Psychology of Terrorism Essay

In his article, Vaisman-Tzachor (2006) discussed the most common misconceptions regarding terrorist profiling in forensic psychology. True, where effective forensic profiling techniques are absent, there is no place for effective counterterrorism strategies. In this context, the profiling criteria described by Vaisman-Tzachor (2006) are particularly interesting and important when applied to psychological profile of Osama Bin Laden. From the viewpoint of forensic psychology, and through the prism of Vaisman-Tzachor’s (2006) psychological criteria, forensic profiling of Osama Bin Laden should begin with the profound analysis of his personal background (age, educational background, ethnicity, socio-economic status, national origin and marital status, religious or social affiliations). Contrary to traditional (and probably, outdated beliefs), the national origin of Osama Bin Laden will play important, but not the primary role in creating the picture of his personality. Of course, â€Å"elements such as Arab ethnic or national background [†¦] are highly important in the list of the determinant variables† (Vaisman-Tzachor, 2006), but psychological profile of Osama Bin Laden seems even more consistent with the fact that he is unmarried, possesses sufficient material background and displays negative disposition to the non-Muslim society. Simultaneously, Osama Bin Laden does not match the criminal profile created by Vaisman-Tzachor (2006), where the likelihood of a terrorist act is inversely related to the age of the potential terrorist; in case of Osama, his age is evidently associated with the growing terrorist experience and the increasing sophistication of his terrorist needs. Objectively, and truly for many generations of terrorists, Osama Bin Laden is fairly regarded a kind of a mythical figure, â€Å"who represents a messianic being to members of those national groups and social entities, who are disenfranchised by political, religious, or ethnic circumstances† (Vaisman-Tzachor, 2006), and this mythical figure works to establish closer ties and strengthen the existing terrorist identifications in his terrorist networks. In this context, Osama Bin Laden is a multifaceted image of the leader, whose criminality and respectability are uniquely combined to shape the new vision of a charismatic terrorist. Historical and sociocultural antecedents of September 11 The escalation of international violence and the growing anti-American moods have generated a set of questions regarding the historical and sociocultural antecedents of September 11. Objectively, a whole set of factors have contributed into the development of violent attitudes toward American nation, of which September 11 was the culmination; in this context, the continuous political commitment to â€Å"low intensity conflicts† and the self-declared pro-American ideology which lacks authoritarian rule and visible religiosity have become the two most important antecedents of the 9/11 attack. In his book, Michaels (2002) refers to the â€Å"low intensity conflict† scenario, to which American presidency adhered over the course of the last decades. The declaration of anti-terrorist ideals and the deceptive need for maintaining low intensity wars in the most problematic international regions was expected to strengthen the military power of the United States, and to ensure that America was able to respond to the most challenging social and military conflicts all over the world. What the United States had obviously overlooked was that the gradual military expansion might not have been favored by other nations (Michaels, 2002). Increased military spending combined with the overt rejection of treaty opportunities have formed the set of historical antecedents which led to the emergence of the new quality relationships between the two worlds – the Muslim and the orthodox. After the fall of socialism in the world, the rhetoric of the American hyperpower has literally doubled, and all visions of authority and power have since then been projected onto the U. S. (Werz, 2004). Given historically relevant anti-American attitudes, the multiplying American superiority has frozen the cultural difference between the two worlds. The social development in America has been colored with obvious secularization of the public opinion and the values, which the American nation has treated as its own (Werz, 2004). Thus, the events of September 11 have come as the culmination in the growing opposition against the militaristic attitudes of the United States towards its political and cultural superiority. Psychology of terrorism In the aftermath of 9/11 attacks researchers and psychology professionals have become increasingly concerned about the origins and the motives of terrorist attacks. The current state of empirical research is pressured by numerous prejudices and misconceptions that have grown as a result of the overt callousness of terrorist attacks. By turning terrorists into a group of abnormally deviant people, however, psychologists have seriously distorted the real image of a true terrorist. Silke (2004) is correct: we cannot be certain that terrorism is a kind of psychological abnormality, unless we are able to avoid bias and to promote objectivity in our judgments. It is difficult not to agree to Silke (2004) in that the differences in the current research of terrorism have become the results of our inability to explore and document primary information, and the impossibility to access primary sources of information about terrorists. â€Å"The risks involved for the potential researcher are considerable. Academic researchers have been threatened, kidnapped, attacked, and shot for attempting to research terrorism† (Silke, 2004). In our quest for better understanding of terrorist psychology, we frequently become the victims of our own psychological misconceptions. We still operate scarce and unclear (as well as unreliable) data concerning the major emotional and psychological issues terrorists face on their way to a violent act. Seeking sensations, we tend to neglect the role which primary data may play in developing and spreading a completely new vision of terrorism. With the scarcity of tools of psychological and sociological research which could be readily applied to terrorism, and bearing in mind an almost complete impossibility to access primary sources of data, it is unlikely that we will be able to produce a single relevant and the most objective psychological profile of a terrorist in the coming decade. References Michaels, C. W. (2002). No greater threat: America after September 11 and the rise of a national security state. Algora Publishing. Silke, A. (2004). Courage in dark places: reflections on terrorist psychology. Social Research, 71 (1): 177-198. Vaisman-Tzachor, R. (2006). Psychological profiles of Terrorists. Forensic Examiner, 15 (2): 6-17. Werz, M. (2004). Anti-Americanism and ambivalence: Remarks on an ideology in historical transformation. Telos, 129: 75-95.

Far from the madding crowd Essay

Roles of women in the Victorian times were very limited compared to now. They were expected to be house wives, and never expected to have an opinion or point of view. They were never in control of anything and everything was decided by men. They were usually expected to take care of everything in the house including looking after children. They were very much expected to be women whose life revolved around the domestic sphere of the home and family. However, this role was challenged by Queen Victoria In the novel ‘Far From the Madding Crowd’ you see Bathsheba and Fanny breaking the norms expected from women in Victorian times. Sometimes these norm-breaking actions would result in a sever consequence depending on how bad the norm-breaking was. However, sometimes these limits which exist were ignored, but no penalty was paid. In chapter 42 Bathsheba opens the coffin in which Fanny and her baby lay. Here you can see an example of a woman crossing the barrier of what was expected from her, but no penalty being paid. She is very insecure as weather to open the coffin or leave it closed. â€Å"If I could only look in upon you for one little minute I should know all† She finally does open the coffin and is slightly relieved that her tension and suspense has come to an end. â€Å"It was best to know the worst, and I know it now†. She is in a lot of pain, because she now knows that it was the women that Troy loved. She realises that it is his baby and is shocked when Troy says to her that he will never love her like he loved Fanny. Bathsheba also realises that Troy has slept with Fanny out of marriage, which was a very unacceptable action in Victorian times. She does not wish to pursue or debate with Troy about what he has done, because there are risks of other people finding out and this would bring shame to her self-image. The consequences of Troy’s actions would mean that people would look at them badly and want nothing to do with them. In a way, Fanny paid the price for a highly thought sinful act, and through death. Many Victorian readers would’ve been shocked at Bathsheba’s actions when she opens the coffin and also with Troy’s actions. Bathsheba is obviously troubled and disturbed; otherwise she would never have opened the coffin. You can see that she is showing her true emotions and in Victorian times women never showed their true emotions. Bathsheba’s actions for opening the coffin would not have been a very severe punishment but would be frowned upon by many Victorians. In chapter 13, the expected roles of women are transgressed when Bathsheba and Liddy play the game of the Bible and key. â€Å"Did you ever find out, miss, who you are going to marry by means of the Bible and key? † Many Victorian women would think it a very foolish game to play, therefore, not expected from women. This chapter is an example of a woman crossing the barrier of her expected role, but nothing happening and therefore no consequence. In chapter 11, fanny pays a visit to Troy; however, she travels a very long distance to do this. It was very unusual in Victorian times and nowadays that a woman should travel for miles and miles by foot to visit their loved ones. This wasn’t considered very lady-like, and was looked as desperate. It could also have been seen as chasing him around, therefore not being a proper Lady. To make matters worse, Troy dismisses her abruptly which shows a lot of disrespect for Fanny. But Fanny doesn’t acknowledge this and we can see that she is a weak character. â€Å"There was a tone in the woman which is not that of the wife, and there was a manner in the man which is rarely a husband†. Fanny’s actions may also have come down to her social class. Her ways of thinking may have also been completely different to that of an upper class. However, the boundaries of what was expected from women was the same throughout social class. But some may have broken these boundaries with no consequence. You can see now that if the boundaries are taken too far the consequences are drastic and sever. However, sometimes they are ignored or they are hidden. Fanny ignored these boundaries and paid the penalty. Bathsheba did step over the line, but never did ignore the extreme limitations. The women in the novel are defined by how they are seen to everyone else. Some Victorian women would not abide by the rules that were set for them, and some would, either out of fear of what would happen to them if they didn’t or they didn’t want to feel sinful.

