Principles of Personal Development Essay

Standards that influence the way adult social care job roles are carried out. Codes of Practice set out the criteria against which providers are assessed by. They also describe the standards of conduct and practice with which workers must carry out their activities and ensure that what they do is competent and consistent with the values of their employer. These standards are how registrants’ ‘ï ¬ tness to practice’ is determined. For a care worker to work in a certain profession, they have to register with their particular Professional Council and then work to the Codes of Practice which they deem ï ¬ t. Not following their Code of Practice could result in them being taken of the register and no longer allowed to work in that role. Reflecting on work activities is an important way to develop own knowledge and skills. Reflection on your own practice is important because it allows you to assess what you are doing well, identify areas where you might like or maybe need more training or guidance in to ensure you are performing to the best you can, and are meeting all standards and expectations within the elderly house policies and procedures. Reflecting on your practice can enhance and improve your confidence and self esteem because you can look at what you are doing well, the things you have learnt and achieved and feel good about yourself especially if you have done something with ease that you used to find difficult, if you have done something you never did well in or something that you have never tried before. This then gives you confidence to continue working well and to aim to try other new things or to use what new skills or knowledge you have gained in your practices. During the activity you improve you learning by asking you supervisor/senior. You learn from others people strategies. Find ways to reflect your self in your activity. Reflection, which is learning through experience, is not a new concept. As humans, we naturally reflect on our surroundings and experiences. It is a learning tool that will help us improve our skill and develop our knowledge and practice. Also it is important to find your strengths and weaknesses so that you can develop and improve on them, so you can make your weakness your strengths. Reflecting on your self is a complex activity that requires the individual to develop a set of skills. When you reflect you stand back and think of a situation or problem, gain a new perspective of something, make sense of our experiences and construct meaning and knowledge that directs actions in practice. Use evidence to help decide on decisions. Ways to ensure that personal attitudes or beliefs do not obstruct the quality of work. The best way to ensure that personal attitudes or beliefs don’t obstruct the quality of work is to be dedicated to excellence. Personal attitudes can be changed through education. That is an important way. It helps to develop a good work ethic. How learning activities can develop knowledge, skills and understanding. How a learning activity has improved own knowledge, skills and understanding. The more you think and plan, the better you can do. Think things all the way through to a successful conclusion. Improving improved own knowledge, skills and understanding by reflecting on a situation I don’t have a situation that I really want to share, but I spend a great deal of time reflecting on life from various perspectives from the logical/intellectual to the mystical/muse. The two quotes below are on a list that I keep in my desk. They remind me why I must make time, even if it appears I’m doing something else, to reflect. * â€Å"Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try!† ― Dr. Seuss * â€Å"The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.† ― Albert Einstein Feedback from others has developed own knowledge, skills and understanding The example is comments, critics, suggestions. If someone know what to do to this feedback, that person already know what to do next. That was a development by feedback How a personal development plan can contribute to own learning and development Definition of personal development plan Personal development planning (PDP) is the process of creating an action plan based on awareness, values, reflection, goal-setting and planning for personal development within the context of a career, education, relationship or for self-improvement. Who can be involved in the PDP process Typically, each employee’s line manager should be responsible for the individual employee’s PDP. * Managers may need appropriate training to ensure they can manage PDPs effectively. Developing these skills can be built into the manager’s own PDP. * The most senior employees – and those whose performance has the most impact on the performance of the business – may benefit from an external mentor Sources of support for own learning and development There are many sources of support that you can access and many different ways that you can help yourself, when developing your practice. The appraisal or supervision system in your workplace can be a good starting point. This will help you to identify areas of your practice that need to be developed, and to plan to use opportunities for training and development. Some employers provide appraisal at six-monthly or 12-monthly intervals, but supervision should be at least once a month. This gives you a good opportunity to use the experience and knowledge of your supervisor to help you plan how to move forward in your practice. Benefits of using PDP to identify ongoing improvements in own knowledge and understanding Some advantages of taking a personal development approach to your work are: Gaining a clearer focus to your learning. Helping to keep yourself motivated. A better understanding of how you learn and how to improve your performance. More enjoyment and less stress from your learning as you become consciously skilled. More awareness of how to apply your learning to new problems and contexts.

