully implemented or not. It is up to the Congress to decide whether this bill will be passed and it seems highly unlikely that they will do so. This is partly due to the fact that political dynasties have become so much a part of the current system of governance that it is almost impossible to change. I dont think it has much of a chance under the present Congress, stated Defensor regarding his opinion on possibility of the bill being passed (Bordadora, 2007). Like it or not, the emergence of political dynasties in the Philippines still operate well within the framework of so-called democracy (PHILIPPINEPOLITICS.NET., 2000). No matter how much effort is put against the political dynasty, it is here to stay. It is simply futile to hope for any change regarding the current laws on political dynasties. Instead of looking at something that is simply out of reach, people should realize that there lies a much simpler solution. It would be impossible to ban all political dynasties in general; however, it is possible to put an end to the bad political dynasties. People should realize that they are the ones who elect their leaders into office. No matter how strong a political dynasty may be, sovereignty is held by the people. At the end of the day, it will be the people to decide whether or not a dynasty will be succeeded. Absolute power is when you have a dictatorship. We still have to go through an election. The electorate will be the ones to dic tate who are the ones who will lead. The people have the power, not the officials  [20]  (Medel, 2007). All this talk about outlawing political dynasties and its bad effects would not even be necessary if people were to vote mor

Government Surveillance of Internet Activity Essay -- Internet Web Com

Government Surveillance of Internet Activity 1. Background Back to late 1980s in China, some young people in college or research institute had a chance to surf the Internet through a fairly low speed, roughly routed World Wide Web connection. But a big surprise for them was that the Internet was a real freeway, a freeway escaping from strict government control, a freeway for people who wanted to see but couldn’t see and who wanted to say but couldn’t say. Stepping into the 21st century after more than a decade, the Internet service in China has already been almost the latest generation in the world. However, a new surprise for those â€Å"old† surfers and new comers is that the traffic on the Internet freeway is jammed or totally blocked. Some internet writers, even anonymous ones, have been monitored and arrested. Chinese people realized that what could be seen and reached through the Internet becomes less and less, and what could be spoken on the web now leads to a huge threaten to individuals as the consequence. Why is that? Someone blames the advanced software technology which is now available to the Chinese government. It is argued that new technologies enabled the government to turn on red lights in the Internet freeway and use â€Å"web polices† to intercept violators who were chasing the freedom. Indeed, not only in China, such an observation becomes globally prominent. At a recent internet technology conference sponsored by the Internet Society in Montreal Canada (INET '96), a new discussion emerged which is focused on the increasing number of governments intent on erecting barriers to free speech on the Internet [1]. 1.1 Government surveillance exists in many countries and in a variety of forms. Normally, peo... ... Law and Technology, vol. 6, 2001. Anya Schiffrin, â€Å"Analysis: China, the Net and free speech†, CNN.com/SCI-TECH, Feb 16, 2001. William Yurcik, Zixiang Tan, â€Å"The Great (Fire) Wall of China: Internet Security and Information Policy Issues in the People's Republic of China†, Proceedings of the 1996 Telecommunications Policy Research Conference, 1996. Leonard R. Sussman, â€Å"The Internet in Flux†, Press Freedom Survey 2001, Freedom House, 2001. Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, â€Å"Calculating Consequences: The Utilitarian Approach to Ethics†, http://www.scu.edu/ethics/practicing/decision/calculating.html, 2004. Manuel Velasquez, Claire Andre, Thomas Shanks, S.J., Michael J. Meyer, â€Å"Thinking Ethically: A Framework for Moral Decision Making†, Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, 2004. http://www.scu.edu/ethics/practicing/decision/thinking.html#utilitarian

The Department of Psychology at State University Essay -- academic dis

The psychology department of State University is considered an academic discourse community. They have a stated purpose, requirements for membership, and exercise intercommunication techniques. Furthermore, they have shared common knowledge that they use to advance their discipline and attract new members. Eleanor Kutz, a leading expert in the field of language and literacy, argues that academic discourse communities differ from informal ones in the critical area of assumed shared knowledge. She states, â€Å"building on the assumed shared knowledge...affects how people participate in academic communities, including introductory ones† (Kutz 344). In other words, professors introduce basic concepts when students enter the community. These concepts are the foundation that will eventually give rise to greater functionality within the desired academic discipline. The purpose of the academic discourse community is to foster development of novice members and therefore, assurin g that the community has the resources to sustain itself. The purpose of my research stems from this concept of shared knowledge and how it relates to membership and survival. John Swales theorizes, â€Å"survival of the community depends on a reasonable ratio between novices and experts† (Swales 27). Building upon this notion, I aim to show how freshmen to professors are dependent upon one another and how this community achieves their purpose of shared common knowledge. I will do so by focusing on their modes of academic advancement, intercommunication techniques, and shared public goals. Additionally, my research also reveals insight on how a bachelor’s degree in psychology translates into employment. Methodology: Experiences, Observation, and Documen... ... feedback† (Swales 26). This function lends evidence to the idea that within any academic discourse community, there must be ways to pass on knowledge and feedback. This is the action that maintains life within the community. The exercise of passing on shared information allows the Department of Psychology to expand, stay relevant, attract new members, help the community, and function with unity to accomplish their stated purpose and goals. Works Cited Kutz, Eleanor. Exploring Literacy: A Guide to Reading, Writing, and Research. New York: Pearson/Longman, 2004. Print. "Many Opportunities for Psychology Students at Akron." The University of Akron : Psychology. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Mar. 2014. . Swales, John M. Genre Analysis: English in Academic and Research Settings. Cambridge: Cambridge United Press, 1990. Print.

