Psy/220- Week 1 Check Point- Positive Psychology Themes

Positive Psychology Themes I believe that positive psychology gives a better understanding that we are able to improve the quality of our own lives by making positive decisions and learning from experiences in the past. Positive psychology attempts to encourage interpersonal relationships, happiness, and positive social interactions. Personal growth and our ability to control our own destiny are also factors of positive psychology. In my opinion positive psychology teaches us that we have the freedom to make autonomous choices in life even though the negative influences still surround us. Through the incremental theory, positive psychology has stressed the amount of importance of human adjustment as a malleable cognitive characteristic that encourages change in our beliefs, behaviors, and environments; in order to acquire personal freedom through self-control and self-esteem Positive psychology acknowledges that we are creatures and creators of our personal and social worlds. I think that we become less creatures of our world and more creators as we assume the responsibility for the actions we take in life. Through our freedom of autonomy we develop a certain sense of morality and ethics. Positive psychology also evaluates the issue of control in relation to leading a fulfilling life. If a person has an internal locus of control they are more likely to push to achieve their full potential in the things they do. On the other hand those with an external locus of control feel powerless within their own lives and attempt to settle for less than what they deserve because they feel they have no control over their life. If we were to fully understand the themes of positive psychology we could become more qualified to improve our own lives.

Succubus Shadows Chapter 16

Really, when you thought about it, what I was going through wasn't that much different from dying after all. They always said you saw your life flash before your eyes, and that's how it was for me. Dream after dream. I relived the most painful moments of my life, true dreams where I'd done terrible things and seen terrible things done to those I loved. More â€Å"realities† that had never happened were shown to me as well. In one, Roman's recent display of affection turned out to be a scam. It was a front to punish me for my role in the death of his sister. Only, he didn't go after me directly. He went after all my friends, mortal and immortal. I watched him kill them one by one as he ignored my pleas to just finish me off instead. The Oneroi latched onto how I was bothered more by the suffering of those I loved than of myself. They mocked me, claiming that Roman's rampage was a vision of the future that had come through the gate of horn. I didn't believe it†¦at least, I didn't think I did. Nyx could see the future. Could they? Or were they maybe in contact with her, despite her imprisonment? My higher reasoning was giving way to paranoia as I was stripped further and further of my essence. I even began to dread the true dreams from the mortal world, the ones that showed me my friends. They were no longer a comfort; they only plunged me further into darkness. Because as the Oneroi had predicted, there seemed to be no hope of rescue in sight. Still, I kept dreaming†¦. Roman, Hugh, and the vampires were in a van. Peter was driving, and the clock on the dashboard read two o'clock in the morning. No one spoke in the small space, giving me no clue as to what was transpiring. Their headlights illuminated a sign along the freeway that indicated an exit for Idaho State Route 41. Idaho? â€Å"Can you change the station?† asked Hugh. â€Å"I hate talk radio.† â€Å"Because you might learn something?† asked Peter. â€Å"Because I'm trying to stay awake.† â€Å"It's a rule of the road: driver controls the radio.† â€Å"What rule book says that?† â€Å"Enough,† said Roman. His voice was weary, his face more so. He looked like he hadn't been sleeping much, but considering the time of night, that wasn't a surprise. He unfolded a map and then checked a piece of paper with some notes scrawled on it. â€Å"It should be the next exit.† â€Å"How'd Carter even find this guy?† asked Cody. â€Å"Because Carter moves in mysterious ways,† said Hugh. â€Å"Hard-drinking, hard-smoking mysterious ways.† â€Å"Yeah, but if he knew, why didn't he tell Jerome?† â€Å"Because Jerome would go into blasting mode if he found out. I guess Carter was keeping it on the down-low as some sort of compassionate act. He's an angel and all.† â€Å"Oh, right.† Cody seemed to have forgotten about that. It was an easy mistake. â€Å"Jerome'll blast us too if he knows what we're doing,† warned Peter. â€Å"He's too distracted. He thinks we're just following a vampire lead.† â€Å"That's the point,† said Peter. â€Å"If he finds out we lied to him – â€Å" â€Å"He won't,† interrupted Roman impatiently. â€Å"Not if we just get what we need from this guy and get out of here. This is it – take that exit.† Hugh veered off onto what hardly seemed like a road at all. It had no businesses and only one streetlight to illuminate an intersection, just before darkness swallowed everything. Roman continued giving directions, steering them farther and farther into the countryside. â€Å"You can't do anything to him,† said Hugh, craning his head to look at Roman in the backseat. â€Å"Show any flare of power in another demon's territory, and you're dead – probably along with the rest of us.† â€Å"Do you think I'm stupid?† demanded Roman. â€Å"Not exactly. But I do think you're short-tempered, have poor impulse control, and would do anything for Georgina.† I expected Roman to deny all of that – or at least the last part – but he said nothing. Silence fell again until Roman at last pointed to a narrow gravel driveway. It was so hard to see that Peter drove past it, squealed the brakes, and backed up. They parked near the driveway's end and began walking up it. I saw then that the back of the van had blacked-out windows, and it was a safe bet that the vampires' coffins were likely back there in case daytime travel was required. Out here in the middle of nowhere, stars clustered the sky, and night insects rained down a symphony of chatter. The faint outline of a house appeared. No lights were on within. â€Å"Can we do it SWAT team style?† asked Cody eagerly. â€Å"Surround the house and swoop in?† â€Å"I don't think that's necessary,† said Roman. He gave the door a sharp kick. It shuddered but didn't come close to breaking apart action-movie style. Keeping his nephilim powers in check meant he had the same abilities as a human. Peter sighed. â€Å"Let me.† He took Roman's place, repeated the kick, and this time the door did burst in and break apart. With their goofy attitudes, it was easy to forget sometimes that both Cody and Peter had super fast reflexes and enhanced strength. Peter stepped back, brushing splinters off his pants. The foursome entered, and a light turned on in the back of the house. â€Å"What the hell?† a voice demanded. What the hell, indeed. Dante entered the room. He took one look at my friends and said, â€Å"Oh, shit.† Then he bolted back toward the room he'd come from, no doubt heading for a window. He was too slow, though. In a flash, Cody had Dante by the scruff of his shirt and dragged him back to the living room, shoving my ex-boyfriend into a chair. Dante immediately started to rise, noticed how my friends had closed rank around him, and then thought better of it. Dante sighed. â€Å"Well, I knew this had to happen some day. Why didn't your boss come himself?† He peered at Roman. â€Å"And haven't I seen you somewhere?† Dante had seen Roman on a beach when we rescued Jerome from the summoning. There'd been a fair amount of chaos, so I wasn't surprised Dante's memory was sketchy – especially since he'd been beaten up by a demon. â€Å"We're not here because of Jerome,† snapped Hugh. Then, he reconsidered. â€Å"Well, we are, but not for the reasons you think.† â€Å"Answer our questions, and you might live another day,† said Peter. Apparently, the action-movie theme was still going strong. â€Å"Where's Georgina?† demanded Roman. It was interesting that every time my immortal posse interrogated someone, they phrased the question that way first, instead of, â€Å"Do you know where Georgina is?† When you worked for Hell, everyone was guilty until proven innocent. Dante's face lost some of its fear and took on its usual cynical look. He tossed messy black hair out of his face. â€Å"In Seattle, sleeping with that fucking writer.† â€Å"No,† said Roman. â€Å"She's not.† â€Å"She's not what? In Seattle or sleeping with the writer?† Dante arched an eyebrow. â€Å"And who are you exactly?† â€Å"The muscle,† said Hugh dryly. â€Å"Georgina's gone. Vanished. And if anyone's got reason to make her disappear† – he paused and glanced uneasily at Roman – â€Å"it's you.† â€Å"I'm not the kind of magician that pulls rabbits out of my hat. Or makes them disappear.† Dante was growing more and more confident, now that he knew Jerome wasn't going to send him to the torture pits of Hell. â€Å"If you can't find her, ask your archdemon. Unless he's been summoned again, he'll know.† â€Å"He doesn't,† said Cody. â€Å"But maybe you already knew that.† Dante rolled his eyes. â€Å"You think I'm going to go anywhere near Seattle when there's a price on my head? Do you think I'm hiding out in the fucking sticks because I want to? The best I can do is sell charms and fake fortunes to tourists in Coeur d'Alene.† â€Å"Carter should have come with us,† said Hugh in exasperation. â€Å"He should have known that too after sending us here.† Dante stiffened, his arrogance faltering. â€Å"That angel knows where I am? Then Jerome has to know.† â€Å"He's keeping it from Jerome. For now.† Peter was still using that melodramatic voice. â€Å"That can change if you don't help us.† â€Å"I don't know where she fucking is, okay? I told you: I can't make a succubus disappear.† Roman's hand closed around Dante's neck in a fair approximation of Jerome. Even without supernatural abilities, Roman was still strong. â€Å"You've worked with immortals before. You could do it again and have them do the dirty work.† â€Å"I show my face to any immortal, and I'm a dead man,† choked Dante. Roman fixed Dante with a dark glare that reminded me of the time Roman had tried to kill me. And when he had killed me in a recent Oneroi dream. At last, Roman let go. Rubbing his neck, a puzzled Dante asked again, â€Å"Who are you?† Cody glanced at the others. â€Å"Do you think he's lying?† â€Å"Wouldn't surprise me,† said Hugh. He crossed his arms across his broad chest. â€Å"But maybe you can be useful. What could make a succubus disappear?† â€Å"What'll you give me for helping you?† asked Dante slyly. Yes, that was my ex. Always looking for an advantage. â€Å"We won't call Jerome,† growled Peter. This time, the anger in his voice was not faux movie style. It was real, again a reminder that at the end of the day, he really was a vampire who could break necks easily. This sobered Dante up. â€Å"Fine. Not that I care what the fuck happens to her. How did she disappear?† Again, the story was recounted, something that was beginning to depress me – largely because everyone seemed to emphasize just how depressed and miserable my life was. â€Å"It's a lure,† said Dante with certainty. â€Å"We know that,† said Roman. â€Å"Erik told us.† Dante scowled at the mention of his nemesis. â€Å"Of course he did. It's a wonder you need me with his almighty wisdom at your disposal.† â€Å"What would lure her?† said Peter, no doubt interrupting Dante from asking again who Roman was. â€Å"All sorts of things,† said Dante. â€Å"Anything could create a lure, but visions like that would most likely be tied to dreams. Did you guys lose Nyx again?† â€Å"No,† said Hugh. Dante shrugged. â€Å"Then look for something else that can control dreams, maybe try a – â€Å" I stood in the village I'd grown up in. The transition was so abrupt that I was dizzy for a moment. There hadn't been a transition, no fragmenting of the image or a fade to black. It had been a quick movie cut. A bad editing job. I stared around, seeing again the place that had caused me so much torment. I wondered what else the Oneroi had to show me here and why I'd come here so suddenly. I'd already relived the false wedding accusations. At one point, they'd even had me dream the true story of how my infidelity had led to me selling my soul. I was probably now in store for some new contrived horror. The world spun around me, the buildings and people moving around in rough-spun clothes dizzying me. â€Å"Are you all right?