Gamefowl Breeder

The establishment or â€Å"fixing† of such characteristics Is accomplished by repeated Infusions of those heartsickness without concern for genealogical purity or so called breed names. All which follows is merely an expansion and development of those principles. Throughout the following pages you will find the pronoun â€Å"l† used frequently. It Is strictly a style of writing. An informal conversation style, as If we were talking together, which makes for easier reading and clearer understanding.Definitely it is not a â€Å"know it all† attitude or any desire to pose as an authority. Rather it represents an honest expression of opinion based upon my own experiences. – Narragansett Chapter 1 The Uncertainties of Breeding The transmission of hereditary characteristics is beyond the comprehension of mankind. Our greatest scientists have identified, classified, named, and theorized upon the numerous factors involved, yet have never been able to create a livi ng organism or to predict with certainty what the various elements in combination would produce.Accordingly, it is no wonder that the most scientific practices result in failure, whereas an obscure and Improbable combination occasionally produces phenomenal results. An example of the latter comes to mind: (a) The Berg Blue Muffs which first were produced by a 16-year-old boy from a wild combination of game fowl. (b) The world's champion harness horse, Peter Manning, which was sired by an obscure young stallion mated to a slab sided mare which Warren Wright hitched to his wagon while delivering his yeast cakes. C) The Thomas W, Murphy family of â€Å"Abraham† fowl which resulted from a stolen nest mating of an unknown cook and a stray hen which hatched and raised her brood of chicks upon the grounds of Mr.. Murphy's neighbor, Abraham Strauss. Hence the name Abraham. These are but a few examples, no doubt you can enumerate many more. They are what I call â€Å"lottery ticketâ €  mating. You buy a lottery ticket for 50 cents and win a thousand dollars. Occasionally. But it can be done and has been done. It is the breeding practice followed by most cockers.Once in a great while they hit the jackpot, but 99% of the time they have to tear up the ticket and buy another one. From these examples you should recognize that there Is no sure fire formula for producing 100% winners. The most that we can hope to do is present a breeding system which on average will Improve your chances AT ruling above TTT level. 10 want extent you exceed sun bevel depends upon your personal qualifications of observation, selectivity and perseverance, remembering always that there are a hundred requirements for winning a cook fight, and a thousand ways to lose one.Breeding is only one of the many factors involved, but it is an important one, so lets see what we can do to improve our chances in that respect. Chapter 2 Things to Avoid I abhor the term PURE as applied to game fowl. In my 45 years experience I never found such to exist. Not genetically pure. You frequently hear reference to pure Hatch, or pure Keels, or pure Murphy. I knew intimately all three of these men during heir lifetimes yet never once did I ever hear one of them use the term pure when referring to his own or anyone else's fowl.They might say â€Å"this is what I call my number four yard, I've bred them together for several years along with their offspring, but they are coming small now and getting a bit fragile so I think next year I'll put another one of my socks in there to stiffen them up. † Or, â€Å"Walter sent me this cook which I've bred for a couple of years with good success. † But never † my pure No. 4 yard† or a â€Å"pure Keels cook. † They knew that such things did not exist, and never had existed, either on their yards or anyone else's.So many times people get a hen and a cook from a prominent breeder's yards and thereafter refer to them as p ure this, that or the other. That's crazy. The breeder himself, if he were honest, would not describe them in such terms. Just because both sides of the mating came from the same source does not make them pure. Far from it. Chances are that the prominent breeder has a dozen or more breeding yards on his place. Probably many of them are more or less related. Some may be inbred or lingered to a greater extent than the others. But it is a certainty that no two of them are the same, and not one of hem is pure.So how can the fowl you get from him be pure in the genetic sense and thereby be capable of transmitting characteristics with unfailing certainty? My great objection to the word pure is the harm it does to cockers who lean upon such erroneous term and rely upon those MIS-named fowl to transmit consistently the characteristics for which the family is noted. That's bad. Leads to all sorts of disappointments and loss of confidence. Breed Names Breed names are another one of my pet pee ves. People toss them around as if they were talking about some stable uniform substance like salt or sugar or soda.The truth is that such names so inaccurately describe the fowl being discussed as to be practically meaningless. A bird is referred to as being a pure Dad Glenn Whitehall, or a straight Albany, or an old-time Carney. The bird may be a good one, so far as that is concerned, but so far as his being what his name implied, it's dollars to doughnuts that the relationship does not exceed 10%. Here again the harm in using breed names is that it misleads others into thinking that they can procure the same good results as you have experienced simply by using a bird bearing the same breed name.The chances are that the two birds are not 5% related. For 32 years I was state distributor for Dodge automobiles. Upon countless occasions customers would come in and announce There's no need for you to give me a sales pitch, I know all about a Dodge. † So long as he was satisfied t here was no need to say witling, out ten truth was Tanat tender was not a nut, Dolt, Lemons, or engineering principle which was the same in this present Dodge as in the two or three he had owned previously. Only the name remained unchanged. The same situation exists in respect of breed names in game fowl.So, let's forget â€Å"breed names† and â€Å"purity† and examine the essential characteristics our brood fowl must possess, for such characteristics form a basis or foundation for this breeding system. Chapter 3 What to Look For Gameness Proper brood fowl must have many essential characteristics. Chief among them is that which commonly is called gameness. There has been so much written on this subject that I hate to mention it. All these three day tests, punishment tests, descriptive requirements have been worn threadbare. So I'll treat the subject here briefly and then drop it.If fowl do not measure up to my idea of gameness, I simply am not interested in them. Here it is: † An unquenchable determination to kill. † No matter what the conditions– ahead, behind, rattled, blinded, broken leg, no matter what. I want to see my brood cook ever and always trying to kill his opponent. All defensive fighting or â€Å"lying on his side, picking for an hour in a 120 degree sun† does not impress me at all. If he is not trying with all his heart every second to kill his opponent, regardless of all handicaps and circumstances, I Just am not interested. You can continue the discussion as long as you wish, but count me out.Proponents Let's start with the cook. Do you think with the acquisition of an ideal brood cook will be easy? Don't kid yourself. No matter how much money you spend, or how many high class events you attend, or how many top cockers you know, your chances of procuring an ideal brood cook on your first, second, or third attempt is very low. You could strike gold on your first claim, but the chances are that you will no t. But, don't give up. Persistence is one of the prime prerequisites of a successful breeder. In the first place the cook must be proponent. That is, he must be capable of passing along his own excellent qualities to his offspring.There is no way of determining whether or not a cook possesses this quality of proponents other than by trial and experience. No matter how marvelous a performer he is himself, if he does not pass along such qualities to his offspring he is of no value to you. I have seen countless instances, and probably you have too, where a fellow paid a big price for an outstanding performing cook only to have him produce nothing of merit. But because the fellow paid a big price for him he stuck with him year after year, and in the end it cost him many times the original price through using the worthless offspring.So be ever on the alert for this quality of proponents. A cook either has it or he hasn't. But if he does not have it, heave him right now. You can't change the situation, and you will only waste many years and much money by sticking by him, regardless of his source or price. The probabilities, and note that I say probabilities, for there is no certainty about it, are that a cook is more apt to be proponent if he is somewhat lingered or inbred rather tan Delving ten product AT a TLS cross. You wall nave to determine tens Trot ten man who bred him.Also you should ascertain if such cock's brothers, father, uncles on tot sides, etc. , If they did, your chances are improved. But if you find wide variations, where this fellow is merely an outstanding performer in a widely variable and commonplace family, you had better stop right there, for the probability of this guy reproducing himself is dim. Health Health. Robust, vigorous, teeming health. Big appetite. Easy mould. Ever aggressive. â€Å"Spring Busting Out All Over† type of health. It's one of the most important characteristics your brood cook can possess.Without it you are not go ing to be able to go very far in the breeding line before you break down. Peter Horrors use to pay more attention to a fowl's health record and that of his ancestors, and the conditions under which they where raised, than he did any other characteristic when selecting his brood stock. So give this feature great weight when selecting your own brood fowl. If you start out with some spindly, weak, thin feathered inbred â€Å"pure† cook of such and such a â€Å"breed name† you are not going to get very far. And the longer you stick with him the more time and money you are going to waste.Power More or less the same importance attaches to the feature of power. You can improve his quality by breeding to big strong brood hens, but each time you do it you are breeding away from the brood cook, thereby reducing his influence upon the line. Remember, what we are talking about now is the selection of a brood cook whose characteristics you wish to perpetuate. Accordingly, you shoul d start out with power as a prime prerequisite. It is a top requirement for a successful pit cook, so don't handicap yourself from the outset by selecting a brood cook which is deficient in this repeat.Cutting High on the list of priorities for a brood cook is that of cutting. If a cook does not have his quality I simply will not use him in the brood yard no matter how many other desirable qualifications he may possess. He may be healthy, game, strong as a bull, but if he is not a superior cutter I am not interested in using him in the brood yard. Butting is largely a matter of heel pinpointing a manner of striking. It is astonishing how many socks strike on the curve of the blade, or with their hocks or the bottom of their feet. Likewise, many socks never complete their stroke.They don't follow through. In baseball parlance they bunt, instead of swing. Their wings may make a great Mack which gives the erroneous impression of delivering a mighty blow, but their heels are bunting ins tead of swinging. Many times you will here someone say † now he is getting tired he will begin to cut. † And he does. But I always felt that such cutting was more the result of the adversary standing still or being immobile than it was of the first cook cutting better. In other words, he could hit a sitting duck but not one on the fly. I am not impressed by that sort of cutting.Any shooter can hit a tin can setting on a Thence post. I want ten Klan Tanat can â€Å"molten on ten TTYL. † It I for the eye to follow the movements of a cock's heels. At leas it is for me. But almost anyone can see the results of a blow. After each buckle or exchange of blows if you see that one cook appears to have shrunk about a pound, you can be sure that the opposing cook has done some effective cutting. â€Å"Look where he hits. † This is an obsession with me. If a cook does not look were he is hitting and strikes nothing, I want no part of him.So many socks have good leg act ion and strike properly but don't look were they are striking. They fan the air in all directions but hit nothing, wear themselves out and do no damage. On the other hand certain socks â€Å"draw a dead,† as gunners say, with every shot. If you are in the pit with him, or close by, you can see his eyes focus upon a certain portion his opponent's anatomy-head, breast, back- and strike within a quarter inch of where he is looking. It does not take many blows so directed to bring an opponent down. One such crack is more effective than a hundred wild failings in the air.Years ago old M. J. Bowen sent me a stag which had won seven times in short heels in his first season and was up for his eighth fight. I told M. J. To â€Å"cut it out† and send him to me, which he did. When the stag arrived I was gusted with him, long flat body, narrow shoulders, built Just like a duck. Nothing prepossessing about him. But when I sparred him I could see those beady eyes concentrate on a de finite spot every stroke he hit with marksmanship accuracy, and in no time at all he had my prize brood cook on the ropes. He taught me a lesson I have never forgotten.Weaknesses Rare is the cook which does not have a weakness of some sort. He may have a host of grand qualities, but if he has even one pronounced weakness his opponent is almost sure to find it and take advantage of it. The weakness could be any one of many: low- datedness, ducking,etc. You can breed out this weakness in time,but while doing so you are breeding out his good qualities as well. The result is that his influence in the line becomes lost entirely and you might Just as welling have started with him in the first place. You can't breed out the faults and remain the virtues.When one goes they all go. So in selecting your brood cook make sure he has no prominent weakness which you must get rid of. Chapter 4 Fighting Characteristics No two pope agree on how a cook should fight. Even after a fight is over they se ldom agree as to what enabled the one to win and caused the other to lose. One man is impressed by certain characteristics the other man by different ones entirely. The type of heel used causes further differences if opinion. Undoubtedly all of us are influenced by our early teachings. Subconsciously we remember what Uncle Ben or Old Man Smith told us years ago.Their teachings could be right or might well be wrong. I've seen men who've been fighting chickens for 60 years who were the poorest Judges of a cock's fighting form of anyone at pit side. Many times a man's wife sees more, is more realistic and factual, and is a far better Judge than the cocker himself. The latter is handicapped by prejudices and early teachings. The wife is not. She sees things as they are. Accordingly, it is vitally important for the cocker-breeder to develop a correct standard of fighting counterblasts AT Nils own. I T en does not ay tens – Tree Trot prejudice or sentiment- he is not going to get f ar.We have already discussed the important fighting characteristics of gameness, cutting, power, deliberate accurate striking, ability to remain punch, balance and the absence of any pronounced fighting weakness or fault. There are numerous features to be considered and evaluated. I call them my â€Å"check sit. † Before every mating season I go over them as they apply to each individual in the brood pens. They serve as reminders, for it is so easy to forget or overlook important requirements. 