Recruiting, Selection, and Training Essay

The company that I researched is WellPoint (aka Anthem Blue Cross & Blue Shield). I would love to have a position as a Human Resource Director within the company. As a Human Resources professional at WellPoint, the goal is to lead their workforce and workplace talent strategies into achieving the purpose statement to convert health care with trusted and caring solutions. WellPoint also develop programs that attract individuals with vision and talent to be the future of their industry. Human Resources professionals at WellPoint concentrate on key areas such as talent management, engagement, and Integration to maximize customer focus and efficiency. Analyze the effectiveness of the company’s recruiting efforts and make recommendations for improvement. The HR professionals have a hard time getting qualified applicants to apply for certain positions. So the first challenge is getting enough people to apply to a particular job. In doing so they are able to prepare not to consider t hose who they deem unfit for the position. It takes a lot of effort to select the applicants that truly qualify for the job. All organizations have to begin with advertising for the position. Other resources used for employment are employee referral, employment agencies, school recruiters, walk-ins, and the internet. To work in human resources, a person must go through an industrial/psychology analysis. WellPoint human resource departments have their own job analysis and all human resource employees must help mangers anticipate and meet changing needs related to gaining deployment, and the utilization of employees. The human resource professionals must estimate the amount and type of employees the organization needs, to keep the business running successfully. Therefore they must hire someone who is qualified to conduct all the important roles as a human resource manager. Human resource departments use multiple aptitude tests to screen potential employees. These tests also determine pay  rates based on these tests. This is due to the quality of demand for a human resource manager. The selection process takes a lot of practice and involves assessing and choosing the right candidates. All selection processes must be legal, technically sound, and must accurately match the people and skills needed f or the position. Analyze the selection process of the company you researched and make recommendations for improvement. The majority of I/O psychologists believe that personality tests are important tools for choosing the right employees. WellPoint and several other big corporations use these tests to measure dimensions of personality and related characteristics. These testing methods are used to foresee insubordinate behaviors, and remove individuals that may cause trouble or hindrance to the organization. WellPoint Corporation has been dedicating numerous amounts of energy into areas such as communication, recognition, and employee retention. They understand that branding the employees doesn’t mean anything if the experience of the individuals does not match. Instead they want to establish higher profits, increased sales, lower turnover, and outstanding customer service to their members. Part of WellPoint’s pre-employment testing includes personality testing and mathematical skills. These tests are based on the individual. Some of these particular measures may be referred to as tempera ments, dispositions, or traits. Also measured in that category are employee reliability, thoroughness, change, trustworthiness, and friendliness. Various personality measures are focused on characterizing people within the standard adult range of functionality while others focus on the identification of psychopathology (Schmidt, Shaffer 2010-2011). The reasons individuals are given a basic math assessment are to measure the accountability for their employees to figure out co-pays and co-insurance amounts are calculated correctly to the claim. WellPoint has spent countless time and money in mastering the art of employee selection, training, and retention. WellPoint has a website for interested candidates to apply for careers within their organization, both online and the corporate offices. During the selection process, candidates are asked to take a variety of assessments that analyze areas ranging from characteristics, skill sets, and basic reading and writing tests. Once a candidate has been selected and has accepted a job offer, there are several types of training encountered within the company. Determine how training and talent management contribute to an  effective labor force of the company you researched. Training is a planned learning experience and it effectively prepares workers for their current and future jobs. Training for human resource managers focuses on the present job industry while development training prepares them for the future growth. Training enhances knowledge and job skills. Methods used to measure the success of the training are performance appraisals. This measures the adequacy of the human resource managers. After their performances are measured their results are discussed with them, and any changes that may need to be made in the training process can be easily detected. These pre-employment tests are used largely in Human Resource and customer service environments for middle paying entry level jobs. Testing is designed to predict proneness for theft and other forms of counterproductive work behavior in job applicants. The organization now proposes quarterly training for employees, and is on the path to training over thousands of new people due to health care reform (wellpoint.com) The whole program is centered on listening to customers, and it recognizes employees who go the extra mile in the name of customer service. Often the new hire will experience on-the-job training, during which he or she will be shown the necessary steps in their assigned tasks. For instance, if a person is assigned to the team and asked to process claims, he or she will be shown how to properly process the claim by the trainer. Other tasks that the new hire will be expected to perform, such as enrolling dependents or ordering ID cards. This training is done in a class room setting environment. Safety courses and other employee training courses are offered periodically. Some of these courses are offered online, while others are done in training sessions within the building. WellPoint corporate employees evaluate the efficiency of nearly every aspect of the training and implementation of new employees. Additional measures are also put in place when a policy or product has changed or a new one has been introduced. The department of Quality Assurance oversees this for their assigned regions. WellPoint takes great care in ensuring that their policies are proficient and products are the best quality. That is why there are several departments in place to oversee these important aspects of the corporations. They include Quality Assurance, Product Development, Legal, Human Resources and Information Services. Another way that WellPoint seeks to improve their employee job satisfaction is career training. A large  majority of WellPoint corporate staff started with the company and took advantage of the leadership training to climb the corporate ladder within the organization. WellPoint takes pride in the training program that the company offers, and this training is held worldwide. They are among many companies who has been certified to grant college credit hours to employees in the training programs. Human Resource managers must be treated ethically like their employees; however there are some cases where they are treated unethically. Human resource managers may face problems involving their employees, promotions, pay, and favoritism. Human resource managers must be very observant of all employees to ensure everyone is treated fairly. It is important that those who qualify for human resource management are the ones hired, not those who look, act, or dress in a certain manner. According to the EEOC, (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission), â€Å"Employers are not prohibited from using personality or integrity tests in the workplace. However, the statute is implicated when: (1) an employer uses tests to intentionally discriminate against minorities or (2) the tests have an adverse impact on minorities and are not job-related for the position in question and c onsistent with business necessity. No cases have found that an employer’s use of personality testing in the workplace resulted in the unequal treatment of protected groups. However, there could be such a cause of action if the tests were used intentionally to exclude members of protected groups. This would usually involve evidence of comparative proof that members of a protected group were treated differently than majority group members. For example, it would obviously be illegal for an employer to test minority applicants, but not majority applicants†. As long as these tests are given in a professional manner, it is not against the law to do such to find out if the individual is the best fit for the job. Employee selection and training will continue to be two of the most important aspects for growing and supporting the workforce for companies in the future. Psychological assessments, such as the ones described in this paper, is one of the many ways that companies can attempt to get the highest quality people and not select people who do not want to be there. While there is speculation of the dependability of using these assessment tools for employee selection and training, the evidence shows that it can be helpful in focusing the time and money into particular areas or people to improve  productivity within the company. WellPoint also uses verbal reasoning, numeracy, spatial awareness battery test. They consist of a number of questions with multiple choice answers, only one of which is right. As a test progresses, the questions may become more difficult, and there are frequently more questions than can comfortably be completed in the time. These tests are designed so that very few people finish the test in the time allowed. The participant’s score is then compared with how other people have done on the test in the past. This enables the selectors to assess reasoning skills in relation to others, and to make judgments about ability to cope with tasks involved in the job. On the flip side, personality inventories are used in order to determine one’s typical reactions and attitudes to a variety of situations. They could be trying to identify how well an individual can get on with others or their normal reaction to stressful situations, or simply their feelings about the kind of people they like to work with (Spector, 2008). Perhaps the biggest challenge related to the use of assessment tools is determining when to use the information obtained to remove an applicant from consideration. References The WellPoint Employee (2008). Retrieved November 13, 2013 from www.wellpoint.com Schmidt, R & Shaffer, D. (2010-2011). Personality Testing in Employment. Retrieved November 12, 2013 from http://library.findlaw.com/1999/Dec/22/130153.html. Spector, P. E. (2008). Industrial and Organizational Psychology (5th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. U.S Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. (2011) Title VII of the Civil Right Act of 1964: Employment. Retrieved November 13, 2013 from www.eeoc.gov/laws/statutes/titlevii.cfm Holley, W. H., Jr., Jennings, K. M., Mathis, R. L., & Jackson, J. H. (2012). Employment Labor & Relations. (2nd ed.). Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning.