Part Three Chapter V

V Ruth stood alone in her lamp-lit sitting room, continuing to grip the telephone she had just replaced in its cradle. Hilltop House was small and compact. It was always easy to tell the location of each of the four Prices, because voices, footfalls and the sounds of doors opening and shutting carried so effectively in the old house. Ruth knew that her husband was still in the shower, because she could hear the hot water boiler under the stairs hissing and clanking. She had waited for Simon to turn on the water before telephoning Shirley, worried that he might think that even her request about the EpiPen was fraternizing with the enemy. The family PC was set up in a corner of the sitting room, where Simon could keep an eye on it, and make sure nobody was running up large bills behind his back. Ruth relinquished her grip on the phone and hurried to the keyboard. It seemed to take a very long time to bring up the Pagford Council website. Ruth pushed her reading glasses up her nose with a trembling hand as she scanned the various pages. At last she found the message board. Her husband's name blazed out at her, in ghastly black and white: Simon Price Unfit to Stand for Council. She double-clicked the title, brought up the full paragraph and read it. Everything around her seemed to reel and spin. ‘Oh God,' she whispered. The boiler had stopped clanking. Simon would be putting on the pyjamas he had warmed on the radiator. He had already drawn the sitting-room curtains, turned on the side lamps and lit the wood-burner, so that he could come down and stretch out on the sofa to watch the news. Ruth knew that she would have to tell him. Not doing so, letting him find out for himself, was simply not an option; she would have been incapable of keeping it to herself. She felt terrified and guilty, though she did not know why. She heard him jogging down the stairs and then he appeared at the door in his blue brushed-cotton pyjamas. ‘Si,' she whispered. ‘What's the matter?' he said, immediately irritated. He knew that something had happened; that his luxurious programme of sofa, fire and news was about to be disarranged. She pointed at the computer monitor, one hand pressed foolishly over her mouth, like a little girl. Her terror infected him. He strode to the PC and scowled down at the screen. He was not a quick reader. He read every word, every line, painstakingly, carefully. When he had finished, he remained quite still, passing for review, in his mind, all the likely grasses. He thought of the gum-chewing forklift driver, whom he had left stranded in the Fields when they had picked up the new computer. He thought of Jim and Tommy, who did the cash-in-hand jobs on the sly with him. Someone from work must have talked. Rage and fear collided inside him and set off a combustive reaction. He strode to the foot of the stairs and shouted, ‘You two! Get down here NOW!' Ruth still had her hand over her mouth. He had a sadistic urge to slap her hand away, to tell her to fucking pull herself together, it was he who was in the shit. Andrew entered the room first with Paul behind him. Andrew saw the arms of Pagford Parish Council onscreen, and his mother with her hand over her mouth. Walking barefoot across the old carpet, he had the sensation that he was plummeting through the air in a broken lift. ‘Someone,' said Simon, glaring at his sons, ‘has talked about things I've mentioned inside this house.' Paul had brought his chemistry exercise book downstairs with him; he was holding it like a hymnal. Andrew kept his gaze fixed on his father, trying to project an expression of mingled confusion and curiosity. ‘Who's told other people we've got a stolen computer?' asked Simon. ‘I haven't,' said Andrew. Paul stared at his father blankly, trying to process the question. Andrew willed his brother to speak. Why did he have to be so slow? ‘Well?' Simon snarled at Paul. ‘I don't think I – ‘ ‘You don't think? You don't think you told anyone?' ‘No, I don't think I told any – ‘ ‘Oh, this is interesting,' said Simon, pacing up and down in front of Paul. ‘This is interesting.' With a slap he sent Paul's exercise book flying out of his hands. ‘Try and think, dipshit,' he growled. ‘Try and fucking think. Did you tell anyone we've got a stolen computer?' ‘Not stolen,' said Paul. ‘I never told anyone – I don't think I told anyone we had a new one, even.' ‘I see,' said Simon. ‘So the news got out by magic then, did it?' He was pointing at the computer monitor. ‘Someone's fucking talked!' he yelled, ‘because it's on the fucking internet! And I'll be fucking lucky not – to – lose – my – job!' On each of the five last words he thumped Paul on the head with his fist. Paul cowered and ducked; black liquid trickled from his left nostril; he suffered nosebleeds several