† a voice asked. Turning around, the scenery settled a bit and I found myself looking into the face of an ancient man. Bushy eyebrows stretched across a heavily lined brow, nearly obscuring dark brown eyes. â€Å"Yes†¦I'm fine.† I frowned and did a double take. â€Å"Gaius?† Those eyebrows rose. â€Å"Have we met?† I stared, unable to speak for a moment. I'd known Gaius since the time I could walk. He was a blacksmith, the brawniness of his arms proving as much. But he'd been young the last time I'd seen him, a man in his prime. With no control, words spilled off my lips, words I'd spoken before when I'd lived this event the first time. This was a true memory. So far. â€Å"We met a very long time ago,† I said. He chuckled. â€Å"Girl, I'd remember you. And ‘a very long time ago' could only have been a few years for you.† I became aware of my body, knowing what I looked like even without a mirror. I had shape-shifted just before entering the village, taking on a form I had sworn I would never, ever wear again. And, in fact, after this day, I never would wear it again. I was in my original body: fifteen-year-old Letha, too tall with thick, tangled black hair. I'd come here to find out something. Something I had to know. I gave Gaius a weak nod. My old self had been as shocked as my current self at what time had done to him. How long since I'd become a succubus and left my village? Thirty years ago? â€Å"Can you tell me†¦is there a man here – a fisherman – named Marthanes? Does his family still live here?† â€Å"Sure,† he said. â€Å"Same house they've always been in, out past the – â€Å" â€Å"I know where it is,† I said quickly. He shrugged, not minding my interruption. â€Å"He's probably down at the bay, though. He's too old to still be working but swears his sons-in-law can't get by without him.† Sons-in-law. Of course. My sisters would have gotten married long ago. â€Å"Thanks,† I said. I began to walk away. â€Å"It was nice seeing you again.† He gave me a puzzled look but said nothing more. I walked toward the bay, where the water glowed with such a vivid, teal-tinged blue that it seemed to be some Technicolor vision. Surely nothing in nature could produce such beauty. Longing and nostalgia welled up within my watching self. The town was busy at midday, and I recognized more faces than I expected. Children I'd known grown to adulthood, adults I'd known now in their golden years. The waterfront was just as busy, with ships loading and unloading goods that made commerce in the Mediterranean boom. It took me a while to find my father, and here, I earned more looks than I had in the village. Women were rare in this district, choosing to avoid the rough sailors and workers. I located my father largely because of his voice, shouting orders just as he had in my youth. â€Å"Are you trying to cost me a fortune? What do you do out there all day? My granddaughter could catch this many fish wading by the beach!† He was yelling at a man I didn't know, his face sheepish and cowed as he displayed what must have been today's meager catch. I wondered if this was one of my sisters' husbands. The man promised to do better and then scurried away. â€Å"Fa – Marthanes?† My father turned at my approach, and I tried not to gasp. Like Gaius, the years had carved away Marthanes the fisherman as well. How old would he be now? Sixties? Seventies? Time had grown blurred since I became immortal. â€Å"What do you want?† he snapped. â€Å"I've got no use for prostitutes anymore. Go down to Claudius if you're looking for business. He hasn't slept with his own wife in ten years. Not that I blame him. That woman's a harpy.† Age might have grayed and thinned out his hair, lines might have creased his face†¦but my father's tongue was still the same. â€Å"N-no. That's not why I'm here. I met you†¦a few years ago.† He frowned, looking me up and down. â€Å"Never seen you in my life. Pretty sure I'd remember someone as tall as you.† As a succubus, I could change into any man's fantasy, taking on the shape of a woman whose beauty transcended words. Yet, even with that ability, the old remarks about my height still stung. â€Å"Well, I remember you.† Seeing his eyes shift impatiently to his workers, I asked, â€Å"Do you know a musician named Kyriakos? He'd be my age – er, about thirty years older than me. He used to live south of town.† My father snorted. â€Å"That Kyriakos? He's no musician. He took over his father's business when he died. Does okay with it, even though the rates he demands for my fish are ridiculous.† â€Å"Does he still live in his same house?† â€Å"You mean his father's house? Yes. Like you said, in the south.† My father's restlessness was palpable now. He didn't know me. He had no use for me. â€Å"Thank you,† I said. I was about to tell him it was nice to see him, as I had Gaius, but my father was gone before I could. With a heavy heart, I walked back through town but instead of heading south, I took a detour to my old home, wondering what I'd discover. What I found was my mother, hanging clothing outside, humming as she did. Off to the house's side a middle-aged woman dug herbs out of the ground. It took me a few moments to recognize her as my younger sister. My mother's face was different, but her kind eyes were still the same as she gave me directions to a place I already knew. My sister glanced up and watched a moment, then returned to her work. Neither recognized me. Just like with my father, I was a brief interruption to their day. I'd known this would happen. It was what I'd sold my soul for. My contract with Hell had erased all memories of me from everyone who had ever known me. The Oneroi had shown me a lie on my wedding day. I'd been a virgin, faithful to Kyriakos. But a couple years later, weakness had struck me. I'd betrayed him, and it had devastated him more than anyone could have imagined. He'd wanted to kill himself over the heartache, and only my bargain had saved him. That was the truth. Still†¦some part of me had thought maybe, just maybe someone might recognize me. Just the faintest spark of remembrance. Kyriakos could have been down near my father, overseeing his fleet, but something told me he'd be doing administrative tasks, not manual labor. My hunch was correct. Before I'd become a succubus, Kyriakos and I had had our own house. He must have moved back to his family's home after Hell erased his memories. I braced myself to meet the lady of the house, the woman Kyriakos must have undoubtedly married. But when he came out to see who was visiting him, I found him alone. Seeing him made my heart stop. He too had been touched by age, but he was still young enough that the lines were few. Only the faintest of gray graced his hair, and like my mother, his eyes were the same. Dark and wonderful and full of goodness. â€Å"Do you need help?† he asked, voice friendly and curious. For a moment, I couldn't speak. I was drunk from seeing him, filled with a mix of love and pain. I wished so badly that I had stayed with him, that I had never committed such sins. I wished I didn't wear this youthful face. I should have grown old with him. My ability to conceive children had seemed sketchy at the time, but maybe we would have eventually had a family. Just like with everyone else, I claimed to need directions, stammering out the first random place I could think of. He described the way in detail, though I already knew it. â€Å"Do you want me to escort you there? This is a safe area†¦but you never know.† I smiled but felt no joy. The same Kyriakos. Infinitely kind to others, even a stranger. â€Å"I'll be fine. I don't want to take you from your work.† I hesitated. â€Å"We met†¦a few years ago.† â€Å"Did we?† He studied me, apparently searching for the memory. His eyes remained blank, though. No trace of recognition. I was a stranger. I had never existed for him. I wondered if he'd even remember me when I left here. He shook his head, sounding sincerely apologetic. â€Å"I'm sorry. I don't recall it†¦.† He was waiting for my name. â€Å"Letha.† The word burned on my lips. Like this shape, the name was dead to me. Only Hell ever used it. â€Å"I'm sorry,† he said again. â€Å"It's okay. Maybe I'm wrong. I thought†¦I thought you were a musician.† When we'd been married, he worked for his father but had hopes of giving that up and playing music full-time. Kyriakos chuckled. â€Å"Only as a hobby. Most of my days are hunched over numbers.† The loss of his ambition made me almost as sad as his lack of memory. â€Å"Well†¦your wife must be glad to have you home.† â€Å"Not married, I'm afraid.† He was still smiling. â€Å"My sister keeps house for me when she's around.† â€Å"Not married?† I asked incredulously. â€Å"But why? At your age†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I blushed, realizing how rude I sounded. â€Å"I'm sorry.† He wasn't offended. â€Å"At your age, marriage is all girls think about, huh? You probably have a dozen suitors with as pretty as you are.† Typical. Few had found me pretty while mortal; he had always believed me beautiful. â€Å"I just never found the right woman. I'd rather be alone than spend my life with the wrong person.† A dreamy, sad look filled his features, and then he shook his head and laughed. It was an uneasy laugh. â€Å"Anyway, you don't want to hear some old man babbling about romantic nonsense. Are you sure you don't want me to show you the way?† â€Å"No, no†¦I think I know where it's at now. Thank you.† I started to turn away and then paused. â€Å"Kyriakos†¦are you†¦are you happy?† This question from someone less than half his age caught him by surprise. And I was surprised he answered. â€Å"Happy? Well†¦content, I guess. I have a good life. Better than most. A very good life, really. Sometimes I wonder†¦Ã¢â‚¬  My breath caught. â€Å"Wonder what?† â€Å"Nothing,† he said, giving me another good-natured smile. â€Å"More nonsense. Yes, Letha. I'm happy. Why do you want to know?† â€Å"Nonsense of my own,† I murmured. â€Å"And you're sure you don't remember me?† I had my answer before I spoke. No. Those eyes had never laid sight on me before. I was just an odd, passing girl. I was no one. â€Å"I'm sorry, I don't.† He winked. â€Å"But I'll remember you now.† Somehow, I doubted it. Leaving him, I felt my heart break. Really, my heart was breaking all the time. You'd think it could only happen once. This was what I'd wanted. What I'd gambled eternity for. Kyriakos was happy. I'd saved him and should be happy in return. Yet, I felt unhappier than I had since becoming a succubus. I decided at that moment I'd never use Letha's shape or name again. I wanted to wipe her from my mind too†¦. â€Å"It's so easy with you,† hissed the Oneroi. It was Two, I thought. I was back in the box. â€Å"We don't even need the ivory gate.† I was so scarred from that memory of Kyriakos, by the truth of what it really meant to be erased from someone's life, that I was inclined to agree with Two. Then, a tiny spark within me glimmered just a bit. I studied the two Oneroi carefully. â€Å"What was the other dream?† I asked. â€Å"Before the one about my husband? Why didn't you let it finish?† â€Å"It did finish,† said One. Their blue, blue eyes were the same, revealing nothing. â€Å"It didn't,† I argued. â€Å"You cut it off. It didn't go the way you planned, did it? My friends found out something from Dante – something you didn't want them to know.† â€Å"They found nothing,† Two replied. â€Å"It was a lie. We gave you false hope, hope that will turn to ashes when you find yourself spending the rest of eternity here.† â€Å"You're the lie,† I said. The spark within my ragged, worn body flared just a little more. â€Å"The dream was true.† One continued the denial. â€Å"The only truth is that you can't tell the difference. And that there is no hope.† â€Å"You're lying,† I said, but as those cold sets of eyes surveyed me, my spark wavered. Uncertainty spread within me. I'd been through so much, a mental rape of sorts, that I questioned once more if I trusted myself. My words were bold, but I no longer knew if I could believe them. Two smiled, able to see into my mind. â€Å"Dream,† he said.