Evaluate the claim that personal identity is self- defined Essay

Your identity is what makes you who you are and what makes you unique as an individual and different from other people. Identities are not static but dynamic and constantly changing. A personal identity is made up of several different aspects, and can be defined by culture (nationality, religion and gender) as well as family and career. Your identity is defined by how you see yourself and also by how you are seen by others. It is part given and part taken and also can be something we are born with. In some instances an identity may be something you are given and may not be through choice. I am going to look at what makes a personal identity and is it self-defined and made without the assistance of anyone else. I am also going to compare the opinion of the theorists Erik Erikson and Sigmund Freud and I will be using the case findings of the research project into becoming a mother for the first time and more importantly the case of Silma and her experiences, this was a research program me which included detailed interviews as well as observational research. There are numerous ways in which our Identity can change, for example our bodies change and how we look alters as we get older but our appearance and our bodies can also be changed by choice for example hair colour, cosmetic surgery etc. (chapter 4, Exploring Social Lives) Our identities also change through practices and when there is an upset to our normal routines and we need to establish new ones or learn new skills, this also has an impact on our identity. This is the case when practices turn into routines and we no longer need to think about doing them as they become second nature. Finally we also experience relationship changes where our views on who we think we are is influenced by the opinions of other people and how they see us. We become who we are and modify ourselves through the way others treat us and respond to us. This is witnessed when a woman becomes a mother, she may be treated differently by her parents as a result of moving to parenthood herself. This was the claim for theorist Erik Erikson who studied that our identity changes are influenced by past experiences, the moment-by-moment activities and relationships we have daily. This is spanned over a lifetime and although can happen at any time, Erikson defined 8 stages in which identity is transformed in unique ways, as transition was not a smooth process, these stages he called â€Å"identity crises†. These stages were seen as times when conflict was introduced, conflict is contending with happenings in everyday life that stops life running as smoothly as before. Conflict is being faced with choices, feeling confused and although he uses the example of passing from adolescence into adulthood it could also mean becoming middle aged, old or moving into parenthood. (chapter 4, Exploring Social Lives) Everyone experiences conflicts and in turn experiencing conflicts make us who we are and give us an identity One way our identity can change is through identification, which is what it is called when we â€Å"try on† someone else’s persona. We try on other people’s identity and see life through their eyes and empathise with how they felt at a certain time, for example when you become a mother you can empathise and understand how other mothers feel. This was the case with Liyanna, she used to look at pictures of her mother with her sister and the mother daughter relationship meant nothing to her, however now she is a mother herself she looks at the photo differently and can identify with the love and the emotion her mother was feeling when the photo was taken. She says that now she looks at the photo and â€Å"she knows exactly what her mum was feeling†, she sees her mother in a new light and because of her own experiences can now put herself in her mother’s shoes. She is now identifying with her mother. The theorist Billig looks at identification and associates it with groups of people and how they are connected by the common quality or interest that they share. Sigmund Freud also claims that identification is the expression of an emotional tie with another person, an identity can be borrowed from someone else. The theory suggests that there are two kinds of identification, projection which is the message we give off and introjection which is the messages we take in. Both are done unintentionally and unconsciously to furnish ones identity. (chapter 4, Exploring Social Lives). All these theories can be backed up by the case study completed on first time mothers and in particular Silma’s case. Silma’s identity begins to change with practices, she has had to learn a whole new routine which will need to adapt as her baby grows. She also has a new relationship to establish as mother and daughter with her new baby, the relationship with her husband and family will also change. Silma has also to deal with the conflict of becoming a new mother, this conflict between being the â€Å"indulged eldest daughter† to motherhood and also between pleasing yourself and having to put your baby first are all aspects of defining her new identity. Silma is also seen differently not only by her neighbours but also by her family and in particular her aunts and her sister. Silma feels she is treated with more respect by her aunts and is now welcomed into their group as a mother. This is a generational shift for Silma and where she once thought of her aunts as boring who only talked about babies she now finds this interesting and likes to stay around them and can actually relate to them and now sees herself more like them. Silma also starts to behave differently and sees herself differently because people are treating her differently. Silma admits that she has left her wild days behind and become more mature and motherly and spends more time with her family. This has also had an effect on her choice of clothes and prior to becoming a mother Silma preferred to wear jeans but now she is a mother her choice of clothing is now the traditional salwaar kameez, she refers to these clothes as â€Å"normal† and now feels less comfortable in jeans. Silma received several gifts of salwaar kameez for her birthday after becoming a mother which may have encouraged her decision. Silma’s new identity has also caused conflict with her sister who now sees her as becoming like her aunts and gives Silma a hard time for being boring and because she prefers the aunts company. Silma has also taken on the identity as a mother and this is implemented in her concern for her younger sister and the way she behaves, she worries that by staying out late she may get hurt but in actual fact this was the same way Silma used to behave prior  to becoming a mother. Silma’s sister makes reference to the fact that Silma â€Å"used to be worse than me† but Silma puts this down to her having changed. Silma talks about meeting up with old friends at McDonalds and although we cannot assume that she would wear the salwaar kameez this is a clear distinction of how Silma has changed and her new identity as a mother is the dominant one. We have looked at various theories on what makes up personal identity and it is clear that self- definition on its own is not sufficient. Personal identity is made up through interacting with others and through projection and introjection, it’s a two way thing people see you differently so you behave differently. When we use identification it can only be done through another person to allow you to identify, this is not self-defined as you need another person to be able to do it. You need to put yourself in someone else’s shoes and yourself definition shifts when you look at someone else. Also some identities are already defined by others and you are moved into this social category without choice, as was the case for Silma when she became a mother, this identity is social and it is defined by how a mother should behave. If we require others to create our identity then our personal identity cannot be self-defined.