times a week. ‘And what about you?' Simon roared at his wife, who was still frozen beside the computer, her eyes wide behind her glasses, her hand clamped like a yashmak over her mouth. ‘Have you been fucking gossiping?' Ruth ungagged herself. ‘No, Si,' she whispered, ‘I mean, the only person I told we had a new computer was Shirley – and she'd never – ‘ You stupid woman, you stupid fucking woman, what did you have to tell him that for? ‘You did what?' asked Simon quietly. ‘I told Shirley,' whimpered Ruth. ‘I didn't say it was stolen, though, Si. I only said you were bringing it home – ‘ ‘Well, that's fucking it then, isn't it?' roared Simon; his voice became a scream. ‘Her fucking son's standing for election, of course she wants to get the fucking goods on me!' ‘But she's the one who told me, Si, just now, she wouldn't have – ‘ He ran at her and hit her in the face, exactly as he had wanted to when he had first seen her silly frightened expression; her glasses spun into the air and smashed against the bookcase; he hit her again and she crashed down onto the computer table she had bought so proudly with her first month's wages from South West General. Andrew had made himself a promise: he seemed to move in slow motion, and everything was cold and clammy and slightly unreal. ‘Don't hit her,' he said, forcing himself between his parents. ‘Don't – ‘ His lip split against his front tooth, Simon's knuckle behind it, and he fell backwards on top of his mother, who was draped over the keyboard; Simon threw another punch, which hit Andew's arms as he protected his face; Andrew was trying to get off his slumped, struggling mother, and Simon was in a frenzy, pummelling both of them wherever he could reach – ‘Don't you fucking dare tell me what to do – don't you dare, you cowardly little shit, you spotty streak of piss – ‘ Andrew dropped to his knees to get out of the way, and Simon kicked him in the ribs. Andrew heard Paul say pathetically, ‘Stop it!' Simon's foot swung for Andrew's ribcage again, but Andrew dodged it; Simon's toes collided with the brick fireplace and he was suddenly, absurdly, howling in pain. Andrew scrambled out of the way; Simon was gripping the end of his foot, hopping on the spot and swearing in a high-pitched voice; Ruth had collapsed into the swivel chair, sobbing into her hands. Andrew got to his feet; he could taste his own blood. ‘Anyone could have talked about that computer,' he panted, braced for further violence; he felt braver now that it had begun, now that the fight was really on; it was waiting that told on your nerves, watching Simon's jaw begin to jut, and hearing the urge for violence building in his voice. ‘You told us a security guard got beaten up. Anyone could have talked. It's not us – ‘ ‘Don't you – fucking little shit – I've broken my fucking toe!' Simon gasped, falling backwards into an armchair, still nursing his foot. He seemed to expect sympathy. Andrew imagined picking up a gun and shooting Simon in the face, watching his features blast apart, his brains spattering the room. ‘And Pauline's got her fucking period again!' Simon yelled at Paul, who was trying to contain the blood dripping through his fingers from his nose. ‘Get off the carpet! Get off the fucking carpet, you little pansy!' Paul scuttled out of the room. Andrew pressed the hem of his T-shirt to his stinging mouth. ‘What about all the cash-in-hand jobs?' Ruth sobbed, her cheek pink from his punch, tears dripping from her chin. Andrew hated to see her humiliated and pathetic like this; but he half hated her too for landing herself in it, when any idiot could have seen †¦ ‘It says about the cash-in-hand jobs. Shirley doesn't know about them, how could she? Someone at the printworks has put that on there. I told you, Si, I told you you shouldn't do those jobs, they've always worried the living daylights out of – ‘ ‘Fucking shut up, you whining cow, you didn't mind spending the money!' yelled Simon, his jaw jutting again; and Andrew wanted to roar at his mother to stay silent: she blabbed when any idiot could have told her she should keep quiet, and she kept quiet when she might have done good by speaking out; she never learned, she never saw any of it coming. Nobody spoke for a minute. Ruth dabbed at her eyes with the back of her hand and sniffed intermittently. Simon clutched his toe, his jaw clenched, breathing loudly. Andrew licked the blood from his stinging lip, which he could feel swelling. ‘This'll cost me my fucking job,' said Simon, staring wild-eyed around the room, as if there might be somebody there he had forgotten to hit. ‘They're already talking about fucking redundancies. This'll be it. This'll – ‘ He slapped the lamp off the end table, but it didn't break, merely rolled on the floor. He picked it up, tugged the lead out of