Cabin Crew

Answers for the Cabin Crew Final Interview by Kara Grand www. FllghtAttendantCentral. Com 2011 Flight Attendant Central. All rights reserved. Welcome to Flight Attendant Central! This special 25 Questions and Answers report is a powerful tool when preparing for your interview. I compiled this list based on the most commonly asked cabin crew final Interview questions. You will find the questions, the guidelines on what your answer should or should not be and a sample answer. Have also Included a blank area at each question where o have the space to fill in your answer as it applies to your experience.I am giving this away to help as many people as I can. I believe that the more you give, the more you receive. The key to success in your cabin crew assessment day is preparation. Knowing what to expect and showing the best you can be are crucial factors in the process. I hope this guide gives you a view into some of the important things you need to think about as you prepare for your fi nal interview. I am also looking forward to sharing a lot more powerful training and information with you! See you up there, Kara Grand Creator, FllghtAttendantCentral 1. Tell me about yourself. Remember to stay professional during your final interview.This question is meant to ask you about your career and detailed work history. It is not about your childhood, home or hobbies. Remember that you are being interviewed for a cabin crew Job, so your response should be focused on the relevant customer service Job experience. Try to keep it short, this question is Just a conversation starter. Do not reveal information that you don't want your future employer to know. SAMPLE ANSWER ‘l have been working for the past 4 years for Company A. I started out as part-time junior sales associate and have been promoted to senior sales associate and most recent to store assistant manager.Meanwhile I graduated from College B with a major in Economical Studies. ‘ YOUR ANSWER www. FlightAtt endantCentral. Com 0 2011 Flight Attendant Central. All rights reserved. 2. Why do you want to work for our airline? Do not go to your interview without doing some research about the company you would like to work for. Browse their website and read the ‘About us' or ‘History sections. The first part of the assessment day consists of a series of informative videos about he airline, how it was created, plans of expansion, financial results, life in their city, career prospects and other relevant information.Take some notes and review them before your final interview. You don't know much about, be honest and tell them so. ‘I know that your company has been one of the fastest growing airlines in the world, with numerous awards won (give some examples here) and openness towards cultural diversity. I would be honored to be part of such an ambitious team. ‘ 3. Tell me about your dream Job. Stay away from a specific Job. If you say another Job, you will give an impre ssion that you might be dissatisfied with he cabin crew Job. If you say cabin crew, then your credibility might be questioned.Talk about the positive aspects that the Job will bring to your life rather than naming a position. ‘My dream Job will give me the opportunity to travel and discover new cultures and interesting people. It is the Job that gets me excited to wake up every day, go to work and constantly learn something new. ‘ 4. Do you work better in a team or alone? This is not an easy question to answer, however it is frequently asked during final interviews. You are interviewing for a cabin crew position. A key requirement for this Job is team- ark. Do not answer ‘It depends on the situation'. L prefer to work in a group, but I also enjoy having a part of the work that is my personal responsibility. ‘ 5. How would your friends or coworkers describe you? Prepare some quotes from your coworkers or friends. Stay focused on the skills and traits that are relevant for the cabin crew Job. Do not get into lengthy stories about your friends or coworkers. ‘Both my friends and coworkers would say that I am a reliable individual. They all know that they can count on me to listen to their problems and try to help them find a solution. Errors he knows because my area was always clean and I never left home before tidying up the days work. ‘ 6. Tell me about a time when you helped someone. Be prepared with some examples of situations when you helped either a customer or a colleague. Stay focused on the required skills for the cabin crew position. Use the names of your colleagues or customers. ‘Mrs.. Smith, a regular guest in our hotel has Just checked in together with her niece and twin babies. We were not informed that the babies will need sleeping cots, so the arrangements have not been done and we only had one cot available.I talked to our manager and explained the situation. We ordered a new cot that was delivered in the same day, so I made sure that the room was arranged, together with complimentary toys and blankets and the schedule of the baby sitter. Both Mrs.. Smith and her niece were very grateful, and my manager also praised my efforts. ‘ 7. Tell me about a time you made a suggestion to improve business. Talk about the time you gave a suggestion that was further used to benefit the company. Do not tell the interviewers about suggestions that were ignored at the time only to be implemented later.If this never happened to you, then answer honestly and focus instead on the efficiency of the company you worked for. ‘In the restaurant I worked we used to have sugar packs on each table. We were consuming a lot of those packages every week. I suggested to my supervisor that we introduce sugar cubes on the trays when we serve coffee or tea. He told me that this cut the sugar consumption in the restaurant by 50% and the new set-up looked nice. ‘ 8. Tell me about the most fun you ever experienced on the Job. Discuss a successful project you enjoyed completing, not the workplace cafeteria ranks.Take this chance to reinforce your team player skills. Keep the answer short and professional. ‘Every December we have a ‘sales person of the year' competition. Last year, the sales associates divided into 2 teams and we had our own competition to see who sells the most. We had great fun making daily charts and posting them for everyone to see. We sold so much that month, we became the best selling store and we were all praised by our manager. ‘ 9. What are your strengths? The interviewer expects you to give examples of how you have excelled in your previous Jobs.Prepare 4 or 5 traits that are relevant for the cabin crew position and be prepared to also give examples of when you displayed these strengths. Talk about your strengths in the area of customer service, team work, communication, attention to detail or problem solving. Do not discuss your strengt hs outside your work area. ‘l am a team player with excellent attention to detail. I provide personalized service to my customers while aiming to go beyond all expectations and ensure that my customers receive the best possible service. I also have the ability to adapt in a fast paced environment. 10. What are your weaknesses? Do not give information which could hurt your professional image or decrease your chances of getting the Job. Disclose a weakness only when you have already taken steps to compensate for it. Describe a challenge a how you overcame it, stating what you learned during the process. Do not say that you have no weakness. ‘l feel that my attention to detail is my weakness. I want everything to be perfect. Sometimes I get so caught up in small details that I forget to see the big picture. Let was pointed out to me and I was able to improve myself.I am now constantly finding says to balance both the details and the overall situation. ‘ 11. Tell me ab out a time when you had to deal with a co-worker who wasn't doing his/ her fair share of the work. What did you do and what was the outcome? Keep your answer professional, short and clear. Focus more on what you did to deal with the situation, rather than how much you positive experience. ‘Sofia was my shift colleague. During lunch service I saw her being slow to take orders and attend to the new customers. I had to step in her area and do part of her work. After the service was over I asked her what was happening.I learned that her ornamented was gravely ill and she Just received the news that morning. I helped her out for the next days until she felt better. She appreciated my willingness to do something for her and we are now working very well together, taking extra work from each other whenever is necessary. ‘ 12. Tell me about a time you misjudged a person. Use an example where you underestimated somebody, rather than an example when you thought that somebody was tr ustworthy and in the end they disappointed you. End your answer with a summary of what your learned from the experience. ‘Our office boy was a very shy and reserved person.One day I started to talk to him and I found out that he was actually an engineer in his country, but came here to provide a better future for his children. He was doing the Job to learn the language better and understand our culture. We became friends and he was even giving me advice with some of the projects I was working on. I told to my manager his story, and after 1 year he was given a chance to interview. Now he is working in the planning department. I learned to never Judge somebody Just by the Job they are doing. ‘ 13. Tell me about a challenge at work you faced and overcame recently.Talk about the complaints you solved, issues you had to organize, conflicts that you had to resolve. Focus on the problem-solving, not on the problem itself. Do not put anybody else in a bad light. ‘We receiv ed a new computer software that would take not only the reservations for the day, but also the customer details, the orders and the home-delivery schedule. It was taking a long time to input all the data while the customers were waiting. I asked the manager to get some training from the IT Company. In only 30 minutes they taught me all the shortcuts and I managed to be efficient when operating it. ‘ 14. Tell me about a time you resolved a

How are we affected by price elasticity of demand Research Paper

How are we affected by price elasticity of demand - Research Paper Example The Law explains that keeping all other factors affecting demand constant, the quantity demanded for a product or a service at a particular point of time is inversely proportional to its price. Thus, price and quantity demanded has an inverse relation with each other. The higher is the price level, lower will be the consumer willingness to buy a product or a service. As a result, the demand curve is always negatively sloped according to the law of demand. (Source: Author’s Creation) The above figure reflects the demand curve where Q stands for quantity demanded for a product or a service and P is the price level. There are also other factors that affect quantity demanded. This essay will briefly explain the different determinants of demand, assuming the impact of one variable on demand is analysed provided all the other factors are given. The income of consumers is positively related to the quantity demanded for goods and services. The higher is the income of the consumers the greater is their level of purchasing power thus consumers will always demand more with the rise in income levels. The quantity demanded also depends on the tastes and preferences of the buyers. When analysed in details the quantity demanded for a product or service is largely dependent on the complementary and substitution effect. For instance, the quantity demanded for Pepsi will always be increasing with the rise in the price level of Coke. Again the demand for cars will drastically fall with the rise in fuel price. There are other products like Bajra also known as inferior goods, whose quantity demanded falls with rise in income of the consumers. The nature of goods concerned is also an important parameter to analyse the quantity demanded for a good or a service. The goods reflecting status symbol always show a positive price effect in the quantity demanded. For example, the demand for a house sold in auction. Necessities are other types of goods that are insensitive to the chan ges in price, like the demand for life saving drugs. Price Elasticity of Demand Elasticity of demand is a quantitative measure that shows the degree of responsiveness of quantity demanded for a product or a service with respect to the changes in the various determinants of demand (IOWA State University, 2007). Price elasticity of demand shows the degree of responsiveness of quantity demanded for a commodity or a service with respect to chances only in its price level keeping all other factors affecting demand constant (Andrews & Benzing, 2010). The basic method of calculation of price elasticity of demand (Ep) is:- Ep = dQ/Q dP/P P and Q stands for price and quantity while dQ and dP shows the change in quantity demanded and price respectively (Litman, 2004). In order to make the analysis easy, economists take the mod values for calculating price elasticity of demand. The table below shows the five basic variations in price elasticities of demand. Value Types of elasticity’s E p = ? Perfectly Elastic Ep = 0 Perfectly Inelastic Ep = 1 Unitary Elastic Ep > 1 Relatively Elastic Ep < 1 Relatively Inelastic (Source: Traczynski, 2007) The above five variations in elasticity are all measured in terms of their mod values. Impact of Price Elasticity of Demand The quantity demanded by the consumers technically depends on the different values of price elastici