Creative Writin Essay

The sun filters in through the leaves of the trees. The midday sun casts dancing shadows over the well-worn table-top. The tables are set for lunch guests – paper napkins, ashtray, salt and pepper shakers, and toothpicks all indicate that the table is ready for a guest. The floor is cleanly swept and all the furniture carefully arranged to create a pleasant and inviting atmosphere. Two new picture frames lean against the wall – one of a dancing woman and the other a blank wooden backing. Soon these new images will join the walls already decorated with art. A local artist uses the wall space to display his abstract paintings. The room is filled with blues, oranges, yellows, and reds. The colors seem to practically illuminate the room. Behind the computers are pictures from the sea – both pictures depicting dolphins and underwater diving adventures. The computers are ready for use. Three armed sentinels standing in a row. There is a motorcycle helmet next to one, with a set of keys. Next to the second is a half-empty water glass. The chairs are empty, and the screens are poised in the middle of email composition. The door to the office stands open, and the regular attendant sits in the chair. He is engrossed in something on the screen, probably a game that he’s been playing, probably not a newspaper article. The restaurant staff are all huddling around the hostess stand. Occasionally, one will venture out and wipe an empty table. There is very little noise today, and aside from one group sitting at two tables pushed together, there is no one else eating. The group looks like it is here for business, each person has a set of papers out before them and the discussion seems led. Everyone is calm and organized. The scent of pizza drifts into the air. The wood fire stove at the back has been fired up, and the scent of cheese and wood fills the air. Glasses clink together in the background as the dishwashers keep busy. THE UNFAMILIAR The place is silent. There are computers, but no sounds of keys being pushed. There is staff, but they are not chit-chatting or engaging in conversation. Even the large group talking in low tones, when talking at all. Ah, a distant clink of water glasses. Someone must be active in the kitchen. Despite the sun streaming through the windows, the place has an ethereal light. The walls are adorned with bizarre paintings – no forms can be discerned and the colors are garish. They are all done in primary colors and seem to be uncontrolled expressions of lines and colors with no coherent overall theme. The way the paintings are spaced along the walls adds to the social displacement. An empty picture frame along the wall begs to be filled, to become the link between the abstract art and underwater scenes adorning the walls. The computer terminals only hint at human existence. There is an abandoned motorcycle helmet, which cannot be too abandoned because there is a set of keys next to it, and an open email program. But there is no one to be seen. An empty water glass holds the seat next to the motorcycle helmet. Are these physical placeholders for non-existent people? There is a man in the office. He looks as though if people disappeared in front of his eyes, he wouldn’t even notice. He is so engrossed in his computer screen – is he playing a game? His eyes are not even blinking. This level of interest is the polar opposite of the interest shown by the staff. The staff remains huddled around the hostess stand, paying no attention to the one group inside, or to the missing people from the computer terminals. The tables suggest readiness for occupants, napkins, toothpicks, ashtrays, and salt and pepper are ready for use. They stand guard over the empty tables.

Fate is responsible for the tragedy that occurs in Oedipus the king Essay

Fate is responsible for the tragedy that occurs in Oedipus the king - Essay Example The play â€Å"Oedipus the king† rotates around the life of Oedipus Rex, who in essence, according to fate was destined to kill his father Laios and sleep with his mother Jocasta. In this case, fate is responsible for generating the play’s theme, as the life and journey of Oedipus starts the instant that fate is stated. This fate comes from the oracle, Delphi, and it is made known through a blind prophet named Tiresias. The ultimate realization of this fate is at the time Oedipus is the ruler of Thebes. When Thebes is faced with calamities, and the gods are consulted, they state that Thebes’ calamites can only be solved if the murderer of king Laios is exiled from Thebes. In essence, exiling the murderer will surely reveal that the fate has occurred (Sophocles & Grene 34). As the play continues, Oedipus mother, Jocasta comes to learn of his son’s fate, and she does not want it to happen. Further, the tragedy is developed by Jocasta’s intention of reversing fate by getting rid of young Oedipus. She goes ahead and gives out Oedipus to a herdsman in Mount Kithairon. In the opinion of Jocasta, Oedipus’ fate is too hurtful, as she endeavors to evade the actual situation by giving away Oedipus with the hope that he will not kill his father and sleep with her. Jocasta is not aware that her actions are only buying time, and the eventful situation is bound to happen. Jocasta only creates a detour, which aids the stated fate to happen in a subliminal way (Sophocles & Grene 26). Another way in which fate is responsible for the tragedy in the play is the time that Oedipus comes to learn of his fate. Oedipus knowledge of the fate makes him to exile from Corinth, where he had adopted and lived. Because of his fate, Oedipus thinks that he will kill and sleep with Polybus and Merope respectively whom he thought was his real father and real mother.

Linear and Non Linear Programming Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Linear and Non Linear Programming - Essay Example Regression, for example, may help the manager to forecast his sales based on past record, but he must make sure that the user of his product has not undergone any changes in taste and preference. Therefore, an econometric model may prove a better aid than pure mathematics and statistics. In linear programming, the statement of the optimisation (maximisation or minimisation, as the case may be) problem runs in a linear form where these variables are restricted to values satisfying a system of linear constraints, i.e., a system of linear equations, and linear inequalities. In any optimisation, problem involving a single inequality constraint, the LaGrange method can still be used and is quite simple. However, when more than one inequality constraint is involved, linear programming will be a better method. In fact, the linear programming technique differs from the classical optimisation technique based on calculus, and it deals with optimisation problem in which the optimiser faces inequality constraints, and where the constraints as well as the objective function are all linear rather than non-linear. For example, while making the purchase decision, the buyer is required to finance the expenditure out of his or her budgeted income, B. Thus: Linear Programming (LP) is a mathematical method to determine optimum allotment of scarce resources. LP can be applied practically in almost all aspects of business like Transportation & distribution, advertising & production planning and the like. A linear programming solves the objective functions which are to be optimized and is linear. As such, the relations between the variables which correspond to the resources will also become linear. This problem solving method was first formulated and solved in the late 1940's. Seldom there is a novel mathematical technique being used with such a wide application as LP. In the present days this theory is productively implemented to problems of capital budgeting, conservation of resources, economic growth prediction, and transportation systems. Of late LP has also helped to solve and unite many outstanding applications. The most vital facet of a linear programming problem is to set it up appropriately for manual or automated solution. This calls for properly understanding the natures of the objective function and constraints so that their equations and inequalities may be well planned and formatted. Problem solving: The Transportation Problem Transportation models play a key role in logistics and supply chain management for decreasing cost and enhancing service. Therefore, the goal is to find the most cost effective way to transport the goods. Let us consider a model with 2 origins and 2 destinations. The supply and demand at each origin (e.g.; warehouse) O1, O2 and destination (e.g.; market) D1 and D2, together with the unit transportation cost are summarized in the following

Criticaly examine impact of economic globalization on KURDISTAN REGION Essay

Criticaly examine impact of economic globalization on KURDISTAN REGION - Essay Example The concept of economic globalization also greatly influenced the economic growth of this region. The emergence of economic globalization influenced the region’s government to change its economic policies in way that would encourage investments and cross border trade. The Kurdish economy has undergone significant structural changes over the last few decades, and this reshaping process could be attributed to the emergence of economic globalization. This concept has greatly benefited the region to improve the living standards of its people. Today the living standards of Kurds are far better than that of the people from other parts of Iraq. In addition, the Kurdish government has recognized the importance of private sector in enhancing economic stability and sustainability of the region. This paper will critically evaluate the impacts of economic globalization on Kurdistan. 1. Economic Globalisation: Definition Globalization can be defined as â€Å"the intensification of worldwi de social relations which link distance localities in such a way that local happenings are shaped by events occurring many miles away and vice versa† (Giddens 2008, p.64). ... The Kurds were not trusted partners of the regime. There are many examples of actions taken that were not in the best interests either of the Kurds or the region, building less health centres, force evacuation from the villages, no primary highways to name few but many. This has resulted in an under-invested region both economically and socially. The Kurdistan region is unique at the present time in Iraq in having potentially three levels of government, National, Regional and Provincial. Still the roles and responsibilities of these levels of Government are not clear. The Kurdish society always tries to achieve self-dependence and retain the integrity of its borders. This concern is also shared by other national and international interests concern with the future of Iraq. The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) receives both cash and in-kind allocations from Baghdad amounting to about 14 percent of projected Iraqi federal revenues (World Bank, 2007). The bulk of Iraq’s federal revenues are based on oil (96 percent in the 2006 budget). However the largest cash allocation to KRG is 17 percent of a divisible pool of funds, representing all federal domestic revenues net of a number of expenditure programs. KRG’s share is based on a national estimate of KRG’s population relative to the rest of Iraq1. 1.2 Current Policies or Economic Development Objectives: â€Å"Economic growth, being a summary measure of all of the activities of an entire society, necessarily depends, in some way, on everything that goes on in a society† (Lucas 1998). In order to analyze the impacts of economic globalization on the Kurdish region, it is vital to identify the current economic development objectives of the Kurdish government. KRG economic development objectives to date are

See the prompts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

See the prompts - Essay Example 2 women and 3 men show their presence on â€Å"the simple kitchen stage in the play.† The two women are wives of the sheriff and the farmer and they mostly remain on the stage, whereas there men characters â€Å"county attorney, sheriff and a neighboring farmer† arrive and depart from the stage several times, as they constantly discuss and search for proof and intentions behind the murder. The women examine the â€Å"little things† in the kitchen (Judith, p.461) Men ignore issues which women consider important and the women ponder how Mrs. Wright made preparations about completing the quilt. They strike a feminine commonality as they share their own experiences in the light of the evidence now found and with the discovery of â€Å"a battered birdcage and the dead canary,† they are elated about their findings and think that they have stuck at the evidence for the motive of the murder. â€Å"Glaspell conveys the setting in three realms: time (era), regional (geographical), and domain (kitchen). Collectively the three setting elements portray the values, ideals, and attitudes of the characters giving deeper meaning to the play’s outcome. (Judith, p.461) â€Å"The ideals, values and disposition of the characters are linked to setting, physical and time details and the author passes an indictment against the society that demeans women and eulogises men for their so-called superior talents. â€Å"Values, ideals and attitudes of people† in â€Å"Trifles† need more analysis. Trifles saw the light of the day in 1916. In that period, the social conditions of women were poor and political rights for them were non-existent in United States. Women had no voting rights, and they were not appointed as juries. The responsibility of women was restricted within the four walls of the house and it was a male-dominated society. Glaspell has made the intelligent use of gender and values in this play. The women are aware that their o pinion is of no consequence in finding the motive of the murder. So this gender war reaches the setting of this play, women do investigations, and the kitchen in secular terms, is the female-dominated area. Men do investigation in other areas and from other angles, and they do not give any importance to the kitchen. Men consider themselves to be intellectually superior, and the women have accompanied them as mere enclosures. The opinions of women are not counted and they have no say, let alone the final say. These women prove how wrong the gender bias is. They find the evidence to show how their sixth sense works, and why they are equal to men if not more equal, by finding the evidence for the murder. Thus the gender values of the time are challenged by Glaspell. The gender bias and the husband-wife relationship, relevant to the time, have been subtly described by Glaspell through the characterisation of Mr. and Mrs. Wright. He is busy in the farm and she is busy in the unending dom estic chores. She waits for her husband to return from the farm, and even when he comes his arrival did not bring cheer to her as Glaspell puts it, â€Å"no company when he did come in† (Judith,p.463). Her life is lonely and frozen. Setting kitchen as the stage has profound meaning; it is as well refers to the conditions prevailing in the society of the 19th century. The man-woman divide is complete; each section dominates the external and the internal worlds in complying with the attitudinal difference between the genders. So, the author places the two