1 . Quickness. I emphasize quickness as opposed to reckless and purposeless speed.Quickness takes a variety of forms: (a) Quick to take advantage of an opening or opportunity. (b) Quick to beat opponent to the punch and keep him off balance. (c) Quick to get a second lick in the same buckle. What boxers term the 1-2 punch Many times it is this second lick, delivered when the opponent is off balance or motionless, which does he damage. (d) Quick to kick instantly on both his own and his opponent's bill hold. This is both an offensive and defensive move. All long heel men are acutely aware of the importance of this characteristic, since a single failure could bring disaster. E) Quickness is largely a matter of reflexes which can be sharpened by conditioning, but it is also inherited, so be mindful of is existence. 2. Fight High. It is an advantage of a cook to fight over on top of his adversary rather than being underneath him at all times. This refers not merely to the opening break but throughout the battle. Some socks naturally fight high, others tend to fight low. The style is largely inherited, so watch out for it when selecting your brood cook. 3. Reaching Out. Some socks reach out in front of them with their blows much farther than others. Hose are usually the ones which are â€Å"in† first. At present I am breeding a cook, in preference to one of his many brothers, solely because he reaches out so far with his blows. I first noticed this while catchin g him when he was still ugly and wild. Overtime I attempted to grab him he hit me not on my hand but on my elbow. He really reached out every shot. He did the same thing in his battle. Dropped his man the first shot. One time I was fighting a main against Tom Murphy who was the finest judge of a cock's fighting style I ever knew.After the main (which I won 5-4) he said to me, â€Å"l thought that second cook you fought was the best bird of the day. † I felt complimented but at that time was in the prejudiced â€Å"beauty† stage and replied,†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ rather preferred my fourth cook. † He cast a withering eye at me such as a school teacher might use upon a second grader, and said,† You did! Well I didn't That second cook of yours broke high, head back, feet way out front. That's the kind that an kill you with one lick and that's Just what happened. † It occurred years ago, but it was a lesson I never forgot. I hope to pass it along to you.It's what I mean when I said â€Å"you must develop a standard of fighting characteristics of your own, free from prejudice and sentiment. † 4. Finishing. Some socks tend to loaf once they get in front. That's bad. It gives the opponent a chance to recuperate and to even up the battle with an effective blow of Nils own. Once a cook gets out Toronto en snouts Tallow up to Nils advantage. Nils Is t e time for him to show his killer instinct and put his opponent away then and there. One well known cocker put it this way,†Any cook which knocks his opponent down then lets him get away is no cook at all. That is the time for the top cook to become doubly bitter and revengeful. If he doesn't, well, you heard what the man said. 5. High Head Years ago low-headiness was a common fault among shorten socks of the northeast. The advent of fast heels and greater acquaintanceship with long heel fighting was pretty well eradicated that defect though you still see occasional evidence of its exis tence. It is a serious fault. Avoid it. 6. Fight. Tom Foley who ran the famous pit at 7 SST. Marry Eave. , Troy, N,Y. Use to wrap up all these qualifications by using a single word. â€Å"Dimmit all,† he would say,† they can FIGHT. By that he meant that the cook was pushing the battle all the way, aggressive at all times, lashing out with straight line shots, landing in perfect balance, ready instantly to shoot again, cutting every fly, â€Å"sharpshooters† he used to call them, constantly moving about , never allowing himself to be a standing target. â€Å"l want to see him be doing something all the time,† he used to say,† I don't care what it is, but I want to see him be doing something and not Just standing around waiting to get killed. Tom didn't give one whoop for pedigrees, breed names, color, conformation, or anything else. He wasn't even too fussy about gameness.He wanted a cook that could FIGHT. 7. See For Yourself. Before concluding this c hapter on Fighting Characteristics, let's go back to the initial statement which said,†No two people seem to agree as to how a cook should fight. † You are the breeder. You are the open who must make the initial selection of brood stock and likewise all the subsequent selections which equally careful discrimination. How skillfully you do this depends upon your own personal observations and judgment. But one thing is certain: you must absolutely see the fowl fight yourself. You can,t depend upon others. No two of them will see the bird or the fight the same way.If you accept the Judgment of everyone, Dick, and Harry you will end up with a Hodge-podgy which can't lick anything. You, yourself must be consistent and persevering in what you are trying to accomplish in the brood yard. In order for you to do this you must absolutely see the individuals perform yourself and pass judgment on their qualifications for fitting into your line. Time after time I have visited a breeder who pointed with pride to a certain cook and said,†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ am setting side this cook to breed then he would go on and on as to the marvelous qualities the cook has exhibited the battle as described by the trainer or handler.The breeder has not seen the fight. I had. I would not have accepted the cook as a gift; for breeding, fighting, or anything else. Wouldn't have him on the place. Yet the breeder, accepting someone else's word, was going to breed him! The breeder did not know that I had seen the fight, nor did I tell him. Why start an argument and lose friends? But it does show the absolute necessity for you yourself to see the cook in action and appraise his qualities according to your own standards. Deliberate Striking This is closely related to â€Å"Look where he hits. How many times have you been miles out In Toronto, to 20, Ana all Tanat when, Dang! Ana well -Loretta alternate snot NAS dropped you cold? This was no accident, it happens all the time. It shows the val ue of deliberate striking. Pay attention to it when selecting your brood cook. Holding His Punch In all probability you have seen a great big fine looking cook, shoulders on him like an All American tackle, legs as big as a turkey, strong enough to pull a plough, yet at the ND of a few fittings could not lift his legs two inches from the ground, let alone cut or strike anything. No condition† some peptides comments. That's not it at all. Chances are that his inferior looking opponent who is whaling the daylights out of him is not in nearly as good physical shape. The difference between the two is a matter of back muscles. The homely looking bird has them. The big fine looking cook which is built like Apollo does not. The latter may well be able to pull a plough, but if he does not have well developed back muscles he is not going to kick very long. Which reminds me of the All Pro football player who went to a dude ranch.At the end of a four hour horseback ride the little scrawn y wrangler hopped off as spry as could be. The football player Just sat there. He was so sore and tired that he could not dismount, and would have been unable to stand if he had. The difference between the two men was that the alternating had saddle muscles and the football player did not. He was helpless even though he could have squashed the wrangler with one hand. This matter of back muscles seems to be a hereditary trait. You can't develop them a great deal through exercise or feeding. A cook either has them or he doesn't.You may be able to improve the deficiency by breeding the cook to hens which are well endowed in this respect, but it is much better to start off with a cook which does not have such a deficiency. The only sure way to determine this important characteristic is to see him or his brothers in action. The trait seems to run in families. If one brother is good or bad in such respect, the other brothers are apt to be the same. Where this appears to be a hereditary tr ait it is especially important for you to be sure that your brood cook is well developed in this respect. Balance Proper balance is another characteristic of great importance.It, too, is hereditary. A cook must be a great cutter and all that even though ill balanced, but he could do the job a lot easier if he were balanced properly. Besides, his sons very probably would inherit the bad balance without the old man's skill in cutting. Proper balance's difficult to describe in words. It has to do with the position of the bird's legs with respect to his body, the shape of the body and it's weight distribution, and a lot of other things. A duck's legs are set on ideally for swimming, but not for walking or striking. That gives you an exaggerated example.You look at enough game socks long enough with this thought in mind and pretty soon you'll be able to see which ones are well balanced and which ones are not. Some families are far better balanced than others. A poorly balanced bird is ap t to fall on his tail or his nose after delivering a blow, or land in a heap which is worse. He is a sitting duck for a well- balanced bird. On the other hand a properly balanced bird will deliver his blow, land in perfect balance ready instantly to strike again or avoid his opponent's blow. One of ten greatest Dressers I ever Knew placed great store on tens Pensacola centralists.He call it â€Å"balance† and was ever and always referring to it. We use to poke fun at him by saying â€Å"balance† when he was not around, but he impressed the importance of this feature upon me, and I hope I can do the same for you. The only way you can procure â€Å"balance† is to breed for it. You can't change it by feed or exercise. A bird either has it or doesn't have it from day one for as long as he lives. So start out by seeing that your brood cook is properly balanced, for a deficiency in this respect is difficult to breed out of a family, Just as it is difficult to breed ou t low headiness or ducking. Size I don't like to breed from a big cook.About 5-4 for a cook in fighting trim or 4-14 for a stag is as large as I care to go. This matter of size is different for hens, bought we will go into that later. I want the cook to be full of action, cutting ability, and all the other pit qualities to be described later. But size is not a primary factor provided he is solidly built. As an example, right now I am breeding a cook which fought at 4-4 as a stag. He was full of action and cut. But I would not think of breeding his sister who was proportionally as small for a female. Youth vs. Age Especially in the brood yard. I am a great believer in youth.You hear about the â€Å"grand old hen† and the â€Å"great $10,000 cook,† but most of the time your best performers will come from young stock. Some people term it in the percentage. I have the utmost respect for proven old producers, but most of the time age is a handicap. Certain mating of cook an d hen will turn out phenomenal offspring. But even in this case I would rather have the produce of their early years than after they were â€Å"getting along. † I have had a few such mating myself which I kept together for several years. Probably longer than I should. But in every case the quality of their offspring dropped noticeably with each passing year.In my opinion more good families have been â€Å"lost' through endeavoring to perpetuate them through the use of old parents than from any other reason. Accordingly, if you are fortunate enough to locate a truly superior combination, plan to carry them on through the use of vigorous offspring of their earlier years rather than â€Å"breeding back† to the original individuals after they have gone by. This is particularly true of the hen. She may look and act like a pullet, but her reproductive apparatus has deteriorated, even though you can't see it. For some reason or another the cook seems to last longer so far as reproductive qualities are concerned.Many times he turns out good ones as long as he remains vigorous and fertile. But such is not the case with the hen. My grand mentor,old Balance, absolutely refused to breed a hen after her fourth year. This theory or practice will offend many old timers, and they can hurl a barrage of evidence at me. But you can believe them or believe me. This has been my experience. Many times in the past I have tried to â€Å"revive† famous old families by breeding to the Queen Bee of the dynasty. The grand old hen who was now a eager. One time Lenin Law sent me such a hen.Many of her sons had won at Orlando which at that time conducted the premier cocking event in America. I could scarcely believe my good fortune. Bred her the finest young cook that I owned. What GE A Duncan AT weaklings! I guess Law Knew want en was long when en gave her to me. Hopefully in time you will have occasion to do a certain amount of inbreeding or line breeding. I endeavor to avoid intensive consanguineous mating as far as possible, but in time it catches up with you. Under such circumstances carry on with the best specimens of your young stock in the family. The younger the better. Don't â€Å"go back† to your old worn out originals.This is contrary to general practice, but it is definitely my recommendation. Chapter 5 Physical Characteristics Many writings on breeding game socks begin, and end, with a description of the physical characteristics a good brood cook should possess. These writers consider such requirements of primary importance. In their opinion they rank first. With me they rank last. Championship performers in all sports come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. With me it is only the performance which counts. Physical heartsickness are important only insofar as they enable the individual to perform more easily and effectively.We are not breeding fowl for beauty contests or to win a ribbon at the County fair, we are breed ing them to win in the pit. There are certain physical characteristics, however, which enable a cook to perform more easily and effectively. They are no guarantee that the cook will do the Job, but only that he is not handicapped physically in such effort. We will discuss them here briefly in order that you may be on the lookout for them. Body Personally I prefer a well-rounded body, where the keel bone is relatively short from rent to back, and also short from top to bottom.Such confirmation usually makes for good balance, the value of which has been discussed previously. I don't go for these excessively broad shouldered heavy breasted type with all the weight out front. The â€Å"flat iron† type. Such confirmation is a handicap to a cock's ability to cut. He is apt to straddle with his blows, since he can't â€Å"close in† with his shots due to that heavy breast getting in his way. Rather, I prefer for him to be built like a football-more or less pointed at both ends . Station I like for a cook to be above average station, but not excessively so.The length should be in the thigh bone, not in the shank or scaly part. Length in the thigh enables him to â€Å"reach out† farther. Likewise a pronounced bend at the hock Joint is essential. Somehow or another it seems to help in the cutting department. I never saw a cook whose legs were straight up and down like a stork's which could cut much. If a cook is somewhat knock-kneed that is alright too. It's not pretty to look at, but nearly every knock-kneed cook is a cutter. Some people are real fussy about having a cock's heels set down close to his feet. Probably that is O. K. But I never paid much attention to it.Other things were more important. One thing which is essential is for his legs to be set on him properly so that he is in perfect balance. This usually means that his legs are set pretty well forward. One good Judge expressed the same thing in reverse by saying, â€Å"l like to see plen ty of body behind his legs. † The old guy got me to start looking at a cook in the same way. Actually it is easier to see the amount of body behind the body than it is to see if the hip Joint is set well to the front. At least it is for me. Another thing which you might look for is the way he walks. If he puts one foot