Cadbury (Pre and Post Merger Performance Evaluation) Coursework

Cadbury (Pre and Post Merger Performance Evaluation) - Coursework Example Prior to the acquisition, the Cadbury operations and activities were narrowly streamlined along a consistent pattern. They were limited to the main stream markets, with no major expansion in the new and unexplored markets, with focus on core strategy, and little element of innovation on display, although this all served well and Cadbury still enjoyed success, fame and glory in the market, yet there is no limit to success and glory, and more can be added any time. This was to be added in form of the Kraft’s overtake, that adopted a change in management style, the business patterns, the partnerships and expansion policy and much more that in other words gave a totally new life to Cadbury in different angles.Being one of the most notable English companies, it was very unlikely to be taken over by any foreign company; however the fears turned true in 2010 when an American based company â€Å"Kraft† took over and introduced relatively new patterns and management styles. The takeover was received in a mixed way but mostly with a relatively negative trend in social sphere. As a result of the recent change, management style, and the patterns and rules of engagement have seen a slight change with regard to the previous patterns that were operational in past. ... Recent change of Command: Being one of the most notable English companies, it was very unlikely to be taken over by any foreign company; however the fears turned true in 2010 when an American based company â€Å"Kraft† took over (Cadbury, 2010) and introduced relatively new patterns and management styles. The takeover was received in a mixed way but mostly with a relatively negative trend in social sphere. As a result of the recent change, management style, and the patterns and rules of engagement have seen a slight change with regard to the previous patterns that were operational in past. Managing style: An international organization such as Cadbury needs a clearly defined management style and organizational activities to allow successful operational functions. Realizing its importance, Cadbury has a democratic and hierarchical management style. Each of the member enjoys complete freedom and opportunity in contributing towards the organization and making it the world’s top most chocolate selling and producing industry and organization. Hierarchy in ranks: Hierarchy is an evident form of management and leadership in most major organizations in present day. The hierarchy broadly divides the organizations in to three layers, namely top management, middle management and lower staff. Hierarchy at Cadbury is also distributed in the same manner, with top management performing the role of decision making, policy envisaging and declaration of the S.O.Ps and dealings with the international organizations and stake holders, the middle management in the industry is inducted to ensure that the top and lower management are kept intact. Post merger-acquisition scenario: Kraft engages into professional, selective and specialized processes that make them world famous and

Smart phone ,how they have change our life Research Paper

Smart phone ,how they have change our life - Research Paper Example Smart phones can do most of the tasks done by the computer and hence have changed lives in several ways in the contemporary society. First, smart phone have made life easier than before with the development of various applications that makes tasks easier. Smart phones have made communication to be much easier as people can send short messages, engage in conversations using various platforms such as tweeter and face book among others thus smart phones have eased communication. In addition, individuals can learn through the smart phone, as there are applications that allow users to read books, search-learning materials over the internet and even search answers to questions at any time (Richard, web). Applications such as maps have also made life much easier, with the smart phone an individual can easily be directed to a destination by simply searching the Google maps or using the GPS among others. Scheduling work anywhere has also been made easy by the Smart phone and thus the applications are numerous and have eased our lives in different ways. Despite the numerous ways smart phones have had positive impacts on the society, there are a number of the disadvantages associated with smart phones. The major negative impact smart phone has is that it is changing the norms of the society. Richard (web) argues that â€Å"people have started being disrespectful without noticing† being busy on the smart phones. People are texting everywhere most of the time and this may have repercussions more specifically on school going teenagers. According to Richard (web), adults may receive work related calls while on leaves or holidays with the families thus smart phones may also have negative effects the relationships among individuals. In addition, smart phones can easily be destruction and individuals when not careful may waste a lot of time playing games or charting with friends instead of doing something constructive. In conclusion, smart phone are changing the society

Thatchers concept organizational rhetoric and the use of corporate we Essay

Thatchers concept organizational rhetoric and the use of corporate we on remarks on the passing of Ronald Reagan successfully demonstrated the significance o - Essay Example Thatcher also states that "We live today in the world that Ronald Reagan began to reshape with those words." She uses the decentering of self to illustrate the importance of Reagan to the people. Thatcher's use of Aristotelian proof and "corporate we" in her speech successfully demonstrated the significance of Reagan in every American's life. In the entire speech from Thatcher she states that with ending the Cold War as the big success and achievement from Reagan, you read between the lines that it also ended Communism. The fear for Communism itself however goes back in time right after WW II. The US represented the Capital West and the Soviet Union was the leading superpower of the Communist East. The roots where made are not easy to be changed in acceptance from both parties. The historical importance of the summits between the both parties formed the basic to a new world where the tension between the Capital West and the Communist East was ceased. Ronald Reagan did, in fact, brought the United States of America to the end of the most difficult period in our modern times. Thatcher is right when she states in her speech (2004) that Reagan had an outstanding sense of humor and ability in creating friendships with almost anybody. He turned our Cold War enemy, the soviets, into our friend. Thatcher shows that Reagan took u s out of our most difficult time and reestablished our economics. He also turned our enemy into allies. These show the effective use of logos under the Aristotelian proofs. On the remarks of the passing of Ronald Reagan the conclusion to be made is that Reagan was President at the right time and his personal character made it happen that both parties started to negotiate. Reagan was open minded. New York Times (2004) It was Mr. Reagan's good fortune that during his time in office the Soviet Union was undergoing profound change, eventually to collapse, setting off a spirited debate over Mr. Reagan's role in ending the cold war. His supporters argued that his tough policies were the coup de grace and his detractors attributed the end to the accumulated influence of 45 years of the American policy of containment. But wherever the credit was due, the thaw came on his watch. Gorbachev explains all this in the Washington Post (2004) But if he had warm, appreciative words for Reagan, Gorbachev brusquely dismissed the suggestion that Reagan had intimidated either him or the Soviet Union, or forced them to make concessions. Was it accurate to say that Reagan won the Cold War "That's not serious," Gorbachev said, using the same words several times. "I think we all lost the Cold War, particularly the Soviet Union. We each lost $10 trillion," he said, referring to the money Russians and Americans spent on an arms race that lasted more than four decades. "We only won when the Cold War ended." The fact that President Reagan's intelligent has greatly affected the United States of America. Thatcher states that "Ronald Reagan knew his own mind. He had firm principles and, I believe, right ones. He expounded them clearly. He acted upon them decisively. When the world threw problems at the White House, he was not baffled or disorientated or overwhelmed." These examples demonstrated the effective the use of ethos under the Aristotelian proof which made the speech successful. In Thatcher's speech, she didn't only use the

Rights given to prison inmates Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Rights given to prison inmates - Essay Example Also, prisoners cannot be discriminated against on the basis of their religion, national origin or sex . In addition, they have the right to pursue legal action if they feel prison administrators’ causes them harm and also to fair treatment whilst awaiting trial (Cornell University Law School). Also, prisoners have a right to be prosecuted for their crimes in a timely manner. Prisoners also have the right to free religion and speech but with some limitations in prison (Cornell University Law School). It must be noted that the courts generally tend to side with prison officials or administrators when going over issues prisoners’ rights in prison. There is no strict scrutiny on whether the prisoner’s living standards are as should be, rather a broader look at whether any constitutional rights are not being met (Cornell University Law School). To conclude, prisoners are afforded some basic rights while incarcerated. The rights given have gotten substantially better over the years. One right that should possibly be given to prisoners is some privacy as this is non-existent in prisons. Prison administrators do not face a much regulation in dealing with prisoners which needs regulated to promote protection of rights. References Cornell University Law School.

Discrimination Law In Employment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Discrimination Law In Employment - Essay Example Having had a trans-gender operation will not alter her efficacy as a worker in any significant way. Hence, Alluria’s is a clear cut case of injustice and if she makes a lawsuit she will win. The Disability Discrimination Act of 1995 describes a disabled person as someone who has a â€Å"physical or mental impairment, which is long-term or substantial and makes them unable to carry out normal day to day activities and has more than a minor or trivial effect and lasts or is likely to last at least 12 months.† Karen’s disability has been congenital (hence long-term), substantial and certainly not trivial. It is difficult to see how Karen can be effective in a boutique with such a major disability. However, she had a right to apply for the job. She also did the right thing by disclosing her disability during the interview. It is due to the sloppiness of the interviewer that she got hired in the first place. If this is the real issue then Sonia should inform her so and follow proper Employee Dismissal Procedure, with its due notice period, full and final financial settlement, etc. But Sonia had not pursued this line of action and instead is nagging Karen t o â€Å"stop biting her nails†, which is irrelevant to the issue. Karen is also being victimized by Sonia for taking her previous employer to the Employment Tribunal. Karen had every right to take her previous employer to task. Discrimination by way of victimization is said to occur when an employer treats the employee less favourably due to their actions they have taken under or in connection with the DDA Regulations. In sum, Karen has two grounds for discontent – Disability Discrimination and Victimization – if she decides to take legal action. But Karen has to ensure that the total number of personnel in the boutique is more that 20, as the DDA is applicable only to employers with 20 or more employees. Also, she has to confirm that her particular

The Road of e-Business Transformation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6750 words