Part II (4DB) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Part II (4DB) - Essay Example (Torbert, 2004) The first principle is that we should ensure that everyone in the organization understands what makes him to work. For effective management, if everyone knows what brought him to work, why he is working, what he gets after working and what consequences he gets if he does not work, then it will be a better approach of motivation to workers. The second principle is that for the employees to understand the importance of being part of the team. It is essential the employees to be part of the team for the achievement of the organization’s objectives. There must be coordination in the activities of the organization hence the importance for all employees being part of the team. Being part of the team, the employees will be motivated as all of them will be working toward a common hence, there will be success in the organization’s objectives. The purpose of the organization: To manage change effectively in an organization, the manager needs to ensure that all employees’ team purpose or mission is in line with the members’ needs and wants. The challenges of the organization: Employees feel motivated if they overcome challenges their experience in an organization. As a technique to manage change in an organization, employees should not give up in case of challenges in an organization but should come up with an alternative to tackle the problem. Camaraderie is another technique that can be used to manage change in an organization. The employees should maintain a good working relationship in an organization. The managers should encourage employees to have togetherness in whatever they are doing and if possible, the organization should introduce something like indoor games that will keep the employees together. Another technique that can be used to manage change and to motivate the employees is assigning responsibilities to the employees. If employees are assigned

Reading Responses Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Reading Responses - Essay Example What is not discussed in the open by women would actually become the main conversation and a thing of pride by men subtly declares the made-up superiority complex of men who believe that power makes them better than women. There is no logic that supports men’s sense of superiority apart from the stronger physical built! The two most enlightening passage from the article indicate men’s need to maintain their dominance within social paradigm. The TV shows would treat the subject in length and male intellectuals would argue ‘how could a woman master any discipline that demanded a sense of time, space, mathematics, or measurement, for instance, without that in-built gift for measuring the cycles of the moon and planets - and thus for measuring anything at all?’ Indeed, the phenomenon that is normal for women would turn into unique event for men just reveals the pseudo psychology of ego that men exercise. The ‘normal’ event would become yet another main event that would help them retain their male dominance over women who are look physically frail but have the emotional and intellectual strength to compete against their male counterpart and

Safety issues wtih glaucoma and macular degeneration Essay

Safety issues wtih glaucoma and macular degeneration - Essay Example known physical symptoms of macular degeneration include: blurred eyes, vision coldness, reduced central section, vision complications, blind spots, and advanced loss in macular function. Other symptoms may also include: straight lines bent in the eye, swelling in macula as well as problem in the identification of size and color. The universally known symptoms of glaucoma entail: increased eye pressure and immediate pain in the eye, red eye, holes in the eye, especially around bright lights, vomiting, headache, and blood circulation complications. Macular degeneration and glaucoma health conditions are the leading causes of blindness in the world. The most upsetting fact about the disease is that, macular degeneration and glaucoma affects regions of the patients’ sight-zone. It is imperative to understand the main causes of the disorder and come up with the most effective measures to counter the problem. A part from age and heredity, there are other life aspects that can be actively modified to minimize the effect of macular degeneration and glaucoma. Some of these life aspects include: maintaining good health to reduce obesity and high blood pressure, avoiding smoking, seeking early treatment, as well as medical testing and retesting on the

Common Assessment Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Common Assessment - Research Paper Example As such, the process of job analysis requires as much information as possible that puts the job description that is the frequent outcome of the analysis together. Other outcomes may include the recruiting plans, advertisements and postings of positions, and the performance development plans within the performance management system The activities involved in job analysis include the following: one of the most fundamental activities here is the review of the current job responsibilities of the current employees of the Johnson Enterprises. This should be done with a view to making these responsibilities relevant to the current times while at the same time making the employees more efficient, effective and as productive as possible. The result of this is a competitive enterprise. Job analysis also involves doing the internet research and also viewing the sample job description both online and offline and highlighting those jobs that happen to be similar. Job analysis also involves the an alysis of duties related to the work of the employees in an organization, in this case, Johnson Enterprises. ... uccess of an enterprise since it ensures that the organization emulates positive attributes of another thereby leading to its upward movement and realization of its broad objectives. Another very fundamental aspect of the job analysis includes the articulation of the most significant results or contributions required from the position. Job analysis has to specify the major job functions or duties, common personal interactions, work tasks, skills or competencies, critical situations faced by incumbents, the work related knowledge, physical abilities, career paths, work environment factors and work experience requirements. Also, very significant is the decision making authority, training requirements, certification requirements, related job families, competency models, and determination of the hiring criteria and the definition of new positions (Jackson, Schuler, & Werner, 2011). The analysis should move forward to communicate the said job responsibilities and identify the training con tent needs while reconstructing jobs and businesses and determining appropriate measures for performance appraisals. Legal Implications of Job analysis There are certain legal implications related to the process of job analysis. Certain legal, uniform guidelines exist with respect to job analysis. A job analysis ought to describe every important work behaviors, the relative significance of these behaviors and difficulty levels. A validity study on job analysis should be based on review information about the job. Any of these studies ought to be based on a legal procedure that is acceptable by law. All the important work behaviors should be supported by law (Kleynhans, 2006). In a situation whereby the work behavior is not observable as should always be the case the analysis should identify

Gender Inequality Essay Example for Free

Gender Inequality Essay Gender inqualities often stem from social structures that have instiutionalized conceptions of gender differences. Gender inequality has been around for centuries. In many family homes, their lives evolve around gender roles. The responibilties in the family are allocated to their sex (gender). There are certain tasks which are usually allocated to males and females. Some see this division as biologolical differences between the sexes and others see it happening in cultural backgrounds. There are sociological theories that have tended to see gender roles as natural and inevitable. Talcott Parsons, suggested that within the modern nuclear family it was essential that one parent, (the father) performed the instrumental role of the leader and provider whilst the mother performed the expressive role of giving psychological support and taking responsibilty for socialising children. This made sense because women give birth to and nurse their children. It’s a typical sterotype, that is engrained in both men and women. Gender is seen closely related to the roles and behaviour assigned to women and men based on their sexual differences. As children we learn and adapt to specific gender roles, and as we grow they become more evident and more important to our role in a society. There is more married women that work outside of the home and some men spend more time at home with their families. Martial roles have become increasingly similar. Historians of the family have made it show how gender roles in the family are socially constructed. The roles pllayed by men and women in any history poont may seem natural and inevitable. When you look back to the past, you see how much its changed according to the reguirements of society and the needs of families at particular times. During the latter of the 20th century the views began to change but still stained ideologies from the past they still exist ath the brink of the 21st century. 82% of women (wives and girlfriends) still do the housework according to a new study in Britain, but when it comes to housework, we are back in the 50s. For the females of today we can pretty much do anything we like, join the army, be a prime misiter, run a company or be a stay at home mum. As the new century, today, we see a greatly altered family landscape in which dual-income and single parents families outnumber the ascendant two-parent, one-earner in the household. There is more single parent families nowadays. So they would be taking on the roles as the breadwinner and home maker. But its not just women doing this, there is a lot of men as single parents and broken families that have to take on these roles. So a lot has changed over the years. And there is more and more working parents. Gender role and inquality is not just geared towards women but also men. As much as women face inqualities, ther are many aspects about the world that’s is unfair towards men. The question remains, â€Å"will men and women ever be found equal? † My answer, no. Men and women are simply too different to be considered be treated the same. Yes, I do believe that men and women should be paid the same, and given equal and all opportunity, but as far as the biological sense goes men and women have two completely different biological makeup. It is scientifically true that women are more nurturing whereas men are found to be much more competitive and aggressive. That is not to say that those traits can not be mixed upon the two genders, but there is still too much that keeps gender separate. In some culturals, gender inequality will never change for most. The women are to stay at home, raise the family and do the household chores. In some of theses culturals domestic violence accurs and the women keep quiet about it because they cant leave because its discrimmination to their society and most culutrals don’t allow women to get a divorce. Many developing countries including India have displayed gender inequalit in education, employment and health. It is common to find girls and women suffering from high mortality rates. India has witnessed gender inquality from its early history due to its socio-ecnomic and religious practices that resulted in a wide gap between the position of men and women in the society. Gender inquality has an adverse impact on development goals and reduces ecnomic groth. It hampers the overall well being, because blocking women from participation in social polical and ecnomic activties can adversely affect th whole society. Discrimination also plays out with networking and in preferential treatment within the economic market. Men typically occupy positions of power within the job economy. Due to taste or preference for other men because they share similar characteristics, men in these positions of power are more likely to hire or promote other men, thus discriminating against women. Discrimination against men in the workplace is rarer but does occur, particularly in health care professions. Only an estimated 0. 4% of midwives in the UK are male and according to cbs only 1% of all trainee nurses and only 2% of Secretaries are male. Women have increasingly been finding their place in a male driven environment whether it be in the office, politics, or in the cut throat world business and CEO’s, women have become more and more powerful in a man’s world. Needless to say, women have not reached the level of power that a man would have, but seeing as where woman stood forty years ago it is a step in the right direction. Over the years, gender role has clearly played a big part in the way that women are treated, whether it be being confined to the kitchen, or rendered to emotional to run for office, it seems as though society has built two completely different species of human to live amongst each other. It may sound drastic, but if men and women were to be more similar, there would be more chance for equal treatment. As unfortunate as it is, it seems as though society is at a stand still on where to go with gender inequality, and if there is no way to convince an entire generation to change they way they treat each other, then it might as well stay that way. Unfortunately society is way too stubborn to be able to change its ways about said subject. All that being said, we have come a great deal over the years, and maybe one day we can point that everyone can agree on.