Can Rapers Be Good Role Models

Im a teen whose influenced by rap, rap myself because love it and I breathe hip-hop but I dont smoke pot I dont have guns dont sell drugs I dont go out and try to kill people because know whats right to do and whats wrong to do heroes a perfect example ill Haynes a rapper but he tells kids to stay in school he was a straight a student in school yeah Hess really stupid right and amine yeah he Was a drop out and a attic but he tells kids now not to get involved with that stuff he tells kids to stay in school USIA does not influence you in a bad way just describes how you feel at times and IP hop and raps good for that because it come out and says how its feeling. Is the response of a boy interviewed about the topic. Teen that view rappers as their heroes, chose them because they can related to them, many who grow up in bad neighborhoods and with out a mother or father, are the ones that can related to OPAC, Amine and Baggy Smalls.Others who just had their mommas, related to Ill Wayne and know about that mother love. Rappers eventually have to make songs at times about partying and drinking, but thats just to sell record, the true fans of those rappers know better than to live that thats the massage being send by their role models. I myself am a fan of rap music.Amine and Tuba Shaker, have been role models to me yet I dont drink, smoke, are involve in gangs or neither am I having sex, those are just stereo types people make about music, When view this artist as role models, I look at what they really stand for and what they try to do with their music, those who use them as an excuse to the negative decisions they decide to take shouldnt blame it in a person, instead they should blame it on their self.

Foundation Skills in Nursing Assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Foundation Skills in Nursing Assessment - Essay Example he nurses, since appropriate hand washing techniques are known to prevent spread of hospital-acquired infection (Lee, Huber, and Davidson, 2008, 12-17). Before beginning my care with him, I decided that I would observe the staff. As per recommendations and guidelines, one should wash hands before and after attending a patient. Therefore, before handling this patient, I went to the wash basin, took out my watch and ring, and then thoroughly rinsed my hands with water right from the elbows to the fingertips The (Infection Control Nurses Association (ICNA), 2003). I had to repeatedly wash these areas with soap and water taking special care not to avoid any areas. The ward had adequate facilities in all patient areas and treatment rooms. I observed that the wash basins in these areas were special in that they had elbow lever-operated mixer taps and were provided with liquid soap dispensers, paper hand towels, and foot-operated waste basins. In some cases there were alcohol hand rubs and gels available along with that. I had observed in some cases, when workload was high and less time was available for hand wash, the staff is using alcohol rub instead of soap wash (Nevill and Ikeda, 2006, 12). The RCN guidelines for hand hygiene clearly state that the hands should be decontaminated with correct techniques by washing with a soap or using alcohol solution, and this procedure needs to be stringent before direct contact with the patient or after any activity or contact with the patient including after removal of the gloves (Royal College of Nursing, 2005). Although alcohol is widely used as a rub in the clinical setting, soap and water wash is ideal, and after the wash, the hands should be dried thoroughly. The hands of the healthcare professionals ideally should have short nails, free of polish and clean. It has been shown that wrist watches, jewellery, rings, or rings with stones carry bacteria potentially; hence they should not be worn (Royal College of Nursing, 2005 ).

Religion and TV Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Religion and TV - Essay Example Each of these theories, in turn, yields specific hypotheses for empirical tests. Informational Needs: A Theory of Social Influence Giddy and Pritchard (1985) applied the theory of "informational needs" (Harris and McCombs 1975) to help explain variation in viewing religious TV programming. They did not, however, point out that this theory has its roots in a theory of religious influence promulgated by White (1968). In particular, White's conceptualization of how individuals acquire religious values, broader moral orientations, and other attitudes with motivational consequences was focused on the interactional forces at work within specific communities and congregations. For Catholics, this approach would view members' attitudes and behaviors as grounded in a specific parish context. Such an approach would appear quite valuable for understanding patterns of exposure to religious media For example, it would not be surprising if parishioners communicated their religious orientations to one another during various parish-related activities, thus reinforcing even greater levels of interest in religious values and orientations. Such heightened interest might likely be expressed through greater consumption of Catholic religious programming, as parishioners attempted to gain more religious information and knowledge from these programs. Parishioners who were less integrated into parish activities and networks, and thus less exposed to the forms of interaction that would promote the growth of such "informational needs," would probably be less likely to view this type, or any type, of programming. Thus, it is our hypothesis that those individuals with a greater number of ties to a parish congregation, who interact more frequently with other members of the parish community, and who are more involved in parish life would be more likely to consume Catholic religious programming than other types of programming. Justifies offered to support financial assistance There are several additional questions, which cannot be explored with our data, also emerge. What is the actual content of the support of financial assistance primarily for spiritual growth and development, the increase in religious television programming, both locally and nationally, clearly make this an area of research to be pursued. In addition, the commitment of mainline religions to increase their presence on the television airwaves suggests that religious institutions have implicit theories about why home viewers attempt to participate in financial matters with a spirit. The viewers offering utilities against the contributions return Pentecostal. A principal theme of these programs is that "right thinking" must be wed with the charismatic gifts (charisma) of the early Church (for example, glossolalia, prophecy, and d vine heating). Glossolalia is often interpreted as evidence that an individual has received the fullness of the Spirit. Pentecostal spokespersons agree in their d istinctive doctrines, the Pentecostal experience, d vine healing and fundamentalism; however, in other matters there is wide diversity Neo-Pentecostal: These programs utilize spokespersons who practice the Pentecostal experience but who remain members of non-Pentecostal denominations. In these glossolalia is practiced but not regarded as more important than other charisma. Prosperity Preachers: Programs featuring Pentecostal and neo-Pentecostal evangelists who, claiming revelational knowledge, propagate the idea that God has already guaranteed not only spiritual comfort and physical healing but also material prosperity. Believers are taught that they can have any and