Chapter 8 The Quidditch World Cup

Clutching their purchases, Mr. Weasley in the lead, they all hurried into the wood, following the lantern-lit trail. They could hear the sounds of thousands of people moving around them, shouts and laughter, snatches of singing. The atmosphere of feverish excitement was highly infectious; Harry couldn't stop grinning. They walked through the wood for twenty minutes, talking and joking loudly, until at last they emerged on the other side and found themselves in the shadow of a gigantic stadium. Though Harry could see only a fraction of the immense gold walls surrounding the field, he could tell that ten cathedrals would fit comfortably inside it. â€Å"Seats a hundred thousand,† said Mr. Weasley, spotting the awestruck look on Harry's face. â€Å"Ministry task force of five hundred have been working on it all year. Muggle Repelling Charms on every inch of it. Every time Muggles have got anywhere near here all year, they've suddenly remembered urgent appointments and had to dash away again†¦bless them,† he added fondly, leading the way toward the nearest entrance, which was already surrounded by a swarm of shouting witches and wizards. â€Å"Prime seats!† said the Ministry witch at the entrance when she checked their tickets. â€Å"Top Box! Straight upstairs, Arthur, and as high as you can go.† The stairs into the stadium were carpeted in rich purple. They clambered upward with the rest of the crowd, which slowly filtered away through doors into the stands to their left and right. Mr. Weasley's party kept climbing, and at last they reached the top of the staircase and found themselves in a small box, set at the highest point of the stadium and situated exactly halfway between the golden goal posts. About twenty purple-and-gilt chairs stood in two rows here, and Harry, filing into the front seats with the Weasleys, looked down upon a scene the likes of which he could never have imagined. A hundred thousand witches and wizards were taking their places in the seats, which rose in levels around the long oval field. Everything was suffused with a mysterious golden light, which seemed to come from the stadium itself. The field looked smooth as velvet from their lofty position. At either end of the field stood three goal hoops, fifty feet high; right opposite them, almost at Harry's eye level, was a gigantic blackboard. Gold writing kept dashing across it as though an invisible giant's hand were scrawling upon the blackboard and then wiping it off again; watching it, Harry saw that it was flashing advertisements across the field. The Bluebottle: A Broom for All the Family – safe, reliable, and with Built-in Anti-Burgler Buzzer†¦Mrs. Shower's All Purpose Magical Mess Remover: No Pain, No Stain!†¦Gladrags Wizardwear – London, Paris, Hogsmeade†¦ Harry tore his eyes away from the sign and looked over his shoulder to see who else was sharing the box with them. So far it was empty, except for a tiny creature sitting in the second from last seat at the end of the row behind them. The creature, whose legs were so short they stuck out in front of it on the chair, was wearing a tea towel draped like a toga, and it had its face hidden in its hands. Yet those long, batlike ears were oddly familiar†¦. â€Å"Dobby?† said Harry incredulously. The tiny creature looked up and stretched its fingers, revealing enormous brown eyes and a nose the exact size and shape of a large tomato. It wasn't Dobby – it was, however, unmistakably a house-elf, as Harry's friend Dobby had been. Harry had set Dobby free from his old owners, the Malfoy family. â€Å"Did sir just call me Dobby?† squeaked the elf curiously from between its fingers. Its voice was higher even than Dobby's had been, a teeny, quivering squeak of a voice, and Harry suspected though it was very hard to tell with a house-elf – that this one might just be female. Ron and Hermione spun around in their seats to look. Though they had heard a lot about Dobby from Harry, they had never actually met him. Even Mr. Weasley looked around in interest. â€Å"Sorry,† Harry told the elf, â€Å"I just thought you were someone I knew.† â€Å"But I knows Dobby too, sir!† squeaked the elf. She was shielding her face, as though blinded by light, though the Top Box was not brightly lit. â€Å"My name is Winky, sir – and you, sir -† Her dark brown eyes widened to the size of side plates as they rested upon Harry's scar. â€Å"You is surely Harry Potter!† â€Å"Yeah, I am,† said Harry. â€Å"But Dobby talks of you all the time, sir!† she said, lowering her hands very slightly and looking awestruck. â€Å"How is he?† said Harry. â€Å"How's freedom suiting him?† â€Å"Ah, sir,† said Winky, shaking her head, â€Å"ah sir, meaning no disrespect, sir, but I is not sure you did Dobby a favor, sir, when you is setting him free.† â€Å"Why?† said Harry, taken aback. â€Å"What's wrong with him?† â€Å"Freedom is going to Dobby's head, sir, † said Winky sadly. â€Å"Ideas above his station, sir. Can't get another position, sir.† â€Å"Why not?† said Harry. Winky lowered her voice by a half-octave and whispered, â€Å"He is wanting paying for his work, sir.† â€Å"Paying?† said Harry blankly. â€Å"Well – why shouldn't he be paid?† Winky looked quite horrified at the idea and closed her fingers slightly so that her face was half-hidden again. â€Å"House-elves is not paid, sir!† she said in a muffled squeak. â€Å"No, no, no. I says to Dobby, I says, go find yourself a nice family and settle down, Dobby. He is getting up to all sorts of high jinks, sir, what is unbecoming to a house-elf. You goes racketing around like this, Dobby, I says, and next thing I hear you's up in front of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, like some common goblin.† â€Å"Well, it's about time he had a bit of fun,† said Harry. â€Å"House-elves is not supposed to have fun, Harry Potter,† said Winky firmly, from behind her hands. â€Å"House-elves does what they is told. I is not liking heights at all, Harry Potter† – she glanced toward the edge of the box and gulped – â€Å"but my master sends me to the Top Box and I comes, sir.† â€Å"Why's he sent you up here, if he knows you don't like heights?† said Harry, frowning. â€Å"Master – master wants me to save him a seat, Harry Potter. He is very busy,† said Winky, tilting her head toward the empty space beside her. â€Å"Winky is wishing she is back in master's tent, Harry Potter, but Winky does what she is told. Winky is a good house-elf.† She gave the edge of the box another frightened look and hid her eyes completely again. Harry turned back to the others. â€Å"So that's a house-elf?† Ron muttered. â€Å"Weird things, aren't they?† â€Å"Dobby was weirder,† said Harry fervently. Ron pulled out his Omnioculars and started testing them, staring down into the crowd on the other side of the stadium. â€Å"Wild!† he said, twiddling the replay knob on the side. I can make that old bloke down there pick his nose again†¦and again†¦and again†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Hermione, meanwhile, was skimming eagerly through her velvetcovered, tasseled program. â€Å"‘A display from the team mascots will precede the match,†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ she read aloud. â€Å"Oh that's always worth watching,† said Mr. Weasley. â€Å"National teams bring creatures from their native land, you know, to put on a bit of a show.† The box filled gradually around them over the next half hour. Mr. Weasley kept shaking hands with people who were obviously very important wizards. Percy jumped to his feet so often that he looked as though he were trying to sit on a hedgehog. When Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic himself, arrived, Percy bowed so low that his glasses fell off and shattered. Highly embarrassed, he repaired them with his wand and thereafter remained in his seat, throwing jealous looks at Harry, whom Cornelius Fudge had greeted like an old friend. They had met before, and Fudge shook Harry's hand in a fatherly fashion, asked how he was, and introduced him to the wizards on either side of him. â€Å"Harry Potter, you know,† he told the Bulgarian minister loudly, who was wearing splendid robes of black velvet trimmed with gold and didn't seem to understand a word of English. â€Å"Harry Potter†¦oh come on now, you know who he is†¦the boy who survived You-Know-Who†¦you do know who he is -â€Å" The Bulgarian wizard suddenly spotted Harry's scar and started gabbling loudly and excitedly, pointing at it. â€Å"Knew we'd get there in the end,† said Fudge wearily to Harry. â€Å"I'm no great shakes at languages; I need Barty Crouch for this sort of thing. Ah, I see his house-elf's saving him a seat†¦.Good job too, these Bulgarian blighters have been trying to cadge all the best places†¦ah, and here's Lucius!† Harry, Ron, and Hermione turned quickly. Edging along the second row to three still-empty seats right behind Mr. Weasley were none other than Dobby the house-elf's former owners: Lucius Malfoy; his son, Draco; and a woman Harry supposed must be Draco's mother. Harry and Draco Malfoy had been enemies ever since their very first journey to Hogwarts. A pale boy with a pointed face and white-blond hair, Draco greatly resembled his father. His mother was blonde too; tall and slim, she would have been nice-looking if she hadn't been wearing a look that suggested there was a nasty smell under her nose. â€Å"Ah, Fudge,† said Mr. Malfoy, holding out his hand as he reached the Minister of Magic. â€Å"How are you? I don't think you've met my wife, Narcissa? Or our son, Draco?† â€Å"How do you do, how do you do?† said Fudge, smiling and bowing to Mrs. Malfoy. â€Å"And allow me to introduce you to Mr. Oblansk – Obalonsk – Mr. – well, he's the Bulgarian Minister of Magic, and he can't understand a word I'm saying anyway, so never mind. And let's see who else – you know Arthur Weasley, I daresay?† It was a tense moment. Mr. Weasley and Mr. Malfoy looked at each other and Harry vividly recalled the last time they had come face-to-face: It had been in Flourish and Blotts' bookshop, and they had had a fight. Mr. Malfoy's cold gray eyes swept over Mr. Weasley, and then up and down the row. â€Å"Good lord, Arthur,† he said softly. â€Å"What did you have to sell to get seats in the Top Box? Surely your house wouldn't have fetched this much?† Fudge, who wasn't listening, said, â€Å"Lucius has just given a very generous contribution to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, Arthur. He's here as my guest.† â€Å"How – how nice,† said Mr. Weasley, with a very strained smile. Mr. Malfoy's eyes had returned to Hermione, who went slightly pink, but stared determinedly back at him. Harry knew exactly what was making Mr. Malfoy's lip curl like that. The Malfoys prided themselves on being purebloods; in other words, they considered anyone of Muggle descent, like Hermione, second-class. However, under the gaze of the Minister of Magic, Mr. Malfoy didn't dare say anything. He nodded sneeringly to Mr. Weasley and continued down the line to his seats. Draco shot Harry, Ron, and Hermione one contemptuous look, then settled himself between his mother and father. â€Å"Slimy gits,† Ron muttered as he, Harry, and Hermione turned to face the field again. Next moment, Ludo Bagman charged into the box. â€Å"Everyone ready?† he said, his round face gleaming like a great, excited Edam. â€Å"Minister – ready to go?† â€Å"Ready when you are, Ludo,† said Fudge comfortably. Ludo whipped out his wand, directed it at his own throat, and said â€Å"Sonorus!† and then spoke over the roar of sound that was now filling the packed stadium; his voice echoed over them, booming into every corner of the stands. â€Å"Ladies and gentlemen†¦welcome! Welcome to the final of the four hundred and twenty-second Quidditch World Cup!† The spectators screamed and clapped. Thousands of flags waved, adding their discordant national anthems to the racket. The huge blackboard opposite them was wiped clear of its last message (Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans – A Risk With Every Mouthful!) and now showed BULGARIA: 0, IRELAND: 0. â€Å"And now, without further ado, allow me to introduce†¦the Bulgarian National Team Mascots!† The right-hand side of the stands, which was a solid block of scarlet, roared its approval. â€Å"I wonder what they've brought,† said Mr. Weasley, leaning forward in his seat. â€Å"Aaah!† He suddenly whipped off his glasses and polished them hurriedly on his robes. â€Å"Veela!† â€Å"What are veel -?† But a hundred veela were now gliding out onto the field, and Harry's question was answered for him. Veela were women†¦the most beautiful women Harry had ever seen†¦except that they weren't – they couldn't be – human. This puzzled Harry for a moment while he tried to guess what exactly they could be; what could make their skin shine moon-bright like that, or their white-gold hair fan out behind them without wind†¦but then the music started, and Harry stopped worrying about them not being human – in fact, he stopped worrying about anything at all. The veela had started to dance, and Harry's mind had gone completely and blissfully blank. All that mattered in the world was that he kept watching the veela, because if they stopped dancing, terrible things would happen. And as the veela danced faster and faster, wild, half-formed thoughts started chasing through Harry's dazed mind. He wanted to do something very impressive, right now. Jumping from the box into the stadium seemed a good idea†¦but would it be good enough? â€Å"Harry, what are you doing?† said Hermione's voice from a long way off. The music stopped. Harry blinked. He was standing up, and one of his legs was resting on the wall of the box. Next to him, Ron was frozen in an attitude that looked as though he were about to dive from a springboard. Angry yells were filling the stadium. The crowd didn't want the veela to go. Harry was with them; he would, of course, be supporting Bulgaria, and he wondered vaguely why he had a large green shamrock pinned to his chest. Ron, meanwhile, was absentmindedly shredding the shamrocks on his hat. Mr. Weasley, smiling slightly, leaned over to Ron and tugged the hat out of his hands. â€Å"You'll be wanting that,† he said, â€Å"once Ireland have had their say.† â€Å"Huh?† said Ron, staring openmouthed at the veela, who had now lined up along one side of the field. Hermione made a loud tutting noise. She reached up and pulled Harry back into his seat. â€Å"Honestly!† she said. â€Å"And now,† roared Ludo Bagman's voice, â€Å"kindly put your wands in the air†¦for the Irish National Team Mascots!† Next moment, what seemed to be a great green-and-gold comet came zooming into the stadium. It did one circuit of the stadium, then split into two smaller comets, each hurtling toward the goal posts. A rainbow arced suddenly across the field, connecting the two balls of light. The crowd oooohed and aaaaahed, as though at a fireworks display. Now the rainbow faded and the balls of light reunited and merged; they had formed a great shimmering shamrock, which rose up into the sky and began to soar over the stands. Something like golden rain seemed to be falling from it – â€Å"Excellent!† yelled Ron as the shamrock soared over them, and heavy gold coins rained from it, bouncing off their heads and seats. Squinting up at the shamrock, Harry realized that it was actually comprised of thousands of tiny little bearded men with red vests, each carrying a minute lamp of gold or green. â€Å"Leprechauns!† said Mr. Weasley over the tumultuous applause of the crowd, many of whom were still fighting and rummaging around under their chairs to retrieve the gold. â€Å"There you go,† Ron yelled happily, stuffing a fistful of gold coins into Harry's hand, â€Å"for the Omnioculars! Now you've got to buy me a Christmas present, ha!† The great shamrock dissolved, the leprechauns drifted down onto the field on the opposite side from the veela, and settled themselves cross-legged to watch the match. â€Å"And now, ladies and gentlemen, kindly welcome – the Bulgarian National Quidditch Team! I give you – Dimitrov!† A scarlet-clad figure on a broomstick, moving so fast it was blurred, shot out onto the field from an entrance far below, to wild applause from the Bulgarian supporters. â€Å"Ivanova!† A second scarlet-robed player zoomed out. â€Å"Zograf! Levski! Vulchanov! Volkov! Aaaaaaand – Krum!† â€Å"That's him, that's him!† yelled Ron, following Krum with his Omnioculars. Harry quickly focused his own. Viktor Krum was thin, dark, and sallow-skinned, with a large curved nose and thick black eyebrows. He looked like an overgrown bird of prey. It was hard to believe he was only eighteen. â€Å"And now, please greet – the Irish National Quidditch Team!† yelled Bagman. â€Å"Presenting – Connolly! Ryan! Troy! Mullet! Moran! Quigley! Aaaaaand – Lynch!† Seven green blurs swept onto the field; Harry spun a small dial on the side of his Omnioculars and slowed the players down enough to read the word â€Å"Firebolt† on each of their brooms and see their names, embroidered in silver, upon their backs. â€Å"And here, all the way from Egypt, our referee, acclaimed Chairwizard of the International Association of Quidditch, Hassan Mostafa!