The Road of e-Business Transformation - Essay Example Both government and industry experts and leaders are anticipating the time when e-business investments will eventually create authentic and lasting change. E-business is about continuously revolutionizing market spaces and business models, innovating organizations in time to compete, reinforced by Internet technologies, manpower capital, and the search for value. The strength of the transformation is the core of e-business investment, but such has yet to be sufficiently illustrated through the current applications of e-business models (Khoong, 2001). The startup phase transpired between 1995 and 1999. During the onset of e-business, several pure-play startups surfaced, utilizing technology as a critical business driver. The value proposition of the startups was inclined towards the catchphrase 'Content is King!'. The euphoria was compounded by a gold rush - valuation of dotcoms was seen as the way to instant wealth. The reality of the startup phase was that expensive customer acquisition was of little help for weak value propositions, and the big burn rates eventually caused the failures of numerous startups. The first 100 days of business also became the last 100 days for some. The tail end of the startup phase was a B2C shakeout. It was only last year t... The first 100 days of business also became the last 100 days for some. The tail end of the startup phase was a B2C shakeout. It was only last year that e-business investors began to separate the hype from the reality. The NASDAQ crash provided a much-needed correction on the real value of e-business investments. This second phase - the partnership phase - is where we stand today. Partnerships through joint ventures and strategic alliances between old-economy and new-economy firms are seen as the attractive paths to profitability. By focusing on vertical business sectors and leveraging partnerships to provide a ready community of subscribers to e-business services, customer acquisition costs are dramatically reduced and the top-line potential becomes significantly more lucrative. The partnership phase is expected to run for another year or so, by which time the next phase will set in. In the meantime, the market will have to sort itself out, as at the moment a glut in e-marketplaces is looming. The tail end of the partnership phase will be a B2B shakeout. Within the next two years, we expect consolidation in the e-business industry. This will then bring us into the consolidation phase, in which every business is an e-business, and the 'e' qualification becomes totally redundant. Consolidation will mean e-business infrastructure becomes the backbone of huge business networks, supporting end-to-end supply chain integration. The tail end of the consolidation phase - if there is one - may be characterized by a world comprising a few gigantic global e-firms and some very small firms who remain out of the e-loop.

Football salary Essay Example for Free

Football salary Essay Many people think that footballers are paid too much money for doing too little effort. However, this can be argues because they are people who have dedicated their entire life to this sport and therefore they should be rewarded. But in the end there is lots of people need that money to survive and get some food and clean water. The money which is given to players should be reduced because what they do isnt worth all the money they get. Because the average salary of a professional football player of February 2010 was listed at about $1.8 million year (Mandi R Hall, www.ehow.com). There are also other people that have worked harder throughout their lives by working and studying. Players perform a sport where they do not save anyones life unlike doctors who study for 6 consecutive years, work for several hours, and literally save peoples lives. But the problem is even doctors they don’t gut that high salary like the average in 2009 for doctors in the US was $226,000/ year (mdsalaries.blogspot.com). There are also other careers like police officers who devote their lives to provide a safe community. A single football player receives high amounts of money where half of this amount could be spent on medical supplies, help have a better education, and also help many needy people. Because billing school for example â€Å"The Williamstown Public School in Williamstown, Massachusetts is an old school, so they are currently building a new one. It costs $14.5 million and it will house 650 students maximum. The Williamstown Public School is about three times bigger than Marks Meadow. Since our school is about 1/3 smaller, it would cost about 1/3 less money to build. $14.5 million divided by three equals about $4.8 million† (arps.org).The players effort is insignificant and worthless compare to the amount of they get. The reasons why they should not be paid as much as they do, are: Children should be in better schools have a higher degree of education, people who work harder should get better salaries, the money people sent in football as a whole should be used better on investment or donations.

Loft Living Essay Example for Free

Loft Living Essay My dictionary defines loft as a room or place used for storing things. (Oxford’s learner’s advanced. 2009 edition) Loft places have become a fashionable lifestyle choice in London. As a result the design of lofty interiors, their accessories and associated urban lifestyle have become iconic images of cool London or cool urban living. In this essay I will explore loft living as a lifestyle, its history, and reasons for its growing popularity plus tips on how to exploit the unique qualities it offers. Once thought of as strictly for artists and bohemian types, loft living is now a sought after lifestyle accessory. Previously, starving artists had to sleep in their studio lofts to avoid paying rent, but now loft living is one of the most sought after type of housing for most people. Loft living has its origin in Manhattan area of New York, but today a look at any downtown area across many cities reveals a trend that is gaining popularity. In London, loft living gained widespread use in the nineties. â€Å"In London, the loft boom is owed much to someone who was the furthest thing from cool- Margret Thatcher. In her government’s misguided attempt to boost the pockets of property owners, camouflaged as an attempt for urban regeneration, the use of Class Order of 198 was passed. Basically, this attempt to simplify planning meant that office and industrial property were classified as one, giving landlords the opportunity to change rents on inner city workshops and light industrial units. †(Richard, 2010) Most businesses especially in Clerkenwell area was affected as tenants were forced to move rather than pay the exorbitant rents. But with the onset of recession, most industrial buildings became vacant and in an attempt to regeneration, the Islington council changed use of the buildings to residential use. 1. The oxford learners dictionary, 2009 2. Richard Artus, 2010. The history of loft living. www. urbanspaces. com 2 It is now common to find loft apartments, usually in renovated factories or other commercial structures: the appeal for living in open spaces is growing day by day. â€Å"Loft living is no longer just meant for starving artists who could not afford to live elsewhere, today loft lifestyle is a much desired trendy way to live. Particularly hip among upwardly mobile young adults, typical lofts are generally located in urban centers which offer easy access to shopping, dining, and all things that are happening now. And along with being in the middle of the action, loft living offers a very specific lifestyle. Today while many lofts are housed in turn-of-the-the-century industrial buildings in metro cities like London, New York Chicago and Los Angeles, quite a few are actually built from scratch. It seems like the desire to this unique and contemporary way of living has caught on in areas where the number of available buildings has been depleted† (Deborah, Jun 29 2010) There are other factors that are contributing to the growth of the trend. Many lofts are situated in downtown areas, which mean greater access to many social amenities, shorter commutes and the joy of living in rejuvenated neighborhoods. Additionally, lofts can be customized according to the owner’s tastes: the space can be partitioned to incorporate several rooms as per the owner’s requirements. Many of today’s newer loft developments are being built without proper adherence to the original industrial feel-usually to save costs , but most offer other amenities for comfort and convenience. A typical loft utilizes large open space and so presents unique challenges. However, one should utilize the unique qualities offered by loft living. 3. Deborah s. Hildebrand Jun 29 2010. Choosing Loft Living as a Lifestyle. www. sute101. com 3 When buying or renting a loft, there are a number of things that one should bear in mind. Location is one of them. It should, ideally, be near a major thoroughfare, in a quiet place and yet accessible to social amenities such as hospital and schools. A potential buyer should also review, as in newer lofts, the integrity of the developer, builder or agent. The other thing is whether the package has any hidden costs. Loft living has its challenges though, and most of the challenges arise in design. Designing the interior decor for instance may present a challenge to many people. This is due to the fact that most lofts were not intended to be residential in the first place. Rebecca Tanqueray and Oviana Fielding in their book Loft: Living in space, says, â€Å"coming up with a lofty notion is one thing, coming home to a lofty apartment is another. Big plans converting big spaces need practical and artful solutions to manage all that scale, all that space and all those industrial-strength problems. Adaptive re-use in residential design may call for revising user assumptions and adaptations to such unusual spaces. †(Victoria Carlson, 1999) Most of the loft design in the area feature exposed brick walls, and support columns and vintage wooden flooring. Given that they were designed to be warehouses, they have high ceiling. And it is not uncommon to see duct work, beams rafters and pipes for an industrial edge. The lofts I visited use a certain measure of open plan living in which most of the living spaces flow into each other. This is different from what I am used to at home where rooms are separate and in some instances, a distance from each other. 4. Victoria Carlson, 1999. Review of the book, Loft: Living in space by Rebecca tanqueray and Oviana Fielding 4 Living in a loft should provide the same feeling as living in a condominium or a normal house. But there are several things that one should incorporate into the design, decor and the floor plan to create a homely mood. To begin, one needs to create a positive impression at the entry. Apart from introducing the house mood the entry area serves as catch-all for mail, bags, umbrellas, shoes and rain jackets. This problem may be alleviated by constructing a storage area. Once you have created space, it is easier to decorate the rest of the loft. A small rug placed at the entry will protect the rest of the house from dusty, wet or muddy shoes. In addition to that, family members or guests may want to check their appearance as the move in or out of the loft. So, the next piece of furniture that may be considered in the entry area is a mirror, hang over a table or narrow shelf. Alternatively, one may want to place to stop and wear shoes, so a small bench or love seat, depending on the available space, can also work in the new loft entry. After choosing the furniture and the flooring for the entry, one can think about whether to light this area separately. A small central pendant light fixture or a spotlight will create drama and a warm feel as will a table lamp. Finally, personalize the entry by including accessories like a wall painting, dried and fresh flowers, and holiday souvenirs. Decorating the loft interior may pose challenges as one needs to create an overall impression of cohesion while maintaining a suitable separate atmosphere for each area. If you have to paint the walls, choose colors that complement the general outlook of the interior. 5 Due to thee open nature of most lofts, one should put a touch of personality, and relate the same to its surrounding. For instance, prints of food works best in living, dining area and the kitchen. Some children find wall masks very scary and their preferences should also be taken into account. Avoid disturbingly provocative art in bedrooms or studies. Artwork should be framed to coordinate with the loft decor. Always select a frame that complements your decor style and the colors you have used in the loft. Where possible, use similar frames and mats for objects that will be displayed together. The loft interior plan too should incorporate a functional and comfortable floor plan with places for entertainment, working and storage. These individual living areas can then be defined with room dividers, rugs and furniture. Room division can be in form of sliding or folding screens and frosted glass panels. Another way of to establish subtle transition is the use of raised platforms. Furniture arrangement can be problematic if traffic flows between the open spaces is not carefully planned. Different activities can overlap. For instance, it ca be difficult to conduct a conversation in the living area wile the children play noisily in the dining room. Part of the charm of loft living is that it allows a family to connect to each other and their guests informally. For example, a meal can be prepared while guests wait by the dining table taking their pre-dinner drinks. When decorating, one should think of the loft as a one entity instead of creating a different personality and themes for every room or living area. This creates cohesion and simplifies your decor choices. One should use similar or complementary decorative finishes throughout, linking 6 any two sections that open up into each other with similar paint, wall paper or using the same curtains. Also keep the flooring similar to visually expand the space. Proper loft planning should also be extended to furniture arrangement. The first step in creating an ideal furniture arrangement is choosing a focal point which might be an architectural detail such as a fire place. Since most lofts do not come with a fireplace built in, you can have one built. In an area with no discernable focal point, you can create one. This can be the wall facing you when you once you enter the room or the entertainment unit in a family room or area. The next step is to arrange your furniture around the focal point. In the living area, for instance, the sofa should ideally face the focal point or be arranged around it to underscore its importance. After placing the biggest furniture item, lace the items that relate to it next. This could be coffee tables or side tables. Place all other items in a manner that enhances the living experience. For example, the TV might look great in a corner but can it be viewed from the main sofa? Is there somewhere to place a cup of tea as one watch TV? As one place the furniture, one has to bear in mind how occupants will use the room. Is there enough space between the furniture items to allow for someone to sit down comfortably and stretch their legs without touching another person or a piece of furniture? More often than not the issue of space is very important, as most lofts have large spaces. The most common mistake people make when furnishing a loft is having too much furniture in 7 screens, they separate two areas but ensure that the two sections of the room are not claustrophobic. How one arranges the furniture and electronic equipment and how much of it you include can make or break the vision of the beautiful living space one might be trying to achieve. The best furniture placement maximizes on your current space instead of limiting it, it allows for smooth traffic flows in and out of the individual spaces and enhances the living experiences.. By making complementary furniture choices, your furniture sits well in both rooms, For instance, one should use chairs that can double up as extra seating in the living room area. One should avoid using too much furniture and opt instead for multifunctional furniture. For example a rectangular or oval table can be elongated or folded into a small unit for a dining table. When not in use as a dining table, it can act as a console. Since most loft spaces are huge open spaces, making individual spaces becomes inevitable. One option for physically creating some privacy while still maintaining spaciousness is the use of folding screens. When placed between a dining area and living room, or living room and bedroom, it can hide the mess of one area. Decorative room screens divide the room without cutting out the light, and come in a variety of materials including wood and wrought iron. If hand carved or well crafted, they can be a visual statement in the area. See through shelving units are good room dividers as they also provide additional storage and attractive display opportunities. 8 Another form of shelving is a low wall of kitchen base units that divide the room only up to waist level. Some shelving can either be permanent or free-standing. The least way of dividing a living area is by arranging the furniture so that it forms a natural barrier. However it is important to ensure that the back of whichever furniture piece is used is presentable. Another factor that one should consider is weather. Most lofts were built for other purposes other than residential, so it is very important to consider the issue of weather in the interior design. For instance the general needs during the cold, dark months are warmth, comfort, security and indoor stimulation. The loft may become inhabitable through the cold or the hot season. So the interior should incorporate designs that would cater for cold as well as the hot seasons. Due to the big nature of most lofts spaces, conditioning the rooms may prove to be a challenge. So, when shopping for things like furniture, it important to bear in mind that some pieces retain heat while others lose it easily. Generally, the less solid a piece is and the less fabric it has, for example wicker, rattan and bamboo, the faster it will lose heat. However, chunkier heavily upholstered chairs help in retaining heat. Also recliners keep you warmer by keeping your feet off the floor. Regardless of how cold it is, one can still make the full use of the natural light, afforded by the loft’s big windows, and heat as well as use some artificial heat sources from fireplaces or heaters. In the cold months if you have sheer curtains it is advisable to replace them with heavy window draperies to keep out cold draft of air and retain heat indoors ,artificial light fixtures too, will help in creating feelings of warmth and comfort. Glass, stainless steel and plastic, look and feel very cold because they are smooth, textured surfaces on the other hand trap pockets of air and add warmth. So, where possible, bring in textured materials and items. 9 For throws and cushion covers, choose from fleece, wool or cashmere and drape one across the arm of a chair or over the back of a sofa, or at the foot of a bed. Marble or tile flooring will definitely be colder in such weather. A wooden floor is much warmer. However, for softness underfoot and insulation from the cold turn to carpet in your living room and bedrooms. To provide further luxurious comfort, ensure that the carpet is lined with under-felt, in addition, provide area rugs for passageways, thick bath mats and bedside rugs. Loft living may or not be viable and significant solutions to the housing solution to the housing problem facing many city planners and designers, but the trend is opening new frontiers and creating many opportunities-we simply cannot afford to ignore it. The challenge, however is to make this former warehouses, churches and sawmills into habitable and most importantly, comfortable homes. Works cited: 1. The oxford learners dictionary, 2009 2. Richa Deborah s. Hildebrand Jun 29 2010. Choosing Loft Living as a Lifestyle. www. sute101. com 3. Richard Artus, 2010. The history of loft living. www. urbanspaces. com 4. Victoria Carlson, 1999. Review of the book, Loft: Living in space by Rebecca tanqueray and Oviana Fielding