How does Turkey affects the Middle East and especially Syria Essay

How does Turkey affects the Middle East and especially Syria - Essay Example Turkey has been relating very well with most of her neighbors and acts as a model of moderation and mediation in the Middle East. This writing focusses on the position of Turkey regarding Syria as well as her relation with other countries in the region. Turkey is a contiguous transcontinental country lying between Western Asia and Southern Europe making it to act as a link between the Western region and the Middle East region. Turkey has had an increasing involvement with the Middle East in her broader frame of her foreign policy which extends to her relation with Western Allies. Turkey represents a n Islamic democracy which is integral for Western and the Islamic powers. Turkey’s position in the Middle East is seen by some other leaders as unwavering and does not represent the true spirit and opinions of many Turkish (Balci Web). Turkey is one of the powerhouses in that geographical location and neighboring countries wants to better their relationship but we have an unstable and volatile Prime Minister who is drunk and deranged with power so Turkey should not get physically involved with Syria or interfere with their internal affairs. Turkey is such an important nation not only in the Middle East because of her position to expend pronounced efforts to enhance peace, stability, democracy and tolerance in the Middle East. ... The country further plays a major role in distributing energy from Middle East to Europe which is very critical in the global economy. Also Turkey is seen as promoting Islamic democracy because it stands as a modern Islamic country which connects both the Western and the Islamic world (Demirtas Web). Turkey has always acted as a mediator and peace facilitator with her neighbors. It has attempted to democratize the Muslim world in the Middle East. Although seems to be uncertainty concerning her relations with neighbor after the introduction of the â€Å"zero problem with the neighbors† by the AKP regime, Turkey’s conflicts with her neighbors happen to eliminate the doctrine (Demirtas Web). The country has had several concerns which have seen it in an international unwarrantable situation by the fact that Europe tries to ignore her interests such as request for membership in the European Union. Even as Turkey was using her economic and political predominant role amongst h er Muslim neighbors to enhance peace in the region, her neighbors feel that Turkey is alienating them. For instance there has been deterioration of relations between Turkey and Syria, Iraq, Iran and Russia which may negatively impact the country (Candar Web). Entrance of Erdogen as a Prime Minister in 2004 was a major comeback for turkey as it tried to court her neighbors such as Syria and Iran and Ankara too reconciled with Damascus. However, tie between turkey and Syria was very close such that their forces conducted joint maneuvers while their foreign ministers came up with strategic cooperation council (Candar Web). They even signed huge economic contracts but the relationship did

Technology and Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Technology and Culture - Essay Example For this reason the knowledge of mapping is of high importance. Different softwares and techniques are available for this purpose, especially at the schools and college level which can help the students and fresh ones to get an adaptation of the mapping through simple procedures. Tang and Hyerle tried explaining the working of the visual learning map software in a manner of elongated and spread out tree. They have their nodes extended and each carrying an important element such as operation, similitude. The similitude part consists of metaphor and analogy while the operation part consists of linear and recursive functions. It pertains to the concept of being similar, or alike. These are based on the Rigorous analogy method proposed by Miller analogy and concoction. Miller analogy finds large number of applications in computing world, especially in the domain of mapping and route traversing. This model tries to address all questions and relevant queries in a logical manner. The tree model helps executing the overall method in a multiple way, which is either by handling it in a top down approach or in a bottom up approach. Each representing sufficient information and is executable in either way. Classification map is another method for determining the overall method of map execution. Classification model map is also of tree nature in its outlook and has the characteristics that are laid down by Tang and Hyerle. Each part of the tree being a component in form of a node and these nodes containing the valuable information. Another approach towards map drawing is that of structural maps. As the name implies, the overall approach is based on designing of map based on the structural factors. Structural maps fall into two categories, the first being a properties map and the second being parts map. The latter is used to execute and evaluate the analysis of the items involved while the properties map as the name implies is inclusive of part map and

Comparative Analysis of I Thought the Streets Were Payed with Gold by Essay

Comparative Analysis of I Thought the Streets Were Payed with Gold by Pacita Abad and Pleasure Pillars by Shahzia Sikander - Essay Example However, as the child-observer explores his society and comes in contact with the truth of the majority of occurrences around him, he may find himself arriving at the necessity to react contrary to the previous assumptions that essentially blind him from the real picture. Having experienced life as it is in the real world, I feel that Abad’s creation of â€Å"I Thought the Streets Were Paved with Gold† is something that materializes out of an everyday discovery of life that struggles with poor economy and social aspect of living that one, like a sensitive growing child, can draw rough sketches of events that are especially poignant to the senses. Abad’s work characterizes conflicts taking place within the working class, the minorities, the domestic sphere, as well as their relation to the prevailing foreign influence. It particularly drives me to the perspective of looking at women in these scenarios where oppression or violation of human rights possibly exist an d the artist may be claimed to have special regard for women of the streets or of places which are broadly affected by the suppression of progress due to imperialism. On the other hand, Shahzia Sikander’s â€Å"Pleasure Pillars† seemingly attempts to focus on the art from a rather humanist point of view as it conveys the inner human strength derived from the significant capacity to preserve culture and religion. As a Pakistani-American artist born in Lahore, Punjab, I think I understand such inclination specifically since the painting occurs to pay worth to the essence of the middle eastern pagan tradition and beliefs. â€Å"Pleasure Pillars†, in effect, establishes an impression that calls for enlightening the mind and spirit with the goodness of religious or cultural enthusiasm through beauty and symmetry in art forms that, while it masks the truth about poverty or economic crisis, Sikander delivers through her work the underlying tone of hope toward enlighten ment despite all the sufferings of the modern times. Compared to the realistic theme of Abad’s piece of art, that of Sikander seeks to justify itself in the light of resolution to unpleasant feelings and mindfulness over sick images of reality by allowing freedom and this freedom is sought from within. A human being is capable of higher intellect and spiritual potential to surpass anything unpleasant that may affect a person in critiquing the externals as long as he keeps track of the ability to perceive delight and celebrate the value of cultural creativity as in songs and dances of worship which the artist’s craft demonstrates. Nevertheless, just like Abad, Sikander presents angles of â€Å"Pleasure Pillars† with woman as the chief object of beauty and pleasure and this exhibits a measure of power in which, even if the female gender is underrated at some dimensions, at others the same gender is treated with utmost importance. Response 1: ‘Traditional rep resentation of the Virgin of Guadalupe’ is representative of Virgin Mary as a Roman Catholic figure with physical characteristics of a Mexican so that the icon reflects Mexican traits in terms of skin complexion, clothing, and background shades typical of a native scenario in Mexico. This could mean

Human Resource Management Skills Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Human Resource Management Skills - Essay Example Human resource management is a vital part of any organization. To be more effective, a human resource team needs to be experts in a number of important sections in an organization. That is, the HR department is responsible for diverse aspects of each employees career, starting with recruitment to hiring to various sections of their job while employed in a particular organization. An effective human resource department effectively executes the policies and procedures and thus ensuring that the employees in an organization are properly motivated. The study is going to view various skills and techniques that one will need to effectively lead the human resource department in an organization. In my research, I prefer that the operation of the human resource department be conducted in one central point to ensure that there is proper coordination of activities from one functional level to another (Martin, 2009). Despite the fact that human resource functions are broad, the management will e nsure that it adequately delegates duties and responsibilities to ensure that the department meets its set goals within the periods. In this study, I am going to major on various aspects in human resource department. For instance, the study will have to capture on the merits of carrying out human resource functions in one central point other than conducting it at a functional level. Moreover, the study will give a detailed explanation of various skills and techniques that a human resource manager, as well as the entire department, should have to run the organization more effectively (Lohman, 2002). I am going to discuss the skills of training and development skills, management skills, communication skills as well as discrete and ethical techniques that a human resource officer in an organization should have for effective operations. Moreover, the study will analyze the ability of HR department in policy formulation and implementation as well strategic planning skills and techniques.

E-Business Essay Example for Free

E-Business Essay A Brick and Mortar business is a physical store or office usually referred to by people belonging to the online network. It is very important to know that Brick and mortar establishments have several advantages compared to online businesses. They are less likely to disappear overnight, and hence people have more trust and assurance with them. People are more likely to physically meet the businessmen and respond with them in case an issue arises. In case of any problem, the customer would like to meet a senior and responsible individual from the company (such as a manager or the executive) and resolve the issue. However, having a brick and mortar business alone would have several problems. People from other areas (other than the local area) would not be able to access the services of the company. Traveling to the office and doing business could lead to a lot of stress and waste of time and resources. The process of doing an offline business is highly manual. Hence, it would be ideal if the company has both, an online business and a brick and mortar business (to supplement the needs of each forms of business) (Teo, 2003 Osgoodby, 1996). Several travel companies such as Expedia, Hotwire. com and Cheaptickets. com, operated brick and mortar services and soon began to launch their own websites. This was basically done to alter the supply chain (various processes and technologies that existed between the supplier and the customer whilst providing the services were altered in a systemic manner). The web enabled services form the center of all digital activity of the company and could provide cost-effective services. The online services provide the companies with a lot of flexibility in providing their services. The businesses are constantly in strong control over their services. Launching online services would seem to improve the efficiency and would provide a lot of benefits. Web technology provides the company an opportunity to modify the business strategy without spending much in terms of financial resources. The company is in a better position to compete with others. The speed at meeting the demands of the customers was drastically improved by having online services, as business could be conducted in an organized and efficient manner. Customers were in better control to make decisions. Studies have shown that the customer satisfaction levels drastically improved. Besides, the businesses were in better control to manage their operations and logistics. The companies were in a better position to sell their products or services faster to a much more global customer network. The paperwork required to conduct online business was minimal. Companies were also able to showcase their products better through online means (InfoScaler Technologies, 2004).