† A small and skinny wizard, completely bald but with a mustache to rival Uncle Vernon's, wearing robes of pure gold to match the stadium, strode out onto the field. A silver whistle was protruding from under the mustache, and he was carrying a large wooden crate under one arm, his broomstick under the other. Harry spun the speed dial on his Omnioculars back to normal, watching closely as Mostafa mounted his broomstick and kicked the crate open – four balls burst into the air: the scarlet Quaffle, the two black Bludgers, and (Harry saw it for the briefest moment, before it sped out of sight) the minuscule, winged Golden Snitch. With a sharp blast on his whistle, Mostafa shot into the air after the balls. â€Å"Theeeeeeeey're OFF!† screamed Bagman. â€Å"And it's Mullet! Troy! Moran! Dimitrov! Back to Mullet! Troy! Levski! Moran!† It was Quidditch as Harry had never seen it played before. He was pressing his Omnioculars so hard to his glasses that they were cutting into the bridge of his nose. The speed of the players was incredible – the Chasers were throwing the Quaffle to one another so fast that Bagman only had time to say their names. Harry spun the slow dial on the right of his Omnioculars again, pressed the play-by-play button on the top, and he was immediately watching in slow motion, while glittering purple lettering flashed across the lenses and the noise of the crowd pounded against his eardrums. HAWKSHEAD ATTACKING FORMATION, he read as he watched the three Irish Chasers zoom closely together, Troy in the center, slightly ahead of Mullet and Moran, bearing down upon the Bulgarians. PORSKOFF PLOY flashed up next, as Troy made as though to dart upward with the Quaffle, drawing away the Bulgarian Chaser Ivanova and dropping the Quaffle to Moran. One of the Bulgarian Beaters, Volkov, swung hard at a passing Bludger with his small club, knocking it into Moran's path; Moran ducked to avoid the Bludger and dropped the Quaffle; and Levski, soaring beneath, caught it – â€Å"TROY SCORES!† roared Bagman, and the stadium shuddered with a roar of applause and cheers. â€Å"Ten zero to Ireland!† â€Å"What?† Harry yelled, looking wildly around through his Omnioculars. â€Å"But Levski's got the Quaffle!† â€Å"Harry, if you're not going to watch at normal speed, you're going to miss things!† shouted Hermione, who was dancing up and down, waving her arms in the air while Troy did a lap of honor around the field. Harry looked quickly over the top of his Omnioculars and saw that the leprechauns watching from the sidelines had all risen into the air again and formed the great, glittering shamrock. Across the field, the veela were watching them sulkily. Furious with himself, Harry spun his speed dial back to normal as play resumed. Harry knew enough about Quidditch to see that the Irish Chasers were superb. They worked as a seamless team, their movements so well coordinated that they appeared to be reading one another's minds as they positioned themselves, and the rosette on Harry's chest kept squeaking their names: â€Å"Troy – Mullet – Moran!† And within ten minutes, Ireland had scored twice more, bringing their lead to thirty-zero and causing a thunderous tide of roars and applause from the green-clad supporters. The match became still faster, but more brutal. Volkov and Vulchanov, the Bulgarian Beaters, were whacking the Bludgers as fiercely as possible at the Irish Chasers, and were starting to prevent them from using some of their best moves; twice they were forced to scatter, and then, finally, Ivanova managed to break through their ranks; dodge the Keeper, Ryan; and score Bulgaria's first goal. â€Å"Fingers in your ears!† bellowed Mr. Weasley as the veela started to dance in celebration. Harry screwed up his eyes too; he wanted to keep his mind on the game. After a few seconds, he chanced a glance at the field. The veela had stopped dancing, and Bulgaria was again in possession of the Quaffle. â€Å"Dimitrov! Levski! Dimitrov! Ivanova – oh I say!† roared Bagman. One hundred thousand wizards gasped as the two Seekers, Krum and Lynch, plummeted through the center of the Chasers, so fast that it looked as though they had just jumped from airplanes without parachutes. Harry followed their descent through his Omnioculars, squinting to see where the Snitch was – â€Å"They're going to crash!† screamed Hermione next to Harry. She was half right – at the very last second, Viktor Krum pulled out of the dive and spiraled off. Lynch, however, hit the ground with a dull thud that could be heard throughout the stadium. A huge groan rose from the Irish seats. â€Å"Fool!† moaned Mr. Weasley. â€Å"Krum was feinting!† â€Å"It's time-out!† yelled Bagman's voice, â€Å"as trained mediwizards hurry onto the field to examine Aidan Lynch!† â€Å"He'll be okay, he only got ploughed!† Charlie said reassuringly to Ginny, who was hanging over the side of the box, looking horror-struck. â€Å"Which is what Krum was after, of course†¦.† Harry hastily pressed the replay and play-by-play buttons on his Omnioculars, twiddled the speed dial, and put them back up to his eyes. He watched as Krum and Lynch dived again in slow motion. WRONSKI DEFENSIVE FEINT – DANGEROUS SEEKER DIVERSION read the shining purple lettering across his lenses. He saw Krum's face contorted with concentration as he pulled out of the dive just in time, while Lynch was flattened, and he understood – Krum hadn't seen the Snitch at all, he was just making Lynch copy him. Harry had never seen anyone fly like that; Krum hardly looked as though he was using a broomstick at all; he moved so easily through the air that he looked unsupported and weightless. Harry turned his Omnioculars back to normal and focused them on Krum. He was now circling high above Lynch, who was being revived by mediwizards with cups of potion. Harry, focusing still more closely upon Krum's face, saw his dark eyes darting all over the ground a hundred feet below. He was using the time while Lynch was revived to look for the Snitch without interference. Lynch got to his feet at last, to loud cheers from the green-clad supporters, mounted his Firebolt, and kicked back off into the air. His revival seemed to give Ireland new heart. When Mostafa blew his whistle again, the Chasers moved into action with a skill unrivaled by anything Harry had seen so far. After fifteen more fast and furious minutes, Ireland had pulled ahead by ten more goals. They were now leading by one hundred and thirty points to ten, and the game was starting to get dirtier. As Mullet shot toward the goal posts yet again, clutching the Quaffle tightly under her arm, the Bulgarian Keeper, Zograf, flew out to meet her. Whatever happened was over so quickly Harry didn't catch it, but a scream of rage from the Irish crowd, and Mostafa's long, shrill whistle blast, told him it had been a foul. â€Å"And Mostafa takes the Bulgarian Keeper to task for cobbing – excessive use of elbows!† Bagman informed the roaring spectators. â€Å"And – yes, it's a penalty to Ireland!† The leprechauns, who had risen angrily into the air like a swarm of glittering hornets when Mullet had been fouled, now darted together to form the words â€Å"HA, HA, HA!† The veela on the other side of the field leapt to their feet, tossed their hair angrily, and started to dance again. As one, the Weasley boys and Harry stuffed their fingers into their ears, but Hermione, who hadn't bothered, was soon tugging on Harry's arm. He turned to look at her, and she pulled his fingers impatiently out of his ears. â€Å"Look at the referee!† she said, giggling. Harry looked down at the field. Hassan Mostafa had landed right in front of the dancing veela, and was acting very oddly indeed. He was flexing his muscles and smoothing his mustache excitedly. â€Å"Now, we can't have that!† said Ludo Bagman, though he sounded highly amused. â€Å"Somebody slap the referee!† A mediwizard came tearing across the field, his fingers stuffed into his own ears, and kicked Mostafa hard in the shins. Mostafa seemed to come to himself; Harry, watching through the Omnioculars again, saw that he looked exceptionally embarrassed and had started shouting at the veela, who had stopped dancing and were looking mutinous. â€Å"And unless I'm much mistaken, Mostafa is actually attempting to send off the Bulgarian team mascots!† said Bagman's voice. â€Å"Now there's something we haven't seen before†¦Oh this could turn nasty†¦ It did: The Bulgarian Beaters, Volkov and Vulchanov, landed on either side of Mostafa and began arguing furiously with him, gesticulating toward the leprechauns, who had now gleefully formed the words â€Å"HEE, HEE, HEE.† Mostafa was not impressed by the Bulgarians' arguments, however; he was jabbing his finger into the air, clearly telling them to get flying again, and when they refused, he gave two short blasts on his whistle. â€Å"Two penalties for Ireland!† shouted Bagman, and the Bulgarian crowd howled with anger. â€Å"And Volkov and Vulchanov had better get back on those brooms†¦yes†¦there they go†¦and Troy takes the Quaffle†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Play now reached a level of ferocity beyond anything they had yet seen. The Beaters on both sides were acting without mercy: Volkov and Vulchanov in particular seemed not to care whether their clubs made contact with Bludger or human as they swung them violently through the air. Dimitrov shot straight at Moran, who had the Quaffle, nearly knocking her off her broom. â€Å"Foul!† roared the Irish supporters as one, all standing up in a great wave of green. â€Å"Foul!† echoed Ludo Bagman's magically magnified voice. â€Å"Dimitrov skins Moran – deliberately flying to collide there – and it's got to be another penalty – yes, there's the whistle!† The leprechauns had risen into the air again, and this time, they formed a giant hand, which was making a very rude sign indeed at the veela across the field. At this, the veela lost control. Instead of dancing, they launched themselves across the field and began throwing what seemed to be handfuls of fire at the leprechauns. Watching through his Omnioculars, Harry saw that they didn't look remotely beautiful now. On the contrary, their faces were elongating into sharp, cruel-beaked bird heads, and long, scaly wings were bursting from their shoulders – â€Å"And that, boys,† yelled Mr. Weasley over the tumult of the crowd below, â€Å"is why you should never go for looks alone!† Ministry wizards were flooding onto the field to separate the veela and the leprechauns, but with little success; meanwhile, the pitched battle below was nothing to the one taking place above. Harry turned this way and that, staring through his Omnioculars, as the Quaffie changed hands with the speed of a bullet. â€Å"Levski – Dimitrov – Moran – Troy – Mullet – Ivanova – Moran again – Moran – MORAN SCORES!† But the cheers of the Irish supporters were barely heard over the shrieks of the veela, the blasts now issuing from the Ministry members' wands, and the furious roars of the Bulgarians. The game recommenced immediately; now Levski had the Quaffle, now Dimitrov – The Irish Beater Quigley swung heavily at a passing Bludger, and hit it as hard as possible toward Krum, who did not duck quickly enough. It hit him full in the face. There was a deafening groan from the crowd; Krum's nose looked broken, there was blood everywhere, but Hassan Mostafa didn't blow his whistle. He had become distracted, and Harry couldn't blame him; one of the veela had thrown a handful of fire and set his broom tail alight. Harry wanted someone to realize that Krum was injured; even though he was supporting Ireland, Krum was the most exciting player on the field. Ron obviously felt the same. â€Å"Time-out! Ah, come on, he can't play like that, look at him -â€Å" â€Å"Look at Lynch!† Harry yelled. For the Irish Seeker had suddenly gone into a dive, and Harry was quite sure that this was no Wronski Feint; this was the real thing†¦ â€Å"He's seen the Snitch!† Harry shouted. â€Å"He's seen it! Look at him go!† Half the crowd seemed to have realized what was happening; the Irish supporters rose in another great wave of green, screaming their Seeker on†¦but Krum was on his tail. How he could see where he was going, Harry had no idea; there were flecks of blood flying through the air behind him, but he was drawing level with Lynch now as the pair of them hurtled toward the ground again – â€Å"They're going to crash!† shrieked Hermione. â€Å"They're not!† roared Ron. â€Å"Lynch is!† yelled Harry. And he was right – for the second time, Lynch hit the ground with tremendous force and was immediately stampeded by a horde of angry veela. â€Å"The Snitch, where's the Snitch?† bellowed Charlie, along the row. â€Å"He's got it – Krum's got it – it's all over!† shouted Harry. Krum, his red robes shining with blood from his nose, was rising gently into the air, his fist held high, a glint of gold in his hand. The scoreboard was flashing BULGARIA: 160, IRELAND: 170 across the crowd, who didn't seem to have realized what had happened. Then, slowly, as though a great jumbo jet were revving up, the rumbling from the Ireland supporters grew louder and louder and erupted into screams of delight. â€Å"IRELAND WINS!† Bagman shouted, who like the Irish, seemed to be taken aback by the sudden end of the match. â€Å"KRUM GETS THE SNITCH – BUT IRELAND WINS – good lord, I don't think any of us were expecting that!† â€Å"What did he catch the Snitch for?† Ron bellowed, even as he jumped up and down, applauding with his hands over his head. â€Å"He ended it when Ireland were a hundred and sixty points ahead, the idiot!† â€Å"He knew they were never going to catch up!† Harry shouted back over all the noise, also applauding loudly. â€Å"The Irish Chasers were too good†¦He wanted to end it on his terms, that's all†¦. â€Å"He was very brave, wasn't he?† Hermione said, leaning forward to watch Krum land as a swarm of mediwizards blasted a path through the battling leprechauns and veela to get to him. â€Å"He looks a terrible mess†¦.† Harry put his Omnioculars to his eyes again. It was hard to see what was happening below, because leprechauns were zooming delightedly all over the field, but he could just make out Krum, surrounded by mediwizards. He looked surlier than ever and refused to let them mop him up. His team members were around him, shaking their heads and looking dejected; a short way away, the Irish players were dancing gleefully in a shower of gold descending from their mascots. Flags were waving all over the stadium, the Irish national anthem blared from all sides; the veela were shrinking back into their usual, beautiful selves now, though looking dispirited and forlorn. â€Å"Vell, ve fought bravely,† said a gloomy voice behind Harry. He looked around; it was the Bulgarian Minister of Magic. â€Å"You can speak English!† said Fudge, sounding outraged. â€Å"And you've been letting me mime everything all day!† â€Å"Veil, it vos very funny,† said the Bulgarian minister, shrugging. â€Å"And as the Irish team performs a lap of honor, flanked by their mascots, the Quidditch World Cup itself is brought into the Top Box!† roared Bagman. Harry's eyes were suddenly dazzled by a blinding white light, as the Top Box was magically illuminated so that everyone in the stands could see the inside. Squinting toward the entrance, he saw two panting wizards carrying a vast golden cup into the box, which they handed to Cornelius Fudge, who was still looking very disgruntled that he'd been using sign language all day for nothing. â€Å"Let's have a really loud hand for the gallant losers – Bulgaria!† Bagman shouted. And up the stairs into the box came the seven defeated Bulgarian players. The crowd below was applauding appreciatively; Harry could see thousands and thousands of Omniocular lenses flashing and winking in their direction. One by one, the Bulgarians filed between the rows of seats in the box, and Bagman called out the name of each as they shook hands with their own minister and then with Fudge. Krum, who was last in line, looked a real mess. Two black eyes were blooming spectacularly on his bloody face. He was still holding the Snitch. Harry noticed that he seemed much less coordinated on the ground. He was slightly duck-footed and distinctly round-shouldered. But when Krum's name was announced, the whole stadium gave him a resounding, earsplitting roar. And then came the Irish team. Aidan Lynch was being supported by Moran and Connolly; the second crash seemed to have dazed him and his eyes looked strangely unfocused. But he grinned happily as Troy and Quigley lifted the Cup into the air and the crowd below thundered its approval. Harry's hands were numb with clapping. At last, when the Irish team had left the box to perform another lap of honor on their brooms (Aidan Lynch on the back of Confolly's, clutching hard around his waist and still grinning in a bemused sort of way), Bagman pointed his wand at his throat and muttered, â€Å"Quietus.† â€Å"They'll be talking about this one for years,† he said hoarsely, â€Å"a really unexpected twist, that†¦.shame it couldn't have lasted longer†¦.Ah yes†¦yes, I owe you†¦.how much?† For Fred and George had just scrambled over the backs of their seats and were standing in front of Ludo Bagman with broad grins on their faces, their hands outstretched.