What Are Presidentialism And Parliamentarism Concepts Politics Essay

What Are Presidentialism And Parliamentarism Concepts Politics Essay Different countries in the world have got their own political system in order to have their countries run and organized and most of them belong to two major systems, namely presidential and parliamentary system and with their own unique characteristics. The presidential and parliamentary systems have lots of different characteristics in their nature and practical running, and each of them have their own virtues and vices. Facing the change of the world political situation and the new democracies, they have got their own advantages to the development of the new democracies; however, there is no universal answer for all the countries in world of which system is more suitable for their new democracies. For presidentialism, it is a system which gives the president the most power in the ruling of the country.((((Find sources / define))). The president usually centralized the political power and symbolic power in his own hand.(CITATION) For political power, he has got a cabinet who is responsible for him and helping him to make various kinds of decisions in different matters, including both daily routines decisions and some important decisions like declaring wars and appointing the government officials, he has got the highest power in executing the policies in a country. For the symbolic power of the president, he represents a state.(CITE) He would be responsible for most of the external issues, like expressing the stand point and the view of a country towards a specific issue, receiving the foreign ambassadors and visiting the other countries in order to promote the country and establish different kinds of networks, including the strategic and economic ones. Like for the president of the United States, the country which is the representative of the presidentialism, Obama, he has been viewed as the symbol of United States nowadays. He has to represent the United States to attend different international conferences like the G20 Seoul Summit in 2010(Cite) and he has recently visited 4 countries in Asia and India. He has to do these visits in order to promote the States interests and establish links and relationships with other countries. The most significant characteristic of the presidential system is the separation of power. The power of legislative and executive is separated and they are independent from each other. There are different elections for electing the members of the executive and legislative branches respectively and hence the two branches may be controlled by different political parties. The parliamentary system is another major political system accounting for around 30% of all the governments (p.42) in the modern world and the assembly is allowed to remove the government (p.34). The parliamentary system has major characteristics of the fusion of power which the legislative and executive power was hold by the same body. The symbolic and the political power in the parliamentary system is, unlike the presidential system, separated in two separate individuals and the two individuals are usually called the head of state and chief executive and the title is subject to change in different countries.(Cite). The example of head of state in the modern states include the Queen of England, Elizabeth II, the Emperor of Japan, Akihito (cite?) and their function is to symbolize the state and responsible for the external issues like receiving ambassadors and performing many of the ceremonial tasks. Some of the head of state is chosen by succession and the others are usually chosen by a governmental body like the legislature.(Cite) The chief executive is responsible for the other part of the country management, he is the chief of the executive branch, and he is responsible for the policymaking and also the daily operation of the government. The chief executive is usually come from the majority party in the parliament, however when there is not a majority political party, there may be a coalition government governing the state, like in Britain. Not 100% of the democratic form of government is of parliamentary and presidential system. In 2000, around 20% of the government in democratic systems is of mixed system, containing both the characteristics of parliamentary and presidential system.(Cite)(p.43). Both the parliamentary and presidential system has its own virtues and vices and it explain why there are different countries supporting different system based on their situation and their historical background and real needs. However, they do not have absolute virtues and vices, there are only comparatively advantages. The first virtue of the parliamentary system is the enforceability of its promises to their supporters and citizens. The parliamentary government has a structural advantage hence it could pass its decision more quickly. As mentioned above, the executive cabinet was chosen within the parliament and it is usually dominated by a majority party. Hence, whenever the government proposes some new policies, the legislators which most of them are in the same party or same line with the government will support and vote for the policies, the policies proposed by the parliamentary government would have a much higher chance and less resistance to be executed. (cite?) However, the parliamentary system has a vice which is also because of its structure. Since the government is elected and chosen by the parliament, the power of parliament is strong enough to turn over the government. The parliamentary system offers no job security (cite). The chief executive will lose his position if the policies he proposed is not favored by the legislators, hence, the policies made by the parliamentary government would be more conservative if there is not an absolute majority party. Also, the quality of the policies does not have promise since they are less challenged and discussed by the legislators. The fast pace of making decision cannot ensure the quality of the decisions made. On the other hand, the presidential system has also got its own virtues and vices. The virtue of the presidential system is that there is separation of powers and hence the legislative branch would be able to check the power and the acts by the executive branch. Hence, there will be less chance for the executive branch to carry out policies which do not get public consensus and high popularity. The legislative branch can act as a defendant of the public when the government exercises unreasonable policies. The discussion and challenges from the legislature would also bring more opinion and thoughts to the government and higher quality and more rounded policies can be made. Secondly, the presidential system ensure the stability of the executive branch since the two branches are separated and independent to each other, hence, the legislature cannot dissolve the cabinet as in the parliamentary system. Both the legislators and president have fixed term and this encourages them to plan for longer terms of policies since there is certainty. However, there are also vices for the presidential system which is because of its characteristics of having check and balance. The check and balance can achieve better policies; on the other hand, it takes much more time to pass. Since the challenges and discussion in the legislature usually takes a long time. Moreover, since there are different elections for electing the legislators and the cabinet, there may not be a party able to control both branches. Hence, it will be difficult for policies to be passed in the legislature if there are not enough allies. This also hindered the development of the country to a certain extent which the discussion will slow down the pass of some urgent policies. The virtues and vices of both of the political systems are not absolute and they may change over different time and different situation. Under the globalization process and the influence of countries among each other, there are now new democracies emerging in the world politics and they often face the dilemma of choosing a right political system. The parliamentary system will be more suitable for the new democracies because of the following points. Firstly, the newly developed democratic countries would usually have a common characteristic which there would be a variety of interests in the public. For example, there may be a lot of different clans or races, different opinions over how should the government implement its economic and public policies. The parliamentary system would be more suitable in this situation since there will be more voices able to speak for their own interest in the parliament and also the government which is elected from the parliament. The members in the parliament who share the executive power may have different backgrounds and hence would be able to reflect their supporters opinion. The prime minister would not be able to bias for his own interest since he will be put off if he does not content the legislature especially when there is not a dominant party. More different voices can appear in the political system in parliamentary system. Secondly, the executive branch in the parliamentary system is elected and chosen by the legislators and they gain certain extent of support from the legislators, in the new democratic countries, the prime minister and the legislators may have promised the voters and supports a lot in order to gain their support and also to strengthen the newly developed countries. Through the parliamentary system and its characteristics, the promises made by the politicians in the campaign can be easier realized since the policies proposed by the prime minister will get support from the legislators who have certain extent of consensus with the government. The system can also ensure the prime minister to carry out his promises since the parliament was given enough power to dissolve the cabinet; hence the prime minister will act according to his promise or in the legislators favor in order to gain support. Moreover, the new democratic countries are usually underdeveloped or developing countries like countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Eastern Europe. These countries, other than developing a new democratic society in their land, also have to develop their economic and diplomatic strength in order to occupy a place in todays world. Under these circumstances, these countries need a strong and efficient government to lead the people and also the country to catch up the developed countries in the world. In terms of efficiency, the parliamentary system will be much better than the presidential system. The law making and policy making process would be much smoother and shorter in time since there are much larger consensus between the legislative branch and the executive cabinet than that in the presidential system, which has to go through a long period of debate and challenges. Now in the parliamentary system, the good relationship between the two branches enable the government to p ass some urgent policies which may be crucial for the countrys development and can be more flexible in policy and law making in order to cope with this fast-changing world. Lastly a small but practical point, the parliamentary system requires fewer resources in holding elections. As mentioned above, the new democratic countries are usually developing countries which are limited in money and other resources like professionals for conducting and monitoring the elections. There is usually only one election for electing the parliamentary members and hence the members would form a government. It requires fewer resources when compared with the presidential system which usually requires two elections for electing the legislative and executive branch respectively. The resources saved can be used for developing the country in other aspects and they are important for a developing country. The parliamentary suits the new democracies more in a general situation like in the situation mentioned above. However, different countries have their own situation and other factors affecting which political system is better for themselves, like the historical background and the existence of monarchy and the influence of the major political figure. There is no universal answer for all countries in the world in which the presidential system could also be efficient; it all depends on the different situation and characteristics of the country and its people. It is a must to closely examine the countrys background in order to decide which political system is better for it and would help its democratic development in the future.