The Unethical Business Practices Of Shell Commerce Essay

The Unethical Business Practices Of Shell Commerce Essay Unethical practices by organizations are frequently increasing as the pressure to compete and succeed compels them to ignore the ethical and moral aspects of their practices and decision-making. In order to maximize value for its shareholders and gain profitability, Shell ended up bribing the Nigerian officials to  make it easier to import their goods and equipment, in order to avoid customs duties, extend contracts and lower tax etc. Therefore this report investigates and scrutinizes Shells unethical practices in context to its the moral code of ethics and recommends Shell to be more ethical in their practice. 1.3 Introduction As globalization increases many organizations indulge in unethical practices to achieve growth and profit maximization. Consequently, the examples of such companies include LOreal, Nike, Wal-Mart, Shell etc. Shell, is a global group of energy and petrochemical companies. They have their headquarters situated in Hague, the Netherlands.  The parent company of the Shell group is Royal Dutch Shell plc, which is incorporated in England and Wales. Shells operated in more than 90 countries and has an approximate of 93000 employees. Their production mainly consists of forty eight percent of natural gas and around 3.3million barrels of gas and oil is produced per day. Shell has established forty three service stations worldwide. According to a survey conducted in 2010, theyve sold an estimated 145 billion litres of fuel. The Company has two main streams, upstream which explores for and extracts crude oil and natural gas and Downstream which refines supplies, trades and ships crude worldwi de, manufactures and markets a range of products, and produces petrochemicals for industrial customers. According to their financial report of 2010, with the capital invested of $30.6 billion and $1 billion in Investment in research and development, they had an income of $20.5billion with revenue of $368.1 billion (Shell, 2010). 1.4 Historical Background Shell was born during days of the oil boom and started out in the shadow of John D. Rockefellers Standard oil monopoly. Royal Dutch/Shell was the result of a merger in 1907 between the British-based Shell Transport and Trading Company, which pioneered the use of seagoing oil tankers and the Royal Dutch Petroleum Company, which made its fortune developing new oil fields in Borneo and Sumatra. Marcus Samuel was an enterprising fellow who decided to greet ships returning to England from India, Japan, Africa, and the Middle East and offer to buy any trinkets and curious that sailors had collected abroad. In the 1890s, the French Rothchild family decided to go into business exploiting the oil fields opening up in Baku in Russia. Needing a partner to help them transport and sell the oil, they turned to Marcus Samuel the younger. After a brief trip to the Caucasus, Marcus Samuel decided that the only way to take on the near monopoly grip that Standard Oil held was to radically reduce oil tr ansportation costs. During that time kerosene was transported in crates of tin containers. Loading the fuel into these relatively small containers, crating them, and loading them onto ship as time consuming, expensive and inefficient, Samuel argued. It would be much preferable to just pipe the oil into a tanker ship. In 1907, Sir Marcus Samuel and Henri Deterding merged the Shell Transport and Trading Company with the Royal Dutch Petroleum Company to create Royal Dutch/Shell. The company is owned forty percent by the Shell Transport and Trading Company and sixty percent by the Royal Dutch Petroleum (History of Business, 2010). In the 1980s, Shell sought to grow through acquisition. It bought out the remaining 30% shareholding in Shell Oil in 1985 to consolidate its American operations. The 1980s saw the development of offshore exploration projects, which were in much more challenging conditions than had previously been attempted.  The 1990s Shell saw the technology of biomass fuels and Gas to Liquids make giant leaps forward.  Shell was criticized over the Brent Spar episode in 1995, which centered on its plans to dispose of the storage platform. The Group learned that public opinion had become much more sensitive to environmental issues. In the next decade, the Group worked much harder to open a dialogue with interested parties regarding its environmental impact and to develop good relations with the communities affected by its work. Another problem to hit the Group arose from its presence in the Nigerian region of Ogoniland. The tribal minority in the Ogoni were aggrieved with the Nigerian government because they felt denied a proper share of federal revenues from the oil, and what they saw as other fundamental human rights. Their champion was the writer Ken Saro-Wiwa. The oil companies were targeted as collaborators with the corrupt government. Shell was accused of environmental despoliation. The story achieved international notoriety when Saro-Wiwa and eight of his colleagues were sentenced to death by hanging for their activities. Shell has since strived to follow a policy of demonstrating its community of interests and reciprocal good feeling with both the governments and the local populaces it deals with. The 1990s were notable for Shell for the development of the LNG gas business. Improved transportation and rising demand made this area of the Groups activities increasingly important and are expected to continue to do so in the first decades of the twenty-first century (Shell, 2010). 1.5 Report Preview This report examines various unethical practices of Shell. Firstly, it investigates upon the historical background of Shell. Moreover, we have related Shells immoral issues to the ethical theories. Along with these principles we also suggest some recommendations which could be reasonably essential for Shell to operate in a better and efficient manner. Finally, the report concludes with importance on ethics, corporate social responsibility and with our suggestion on its unethical action. 2.0 Shells Unethical practices: In 2010, Shell was accused of bribery practice with Nigerian officials in order to gain profit. Shell bribed Nigerian officials to make it easier for them to import goods and equipment, get lower taxes and avoid the customs. Shell said that it paid 2 million U.S Dollars to its Nigerian Workers in its deep water Bonga Project. Shell actually knew that part of the money will go to Nigerian officials whom will make shell avoid the customs process. This will give shell an obvious competitive advantage in the market. Shell actually gained $14million profit from this bribery of the Bonga project. Shell will pay $48.1 million dollars in order to settle probes by the U.S Justice Department and Securities and Exchange Commission. In January 2004, fraudulent overstatement of proven hydrocarbon reserves by Shell in Form F20 returns filed with the U.S. Securities Exchange Commission(John Donovan,2007). Shell has given misleading and wrong statements about its reserves. It paid a $120 million fine for this claims settlement. One of the famous unethical practices by Shell was causing the high levels of pollution in Nigeria.40% of shells oil spills worldwide was in Nigeria. The oil spill also caused water contamination. It caused oil pollution in the Ogoniland region for the past 40 years or so. The pipelines were built in front of the peoples houses and in their farmlands. They suffered oil leaks through the pipelines. This has totally destroyed the environment over there. It killed the aquatic life; killing many fishes. Also enveloped the land with oil. This has been really devastating for the Ogoni people, economically and healthy, since their economy depends mainly on fishing and farming. People suffered respiratory diseases such as bronchial asthma; and cancer. Lots of vegetation is dying, especially Mangrove swamps, due to wastes of oil in the Niger River. The reason Shell has been successful in doing these unethical practices in Nigeria is because they used to bribe the Nigerian officials frequently to ease the process. Royal Dutch Shell Blames oil spills on sabotage to its equipment ( Chima Williams,2009). This explains how rude and unethically they take responsibility for their awful actions. According to the Covalence ethical ranking in 2008, saw Shell in the 510 position out of 541 multinational companies. Covalence s ethical quotation system is a reputation index based on quantifying qualitative data and It is a barometer of how multinationals are perceived in the ethical field(John Donovan 2009). The covalence ethical ranking is based on important issues such as Human rights policy, Waste Management, Labor standards and product social utility. A research done by Management and Excellence in 2005 sees Shell as the number 1 most ethical oil company in the world. But by the end of 2011, Shells position is expected to deteriorate much due to the bribery scandal it suffered for the last few months. 2.1 Conoco Phillips: Conoco Phillips is a Non-government owned American oil and Gas Corporation. Its the 3rd largest of the oil majors worldwide. It works in all different aspects in oil and natural gas industry such as Midstream, Petrochemicals, and Refining and Marketing. The company was formed as a result of a merger between Conoco and Philips in 2002. Its major competitors are Shell, British Petroleum and Exxon Mobil. Conoco Philips is one of the few Oil companies that suffer unethical issues. According to Conoco Philips, Our mission is to do more than to deliver energy. It has a long term commitment to achieve the top ethical standards and create a culture that encourages honesty and responsibility in everything they do. Conoco Philips values the importance of corporate transparency and ethics as they are a major drive for consumers and stakeholders confidence. A proof of ConocoPhillipss environmental concern is that it spent $80 million dollars to develop new technologies for unconventional and alt ernative energy sources. ConocoPhillips is a member of the U.S Climate Action Partnership, which is a group of businesses, major corporations and environmental organization with a goal to pressure the U.S Government to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions. ConocoPhillips spent around $150 million dollars 2007 on research and development of alternative energy sources and new technologies- which is almost a 50% increase compared to the $80 million dollar spent in 2006. 2.2 Shell vs. ConocoPhillips Shell is the 2nd biggest company in the world in terms of revenue, which makes it more profitable than ConocoPhillips (16th). Actually, after the recent bribery issues about Shell, its position will eventually drop in the next few years. They will suffer from employee turnover, loss of company reputation and lots of other disadvantages which will not enable them to be more profitable like before. Whilst for ConocoPhillips, its very predictable that this company will get closer to Shell in terms of revenue and why not surpass it, due to its ethical practices! Thats why Shell should have good ethical policies like that of ConocoPhillips and actually adapt this policy and not violate it. 3.0 Recommendations and Facts: 3.1 Recommendations First of all if Shell wants to get back its reputation after the Nigeria bribery incident, they have to change their vision, not the written vision statement, in fact they have to change their insight toward the business they are doing and try to change their practices in a way that help and satisfy people instead of hurting them. They should keep in mind that business is not about gaining profit from whatever way, rather it is about gaining profit from providing services in a way that satisfies customers and if they act ethically eventually they will gain enough profit as they have satisfied people behind their back who support the company (Tempo, 2005). Shell should be considered guilty in this case and be fined for their unethical business practice. Furthermore, Nigerian government should be accountable and responsible for their action as well. The amount of fine that usually determined by courts should be either used for research purposes or as financial aid to help people around the globe. If they do so, Shell will force to do something that they escaped from and try to improve their instruments and facilities by doing research and development instead of trying to gain profit without thinking about safety and effects of their action on stakeholders (Tempo, 2005). More strict rules and regulations regarding the bribery issue and control of governments over their companies can lead to termination of bribery in long term. If Shell maintains a strict No Bribe policy, in long term bribe takers wont ask for it anymore. Then even if they fail in their business they wont blame themselves for paying bribes and they will know that there was something wrong with their facilities and services. 3.2 Facts The main reason that shell wanted to bribe Nigerian government was that they wanted to pay less taxes and easier import of their needed equipment, which eventually leads to higher profit. Thus they only looked for profit and to reach that, they choose bribery as an unethical practice. They shouldnt do that because even if we dont consider bribery as an unethical practice it was illegal and against law in Nigeria, however we know that bribery is an unethical practice indeed. The next thing is that bribery encourages corruption, and this action hurts the poor the most as they have to pay for something which is free and they get into trouble for paying the amount, because they cannot afford it. When a large company like Shell practices, in this case bribery, which is defiantly unethical, this act will spread to the whole society and affect the society in large (Tempo, 2005). Moreover when you start paying bribe for the first time it leads to demand for more bribes and work as a kind of temptation. So it is better never start it. Aid agencies trying to provide free services for those who need help and it is not morally accepted and expected from officials to try to make money from those services that supposed to be free. We believe and agree that Shell did something which is morally wrong and ethical person wont advocate it, but there is a positive point in shells case. Shell accepted that they did and unethical and wrong action and admitted their mistake, they also agreed to pay $48m in criminal and civil fines. However shell had to admit their mistake but still we can consider it as a positive movement from shell and we can hope that Shell try to be an ethical company from now onwards, stop their unethical business practices and try to gain profit while following ethical business practices (Temp,2005). 4.0 Conclusion In conclusion, we all agree that bribery is an unethical business practice and it is not expected from large company such as Shell to practice such actions. It is not only the case that Shell paid bribe, the most important thing is that such actions, eventually leads to corruption of society which all of us believe to be destructive. Shell can follow Conoco Phillips and invest in research and development and try to improve its facilities, and by doing this they might earn less profit in the short term but they can be proud of themselves by being an ethical company and gaining more profit than their competitors in the long term as they will have new technologies and facilities in future because they invest in research and development today. Shell Should be accountable for what they did and be responsible for their unethical behavior and try to stop such acts in future if they want to build their reputation again as people and stakeholders wont trust Shell as long as they continue bein g unethical. However if Shell really wants to be changed and get back its reputation they can do it by clarifying their vision among themselves and act ethically.