Narrative Technique and Language in Albert Camus The Stranger Essay

Narrative Technique and Language in Albert Camus The Stranger - Essay Example Camus reflected his thoughts on moral ambiguity and the societal treatment of murderers and terrorists in many of his works including this one. The reader is presented with a murderer protagonist who is devoid of motive, reason or logic for the crime he has committed (Dissanayake 1). Camus uses the language of the narrator and the voice of the narrator, as a device through which the reader may understand the perspective of Meursault, and as a way to reflect aspects in the development of the story. Meursault as a character is utterly remarkable, in that he is quite unremarkable in every possible way (Day 84). He appears to have no unusual or outrageous attributes, opinions, qualities or flaws when the reader is initially introduced to him. He does nothing special, holds no special job, is not living under any unusual circumstances, does not discuss any extreme or judgemental personal opinions and is far from being emotionally distinctive. Meursault leads an existence in which â€Å"d ays are added to days without rhyme or reason †¦ [and his life] is an interminable and monotonous addition† (Camus 16). However, it is this lack of special traits and engaged interaction in society and life that makes the character, paradoxically, very remarkable and unusual. As the reader unveils the protagonists’ inner thoughts and plot development of the story, it becomes clear that this character is remarkably detached from society in every way. Furthermore, not only is he detached from society, he is detached from life itself including family and relationships. He displays an unsettling degree of amorality and total lack of judgement of other people’s actions, thoughts and behaviours. Indeed, his detachment goes even further as we realise that he is also detached from his own emotions and self-identity to the extent that he appears to be lacking in both. From the very beginning of the story, Meursaults language very effectively allows the reader insight into his way of thinking. His sentences are consistently brief and concise right from the start, â€Å"Mother died today. Or maybe yesterday. I can’t be sure† (Camus 1). His lack of elaboration or explanation is indicative of his amoral and overwhelmingly logical attitude and personality. At the beginning of the story in particular, he does not offer much in the way of descriptions, imagery, expression of feelings or emotions or any forms of elaboration. Meursault gets to the point, saying as little as possible in order to communicate his message without overstating or offering unnecessary details of any kind. This serves to convey him as a highly logical, unfeeling character. In his grammar, he rarely uses verbs or adjectives that convey feelings such as ‘felt’, but rather uses descriptors such as ‘decided’ and ‘thought’ to describe his actions and ideas. We begin to see a change in language used when Meursault recounts the day of the murder. His language here is noticeably more descriptive, vivid, imaginative and elaborate, unlike earlier in the story, for example â€Å"the heat was beginning to scorch my cheeks; beads of sweat were gathering in my eyebrows. It was just the same sort of heat as at my mother’s funeral, and I had the same disagreeable sensations—especially in my forehead, where all the veins seemed to be bursting through the skin† (Camus 38). Such a vivid and detailed description is unusual for the character thus far, which highlights the fact that this event or recollection, has more meaning even

Investigation of the cardiovascular changes and cognitive effects of Research Paper