Both home country and host country in FDI

Both home country and host country in FDI The unprecedented growth of multinationals is due to the concept of globalisation which has no boundaries or limits. Usually within countrys economy there are flows of goods, capital and technology. This leads to high competition in the industry and naturally companies tend to expand their business in order to survive in the global arena. The countries use Foreign Direct Investment as a key to internationalise their business. In order to understand the full meaning of FDI, let us see the definition. FDI is defined as the acquisition abroad of physical assets, such as plant and equipment, with operational control ultimately residing with the parent company in the home country (Buckley, p.35, 1996).In the past 25 years, FDI is growing at a much faster rate than trade and both of these have grown faster than world output (Kozul-Wright and Rowthorn, 1998). There are many factors contributing to the development of FDI. Some of them are Internet, technological advancement, flexible rules a nd regulations of the country and lesser communication costs. FDI stimulates competition, capital, technological and managerial skills which has a positive effect on both host and home countrys economic growth. The importance given to FDI by other country is astounding. One such example is US which has a separate department called Bureau of Economic Analysis. The department monitors FDI inflows and outflows and introduce FDI attraction schemes for successful results. (Graham Spaulding, 2005).This essay analyses various costs and benefits to home country and host country with suitable evidences. Costs and Benefits Let us discuss the costs and benefits of FDI to both home countries and host countries. Benefits of FDI to the host country Hill (2005) suggested that there are three main benefits to the host country derived out of FDI. They are resource transfer effects, employment effects and balance of payment effects. Whenever a company invests in a foreign firm, the resources are capital, technology and managerial skills. In terms of capital, the host country will have a higher financial status than the home country. The change in technology and managerial skills will have a drastic effect on the operations carried out by the company. In the host country due to FDI, it creates many employment opportunities through which the citizens of that particular country would be benefited. The balance of payments keeps tracks of FDI inflow and outflows through two types of accounts, current account and capital account. The current account is a record of a countrys export and import of goods (Hill, 2005) and the capital account maintain purchase or sale details of assets by the country. By using FDI, the country can achieve a c urrent account surplus (where exports are greater than imports) and reduce current account deficit (where imports are greater than exports). (Hill, 2005) Costs of FDI to the host country The negative effects are termed as costs. There are also significant effects which affects the host country. When a foreign firm establishes with the superior technological skills which can produce quality items at cheaper rates, it adversely affects the domestic producers. Balance of payments are also affected by inward FDI by two sources. When there is a initial capital inflow there must be subsequent capital outflow and this will be recorded as debits on capital account. The second source is due to import of goods from other countries which will be recorded as debits in current account. The foreign firm can alter the economic stability of a country as they will be focussing only on the profit. Eventually all the inhabitants of the country will have an emotional outbreak to apparent loss of national sovereignty. (Hill, 2005) Benefits of FDI to the home country The benefit to the home country also includes the factors similar to that of host country. In terms of balance of payments, what is debit to host country is credit to home country. The outward FDI also leads to creation of new job market with great expertise and necessary skills. Reverse resource transfer effect takes place whenever resources like managerial skills are transferred back to the home country. The profit of the foreign firm goes back to the home country unlike domestic producers which contributes to their country. The home country is exposed to create new market share and it is liable to create many in the future. (Hill, 2005) Costs of FDI to the home country Due to FDI, the home country is mainly affected by capital and employment. Suppose a country A decides to invest in country B, using its capital and technology there will be an addition of financial position to the host country than home country. Even in future, if the country A wants to make any advancement, much focus will be given to the company in country B and implement changes. As a result the production in home country decreases and it sometimes result in shutting down all its operations and completely concentrate on the host country. This badly affects the home countrys economy and employment. (Hill, 2005) Summary of costs and benefits To conclude the discussion of the benefits and costs of FDI, points are tabulated in Table 1 Table 1  Benefits and costs of FDI Benefits Costs Host country Financial resources of MNEs Access to new technology Training of local managers Job creation Capital inflows BOP credits from exports BOP credits from local production of parts Competition of local producers BOP debits on repatriated earnings BOP debits on MNE imports on components Perception of loss of national identity Home country BOP credits from earnings Creation of jobs in higher skill categories Exposure to new markets, managerial expertise and technology Protects market share in competition with other MNEs Initial investment a capital outflow BOP debits from input of low-cost goods Loss of exports for which FDI is a substitute Job losses in low skill areas Source: Hill (2005) The benefit of home country is the cost of host country and vice-versa. After researching for many years, economists have come to a conclusion that host country has more benefits than home country. This is because of three main reasons. The first one is that they own assets like technology and brand name. Second it is very easier to produce in a country where it is going to be marketed than producing in the home country and exporting as it save costs on transportation. It also rules out the problem of licensing and handling unnecessary pressures on production from the government. (World Trade Organization, 1996) The following sections are illustration of FDI costs and benefits. Renault-Nissan Alliance The Renault-Nissan alliance in 1999 is the first business-related and industrial partnership between France and Japan (www.renault.com). The alliance received a great attention as they created a very big impact on the Japanese car industry. Before the association, Nissan was about to bankrupt and incurred a dramatic loss of  ¥700 billion. When it was taken over by Renault with a new management team headed by Carlos Ghosn, a complete restructuring was done. The global work force was reduced by 10 percent, five factories were closed and Nissans shareholdings were sold. These were very high according to Japanese standards (Paprzycki, 2006). The outcomes were astonishing as they recorded consecutive profit in the following years with high operating margins and it was due to combined expertise and technology sharing (www.renault.com). The stealing of market share from its rivals Honda, Mazda and Mitsubishi was a clear indication of its accelerated development (Paprzycki, 2006). From thi s, it is very clear that transfer of managerial skills will have a huge impact in the success of the industry. Mexican Maquiladores Maquiladores refers to an American company on the Mexican side of US-Mexico border. They are owned by US, Japanese and European countries. The reason for these companies to go to Mexico is due to inexpensive labour and low tax (www.about.com). Many US companies including GE, RCA, IBM, Coca-cola and Ford were the first to initiate production in Mexico. Japanese and Korean firms also became major investors in 1982. As a result, it had a positive reflection on employment. It rose from 100,000 in 1982 to 500,000 in 1992. The NAFTA implementation further boosted up to 1.3 million and the region reported for 40 percent of total Mexican exports. The amount of goods exported to US increased from $42 billion in 1993 to $166 billion in 2000. Fords plant in Mexico became the third largest foreign owned manufacturing operation in Latin America. (Jones, 2005) US -Malaysia FDI relationship The economy of Malaysia was badly affected by several recessions like worldwide oil crisis and Asian economic crisis. Its economy again rebounded in 1999. FDI became a key factor in countrys development. Anderson (1993) suggested few factors that attract FDI in Malaysia were undervalued currency, low cost of labour and fairly low inflation rate. Though there are many foreign investors, U.S. companies ranks first in FDI in Malaysia. The companies like Boeing, General Electric, R.J. Reynolds and Bechtel were major American investors. The government provided perfect climatic conditions for American firms to operate in Malaysia. The following factors attracted U.S. firms to invest in Malaysia. The government set up an Anti corruption Agency to prevent corruption in any form. It has the same legal structure so the investors had great convenience in handling their business following the rules and regulations enacted by the government. Moreover there was not any language issue as Malaysia i s an English speaking country. The investors got attracted towards the incentives provided through tax treatment and generous equity ownership. There were also some issues faced by foreign investors. Any foreign investor who wants to start industry must get proper approval from Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA). The approval depends on various conditions which will be frustrating for investors. The other problem faced by investors was that they have to get work permit for foreign workers, which was a time consuming process. The government has several restrictions on total number of foreign workers on their land as it will have a direct effect on countrys employment opportunities (Prempeh Abenna, 2003). FDI has also negative impacts on home country. In case of Malaysia, the American investors violated both Human rights and Workers right. Malaysia faced a severe violation of human rights as pay was very much less than the minimum wage. The working conditions were also not employee friendly because of which workers faced several types of health problems. The company was against in forming labour union and when protested by the government, they complained that forming unions was a violation according to U.S. Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) requirement (Prempeh Abenna, 2003). McDonalds-a worlds largest chain of quick service restaurants McDonalds was started in a suburb of Chicago in 1955. It became the largest fast food restaurant and held one third of US market in 1990. McDonalds opened its branch in Canada in 1967 and later began to open in Europe by making joint ventures. McDonalds influenced the needs of locals and all other local fast food outlets in Germany and Netherlands faced a very tough competition. The local restaurants had to change their style to McDonalds in order to meet customer demands. After that, every step ahead was a success to the company. They had joint ventured with Japanese and very soon became countrys largest restaurant chain. (Jones, 2005) McDonalds operation in Russia, China and India was a clear indication of International expansion. They had 30,000 outlets in 120 countries and employed 250,000 people outside the United States. They established in all major cities and helped students to manage their living by providing part time jobs. Their international operations reported one half of McDonaldss revenues. As time changes, customer needs also changes. Now customers prefer to have a nutritious meal, so McDonalds used their marketing nuances to satisfy their customers. For example, in France items like salads, fresh fruits and Evian mineral water are included in the menu. (Jones, 2005) Conclusion In this essay, we have seen several factors that affect both home country and host country. Every company in the market sees to maximise the benefits and minimise the costs. The goal of achieving maximum profit influences every other decision while investing in a country. So far, we have seen the costs and benefits of home countries and host countries and real time examples are also cited. The primary factors that affect both home country and host country are employment, competition, economic development, technology and management. A success of an industry can be determined by how well these factors are managed by the country practising all rules and regulations adopted by the country in which operations are carried out. The governments also play an active role in framing rules and regulations to derive maximum benefit out of both FDI inflow and outflow. The negotiations are done on every agreement. Only if it is beneficial the operations are performed otherwise they are rejected at the initial phase itself. FDI is also used for improving the infrastructure of economically backward countries. The funding is done by world level organisations like World Health Organisation, World Bank and International Monetary Fund. The infrastructure is provided even in terms of upgrading medical facilities. For example, in Africa money and medicines are provided to eradicate diseases and in India several awareness programmes are being conducted about HIV prevention. The money invested in the country can also be used for constructing roads to remote areas which will help in transportation of medicines and in situations like floods and other natural disasters. It can also be effectively used for training unskilled labour by conducting educational programmes that would benefit them to get into any industry (www.economywatch.com). The extent to which a country can be benefited out of FDI is solely decided by the government and foreign firms. Many foreign firms involve actively in promoting social and enviro nmental factors. The government can give tax exemptions and other incentives for the companies that benefit their country.