Sex and Mans Struggle Against Nature :: science

Sex and Man's Struggle Against Nature In "Sex and Violence, or Nature and Art," Camille Paglia claims nature is inherently stronger than society. "Society is an artificial construction, a defense against nature's power.a system of inherited forms reducing our humiliating passivity to nature." (Writing in the Disciplines 572) I agree with the majority of Paglia's opinions, however, I believe that there are points that could have been elaborated on more substantially. In this essay, Paglia states that man is born evil and it is society's job to condition him to be a good, moral person. Paglia would disagree with someone who said the reason a person murdered was because he grew up in a bad section of town, or his home life left something to be desired. On the contrary, Paglia claims it is the inner evil, the "nature," of the person to kill, and it is society's lack of conditioning that releases this savage response. "Society is not the criminal but the force which keeps crime in check." (Writing in the Disciplines 574) She claims no matter how much a person sinks into religion, or their society, nature will always have the upper hand. Paglia believes if man is left to his natural instincts, with no threat of society's punishment, he will be evil and commit evil deeds. In society, sexual urges can often influence a person's morality, making him second-guess his values for the sake of sexual pleasure. She also goes on to say, "getting back to nature. would be to give free rein to violence and lust." (Writing in the Disciplines 573-574) I agree that this scenario is a possible outcome, but Paglia fails to mention that with out society we would have no idea, which deeds were evil and which were not. It is society that has set the limits and told us what is evil. Before men were grouped together in societies, they roamed free with no idea of right and wrong. It wasn't until man made up his religion with its rules, regulations and laws that he had a conscious idea of evil. But I do agree with Paglia that nature is the stronger force, and no matter how much we try to fool ourselves into believing that society or religion can save us from the torment of nature, we will always be reminded of mother nature's force. "Civilized man conceals from himself the extent of his subordination to nature.

Segregation and Housing in Chicago :: American America History

Segregation and Housing in Chicago Chicago was the best place to live and visit for anyone. Many people traveled from far places to visit and live in Chicago. Long after the World War II many things started reshaping America. One of the most significant was the racial change all over America but specifically in Chicago. Many southern blacks started to move into Chicago. Chicago started to become mostly dominated by blacks and other minorities while whites started to move into the suburbs of Chicago. "Beginning in the 1930s, with the city's black population increasing and whites fleeing to the suburbs, the black vote became a precious commodity to the white politicians seeking to maintain control" (Green, 117). Many of the mayors such as Edward J. Kelly, Martin H. Kennelly, and Richard J. Daley won over the blacks and got their votes for them to become mayor. The black population grew by 77 percent by the 1940. The white population dropped from 102,048 to 10,792 during the years of 1940 to 1960. With all of these peopl e moving into Chicago there had to be more housing. There were many houses built to accommodate all the people. Martin H. Kennelly at one time wanted to tear down slums and have public housing built in the black ghetto. Many of the blacks wanted to escape these ghettos so some of them; if they could they would try to move to the white communities. When the blacks would try to move into the white communities they were met with mobs. There were many hurdles that blacks had to overcome not only in Chicago but all over America. The blacks of Chicago had to fight for a place to live and to find a mayor that would help them for who they are, not their color. Throughout Chicago there were many fights that blacks had to fight. It was not easy for blacks to live in the city because everywhere they went they were faced with whites trying to get them to move out. Led by comedian Dick Gregory, 75 people protested in the Bridgeport neighborhood. As these protestors walked many people of the Bridgeport neighborhood threw eggs and tomatoes, showed Ku Klux Klan signs and shouted, "Two-four-six-eight, we don't want to integrate and Oh, I wish I was an Alabama trooper, that is what I'd really like to be-ee-ee. Cuz if I was and Alabama trooper, I could kill the niggers legally" (Biles, 112). Segregation and Housing in Chicago :: American America History Segregation and Housing in Chicago Chicago was the best place to live and visit for anyone. Many people traveled from far places to visit and live in Chicago. Long after the World War II many things started reshaping America. One of the most significant was the racial change all over America but specifically in Chicago. Many southern blacks started to move into Chicago. Chicago started to become mostly dominated by blacks and other minorities while whites started to move into the suburbs of Chicago. "Beginning in the 1930s, with the city's black population increasing and whites fleeing to the suburbs, the black vote became a precious commodity to the white politicians seeking to maintain control" (Green, 117). Many of the mayors such as Edward J. Kelly, Martin H. Kennelly, and Richard J. Daley won over the blacks and got their votes for them to become mayor. The black population grew by 77 percent by the 1940. The white population dropped from 102,048 to 10,792 during the years of 1940 to 1960. With all of these peopl e moving into Chicago there had to be more housing. There were many houses built to accommodate all the people. Martin H. Kennelly at one time wanted to tear down slums and have public housing built in the black ghetto. Many of the blacks wanted to escape these ghettos so some of them; if they could they would try to move to the white communities. When the blacks would try to move into the white communities they were met with mobs. There were many hurdles that blacks had to overcome not only in Chicago but all over America. The blacks of Chicago had to fight for a place to live and to find a mayor that would help them for who they are, not their color. Throughout Chicago there were many fights that blacks had to fight. It was not easy for blacks to live in the city because everywhere they went they were faced with whites trying to get them to move out. Led by comedian Dick Gregory, 75 people protested in the Bridgeport neighborhood. As these protestors walked many people of the Bridgeport neighborhood threw eggs and tomatoes, showed Ku Klux Klan signs and shouted, "Two-four-six-eight, we don't want to integrate and Oh, I wish I was an Alabama trooper, that is what I'd really like to be-ee-ee. Cuz if I was and Alabama trooper, I could kill the niggers legally" (Biles, 112).

“Citizens of a kind” :: Essays Papers

â€Å"Citizens of a kind† The following clippings from regional Irish newspapers begin in 1923, soon after the founding of the state, and continue to the present day in chronological order. The premise informing the selection is that Travellers are caught in a dynamic of colonialism – misunderstood by the majority they live amongst, and disadvantaged by their difference. Their situation is comparable, in many instances, to that of gypsies throughout Europe and the indigenous minorities of many ex-colonies. It is no coincidence that attitudes toward Travellers, as evidenced by some of the following clippings, hardened in the decades following the founding of the Irish State in the 1920s. The early years of the republic were difficult economically, and a nationalist ideology of a homogenous, mono-cultural, unquestioningly Catholic united state was perpetuated as a consolation for the loss of privileges enjoyed as part of the Empire. The transfer from colonial to post-colonial status problematised the pla ce of this minority population, and internal tensions surfaced in the absence of a colonial presence to demonise. I have concentrated on papers covering the general West of Ireland / Connacht area (Galway, Mayo and Roscommon), and in particular, articles dealing with Galway, since this is my hometown, and a traditional Traveller stronghold. Most clippings are from the longstanding Connacht Tribune. In a report on a Galway Urban Council meeting entitled â€Å"Nomads in Galway: Citizens fear an epidemic† (Connacht Tribiune 10 Mar. 1923: 5), the old colonial fear of being contaminated by the Other (in fact, a fear of secretly being or becoming the Other) is detectable: Mr J.P. O’Brien wrote on behalf of a number of citizens stating that unless the council took steps to have the gypsies who are camping†¦removed, there was a danger of epidemic breaking out. He pointed out that it was illegal for these people to camp within the urban area. They could camp a quarter of a mile outside the urban area, and then only for a couple of days. The strategy of distancing is implicit in the use of the words ‘gypsy’ and ‘nomad’, which connote that these people are somehow foreign, and most explosively, in the use of ‘gypsy’, that they are actually British. (Within the British Isles, gypsies are from Wales and England only.) The word gypsy is a dispossessing of their Irishness, and it is easier to be cruel to what is constructed as being outside the self in a new state where the ideology of nationalism is uppermost.