Investigation of the cardiovascular changes and cognitive effects of commercially available energy drink on student in lectures - Research Paper Example 127; Finnegan, 2003, p. 147). â€Å"Energy Drinks† which are so called because they are thought to be stimulant in nature, providing the consumers with an instant boost of energy and alertness and decreasing lethargy and sleepiness, were first introduced in the global market in the late nineties and have been gaining widespread fame ever since (Kim, 2003, p. 2). Energy Drinks are categorized as â€Å"stimulant drinks,† which have been defined by the Stimulant Drinks Committee as ‘a beverage which typically contains caffeine, taurine and vitamin(s) and may contain an energy source (e.g. carbohydrate) and/or other substance(s), marketed for the specific purpose of providing real or perceived enhanced physiological and/or performance effects (Finnegan, 2003, p. 248).’ The manufacturers of Energy Drinks claim that such drinks enhance both mental and physical functions, resulting in improved physical endurance, increased alertness and concentration, augmented re action speed and an elevated affect (Kim, 2003, p. 2; Kaminer, 2010, p. 643). Statistics reveal that the United States ranks as the largest consumer of energy drinks worldwide with an annual consumption amounting to approximately 290 million gallons (Weise, 2008 cited in Higgins et al., 2010, p. 1033). It is interesting to note that the age group in which the consumption of such drinks is the highest is between 11-35 years (Ballard et al., 2010 cited in Higgins et al., 2010, p. 1033). Such drinks are common amongst the adolescent age group, in particular, amongst students due to a variety of reasons including the perception that these drinks help to boost one’s performance especially during athletic performances and during exams, help in overcoming fatigue and sleepiness and also because such drinks have now become a fad nowdays and are widely available during parties and other social gatherings (Paddock, 2008). There are several varieties of Energy Drinks available commercia lly and amongst them, Red Bull is one of the most famous and commonly consumed Energy Drink. The key active ingredients of this drink include caffeine (approximately 32 mg/dL), taurine (approximately 400 mg/dL or 1000 mg per drink), glucuronolactone (approximately 240 mg/dL or 600mg per drink), and sugar (as an energy source) (Kim, 2003, p. 2; Ragsdale, et al., 2010, p. 1193). In addition, these drinks also contain water and small quantities of some vitamins and minerals (Ragsdale, et al., 2010, p. 1199). Amongst the active ingredients, caffeine and taurine are found to contribute most significantly towards the aforementioned positive effects. An important component of energy drinks is carbohydrates which are present in significant amounts in the form of in concentrated forms of sugars such high-fructose corn syrup or sucrose. It is a well known fact that carbohydrates are the major energy metabolites of the human body. Studies have revealed that administration of moderately concent rated solutions of carbohydrates, or amounts between 25-50 g of glucose, help in improving exercise capacity and delay the occurrence of post-exercise fatigue (Scholey & Kennedy, 2004; Higgins et al., 2010). In addition, consumption of glucose in levels similar to those present in Energy Drinks has been found to improve cognitive functions including attention and reaction times (Smit et al., 2004). On the other hand, caffiene which is the other key active component of Energy Drinks, is known to be a central nervous system stimulant.

Individual Critica Essay - Strategic Analysis of an Organisation

Individual Critica - Strategic Analysis of an Organisation - Essay Example Here, the researcher will conduct PESTLE analysis in order to understand how external factors are shaping Network Rail’s strategic initiatives. Based upon pertinent internal and external pressures on Network Rail, the paper has selected corporate social responsibility (CSR) as key strategic issue to be discussed. In the main discussion, the paper will review strategic initiatives being taken by Network Rail in order to address corporate social responsibility issue. In context to corporate social responsibility, the paper will analyze issues regarding nature of the emerging stakeholder, tensions and challenges within Network Rail and pertinent industry. Strategies of Network Rail to address corporate social responsibility issue will be addressed from leadership or change perspective will be analyzed to understand effectiveness of strategy of Network Rail. Before going into main discussion, the essay will shed light on business matrix of Network Rail in order to create backgroun d for further discussion. Network Rail Ltd uses the trade name of Network Rail and the company has multiple subsidiary companies. The company is headquartered at London, United Kingdom and was established in the year 2002 (Network Rail, 2014). Network Rail Infrastructure Ltd works as subsidiary of Network Rail and the subsidiary operates and owns rail infrastructure across different cities in UK. However, Network Rail does not operate underground railway track or railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland (Network Rail, 2014). From structural perspective, Network Rail Ltd works as a statutory corporation, which can be classified as "not for dividend" private company (Network Rail, 2014). As a result, Network Rail Ltd neither has shareholders nor is it controlled by any particular owner. The company is vulnerable to government ownership as well as intervention, due to absence of legal owners. During 2012, Network Rail announced

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Work Design Roles - Assignment Example Processes used in this regard by the Human Resource Managers include selection, development and the rewarding process which together form the key elements of an HRM cycle. However, one process that is closely related to all these key elements in the process of Job/Work design. Work Design can be defined as the process of specification of the responsibilities, methods as well as relationships of jobs in order to meet the technological and organizational requirements of a business organization as well as the personal requirement of job holders. It is important for Human Resource manager to understand the importance of work design in order to understand the effect that a particular role can have on the employee and on the organization. This report attempts to provide an understanding of how important is work design for employees, by detailing and differentiating between the roles of a Bookstore Manager and an LGV Lorry Driver (Barrett & Mayson, 2008). Human Resource managers use a number of approaches for work design within any organization. One of most commonly used approach is of Socio-Economic Theory. It specifies four basic principles, which according to its authors contribute majorly toward the optimum design of any role. These principles are Responsible autonomy, Adaptability, Whole Tasks and Meaningful Tasks. In the following lines, work design of a bookstore manager and an LGV Lorry driver are differentiated based on these principles (Miner, 2002). The position of bookstore manager is considered a senior position among management-level employees. This is because not only the store manager is responsible for the financial performance of the store, he/she is also responsible for developing and leading a team of employees that work at the store as well. Hence, this position not only requires significant management skills but also require leadership skills.  

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Final Canvas -knowledge partner - Essay Example one of the most effective tools for strategic management, which assisted Lab Vlieland in determining the potential problems that are likely to impact in future (Muehlhausen, 2013). Customer segment is one of the internal blocks of canvas model of Lab Vlieland, as the segmentation of customers allow the business to identify its key customers. Additionally, the company tends to focus over identifying the communities i.e. the targeted customers whom they serve products and/or services and maximize profitability of the business. Moreover, community members, knowledge partners, developers and employees of the organisation are the four key customer segment of Lab Vlieland. The knowledge partners of Lab Vlieland include travelling agencies, universities, sponsors, energy specialists as well as community members and volunteers. These knowledge partners will enable Lab Vlieland to get consultancy, supporting to provide efficient services as well as intelligence-based approach to attract large tourists. Apparently, developing strong connection with the communities will effectively ensure attractiveness of Lab Vlieland. Besides, developer is directly related to measuring the changing perception of the customers and engaged in research and development activities to provide maximum satisfaction to the customers. On the other hand, employees of the business engaged in producing products and/or services as per their requirements of customers (Diehl & Nikolou, 2013). Customer relationship is one of the most integral approaches of managing customers by forming effective communication with current and possible customers. In this regard, it is very essential for Lab Vlieland to retain its profitability objectives and attracts customers with various customer intimacy strategies for building a strong differential competitive advantage and improved engagement with the consumers. Furthermore, this will enable to develop a strong connection with the communities at large. Another

Ethnicity Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Ethnicity - Article Example According to Maryann Cusimanno Love, the racial discrimination is not a matter with which the nation is over with. And there is ample room for improvement on the aspect of racial stereotyping. We as an advance nation, talking about the human rights and maintaining them on national level tend to ignore the privileges a citizen has right to enjoy; no matter which cast or race he/she belongs to. The rights and facilities given by state and law should be available and accessible to all. Is race no longer a barrier in United States? Inequities of the past still persist in our society? First we have to understand the true meaning and historical background of it, to relate it with today’s intensity of it in our responses. Prejudices or stereotypes are hidden bias which we consciously or unconsciously adapt from our environment. The fundamental quality of human brain to categorize people into certain groups according to their characteristics became the earliest foundation of discrimination. Both the terms, can be used in positive connotations also but it refers to negative belief in our society. Prejudice is a survival mechanism; we develop it to keep us safe. It is essential to understand that prejudices go way back in history and not only link to racial issues but to gender, immigrants and several other aspects comprise in it.

Discuss at least three key technology trends that raise ethical Essay

Discuss at least three key technology trends that raise ethical issues. Give an example of an ethical or moral impact connected to each one - Essay Example The above report will look at the three key technology trends which will raise ethical issues along with example of moral and ethical impact which is connected to one another. Social, ethical and political issues are correlated. The ethical dilemma of information system manager’s face is reflected in the political and social debate. Ethical issues have always been factored in while considering information technology. Information technology has raised the existing social arrangements, ethical concerns and made existing laws severely crippled or obsolete. Rise in information systems and technologies have created opportunities for criminal mischief and behavior. There are mainly four key technological trends which are responsible for ethical stresses. The first issue is the doubling of computing power which occurs every 18 months. This has made all the companies to use the information systems in their core production processes. This has resulted in excessive dependence of organizations on information systems and hence there is a chance of system errors and poor quality of data. Thus the same information system which causes the productivity level to increase has created chances of abuse. But Social laws and rules have not been able to adjust to this dependence. Standards which have ensured reliability and accuracy of the information systems have not been enforced or accepted universally. The second is the advances in the data storages techniques. This has resulted in rapid decline in the storage costs, which in turn is responsible for multiplication of databases of individuals like customers, employees and potential customers. Such advances in the field of data storage have resulted in violation of the individual privacy. Large private companies use massive data storage systems which can be used by both regional and local retailing firms so that they can target customers. For example companies like America Online, Yahoo!, Google and MSN maintain large

Uniform Civil Code Essay Example for Free

Uniform Civil Code Essay India is a secular democratic country. Secularism means equal rights to everybody. The rights should not differ on the basis of sex or religion. The fact that India is having different Civil Code for different persons based on their religion does not suite its secular state status. The two major laws that are governing the lives of most of the people of our country is the Hindu and Muslim law (Sharia law). Both these laws have varied approach to civil rights. The marriage and divorce in Muslim law is one of controversial points that is male supportive. The concept of saying â€Å"Talak† three times will result in divorce without even the consent of the female partner. The alimony also needs to be given only for three months after divorce. These things are completely against the rights of women. The guardianship is also a controversial issue. According to both the above said laws. The first guardian is the father and then the mother is the second guardian. This is completely against the right of the women towards her child. The Muslim law allows a male child to get 3 times the female child of their family’s property. The HHiHindu law while it was not even asking for a share for the female child was later modified to allow equal partition of the wealth. There is an article in our constitution that allows the old British laws to exist unless otherwise notified and the law allowing everybody to follow any religion of their wish. It is not the time for our government to rob in religious leaders, scholars and law makers to a common table and devise a new common civil code with the goal of giving equal rights to everybody.