Britain in the First World War Essay -- Papers

Britain in the First World War Introduction Recruitment and conscription had become a big issue at the beginning and propaganda was used to change the attitudes of the public. After the First World War, life in Britain had changed dramatically. Britain owed nearly six billion pounds to the Americans. Air raids back on the British homeland had killed over one thousand people and left millions homeless. In total nearly one million British people had died during the war. Women had come to do the jobs of men, and governments had taken new measures to ensure we had won this new kind of war. The League of Nations had been intended to bring peace back to Europe and the world but only brought more bitterness. Recruitment Before conscription, men would be encouraged by their families to enlist and fight for the country. Propaganda was used to stir up the ideas and emotions of what kizer whilhelm had in mind for Europe and to bring out countrymen's patriotic duties. When Lord Kitchener as put in charge of Britain's fight against the Germans he realized that more men would be needed. The BEF (British Expeditionary Force) only had one hundred thousand men and so the recruitment drive had begun. Women were encouraged to persuade men to enlist, and at the height of the recruitment drive half a million had enlisted. Men that didn't enlist were seen as cowards and given white feathers to wear in public. Many feared that the war would be over before they got to the front. All countries involved had greeted the war with enthusiasm hoping to fight for 'King and country'. Conscription Conscription was introduced... ...re that this could never happen again. America on the other hand wanted to keep Germany from being punished too much incase any thing like this happen again. Britain was in the middle of all this. They understood were both nations were coming from. They agreed on the punishment and forced Germany to sign the treaty of Versailles. The British blockade had starved the Germans into surrendering. The German public had nicknamed the government the 'November Criminals'. The League of Nations had been created by woodrow Wilson but when he backed out, the league was left with no real power. The permanent members were still recovering after war. The league had more defeats then victories and rarely brought peace to rising conflicts. The American public had felt they should never have gotten involved with European affairs.

T. Coraghessan Boyles The Love of My Life Passage Analysis Essay

That thing in the Dumpster--and he refused to call it human, let alone a baby--was nobody's business but his and China's. That's what he'd told his attorney, Mrs. Teagues, and his mother and her boyfriend,and he'd told them over and over again: I didn't do anything wrong. Even if it was alive, and it was, he knew in his heart that it was, even before the state prosecutor represented evidence of blunt-force trauma and death by asphyxiation and exposure, it didn't matter, or shouldn't have mattered. There was no baby. There was nothing but a mistake, a mistake clothed in blood and mucus. When he really thought about it, thought it through on its merits and dissected all his mother's pathetic arguments about where he'd be today if she'd felt as he did when she was pregnant herself, he hardened like a rock, like sand turning to stone under all the pressure the planet can bring to bear. Another unwanted child in an overpopulated world? They should have given him a medal. (623) In T. Coraghessan Boyle's "The Love of My Life", passage above, we begin to see that there is no regret for the choices made by the characters. Jeremy whose voice we hear in the passage can't even refer to his child as something human. Jeremy views his and china's creation as an IT and he can't seem to grasp the concept that he has done something immoral and wrong. Mistakes are made by many couples and they most likely will choose to deal with them without any outside help some problems need other. Problems begin when the people in the relationship forget to realize when to draw the line and focus on what is truly important, which unfortunately to them might not always be the other person relationship or the relationship itself. When a problem aris... ...serve it? He still couldn't understand. That thing in the Dumpster--and he refused to call it human, let alone a baby. (622-623)" Jeremy had formed the opinion in his psyche that he had done the right thing by getting rid of his child, he began to make justifications for his action in saying that it was just another unwanted child in an overpopulated world. These rationalizations seem to only give Jeremy and China more reasons to not see what they had done as wrong. Consequently at this same time Jeremy is also beginning to discover his relationship has had a severe change which he realizes when China calls him and ask--"I want to see it," she sobbed. "I want to see our daughter's grave."(623)" The mere utterance of this statement seemed to freeze interpretation. Boyle, T.Coraghessan. The Collected Stories of T.Coraghessan Boyle. London: Granta Books, 1998.

The Psychology of the Serpent in D.H. Lawrences Snake Essay -- Lawren

The Psychology of the Serpent in D.H. Lawrence's 'Snake'      Ã‚  Ã‚   Less than 17% of the world's snakes are poisonous and less than half of these are dangerous to man. The risk of death as a result of snakebite is, in fact, lower than the risk of being struck by lightning (Pinney 138). Nonetheless, cross-culturally and throughout the world, the snake is an object of fascination, fear, and respect for humankind. The serpent is a source of symbolic speculation, as it appears in myth, dream, literature, and religion. In nature or otherwise, "it is impossible to approach the creature innocently" (Morgenson 3). As D.H. Lawrence's poem, "Snake", suggests, the snake's invoked power in not a result of any physiological aspect of the snake's chemistry, but rather a consequence of the psychological symbol that defines the snake's being. Like many of Lawrence's nature poems, Barbara Hardy classifies "Snake" as "anthropomorphic", composing the snake as a creature in itself, but "through the images of human experience" (43). Lawrence's serpent is car efully constructed with a sense of immediacy and harsh reality, but it is through the eyes and experience of the human narrator that the reader comes to understand the snake. More importantly, the reader comes to understand the pure necessity, and the pure immorality, of subconscious symbolism and judgement. The snake provokes both terror and respect.    Aside from the reality of a mysterious, occasionally poisonous predator is the archetypal image of the serpent, latent with mythological, biblical, and historical symbols. Among the most common phobias is ophiaphobia, or fear of snakes, despite the unlikeliness of one to encounter a snake in the urban world (Rapoport 195). Lawrence, though ... ...s Cited Hardy, Barbara. "D.H. Lawrence's Self-Consciousness." D.H. Lawrence in the Modern World. Ed. Peter Preston and Peter Hoare. New York: Cambridge UP, 1989. 27-46. Hobsbaum, Philip. A Reader's Guide to D.H. Lawrence. London: Thames and Hudson, 1981. Lawrence, D.H. "Snake." The Norton Anthology of English Literature: Major Authors. 6th ed. Ed. M.H. Abrams, et al. New York: W.W. Norton, 1996. 2452-54. McGuire, William et al, eds. The Collected Works of C.G. Jung. 5th vol. 2nd ed. Trans. R.F.C. Hull. Princeton: Princeton UP, 1956. Morgenson, Greg. The Serpent's Prayer: The Psychology of an Image. N.D. On-line. Available: http://www.cgjung.com/cgjung/articles/serpent.html. 22 February 1998. Pinney, Roy. The Snake Book. New York: Doubleday, 1981. Rapoport, Judith L. The Boy Who Couldn't Stop Washing. New York: NAL Penguin, 1989.      