An analysis of Virginia Woolf’s Essay

During the time in which she wrote Mrs Dalloway, on June 19, 1923, Virginia Woolf made a diary entry which expressed a key thought she intended to incorporate in the novel: †In this book, I have almost too many ideas. I want to give life and death, sanity and insanity. I want to criticise the social system, and show it at work, at its most intense. † While some critics have insisted that Virginia Woolf did not care about social values, her husband later said that she was profoundly interested in the social issues of the world around her. This is borne out in Mrs. Dalloway, which does not turn away from the social and political issues of her time. Her characters turn to politics, questioning the status quo and the social order in which they lived. Woolf largely addressed these issues indirectly, showing her views in her works without the authorial interpretation that might be found in a traditional novel; she leaves final judgement to her readers. Mrs Dalloway came at a time when many social critics in England questioned the prevailing ideology. Prior to the war, England had stood at the head of a great empire, upon which the sun never set. When the war ended, England counted herself among the victorious powers, but the horrific losses of the war had destroyed the imperial confidence. In the wake of the war, many people sought to break out of the old thinking to find some new way of understanding the world. In the opening sentence of the novel, Clarissa Dalloway proclaims her independence: â€Å"Mrs. Dalloway said she would buy the flowers herself. † (Woolf 3) She will do this because Lucy has so much work to do. First of all, â€Å" Mrs. Dalloway† and â€Å"Lucy. † Her maid has no last name, and her own name appends her to her husband. Further, while she feels she is taking on a part of the work that more properly is Lucy’s, her â€Å"work† is only a matter of buying flowers. Woolf injects similar irony throughout the novel, following on the idea suggested in this very first sentence, theme of social commentary. In Mrs. Dalloway, Woolf shows the abiding superficiality of the social order of which Clarissa Dalloway is a member. Early in this section, Clarissa Dalloway thinks of Miss Kilman, a Communist whom she regards as callous, because she brought out guilt feelings in Clarissa: Miss Kilman would do anything for the Russians, starved herself for the Austrians, but in private inflicted positive torture, so insensitive was she, dressed in a green mackintosh coat. Year in and year out she wore that cost; she perspired; she was never in the room five minutes without making you feel her superiority, your inferiority; how poor she was; how rich you were; how she lived in a slum without a cushion or a bed or a rug or whatever it might be, all her soul rusted with that grievance sticking in it, her dismissal from school during the War – (Woolf, 12) Doris Kilman is critical to this novel. She is an outsider, someone below the Dalloway’s class. In the mackintosh she wears almost as a uniform, she hates and resents them for the ease of their social graces, their wealth, and their class standing. She has been hired to tutor Miss Elizabeth Dalloway in history. While the Dalloways sought someone who could teach this subject â€Å"objectively,† in reality, she shows the meaning of â€Å"objectivity†: objectivity is built on objects, on the property that the rich have, and the poor do not. Miss Kilman covets what the Dalloways possess. She Clarissa Dalloway’s vanity and deceit, Miss Kilman has become convinced that she deserve their money or social position more than they do. In truth, however, she herself is vain, a reverse snob whose mackintosh smelling of sweat is her ensign, proof of her poverty, proof that she belongs to the lower orders, without the cushions and rugs. But her disaffection for that life is clear. Oddly, Miss Kilman turns to religion, ostensibly for solace and peace. although she uses the religiosity as a weapon against Clarissa Dalloway. She puffs herself up, comparing her sufferings with those of Christ, who warned of those who pray loudly in the public square that they already have their reward. She is dogmatic and self-righteous, the sacred messenger of a new faith. Ironically, Clarissa fears males, and looks most fondly for the companionship of women. Miss Kilman is a greater threat than any man in her life. However, it is more the idea that Miss Kilman represents than the woman herself. She has brought her destructive, envious force into the Dalloway house. Her target her is Elizabeth, Clarissa’s daughter. Even in this campaign, Woolf shows us the sides of Miss Kilman she would want to conceal: in the restaurant scene her wolfs her food, gulping down the sugared cakes and chocolate eclairs, a symbol of what she would like to do to the Dalloways, ready to eat their beauty, youth, money, and class. As she stuffs food into her mouth, Woolf focuses on her hands, opening and closing, like the convulsive stretching of the claws of a predatory cat. In the end, Miss Kilman finds no solace for her life, her church having turned arid on her.

The History of Body Modification

The business relationship and Culture of Body adaption What is automobile trunk wholeowance and why has it had such a large impact on indian lodge? For centuries humans cede been using their bodies as a merchantmanvas to identify themselves to the domiciliate of society. Body registration lets a individual stand out or amalgamate in it let ins people to describe who they argon and where they occur from without differentiateing a word. in that respect are many a nonher(prenominal) make believes of frame modification such as Tattooing, Scarification, Piercings, Stretching, Plastic Surgery, and Corseting. apiece form holds a story, a evidence why it is by means of with(p). In the past deuce-ace decades, Western eubstance art has non only become a practice, and in near quarters a fashion, that has go through with(predicate) social boundaries of class and gender, high cultivation and low, simply also it has been greatly influenced by tribal practices, past a nd correspond. (Enid Schildkrout, Inscribing the Body, mirror symmetry 10 distinction 8) Tattooing The news report of tattooing stems natural c everywhereing thousands of ample meter from all over the knowledge base for all dissimilar reasons. In terms of tattoos on actual bodies, the earliest k forthwithn examples were for a long while Egyptian and were present on several female mummies go out to c. 000 B. C. But following the more(prenominal) new-fangled disco very of the Iceman from the area of the Italian-Austrian abut in 1991 and his tattoo patterns, this date has been pushed back a further thousand eld when he was carbon-dated at rough 5,200 geezerhood old. The statistical distribution of the tattooed dots and small crosses on his cut back spine and right knee and ankle joint joints correspond to areas of strain-induced degeneration, with the suggestion that they may exact been applied to save joint injure and were therefore essentially therapeutic.This would also relieve their nearwhat random distribution in areas of the frame which would non have been that easy to pomposity had they been applied as a form of office bloter. (Cate Lineberry, Tattoos -The antique and dusky account statement, Para 2 and 3) There is evidence that women in Ancient Egypt had tattoos on various move of their bodies, some on their inner thighs or on their hips, these tattoos were thought to help alleviate the pain of childbirth. Tattooing of ancient Egyptian women had a therapeutic role and functioned as a steadfast form of amulet during the very difficult time of pregnancy and birth.This is support by the pattern of distribution, largely virtually the abdomen, on top of the thighs and the breasts, and would also let off the specific types of designs, in bad-tempered the net-like distribution of dots applied over the abdomen. (Cate Lineberry, Tattoos The Ancient and Mysterious History, page 2, Para 2, line 4) Scarification Scarification is other form of putting design on the human em bole. Scarification also known as cicatrization changes the flake offs texture by cutting into the skin and whence controlling how the skin heals.Many substances can be added to the cuts to turn the notices into raised bumps, or change the color of the skin. In some finishings, a smooth, unmarked skin represents an exemplification of beaut, but people in many others see smooth skin as an unfinished, unattractive surface (the Statesn Museum of Natural History http//www. amnh. org/exhibitions/ boleart/glossary. htmltotop, para 10) In southern Africa the practice of Scarification has lasted centuries and the techniques use to produce the frightened signs have been passed from generation to generation.The custom of clamsification is normally carried out by the young women of the ethnic music as a sign of beauty. The scar designs can be found on the chest, stomach and backs of the tribal women. The following image shows three T embu women with decorative scarification. Piercings Body crisp is probably one of the more welcomed forms of body modification and involves slap-up any melt offg from earlobes to noses and even internal body parts. Throughout history body piercings have been used to show status and age, and as shields and talismans.There are many different types of piercings and many different reasons each was used. Sailors would vex a gold earring to help emend eyesight, Ancient Egyptian women would pierce their belly buttons to ward off demons from entering through the belly button and harming their unborn children, papistic soldiers would pierce the titmouse area of their armor. In many cultures ear piercings are through with(p) to show that the recipient of the piercing has reached puberty. In Borneo the parents of the child each take turns piercing an earlobe to symbolize the childs dependence on their parents.During the time of the Roman Empire, Roman soldiers would check amphetamin e body armor that was shaped like a mans chest they penetrate the armor where the tits would be and used those peal to clasp their cloaks into place. This practice lead to the thought that they would only clasp their cloaks to actual nipple ring. Women of the 14th century were known for eating a instruction such low discernlines that their nipples were often visible, women then began to pierce their nipples or use nipple caps to add decoration to their chest, sometimes flimsy chains of gold, pearls, or diamonds would be connect between the piercings.These piercings were mainly worn among the upper classes of the 14th century. (http//www. painfulpleasures. com/piercing_history. htm) The Prince Albert is now as it erstwhile was, a popular male piercing, that not only enhances sexual stimulation but also allows the wearer to control where their penis set inside the pants. The Prince Albert piercing is named after Prince Albert who was the keep up of Queen Victoria of England . He was reputed to have had this piercing done prior to his man and wife to the queen around 1825, at that time Beau Brummel started the craze for ultra-tight mens trousers.Because the pants were so tight, the penis essential to be held to one side or the other so as not to acquire an unsightly bulge. To accomplish this some men had their penis pierced to allow it to be held by a abstract on the inside of the trousers, this piercing was called a Dressing Ring at the time because abridges would ask if a gentleman habilimented to the left or the right and tailor the trousers accordingly, tailors to this sidereal day will ask if you rationalise to the left or right. (http//www. ainfulpleasures. com/piercing_history. htm ) Body Modification Making the body thinner and more graceful is something many cultures do, long thin cut lines, curved shapely tree trunks these are signs of beauty through the world. Throughout Europe and North America habilitates have been a popular way to give a woman curves and try or deemphasize parts of her body. On the Thai-Burmese run into tribal women wear heavy buttock neck rings to elongate their necks as a symbol of beauty.Women of the Karen tribe wear heavy brass neck rings that give the appearance of long necklines. This particular form of body modification has liable(predicate) been a Kayan tradition for over a thousand old age. The primary reasons for wearing them now are for beauty and to preserve their culture while they are in exile. These long necks are a symbol of beauty in the tribe. The interesting thing almost these neck rings is that they do not actually stretch the neck rather the rings ush down on the muscles around the collarbone giving the impression of a longer neck. Corsets were first popularized in the mid-16th century. At that time, the garment was used not to smirch the waist but to enhance the bust. The squeamish era brought many changes to corsets, which are all the same with us today. M odern corsets are shaped in the same way as the 1800s corset. Steel stays were introduced in this area, allowing corsets to remold the body. Tight lacing was common, further diminution the waist and enhancing the bust and hips.Tight lacing is a way to wear the corset where over a period of months or years a woman can were the corset taking it off only at night to sleep and each day when it is put on again it is tightened a little more than the day before. This is done so that the body holds the shape given when the corset is taken off. Shapely time of day glass figures are a seen as a mark of beauty. Throughout history people from all over the world have used various forms of body modification to tell people who they are. Tattoos, back talk plates, Piercings, Brass Neck rings, all say something about the person they are abandoned to.For centuries tribes have used tattoos to mark tribal leaders and spiritual leaders or to mark when a child has come into puberty and can be counte d as an adult. Tribes in Africa use the body as a canvas and mark them with scar designs because a bare unmarked body is seen as an unused surface, while in other cultures an un-scarred unblemished body is seen as a thing of beauty. Brass neck rings are used to create beauty on women in tribes who visualize that the long, elegant design of a neck should be shown and accentuated.Piercings have always been used for a wide variety of reasons to mark an age, to decorate a bare chest, or to help improve eyesight and ward off demons. The reasons behind body modification vary, from culture to culture and for each gender. These permanent designs-sometimes plain, sometimes elaborate, always personal- have served as amulets, status symbols, declarations of love, signs of religious beliefs, adornments, and even forms of punishment. (Cate Lineberry, Tattoos -The Ancient and Mysterious History, Para 1 line 3)