Charles Dickens Essay Example for Free

Charles Dickens Essay One lesson we witness in A Kestrel for a Knave also aims to teach the pupils about facts. However this lesson is taught by Farthing who is caring and a more fatherly teacher and this is communicated by his name. Mr Farthing has used his kind personality to gain some respect from the boys in the class. Although the lesson has the same content as the lesson in Hard Times during the lesson it becomes obvious that Farthings teaching is different. He manages to involve Billy, who is normally quite shy and lacking motivation, positively in the lesson. Farthing teaches in a more relaxed way and lets the lesson flow as well as welcoming input from the boys. He encourages Billy to participate and makes him feel special as he has something interesting to share. Farthing lets Billys thought tumble out and does not cut him short. Billy tells all about his bird, which he has raised and trained, and Farthing seems genuinely interested Jesses, how do you spell that? He writes words on the board, allowing the whole class to learn about Billys unusual talent. Billy becomes the teacher for a while and as Farthing is not controlling like Gradgrind he allows this to happen. The lesson becomes full of individuality as Billy shares his unusual hobby and his confidence grows. This would never have happened in a lesson taught by Gradgrind, he would never encourage a pupil to take over his position and would think a pastime like Billys ridiculous. The way in which Farthing nurtures Billys thoughts reflect the way in which Billy has nurtured Kes. The time and devotion that Billy has shown the bird is matched, although on a smaller level, by the way Farthing waits for Billy to talk and persist to question him gently as if he knows Billy has a lot to share. Another contrast between the two schools is the way in which Billy and his classmates behaviour changes depending on the teacher, whereas Gradgrinds pupils are always the same. The different methods of teaching present at Billys school become obvious when the PE teacher Sugden is introduced. Sugden is a bully and again Hines has highlighted the teachers personality with his name, as Sugden is a thug. Billy dislikes PE and does not have a PE kit, as his family cannot afford to buy him one. He arrives late to the lesson as he has been talking to Farthing. Instead of discreetly giving him a kit to wear Sugden mocks Billy in front of the other boys. The way in which Billy is treated provokes him to answer back and be cheeky. Sugdens verbal bullying brings out the negative aspects of Billys personality. Not only does Sugden verbally bully his pupils but as a big man he does not hesitate to physically abuse them too. He hit Billy twice with the ball, holding it between both hands as though he was murdering him with a boulder. The whole lesson is a bullying game for Sugden. There is an absence of skills taught and so the lesson consists of a game of football in which Sugden is the captain of one of the teams as well as being the referee. He bullies the opposing team as well as his own teammates if they make mistakes. His attitude is immature and shows no sportsmanship or fairness, two lessons which should always be reinforced in PE lessons. His negative attitude has a clear affect on the boys, who leave the lesson cold and uninspired. The education system presented by Charles Dickens is extreme and unnecessarily harsh. However the title Hard Times makes it seem like Dickens is writing honestly about a time which lead to harsh methods of education. He highlights the naivety of the people as now teaching methods have improved and young people are encouraged to be themselves and achieve the best that they can. Satire is used by Dickens to emphasize the mistakes of the system. Charles Dickens could of attended a school like the one in Hard Times and so I think he aims to make the problems obvious to people who otherwise might not notice the wrongs in society. Barry Hines also writes the truth about the education system in his era and I think he also aims to highlight the incorrectness of the organization. However Barry Hines writes more realistically as the book is more recent and therefore easier to relate to. Both authors present systems, which now seem very wrong but at the time they were thought of as acceptable. Both books probably contain memories of the authors school days and particularly in A Kestrel for a Knave the scenes seem very believable. I could conclude that neither system would be justifiable now but in their time the schools seemed fair.