the wall socket, raised it over his head and threw it at Andrew, who dodged. ‘Who's fucking talked?' Simon yelled, as the lamp base broke apart on the wall. ‘Someone's fucking talked!' ‘It's some bastard at the printworks, isn't it?' Andrew shouted back; his lip was thick and throbbing; it felt like a tangerine segment. ‘D'you think we'd have – d'you think we don't know how to keep our mouths shut by now?' It was like trying to read a wild animal. He could see the muscles working in his father's jaw, but he could tell that Simon was considering Andrew's words. ‘When was that put on there?' he roared at Ruth. ‘Look at it! What's the date on it?' Still sobbing, she peered at the screen, needing to approach the tip of her nose within two inches of it, now that her glasses were broken. ‘The fifteenth,' she whispered. ‘Fifteenth †¦ Sunday,' said Simon. ‘Sunday, wasn't it?' Neither Andrew nor Ruth put him right. Andrew could not believe his luck; nor did he believe it would hold. ‘Sunday,' said Simon, ‘so anyone could've – my fucking toe,' he yelled, as he pulled himself up and limped exaggeratedly towards Ruth. ‘Get out of my way!' She hastened out of the chair and watched him read the paragraph through again. He kept snorting like an animal to clear his airways. Andrew thought that he might be able to garrotte his father as he sat there, if only there was a wire to hand. ‘Someone's got all this from work,' said Simon, as if he had just reached this conclusion, and had not heard his wife or son urging the hypothesis on him. He placed his hands on the keyboard and turned to Andrew. ‘How do I get rid of it?' ‘What?' ‘You do fucking computing! How do I get this off here?' ‘You can't get – you can't,' said Andrew. ‘You'd need to be the administrator.' ‘Make yourself the administrator, then,' said Simon, jumping up and pointing Andrew into the swivel chair. ‘I can't make myself the administrator,' said Andrew. He was afraid that Simon was working himself up into a second bout of violence. ‘You need to input the right user name and passwords.' ‘You're a real fucking waste of space, aren't you?' Simon shoved Andrew in the middle of his sternum as he limped past, knocking him back into the mantelpiece. ‘Pass me the phone!' Simon shouted at his wife, as he sat back down in the armchair. Ruth took the telephone and carried it the few feet to Simon. He ripped it out of her hands and punched in a number. Andrew and Ruth waited in silence as Simon called, first Jim, and then Tommy, the men with whom he had completed the after-hours jobs at the printworks. Simon's fury, his suspicion of his own accomplices, was funnelled down the telephone in curt short sentences full of swearwords. Paul had not returned. Perhaps he was still trying to staunch his bleeding nose, but more likely he was too scared. Andrew thought his brother unwise. It was safest to leave only after Simon had given you permission. His calls completed, Simon held out the telephone to Ruth without speaking; she took it and hurried it back into its stand. Simon sat thinking while his fractured toe pulsated, sweating in the heat of the wood-burner, awash with impotent fury. The beating to which he had subjected his wife and son was nothing, he did not give them a thought; a terrible thing had just happened to him, and naturally his rage had exploded on those nearest him; that was how life worked. In any case, Ruth, the silly bitch, had admitted to telling Shirley †¦ Simon was building his own chain of evidence, as he thought things must have happened. Some fucker (and he suspected that gum-chewing forklift driver, whose expression, as Simon had sped away from him in the Fields, had been outraged) talking about him to the Mollisons (somehow, illogically, Ruth's admission that she had mentioned the computer to Shirley made this seem more likely), and they (the Mollisons, the establishment, the smooth and the snide, guarding their access to power) had put up this message on their website (Shirley, the old cow, managed the site, which set the seal on the theory). ‘It's your fucking friend,' Simon told his wet-faced, trembling-lipped wife. ‘It's your fucking Shirley. She's done this. She's got some dirt on me to get me off her son's case. That's who it is.' ‘But Si – ‘ Shut up, shut up, you silly cow, thought Andrew. ‘Still on her side, are you?' roared Simon, making to stand again. ‘No!' squealed Ruth, and he sank back into the chair, glad to keep the weight off his pounding foot. The Harcourt-Walsh management would not be happy about those after-hours jobs, Simon thought. He wouldn't put it past the bloody police to come nosing around the computer. A desire for urgent action filled him. ‘You,' he said, pointing at Andrew. ‘Unplug that computer. All of it, the leads and everything. You're coming with me.'