The Host Chapter 39: Worried

Perfect, I grumbled to myself. Just perfect.Ian was coming to join me for lunch, a fully grown smile glued into place on his deliver. Trying to cheer me up again.I debate youre overdoing the sarcasm lately, Melanie told me.Ill keep that in mind.I hadnt compreh repeal from her oft prison terms in the yesteryear week. N any of us was slap-up company right now. It was enumerateter if we avoided well-disposed interaction, even with each early(a).Hey, Wanda, Ian greeted me, hopping up onto the counter beside me. He had a bowl of tomato soup in adept progress to, muted steaming. Mine was beside me, cooled and half full. I was toying with a piece of roll, ripping it into flyspeck pieces.I didnt resolving power him.Oh, come on. He model his hand on my knee. Mels angry reaction was whollyowhargic. She was similarly used to this kind of thing to real crap up a good fit any more than(prenominal). Theyll be rachis today. Before sun rear, with show up a doubt.You say that trine days ago, and two days ago, and again yesterday, I reminded him.I shake up a good nip well-nigh today. Dont sulk-its so human, he teased.Im not sulking. I wasnt. I was so worried I could except think straight. It didnt leave me energy to do anything else.This isnt the transferset raid Jamies gone(p) on.That irritates me note so much better. Again with the sarcasm. Melanie was right-I real was overusing it.Hes got J ard and Geoffrey and Trudy with him. And Kyles hither. Ian laughed. So t presents no sort theyll get into any trouble.I dont want to berate about it.Okay.He turned his attention to his food for thought and permit me stew. Ian was nice that track- eternally striveing to give me what I wanted, even when what I wanted was unclear to either of us. His insistent attempts to distract me from the present anxiety excepted, of course. I k new- do I didnt want that. I wanted to fear it was the only thing I could do.It had been a calendar month since Id loco mote venture into Jamie and Jareds direction. For three weeks of that beat, the four of us had lived together. Jared slept on a mattress wedged above the charge of the get on where Jamie and I slept.Id gotten used to it-the catch most Zsing part, at least I was having a impenetrable time sleeping now in the empty room. I felled the extend of two different bodies breathing.I hadnt gotten used to waking up e very(prenominal) morning time with Jared there. It still in give care mannerk me a second too longsighted to return his morning greeting. He was not at ease, either, exclusively he was always polite. We were both very polite.It was closely scripted at this point.Good morning, Wanda, how did you sleep?Fine, thank you, and you?Fine, thanks. And Mel?Shes good, too, thanks.Jamies constant state of euphoria and his blessed chattering kept things from becoming too strained. He talked about-and to-Melanie often, until her name was no longer the source of infraline it had once been when Jared was present. Every day, it got a brusk piece of music more comfortable, the pattern of my life here a footling bit more pleasant.We were sort of happy. two Melanie and I.And so, a week ago, Jared had left for other pitiable raid-mostly to replace broken tools-and taken Jamie with him.You tired? Ian asked.I get by I was rubbing at my eyes. non really.Still not sleeping well?Its too quiet.I could sleep with you-Oh, calm d let, Melanie. You hit the hay what I meant.Ian always observe when Melanies antagonism made me cringe.I thought they were freeing to be hazard today, I challenged.Youre right. I guess theres no acquire for rearranging.I sighed.Maybe you should take the afternoon off.Dont be silly, I told him. Ive got plenty of energy for work.He grinned as though Id said something that pleased him. Something hed been hoping I would say.Good. I could use some help with a project.Whats the project?Ill array you-you finished there?I nodded.He took my hand as he led me out of the kitchen. Again, this was so common that Melanie barely protested.Why are we press release this way? The eastern sphere did not necessity attention. Wed been part of the group that had irrigated it this morning.Ian didnt answer. He was still grinning.He led me down the eastern tunnel, past the field and into the corridor that led to only one place. As briefly as we were in the tunnel, I could hear voices emit and a sporadic thud, thud that it took me a wink to place. The stale, bitter sulfur odor helped link the sound to the memory.Ian, Im not in the mood.You said you had plenty of energy.To work. non to play soccer.But Lily and Wes will be really disappointed. I promised them a game of two-on-two. They worked so hard this morning to free up the afternoonDont try to make me feel guilty, I said as we rounded the refinement curve. I could see the gloomy light of s foreveral lamps, shadows flitting in comportment of them.Isnt it workings? h e teased. Cmon, Wanda. It will be good for you.He pulled me into the low-ceilinged game room, where Lily and Wes were passing the ball stomach and forth across the length of the field.Hey, Wanda. Hey, Ian, Lily called to us.This ones mine, OShea, Wes warned him.Youre not going to let me lose to Wes, are you? Ian murmured.You could beat them alone.It would still be a forfeit. Id never live it down.I sighed. Fine. Fine. Be that way.Ian hugged me with what Melanie thought was unnecessary enthusiasm. Youre my very favorite person in the known universe.Thanks, I muttered dryly. organize to be humiliated, Wanda? Wes taunted. You may get down taken the planet, notwithstanding youre losing this game.Ian laughed, entirely I didnt respond. The joke made me uneasy. How could Wes make a joke about that? Humans were always surprising me.Melanie included. Shed been in right as woebegone a mood as I was, but now she was suddenly excited.We didnt get to play last time, she explained. I could feel her yearning to run-to run for cheer rather than in fear. Running was something she used to love. Doing nothing wont get them photographic plate any faster. A animal magnetism might be nice. She was already thinking strategy, surface up our opponents.Do you know the rules? Lily asked me.I nodded. I remember them.Absently, I bent my leg at the knee and grabbed my ankle behind me, pulling it to adulterate out the muscles. It was a fami prevaricator position to my body. I stretched the other leg and was pleased that it felt w messiness. The bastinado on the anchor of my thigh was faded yellow, almost gone. My side felt fine, which made me think that my laugh at had never really been broken.Id seen my face era I was cleanup spot mirrors two weeks ago. The scar forming on my buttock was muddy red and as big as the palm of my hand, with a dozen jagged points nigh the edges. It bothered Melanie more than it did me.Ill take the goal, Ian told me, while Lily trim bear out back and Wes paced beside the ball. A mismatch. Melanie a similar(p)d this. Competition appealed to her.From the wink the game started-Wes kicking the ball back to Lily and then sprinting ahead to get around me for her pass-there was very little time to think. Only to react and to feel. See Lily modify her body, measure the direction this would send the ball. Cut Wes off-ah, but he was surprised by how fast I was-launch the ball to Ian and move up the field. Lily was playing too far send on. I raced her to the lantern goalpost and won. Ian aimed the pass perfectly, and I scored the head start goal.It felt good the stretch and pull of muscle, the feat of exertion rather than plain heat, the teamwork with Ian. We were well matched. I was quick, and his aim was deadly. Wess goading dried up originally Ian scored the third goal.Lily called the game when we hit twenty-one. She was breathing hard. not me I felt good, muscles warm and limber.Wes wanted another round, but Lily wa s done.Face it, theyre better.We got hustled.No one ever said she couldnt play.No one ever said she was a pro, either.I liked that-it made me smile.Dont be a sore loser, Lily said, reaching out to exhilarate Wess stomach playfully. He caught her fingers and pulled her closer to him. She laughed, tugging away, but Wes reeled her in and planted a solid kiss on her laughing mouth.Ian and I exchanged a quick, take aback glance.For you, I will lose with grace, Wes told her, and then set her free.Lilys smooth caramel skin had taken on a bit of pink on her cheeks and neck. She peeked at Ian and me to see our reaction.And now, Wes continued, Im off to get reinforcements. Well see how your little ringer does against Kyle, Ian. He lobbed the ball into the far dark corner of the cave, where I comprehend it splash into the spring.Ian trotted off to retrieve it, while I continued to go out at Lily curiously.She laughed at my expression, sounding self-conscious, which was unusual for her. I k now, I know.How long has that been going on? I applauded.She grimaced.Not my business. Sorry.Its approve. Its not a secret-how could anything be a secret here, anyway? Its just really new to me. Its sort of your fault, she added, smiling to show that she was teasing me.I felt a little guilty anyway. And confused. What did I do?Nothing, she assured me. It was Wess reaction to you that surprised me. I didnt know he had so much reconditeness to him. I was never really aware of him to begin withhand that. Oh, well. Hes too young for me, but what does that matter here? She laughed again. Its strange how life