Adapting Business to the Environment

Adapting Business to the Environment Success of every business depends on adapting itself to the environment within which it runs on. For e.g. if there is any change in government policies an organization has to change its internal policies accordingly that could be wages, taxes, working hours and so on. Changes in technology have replaced type writers to computers. All these external factors are beyond the control of a business, so all business organization have to adapt themselves to change in order to succeed. Hence understanding of various factors of Business environment is necessary. Business environment is categorized by two categories i.e. Micro Environment and Macro environment, Micro environment factors deals with internal factors like employees, Suppliers, Customers, Stakeholders, Media. Macro environment factors deals with external factors like technological (PESTEL forces), Economical, Political, Social, Legal and Environmental (Palmer and Hartley 2006). The above factors have direct or indirect influence on an organization. For e.g. Change in environmental norms have forced car manufacturers to come with a new technology which will keep pollution under control. Due to increased work stress some governments have eased working hours from nine to eight hours which in turn increases cost. Due to increased crimes on women new laws have been added for safety of women, women working in call center in night shifts needs to escort to her home by a security guard which means added cost to a business. If the value of domestic currency increases it will be difficult for export houses to match the prices with international competitor as the prices of raw material overseas might not have changed with the forex change. Change management is a structured approach to moving individuals, teams, and organisations from a current state to a desired future state. Change Management includes both organizational change management processes and individual change management models, which together are used to manage the people side of change. Stated simply, change management is a process for managing the people-side of change. (Referencing) Survival of fittest is not the criteria, it is one who adapts to change quickly is successful, before taking products or services to an end user it is imperative that an organization should have or must do their home work on existing business environment based on above factor, by doing so it will help an organization to formulate corporate strategy, marketing strategy sales strategy HR strategy, product development strategy and help the organization to be a part of value chain. Research conducted by McKinsey (LaClair, 2002) and by Prosci (Best Practices in Change Management report, 2007) has demonstrated a direct correlation between achieving the business objectives of a change and effectively managing the people side of that change. Proscis research with nearly 400 organizations showed that a project had five times the probability of meeting objectives if they implemented very good or excellent change management practices. Based on the PESTEL theory and Change management we will be discussing various challenges faced by an organisation. The company selected as a matter of this study is Barclays. In last five years Barclays had to deal with economic, social, legal and environmental challenges. It had to deal with Change management Organisation Description and Background Barclays is a major global financial services provider engaged in retail banking, credit cards, corporate banking, investment banking, wealth management and investment management services with an extensive international presence in Europe, the Americas, Africa and Asia. With over 300 years of history and expertise in banking, Barclays operates in over 50 countries and employsÂÂ  more thanÂÂ  144,000 people. Barclays moves, lends, invests and protects money for more than 48 million customers and clients worldwide (www.barclays.com). http://group.barclays.com Challenges faced by Barclays towards it Stakeholders Mainly in last 3 years Barclays faced lot of challenges due to recession. Barclays share value had dipped to the lowest which became a major concern for all stake holders. Last year, Barclays restructured its business model by merging corporate and investment banking together and leave retail and small business customers with the global retail bank. This made Barclays to focus more on retail banking. http://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/barclays-shares-jump-as-investors-chew-over-idea-of-a-break-up-tele-5ad293816f03.html?x=0 Barclays always believes in its stakeholders by listening, responding and working in partnership which is also one of the main reason that the share price of Barclays grew at fast rate in spite of economic slowdown. Share prices of Barclays for last five years (guardian.co.uk) http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/barclay Credit risk impacts of a changing climate Change in weather may influence the business in more possible ways than imaginable. Hence, due consideration is given when assessing the credit risk while issuing credit to a business. Physical risks such as damage to fixed assets arising from storm, seismic activities; Supply chain deficits arising from scarcity of natural resources like water, changing patterns of customer needs due to change in extremes of temperatures. The annual average of Global surface temperature would inevitably rise by 2-4 degree centigrade by year 2100 (Source IPCC 2007) All these factors but not limited to effect the companys balance sheet in various ways like increase in costs, scarce raw materials etc, changes the business operations practices and conditions, Or may reduce or stimulate the demand of the product or services of the company in question. To redress the challenge Barclays developed collaboration with Acclimatize experts in the field of Climate Risk Management. The primary sector identified most affected by the changing climate were businesses that are dependent on massive fixed assets, such as energy, and sectors like chemical fertilizer, Pharmaceutical and tourism among many others. Hence it was imperative for Barclays to include Climate change as part of mainstream business planning and risk management. As audiences of these reports were from a non technical background, these reports were developed accordingly for different geographys and time horizons. This also helped Barclays to identify the opportunity presented by the climate change, like change in demands of product and services and early mover advantage, in addition to mitigating risks associated. This also helps understand and monitor the interests and needs of external stakeholders including Government regulators, insurance companies, and investors and competitor suppliers. This helped Barclays to reduce and at times eliminated the adaptation lag, in turn giving an edge over competitors, and better understanding of rapidly changing stakeholders position. Climate Proof projects at the inception phase by incorporating the adaptation measures that are robust in the face of climate change. Challenges on build internal capacity on adaptation This was achieved by raising awareness, developing a corporate understanding of climate risks, assigning responsibility for adaptation to staff and adopting a consistent approach. Involving and taking inputs from the staff for more acceptance and ownership. Some Geographical Locations are more vulnerable than others. E.g. Places that are already having very high temperature or very low temperatures (Permanent Frost Inhabitable) are at higher risks. Cities exhibiting Urban Heat Island effect (Frequent building of pool of hot air) exuberate high temperatures. Mean sea level rise, increased storms surge heights, wave heights, coastal flooding and erosion. Decreased seasonal precipitation, increased risks of drought, subsidence and wildfire. Water resources dependent on glaciers (those areas dependent on glacier melt are probably observing increases in water resources in the short term, as glaciers melt faster, but over time, the loss of glaciers will lead to decreases in water resource availability),Subsidence-prone soils. Regions with high rainfall, floodplains, Landslides and contaminated Environment land and water Areas at risk from tropical storms. Project Vietnam Barclays with partnership with CARE is implementing Change microfinance. The objective of the project is to establish a community managed savings and loan association. Target of this project is to help young people in urban and semi urban areas Despite of the economic boom in last 15 years there has been a very big population of disadvantaged youth in southern Vietnam, which suffers from the underlying cause of poverty and with high rate of rural-urban mobility there is lack of employment and opportunities, and poverty is prevailing on large scale. CARE and Barclays approach to the problem is to increase the understanding for significance of saving and improve their skill in managing household finance. This is aimed to benefit and reduce poverty among 10,000 venerable people, at least 50% of which are women and migrants through Group Savings and Loans. To appeal to the masses of the targeted populations the program is called Group saving and Loans GSLs. Other Key objectives To establish at least 500 GSLs to develop a culture of saving and community management and support To provide guidance for group members to aid them in developing business plans and making loan applications. These in use by International Labour Organization, German sustainable development agency GTZ and the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry To build the capacity of the local partners, the Youth Union and the Womens Union, to encourage financial literacy and entrepreneurial skills among group members by providing training on business planning and household finance management. Manage and expand Group Savings and Loans. Support is also being provided to help to develop new financial products tailored to the needs of the groups, such as savings, loans and micro-insurance. Enhanced economic security through an improvement in financial inclusion. The promotion of entrepreneurship and support for livelihood opportunities for young people and their families. This is to be achieved through the development of a culture of savings, an increase in financial literacy and an improvement in entrepreneurial skills and general confidence in public, This has also helped CAREs local partners from an increased capacity in managing community-based microfinance. In addition, they are gaining experience in establishing microfinance services for young people and providing business and entrepreneurial training. Change management One of the examples of change management Barclays did was on communications, biggest challenge was how to communicate its restructuring plan to 45,000 employees, cause if the restructuring was not communicated in effective way it could lead to chaos and also lead to attrition. So Barclays came with a plane which included following, but to start off they adopted top three elements. Involve audience by engaging them To simplify the message to employees by informing what was important for the business Ensure all information was attributed to brand values and organizational priorities To Ensure face to face delivery plays a vital role Using appropriate communication channel Involving audience by engaging them If top level managers wanted to share information they used a newsletter format, but if there was any information which was very important they used a video or presentation on their internal website. To inculcate change successfully, Barclays involved its employees by taking their opinion by having open communication Simplifying the message Important challenges were communicating the most important objective of the business. Thorough understanding of the stuff which they are working on Work as team Giving high priority to customer, just the way we wanted to treat. Performance based promotions. Focus on Face-to-Face Delivery To share financial results CEO went on road show in which he asked questions and also addressed concerns that employees had. This presentation reiterated that change had been made and the communication between CEO and front line employees was progresses in smooth way. By following this change management in communication new leadership team joined hand together and concluded on one agenda, Employees were given the priority of tasks and number of miscommunication going across was reduced drastically, objectives got cleared. Merger and Acquisition In 2008 Barclays acquired core assets of Lehman brothers which are fourth largest investment bank in US which filed for bankruptcy. By acquiring this Barclays made its strong presence in US in Investment banking and trading business. This also added value to Barclays financial capital. Initially employees were scared about their job loss. Though profit was down by 24% but there was asset inflow. After acquiring Lehman Brothers now Barclays is facing court trials. Lehman is filling a case against Barclays for allegedly ripping it off to the tune of $11bn over the deal. In this deal Barclays took over 10,000 employees and made a strong presence on Wall Street. Barclays is accused of negotiating some discounts on assets with co-operation of Lehman top executives who were offered better and more pay.( http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/jun/21/barclays-lehman-brothers-court-case 30/07/2010 guardian.co.uk, Monday 21 June 2010 21.21 BST In 2005 Barclays acquired Absa, and in 2007 this acquisition was criticized from the governor of the South African Reserve Bank saying that it will expose bank to greater risks in economy than acceptable. Whereas it over came all the criticism by offering better products and services to customers. In 2008 Barclays became the first bank in South Africa to reach one million internet users. Sustainability of Barclays Faith and level of confidence was brought down in this year, share prices almost went down drastically. Many banks which had good financial assets were acquired by competitors. Barclays was not an exception even it had to undergo financial challenges which was brought by credit crunch. They had to raise capital to meet the new laws introduced across the banking sector. Barclays had to raise capital in way that it did not take much preventive measure. This caused lot of turbulence amongst stakeholders. To overcome the above challenge Barclays started diversifying business and making it presence in market and sectors which were growing rapidly. Banks strength lies on diversification in terms of Business, Geography and products. Barclays made strategic move by acquiring Lehman Brother, The UK Goldfish Credit card business, Expobank in Russia, The Italian residential mortgage business of Macquaire Bank limited and PT Bank Akita in Indonesia Introduction on new products and innovation In 2008, Barclays introduced Mobile banking, now customer can pay their bill just by sending SMS, they can check balance in their account. Barclays also launched Al-Safi Investment platform, which is Islamic Finance equal to Shariah format for both conventional equity strategies and also a prospect to gain from falling prices. Barclays also launched new investment products to help investors diversify their portfolio when market is uncertain or volatile and it was called Commodity investment index. Barclays focuses on new innovation to help clients for e.g. Contribution Pension plans offers wide diversification and bestows solutions on income. By understanding this Barclays developed a product called SponsorMatch

A World Without Engineers :: essays research papers

A World Without Engineers Once upon a time, in a galaxy far, far away, on the planet Zovirax, there was an evil king, King Syphilis, who was mighty pleased with himself, for he had just banished all the engineers on the planet to work in the Pixie Stick Powder mines on the moons of Gluteus. "You see," he told his sycophantic servants and lackeys, "I have solved two problems with one simple executive order. I have rid the planet of those annoying, nerdy, know-it-all, engineers." (King Syphilis was actually quite envious of them, because he went to a Junior University in Palo Alto, and didn't know very much at all.) "And secondly," he explained, "I have provided cheap slave labor for the Pixie Stick Powder mines, thus ensuring a limitless supply of this heavenly confection for all to enjoy." All of King Syphilis' staff applauded loudly, because he tended to behead those who didn't. "Bring us intoxicating chemicals, so that we may celebrate," ordered the king. "I'm sorry, Mr. King Syphilis," replied the servant. "You banished all the chemical engineers to the powder mines, so we cannot make the intoxicating chemicals anymore." King Syphilis was quite mad. Nobody talked back to him and go away with it. "Bring me my plutonium phasor gun, so that I may vaporize this impudent guy," ordered the king. "I'm sorry, my good King Syphilis," replied another servant. "Since you deported all the nuclear engineers to the powder mines, we have been unable to operate the plutonium powered phasor gun." Now the king was really mad. "I'm really mad!" said the king. "Bring me my limousine, so that I may repeatedly run over these contumelious servants of mine." "No can do, Mr. King," said the third servant, whose part will be played in the movie version by Keanu Reeves. "All the mechanical engineers are in the mine place, and everyone knows, you can't drive cars without mechanics." "Go jump off a bridge!" said King Syphilis. Another of his servants interrupted, "We have no more bridges, since all the civil engineers have been exiled to the powder mines. Perhaps we should bring them all back." But the king was not the brightest of kings, so he didn't agree to that just yet. "Bring me my vibrating pleasure device, so that I may relax and think about this dilemma of ours," ordered the king. "We are unable to do that, my king, because all the electrical engineers who design the vibrating pleasure devices are in the powder mines." "Hmmm," thought the king. "Perhaps I was wrong in banishing the

George Orwells Nineteen Eighty-Four 1984 :: Free Essays on 1984

In the world of 1984, Winston rebels against the party, but not only does he do it in a different ways but his displeasure with the society leads him on to rebel numerous times. First of all, Winston has committed a â€Å"thought crime†, a crime which is used to prevent the individual from thinking and the penalty for committing a thought crime was death (so he thought). Winston knew he was guilty for the crime but at the same time he assumes that he is not going to be detected or caught, at least in he beginning. One thing Winston did was keeping a diary. A diary was of the more serious thought crimes. In his diary, it is pointed out of his sexual frustrations, along with the displeasure of society as a whole. In his diary, he expresses that he longs for the pleasures of the past that were once allowed but no longer due to the power of the Party. However his frustration leads to other things that were also deemed illegal and would eventually lead to his final downfall. Winsto n later goes on and meets a woman named Julia. He knows what he is doing is definitely wrong and is a crime but his dissatisfaction with life and his sexual frustration lead him to the wrong conclusion. That he still thinks that he can get away with this and that the thought police will never catch him. This is where Winston unconsciously seals his fate of being caught but he feels the adventure is well worth the risk. Later in the relationship, they both are aware that the end to them is near. There were a couple of things that Winston owned that were deemed illegal but ironically the glass paperweight seemed to be the most important. First of all, the paperweight serves no purpose in the world that Winston lives in. Another thing about it was that it represented individuality to him because he thought of it as a world in which he and Julia lived in and nobody could touch it, even the Party. Finally, it reminded him of the past, the past in which there was a better world and a worl d in which the Party never wanted anybody to think about again. â€Å"Ignorance is Stregenth†, one of the terms coined along with â€Å"War is Peace† and â€Å"Freedom is Slavery†, is used by the Party as a way of brainwashing the people of Oceania.