Convergent and Divergent Product Technology :: Expository Essays Research Papers

Convergent and Divergent Product Technology Every day we encounter different convergent and divergent products. Some people like the idea of a do everything Personal Digital Assistant, while others enjoy different products used for different things. Convergence can be defined as the occurrence of two or more things coming together. On the other hand, divergence is the tendency to move apart or evolve in different directions. In the instance of modern-technologies and their use in the information age, convergence and divergence play a large role in how new products are manufactured and marketed. There are many examples throughout history demonstrating the evolution of products in terms of convergence and divergence. Evolution of products leads to the current products on the market. These current products and historical trends of product evolution can give us an insight into what is in-store for the future of various forms of media. The dynamic innovations of convergent and divergent products continue to change throughout the in formation age. We can gain an understanding of how current forms of convergent and divergent media have come to be through a tour of a brief historical retrospect. Early on, accessible public technology was limited to the radio, television, and telephone. Each form of media was known as a divergent product. People seemed rather content with this simple way of living and had no trouble doing one thing at a time. Perhaps the first known convergence was the TV dinner. Families could now multitask; they could watch television and eat their meal in front of the television. As humorous as this may seem as a form of technology, this way of thinking paved the way for modern convergent products. Not until technologies became available in the nineties did convergent products become the norm. With the development of the laptop, the cellular phone, and the walkman people started to understand the potential of transportable and compactable technologies. These early technological breakthroughs became more advanc ed and people demanded more features. In time, these features would transform divergent products into convergent products. An evolution of convergent and divergent technologies has brought the market for divergent technologies into the information age. Soon, the radio could play cassettes and compact discs, the television could play VHS-tapes and DVDs, and the cellular phone can do just about anything. The laptop originated this convergent phenomenon with the competition of its size. Laptops became so small that they were deemed the name palm-pilot sometime in the mid-nineties due to the ability to fit in one’s palm.

The End of The Storm :: Free Essays Online

The End of The Storm I've heard it said that an institution is the sum of it's parts, but I prefer to think of it as the average of them. My high school, Campbell Hall, was a great school not because of the fact that it had a large number of great faculty members and students, but because it had an eclectic mix of great people. Campbell hall has a diverse mix of forward thinking people being lead by one of the most regressive and closed minded men I have ever met, the Reverend Canon Thomas C. Clark. When I arrived at Campbell Hall in ninth grade I knew that it was Episcopalian, and being a person who is never quite happy with one religion this scared me a little. But I soon found out that chapel included services for Jewish high holy days, Ramadan, and any other religious holidays that were celebrated by the student body. I was extremely impressed with this. But I soon found out that the Administration was not as tolerant as the chaplain in charge with these services. My first problem with Reverend Clark was when, in ninth grade, a friend of mine's older sister was asked to leave school because she was pregnant. I was too young to truly appreciate the lack of compassion shown for this girl then, but I was old enough to know that this was not the right way to handle the situation. My first true confrontation with Reverend Clark was when four people in my twenty-two person sophomore English class were caught cheating on an exam. The high school principal got to the bottom of it and punished the guilty accordingly. A week later my class found out that Reverend Clark had decided to make an example out of these four by suspending the entire English class for a day in hopes of making any future cheaters fear the wrath of their peers as well as that of the administration. Well myself, my class, and the entire student body were not very pleased with this decision, so we decided to show up to class on the day of our suspension anyway. Clark caved in, and we all went to class. But the event which truly confirmed my abhorrence of Reverend Clark was when my friend Andrew wrote a stunning essay for his A.P. English class on the confusions of growing up gay. The End of The Storm :: Free Essays Online The End of The Storm I've heard it said that an institution is the sum of it's parts, but I prefer to think of it as the average of them. My high school, Campbell Hall, was a great school not because of the fact that it had a large number of great faculty members and students, but because it had an eclectic mix of great people. Campbell hall has a diverse mix of forward thinking people being lead by one of the most regressive and closed minded men I have ever met, the Reverend Canon Thomas C. Clark. When I arrived at Campbell Hall in ninth grade I knew that it was Episcopalian, and being a person who is never quite happy with one religion this scared me a little. But I soon found out that chapel included services for Jewish high holy days, Ramadan, and any other religious holidays that were celebrated by the student body. I was extremely impressed with this. But I soon found out that the Administration was not as tolerant as the chaplain in charge with these services. My first problem with Reverend Clark was when, in ninth grade, a friend of mine's older sister was asked to leave school because she was pregnant. I was too young to truly appreciate the lack of compassion shown for this girl then, but I was old enough to know that this was not the right way to handle the situation. My first true confrontation with Reverend Clark was when four people in my twenty-two person sophomore English class were caught cheating on an exam. The high school principal got to the bottom of it and punished the guilty accordingly. A week later my class found out that Reverend Clark had decided to make an example out of these four by suspending the entire English class for a day in hopes of making any future cheaters fear the wrath of their peers as well as that of the administration. Well myself, my class, and the entire student body were not very pleased with this decision, so we decided to show up to class on the day of our suspension anyway. Clark caved in, and we all went to class. But the event which truly confirmed my abhorrence of Reverend Clark was when my friend Andrew wrote a stunning essay for his A.P. English class on the confusions of growing up gay.

Geoffrey Chaucer :: Biographies Poet Poetry Essays

Geoffrey Chaucer Before William Shakespeare, Geoffrey Chaucer was the preeminent English poet, and still retains the position as the most significant poet to write in Middle English. Chaucer was born in the early 1340s to a middle-class family. His father, John Chaucer, was a vintner and deputy to the king's butler. His family's financial success came from work in the wine and leather businesses. Little information exists about Chaucer's education, but his writings demonstrate a close familiarity with a number of important books of his contemporaries and of earlier times. Chaucer was likely fluent in several languages, including French, Italian and Latin. Chaucer first appears in public records in 1357 as a member of the house of Elizabeth, Countess of Ulster. This was a conventional arrangement in which sons of middle-class households were placed in royal service so that they may obtain a courtly education. Two years later Chaucer served in the army under Edward III and was captured during an unsuccessful offensive at Reims, although he was later ransomed. Chaucer served under a number of diplomatic missions. By 1366 Chaucer had married Philippa Pan, who had been in service with the Countess of Ulster. Chaucer married well for his position, for Philippa Chaucer received an annuity from the queen consort of Edward III. Chaucer himself secured an annuity as yeoman of the king and was listed as one of the king's esquires. Chaucer's first published work was The Book of the Duchess, a poem of over 1,300 lines that is an elegy for the Duchess of Lancaster. For this first of his important poems, which was published in 1370, Chaucer used the dream-vision form, a genre made popular by the highly influential 13th-century French poem of courtly love, the Roman de la Rose, which Chaucer translated into English. Throughout the following decade, Chaucer continued with his diplomatic career, traveling to Italy for negotiations to open a Genoa port to Britain as well as military negotiations with Milan. During his missions to Italy, Chaucer encountered the work of Dante, Petrarch, and Boccaccio, which were later to have profound influence upon his own writing. In 1374 Chaucer was appointed comptroller of the customs and subsidy of wool, skins, and tanned hides for the Port of London, his first position away from the British court.

Currency Derivatives Essay

Preference of equity and commodity over Currency derivatives trading in India survey Kindly spare some minutes to fill this form and be a part of real customer perception survey and support us to gain an insight about the preferences of Indian retail investors for trading in market and the reasons behind the existing popularity of currency derivative market in India. 1. Did you ever think of currency derivative market as trading option? Yes, I trade in currency market No, but planning to invest after performing research? Never, what is Currency Derivatives? 2. In which market do you trade? (Choose all that apply, skip if you do not trade) Equity Commodity Currency Derivatives 3. Rate your expertise in the market: (Choose one level for each) Zero Commodity Currency derivatives Equity Beginner Intermediate Expert 4. Given Rs. 1000, how would you allocate the money among these investment options? (Allocation should add up to Rs. 100). Hedger Commodity Currency derivatives Equity Speculator Arbitrager 6. Choose and rate from 1 to 3 among the following attributes for each market. (Fill for only those market in which you trade) Returns Market volatility Portfolio diversification Hedging Arbitrage Commodity Currency derivatives Equity 7. Why do you think Indian retails investors have less preference towards currency derivatives market? Strongly agree Not enough self knowledge Less popular among peers Lack of govt. initiatives Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree.