and love go on. I didnt expect that.Yeah. Kind of funny how that happens, Ian agreed. I hadnt comprehend him return. He slung his arm around my shoulders. Its nice, though. You do know Wes has been infatuated with you since he world-class got here, right?So he says. I hadnt noticed.Ian laughed. Then youre the only one. So, Wanda, how about some one-on-one while were waiting?I could feel Melanies wordless enthusiasm. Okay.He let me have the ball first, holding back, hugging the goal area. My first shot cut between him and the post, scoring. I rush along him when he kicked off, and got the ball back. I scored again.Hes let us win, Mel grumbled.Come on, Ian. Play.I am.Tell him hes playing like a girl.Playing like a girl.He laughed, and I slipped the ball away from him again. The taunt wasnt enough. I had an inspiration then, and I shot the ball through his goal, guessing it would probably be the last time I got to do it.Mel objected. I dont like this idea.Ill bet it works, though.I put the ball back at center field. You win, and you can sleep in my room while theyre gone. I needed a good nights rest.First to ten. With a grunt, he launched the ball past me so hard that it rebounded off the distant, invisible seawall behind my goal and came back to us.I ciphered at Lily. Was that wide?No, it looked dead center to me.One-three, Ian announced.It took him fi fteen minutes to win, but at least I got to really work. I even squeezed in one more goal, of which I was proud. I was gasping for air when he take the ball from me and sailed it through my goalposts for the last time.He wasnt winded. Ten-four, I win.Good game, I huffed.Tired? he asked, the naturalness in his tone a bit overdone. organism funny. He stretched. I think Im ready for bed myself. He leered in a melodramatic way.I winced.Aw, Mel, you know Im joking. Be nice.Lily eyed us, mystified.Jareds Melanie objects to me, Ian told her, winking.Her eyebrows rose. Thats interesting.I wonder whats fetching Wes so long? Ian muttered, not taking much notice of her reaction. Should we go find out? I could use some water.Me, too, I agreed. found some back. Lily didnt move from where she was half sprawled on the floor.As we entered the narrow tunnel, Ian threw one arm lightly around my waist.You know, he said, its really un plum for Melanie to make you aim when shes angry at me.Since wh en are humans fair?Good point.Besides, shed be glad to make you suffer, if Id let her.He laughed.Thats nice about Wes and Lily, dont you think? he said.Yes. They both seem very happy. I like that.I like it, too. Wes finally got the girl. Gives me hope. He winked at me. Do you think Melanie would make you very ill-fitting if I were to kiss you right now?I stiffened for a second, then took a deep breath. Probably.Oh, yes.Definitely.Ian sighed.We heard Wes shouting at the same time. His voice came from the end of the tunnel, getting closer with each word.Theyre back Wanda, theyre backIt took me less than a second to process, and then I was sprinting. Behind me, Ian mumbled something about wasted effort.I close to knocked Wes down. Where? I gasped.In the plaza.And I was off again. I flew into the big garden room with my eyes already searching. It wasnt hard to find them. Jamie was standing at the front of a group of muckle near the pick up to the grey tunnel.Hey, Wanda he yelled, waving.Trudy held his arm as I ran around the edges of the field, as if she were holding him back from foot race to meet me.I grabbed his shoulders with both hands and pulled him to me. Oh, JamieDid ya miss me?Just a tiny bit. Where is everyone? Is everyone home? Is everyone O.K.? Besides Jamie, Trudy was the only person here who was back from the raid. Everyone else in the little crowd-Lucina, commiseration Ann, Kyle, Travis, Violetta, Reid-was welcoming them home.Everyones back and well, Trudy assured me.My eyes swept the big cave. Where are they?Uh getting cleaned up, put downI wanted to reach out my help-anything that would get me to where Jared was so I could see with my own eyes that he was safe-but I knew I wouldnt be allowed to see where the goods were coming in.You look like you need a bath, I told Jamie, rumpling his dirty, knotted hair without letting go of him.Hes supposed to go prevarication down, Trudy said.Trudy, Jamie muttered, self-aggrandising her a dark look .Trudy glanced at me quickly, then looked away. hypocrisy down? I stared at Jamie, pulling back to get a good look at him. He didnt seem tired-his eyes were bright, and his cheeks flushed under his tan. My eyes raked over him once and then froze on his right leg.There was a ragged hole in his jeans a few inches above his knee. The model around the hole was a dark ruby-red brown, and the ominous color spread in a long stain all the way to the cuff.Blood, Melanie realized with horror.Jamie What happened?Thanks, Trudy.She was going to notice soon enough. Cmon, well talk while you limp.Trudy put her arm under his and helped him hop forward one slow step at a time, keeping his lean on his left leg.Jamie, divide me what happened I put my arm around him from the other side, trying to carry as much of his weight as I could.Its really stupid. And totally my fault. And it could have happened here.Tell me.He sighed. I tripped with a clapper in my hand.I shuddered. Shouldnt we be taking yo u the other way? You need to see doctor.Thats where Im coming from. Thats where we went first.What did Doc say?Its fine. He cleaned it and bandaged it and said to go lie down.And have you walk all this way? Why didnt you stay in the hospital?Jamie made a face and glanced up at Trudy, like he was looking for an answer.Jamie will be more comfortable on his bed, she suggested.Yeah, he agreed quickly. Who wants to lie around on one of those awful cots?I looked at them and then behind me. The crowd was gone. I could hear their voices echoing back down the grey corridor.What was that about? Mel wondered warily.It occurred to me that Trudy wasnt a much better liar than I was. When shed said the others from the raid were unloading and cleaning up, there was a false note to her voice. I thought I remembered her eyes flickering to the right, back toward that tunnel.Hey, kid Hey, Trudy Ian had caught up to us.Hi, Ian, they greeted him at the same time.What happened here?Fell on a knife, Jami e grunted, ducking his head.Ian laughed.I dont think its funny, I told him, my voice tight. Melanie, frantic with pertain in my head, imagined slapping him. I ignored her.Could happen to anybody, Ian said, place a light punch on Jamies arm.Right, Jamie muttered.Wheres everybody?I watched Trudy from the corner of my eye as she answered him.They, uh, had some unloading to finish up. This time her eyes moved toward the southern tunnel very deliberately, and Ians expression hardened, turned enraged for half a second. Then Trudy glanced back at me and caught me watching.Distract them, Melanie whispered.I looked down at Jamie quickly. are you hungry? I asked him.Yeah.When arent you hungry? Ian teased. His face was relaxed again. He was better at deception than Trudy.When we reached our room, Jamie sank gratefully onto the big mattress.You sure youre okay? I checked.Its nothing. Really. Doc says Ill be fine in a few days.I nodded, though I was not convinced.Im going to go clean up, Trudy murmured as she left.Ian propped himself against the wall, going nowhere.Keep your face down when you lie, Melanie suggested.Ian? I stared intently at Jamies flaming(a) leg. Do you mind getting us some food? Im hungry, too.Yeah. Get us something good.I could feel Ians eyes on me, but I didnt look up.Okay, he agreed. Ill be back in just a second. He emphasized the short time.I kept my gaze down, as if I were examining the wound, until I heard his footsteps fade.You arent mad at me? Jamie asked.Of course not.I know you didnt want me to go.Youre safe now thats all that matters. I patted his arm absentmindedly. Then I got to my feet and let my hair, now chin length, fall forward to pelt my face.Ill be right back-I forgot something I wanted to fall apart Ian.What? he asked, confused by my tone.Youll be okay here by yourself?Course I will, he retorted, sidetracked.I ducked out around the screen before he could ask anything else.The hall was clear, Ian out of sight. I had to hurry. I kn ew he was already suspicious. Hed noticed that Id noticed Trudys awkward and artificial explanation. He wouldnt be gone long.I walked quickly, but didnt run, as I moved through the big plaza. Purposeful, as if I were on an errand. There were only a few people there-Reid, headed for the passageway that led to the bathing pool Ruth Ann and Heidi, paused by the eastern corridor, chatting Lily and Wes, their backs to me, holding hands. No one paid me any attention. I stared ahead as if I were not focused on the southern tunnel, only turning in at the very last second.As soon as I was in the pitch-black of the corridor, I sped up, jogging along the familiar path.Some instinct told me this was the same thing-that this was a repeat of the last time Jared and the others had come home from a raid, and everyone was sad, and Doc had gotten drunk, and no one would answer my questions. It was happening again, whatever I wasnt supposed to know about. What I didnt want to know about, according to Ian. I felt prickles on the back of my neck. Maybe I didnt want to know.Yes, you do. We both do.Im frightened.Me, too.I ran as quiet as I could down the dark tunnel.