19th and 20th Century Gender Expectations in Literature Essay

The late 19th century produced a myriad of successful authors, poets and play-writes that often incorporated the local customs, traditions and expectations of the time (and perhaps their own experiences) into their work. A fact of the times, even into early 20th century, is that women were not equal to men and the expectations of women were not equal as well. This point will be illustrated by comparative analysis of two separate forms of literature: Tristan Bernard’s humorous play I’m Going! A Comedy in One Act, and Kate Chopin’s short story â€Å"The Story of an Hour. † Authors can use plays, stories or poems to bring us into their world, and through imagination we can connect with them, if only briefly, and enjoy their point of view and what they are trying to convey. Through their writing, they are actually giving us a look at history and through that snapshot of time we can see the differences between society’s expectations then and now. Tristan Bernard’s (1866-1947) I’m Going! A Comedy in One Act (1915), (Clugston, 2010a), is a play set in Paris about a married couple (Henri and Jeanne) who on a Sunday morning are trying to decide how they are going to spend their day. Henri wants to go to the races but he wants Jeanne to stay home, though she wants to go with him, or to see her friend (Clugston, 2010a). The theme of the play is one of distrust and manipulation, as each truly wants to spend the day on their own, and at the end of the play that is exactly what they do (Clugston, 2010a). See more: Analysis of Starbucks coffee company employees essay In this play, Bernard uses the setting of the stage and symbolism to convey to the audience a sense of separate desires of the couple starting with the opening scene when Henri and Jeanne enter and sit on opposite sides of the room (Clugston, 2010a). Bernard, in fact, used symbolism in many of his works, and exploited the psychoanalytical technique to draw his dramas together (Degasse, 2008). What one really has to look through the mist to see, however, is how Bernard incorporates society’s expectations (or double standard) of women in  Paris (and throughout the world, really), though in a humorous and dramatic style, into the play. One has to keep in mind that the male audience of that time probably had the same attitude and beliefs as the character Henri, and though it may have been viewed as right or wrong, women were expected to be subservient and obedient while the male was allowed further freedoms. Henri wants to goes to the races alone, and ultimately, that is what he does while Jeanne stays home, but let us look deeper at the play and uncover the nuances that show the inequality of the times and how Bernard conveys that conviction. After Henri and Jeanne’s initial entrance and they set down, the first thing that happens is Henri makes a comment about how every Sunday the weather is nice until noon, then its cloudy and rainy or there is an advancing thunderstorm (Clugston, 2010a). This verbal observation of the weather may be a metaphor and actually provide two meanings; one is that it is in fact rainy and Henri is setting a negative atmosphere for Jeanne who expects him to take her out for the day, and the other could be the weekly Sunday dilemma of Henri trying to go to the races without Jeanne. The rainy, or soon to be, day also sets a tone of despair, but provides Henri with an excuse to go to the races alone and save him and his wife the additional cost of a carriage in order to avoid the rain, and additional cost of a ladies ticket (Clugston, 2010a). In truth, it is just a manipulation of the circumstances for Henri to try to dissuade Jeanne in joining him at the races (Clugston, 2010a). Then in Bernard’s I’m Going, A Comedy in One Act (1915), Henri recommends a promenade (a walk) with his wife instead of accompanying him to the races and Jeanne responds â€Å"Yes, up the Champs-Elysees together! And have you looking daggers at me all the time! Whenever I do go with you, you’re always making disagreeable remarks. † Henri responds with â€Å"Because you are in a bad humor – you’ll never give me your arm. † (Jeanne called him on his bluff, because he really doesn’t want to take a walk either), (cited in Clugston, 2010a, 1. 1. 26-29). She has no real intention of going for a walk with him as she did not intend to go to the races, but does not want to see him go alone to the races and enjoy himself alone, either. This is another example of manipulation; her manipulating him and vice versa, and starts the back and forth farce of both supposedly wanting to spend the day together when they really do not (Clugston, 2010a). When Jeanne decides Henri can go to the races alone because she intends to go see a friend, Henri decides he will stay at home and not go to the races (Clugston, 2010a). This is an obvious representation of the husband not trusting the wife, and even though she has given sanction to him to proceed, he abandons all intentions to leave because of his suspicion of her meeting with her friend and also perhaps meeting another man. The deception between both characters is obvious at this point in the play but not obviously clear as to why. Though we know by this point that Henri’s intention has always been to go to the races alone, it is not yet clear why Jeanne reacts the way she does. Is it that she is abused, or expected to stay home alone while Henri goes to the races, or does she have her own nefarious agenda, or both? Finally, and after much back and forth ruse of both characters, Jeanne decides to stay at home alone and lets Henri leave for the races alone, only to delight in the fact that she can spend her afternoon working on hats and enjoying chocolate at home as detailed immediately after Henri departs for the races in Bernard’s I’m Going! A Comedy in One Act (1915), (cited by Clugston, 2010a, 1. 1. 81-185): (Waits for a moment, listens, and hears the outer door close, then rises, and goes to the door at the back. She speaks to someone off-stage) Marie, don’t go before you get me a large cup of chocolate. Bring two rolls, too. Oh, and go at once to my room and bring me my box of ribbons and those old hats. (She comes down- stage, and says beaming) What fun I’ll have trimming hats! Throughout this play Jeanne is expected by Henri to stay at home while he enjoys the afternoon alone, and despite the opposition Jeanne gives him, she eventually desists and Henri has his way while she is left at home. This is an excellent example of how women were treated by their husbands then as compared to how most men and women interact today. There was probably no other recourse for the character Jeanne but to resolve herself to some enjoyment at home with her hats, and chocolate, and rolls. It could be argued that that is what she wanted all along, that she only wanted a reassurance that her husband loved her, but probably not, more than likely she simply had no other choice than to occupy her Sunday alone as best as she could and succumb to her husband’s wishes. There stands some ambiguity as to whether they really love each other, or if Jeanne is simply stuck and cannot get out of the situation she is in. Sixteen years earlier than the play by Tristan Bernard discussed above, but in the same era of male dominance, Kate Chopin (1850-1904) wrote several short stories and novels which also depict the sexist plight of women in her time and the choices they had to endure in order to survive, including quite possibly domestic violence in a time when no recourse was available (Tate, 2000). Unlike Bernard, who was a renowned writer at the age of 25, Chopin was considered a feminist, and as a young widow who had to raise six children alone when she lost her husband to swamp fever, she eventually succeeded by turning to writing and was widely accepted in the southern United States literary circle (Tucker, 1996). Much of her writing incorporates her own life experiences and tribulations, such as â€Å"The Awakening,† (1899) which depicts a 19th century woman who is adulterous, but maintains her strength and individuality despite of what society thinks about her (Tucker, 1996). It is of little doubt that Kate Chopin was of the same opinion and character of many of those characters in her stories. According to Leary (1968), much of her writing â€Å"Speaks of marital unhappiness and of dangers which lie in wait for people who do as they want to do without concern for other people† (p. 60). Kate Chopin’s â€Å"The Story of an Hour† (1894), (Clugston, 2010b), is written clearly and succinctly leaving little room for ambiguity or misinterpretation. Chopin’s direct style of writing draws the reader in quickly and gives immediate insight to what is happening and what the feelings of the characters are, thus increasing the understanding of what the author is trying to convey. Like Bernard, Chopin uses symbolism and tone to enhance the (in this case) imaginary setting to further the reader’s experience. Unlike Bernard, Chopin’s form was short stories and novels instead of plays to be performed in front of live audiences. It is also important to look at Kate Chopin from a biographical/historical perspective to realize Chopin has also used life experiences as a basis for some of her characters: in this story Mr. Mallard has reportedly been killed in a train accident, while in reality Kate Chopin’s father really was killed in a train accident (Tucker, 1996). According to Seyersted, (cited in Kelly, 1994, p. 332), after critiquing â€Å"Athenaise,† he states that â€Å"In spite of its ‘happy ending,’ this tale is, on a deeper level, a protest against woman’s condition. Seyersted is undoubtedly referring to women’s struggle at that time for equality with men. Closer comparison of this story with Bernard’s play will bring to the surface many similarities of the uphill struggle women of this era endured and how it is depicted and evident in our literature. In Chopin’s â€Å"The Story of an Hour,† the main character, Mrs. Mallard receives word at home that her Husband had been killed in a train accident, she was distraught and crying, and when this subsided, she retires alone to a large armchair facing an open window in her room (Clugston, 2010b). This initial reaction to her loss seems fairly normal up to this point in the story, but then the Narrator describes what Mrs. Mallard sees, smells and hears from the open window, using symbolism and tone to describe a renewal in life, as described in Chopin’s â€Å"Story of an Hour,† (cited by Clugston, 2010b, para. 5): She could see in the open square before her house the tops of trees that were all aquiver with the new spring life. The delicious breath of rain was in the air. In the street below a peddler was crying his wares. The notes of a distant song which some one was singing reached her faintly, and countless sparrows were twittering in the eaves. As the story unfolds, Mrs. Mallard feels an emotion coming to her which she initially cannot identify, but ultimately does identify it; it is relief and a sense of a newfound freedom (Clugston, 2010). But why would she feel this way now unless she felt oppressed or abused when her husband was alive? A better description of what Mrs. Mallard had endured under her Husband’s rule and what she imagined the future to hold is stated in the story: â€Å"There would be no powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow-creature† (cited in Clugston, 2010b, para. 14). The Author is speaking to the reader about this issue in 1894, a very bold and controversial statement for a time in which women were not expected to behave this way. Nearing the end of the story Mrs. Mallard finally accepts her newfound freedom and rejoices to herself â€Å"Free! Body and soul free! † (cited in Clugston, 2010b, para. 19), only to be persuaded out of her room by her sister and lead downstairs just as her husband comes through the front door, he was in fact not dead after all (Clugston, 2010). Mrs. Mallard died upon seeing her husband though the doctors said it was heart disease (earlier in the story it does mention she had a weak heart), (Clugston, 2010). One has to wonder though, did Mrs. Mallard die from heart disease or is this another symbol the Author uses to express Mrs. Mallard (or any oppressed woman) would rather die than give up her freedom and individuality? Tristan Bernard’s I’m Going! A Comedy in One Act is a play written by a man in France sixteen years after Kate Chopin’s â€Å"The Story of an Hour,† which is a short story written by a woman in the United States. Though there are differences in the Authors, origin, form, audience or reader, some compelling similarities exist; the time they were written (1915 & 1894, respectively), that both Authors incorporate issues of the time into their work, and perhaps most importantly, they both display the subservient, oppressive place which women are expected to take in the 19th and 20th centuries.