Interpersonal Communication Essay

There are many ways that my culture influences my self-concept. First let’s take a look at the many kinds of cultures there are. Culture is defined as the relatively specialized lifestyle of a group of people that is passed on from one generation to the next through communication, not through genes. Culture is transmitted from one generation to another through enculturation, the process by which you learn the culture into which you’re born (your native culture). Parents, peer groups, schools, religious institutions, and government agencies are the main teachers of culture. Through enculturation you develop an ethnic identity, a commitment to the beliefs and philosophy of your culture that, not surprisingly, can act as a protective shield against discrimination. A different process of learning culture is acculturation, the process by which you learn the rules and norms of a culture different from your native culture. In acculturation your original or native culture is modified through direct contact with or exposure to a new and different culture. Cultures, of course, differ in a wide variety of ways; and for purposes of communication, the difference that probably comes to mind first is that of languages. Certainly, cultures do differ in language spoken and understood. Masculine cultures emphasize success and socialize their people to be assertive, ambitious and competitive. Members of masculine cultures are thus more likely to confront conflicts directly and to competitively fight out any differences; they are more likely to emphasize win or lose strategies. Feminine cultures emphasize the quality of life and socialize their people to be modest and to emphasize close interpersonal relationships. Members of feminine cultures are thus more likely to emphasize compromise and negotiation in resolving conflicts; they are more likely to seek win – win solutions. Members of cultures with high ambiguity tolerance do not feel threatened by unknown situations; uncertainty is normal part of life and people accept it as it comes. Members of cultures with low ambiguity tolerance do much to avoid uncertainty and have a great deal of anxiety by not knowing what will happen next; they see uncertainty as threatening and as something that must be counteracted. In an individualist culture members are responsible for themselves and perhaps their immediate family. In a collectivist culture members are responsible for the entire group. In a high context culture much of the information in communication is in the context or in the person. In a low context culture most of the information is explicitly stated in the verbal message. In my every day life I use more of the intercultural communication. Intercultural communication is communication between persons who have different cultural beliefs, values, or ways of behaving. Being that I am African-American and my fiancà ©e is Caucasian my culture changes my self-concept. Being a male you assume that that’s the dominant one in a relationship or what not. I believe that being a male you should set the example for the household. It’s not my way or the highway is the wrong approach. It’s more of a compromise or we agree to disagree. I think that shows masculine. I can say race plays a lot but I would be lying. That would go back to a stereotype. A stereotype is a fixed impression of a group of people. From the outside looking in age would be a stereotype as well. I’ve recently turned twenty-five so that plays into another stereotype. Half way to fifty; what are you doing with your life. Or the stereotype of a black guy with a white woman. You hear it all but its all about your self-concept. I’m comfortable in my own skin. There were more important things of listening that I didn’t realize. One purpose of listening is to learn, something you do regularly as you listen to lectures in college. One of the communication skills most important to healthy relationships is the ability to listen to friends, romantic partners, family members, colleagues, and just about anyone with whom you come into contact with. You also listen to influence other people’s attitudes, beliefs, values, opinions and behaviors. Listening to play music or the rustle of leaves often serves a play purpose. Listening to help is something we experience growing up when our parents listen or, sometimes, don’t listen to our concerns and help us solve our problems. I used the five-stage model of listening as a reference guide. The barrier I noticed I have is receiving the information. By receiving the information wrong I didn’t understand what the other person was trying to get at. On the occasions when I used all five stages of listening correctly; my strong points were evaluating and responding. Which comes back to having good intercultural communication. I noticed how other people listened as well. I think if people would follow the five step process to listening they would have no problem. There would be less confusion as well. Week 5 Journal I have witnessed stages of conflict in one of my relationships by being the one directly involved in the conflict and by being the mediator and actually sitting back and observing. I experienced verbal aggressiveness on a first hand ba sis. It tears a person down from the inside out. I’ve experienced physical aggressiveness. Un like verbal aggressiveness this tears your down from the outside in. I show non verbal power just by the way I carry myself and display my athourity. Im not really sure how I would increase my personal power†¦its more a over time thing than changing it overnight. Nonverbal communication is communication without words. You communicate nonverbally when you gesture, smile or frown, widen your eyes, move your chair closer to someone, wear jewelry, touch someone, or raise your vocal volume, or even when you say nothing. The crucial aspect of nonverbal communication is that the message you send is in some way received by one or more other people. If you gesture while alone in your room and no one is there to see you, then, most theorists would argue, communication has not taken place. The same, of course, is true of verbal messages: If you recite a speech and no one hears it, then communication has not taken place. Body gestures are an especially useful classification in kinesics, or the study of communication through body movement, identifies five types: emblems, illustrators, affect displays, regulators, and adaptors. Illustrators make your communications more vivid and help to maintain your listener’s attention. They also help to clarify and intensify your verbal messages. In saying, â€Å"Let’s go up,† for example, you probably move your head and perhaps your finger in an upward direction. In describing a circle or a square, you more than likely make circular or square movements with your hands. Research points to another advantage of illustrators: that they increase your ability to remember. People who illustrated their verbal messages with gestures remembered some 20 percent more than those who didn’t gesture. Affect displays are the movements of the face that convey emotional meaning are the expressions that show anger and fear, happiness and surprise, eagerness and fatigue. Regulators monitor, maintain, or control the speaking of another individual. When you listen to another, you’re not passive; you nod your head, purse your lips, adjust your eye focus, and make various paralinguistic sounds such as â€Å"mm-mm†or â€Å"tsk.†Regulators are culture-bound: Each culture develops its own rules for the regulation of conversation. Adaptors satisfy some need and usually occur without conscious awareness; they’re unintentional movements that usually go unnoticed. Nonverbal researchers identify three types of adaptors based on their focus, direction, or target: self-adaptors, alter-adaptors, and object-adaptors. Self- adaptors usually satisfy a physical need, generally serving to make you more comfortable; examples include scratching your head to relieve an itch, moistening your lips because they feel dry, or pushing your hair out of your eyes.

Objectification of Women Through Advertisements Essay

The images of advertisements reflect the social and cultural aspects of a society. These images define the values and establish attitudes of the people in a society towards the imagery projected in the advertisements. One of the highly used imagery in the advertisement across almost all the cultures is that of women. By using this imagery in the advertisements, one of the critical attitudes established among the audience is that of women are objects. There are advertisements where women are used as a subjective image but mostly women are displayed as a commodity or an object. Objectification relates to the imagery of an entity which is a person but is seen or displayed as an object. Women have been used as objects to be desired by advertisers for years now to increase the sales of the products and this strategy has worked wonders for producers; for example magazines like Playboy and Hustler would not sell at all if it is not for the sexual display of women. It is argued that since the women who take part in such advertisements give their consent towards the kind of image the advertisements project. However, objectification of women is not just the concern of the models involved in the advertisement but the whole population that views that advertisement because it affects the value system and culture of the masses. For example, the Excessive use of blonde women in the advertisements during 70s and 80s projected to the masses that blonde women are more attractive and desirable to men. However, when surveyed, 70% of women thought that blonde women are more desirable to men and only 35% men actually expressed their preference for blonde women. This way advertisement has used women as objects to establish false beliefs of beauty, independence, and power. Sigmund Freud, one of the greatest psychiatrists, also developed a theory which could be well related to the objectification of women in advertisements as a source of desire. His theory of the â€Å"unconscious mind† states that it constitutes of the largest part of a person’s mind and contains desires and memories which are not readily available to the conscious mind of a person. However, there exist different stimuli which may, if exposed to a person, bring these unconscious desires and memories to the conscious mind. Therefore it could be argued that since â€Å"sex† is seen as the most basic element of our social needs, it is often suppressed in our unconscious mind and the objectification of women in advertisements bring these desires to our conscious mind. In the light of the theory of â€Å"unconscious mind†, it could be proposed that the exposure of women in most of the advertisements today only acts as a stimulus to invoke the hidden desires of the audience till it becomes a need. And once it becomes a need people look for ways to satisfy this physical need disregarding the subjective elements involved in the process. The idea of women empowerment had taken a great flight since post WWII with the help of the media. When most men were fighting during the WWII, women had to take up the roles of men back at home. After the war ended and the men returned, women had to go back and adapt to their roles as housewives and mothers. This was the time when the media hit them and promoted the message of women empowerment with the use of women in their advertisements. The magazines communicated to the women that they had the potential and capability to build careers, acquire achievements and shift their role from that of housekeepers. From that time onwards, media has played a massive role in promoting the concept of power and empowerment for women by displaying women more often in their advertisements and with slogans like â€Å"Just do it†, â€Å"the idea of willpower†, and â€Å"take control†. The use of women in advertisements has not only made women powerful in the eyes of the male population but also given a boast to the self esteem of women and has made them more authoritative than ever before. More so, the use of women’s body in advertisements and movies has established the perception in the minds of the population that women may use their bodies to get things done and achieve success. Through advertisements using women, the society has also created a wrong perception that beauty is a prerequisite to the independence and success of women and also that it is through the beauty and consumption of certain products that women can excel in their careers and lives. The highly explicit use of women in the advertisements has also led to rivalry between different brands of a product. The rivals try to get the most popular celebrities and models for their advertisement and expose them more than their rival to gain more attraction from the target market and therefore increase the sales. It is seen these days that many companies hire brand ambassadors for the sole purpose of attracting the market and make people associate the product with the sexual desire created by the presence of the brand ambassadors; no doubt it increases the consumption. For example, the famous perfume Chanel has hired various top celebrities as there spokes-model like Nicole Kidman and Keira Knightley. In fact the perfume was initially brought to fame by Marilyn Monroe in the 1950s. The display of zero-size models with slender frames and nicely tuned body parts has led to an increased dissatisfaction of â€Å"body image† among the women. The dissatisfaction is measured by difference between a person’s â€Å"body image†, which is a person’s perception of his/her body, and the ideal body type displayed in the form of models in advertisements. Although, this dissatisfaction has always existed amongst the women, it has grown rapidly since last 25 years. This is because the media has increased its standard of what is a â€Å"normal† body size. For most of the women this ideal body size portrayed by the media is the gateway to happiness. It is through these advertisements in the media that women have established in their minds that they need to achieve that ideal body size, shape and weight in order to find a good spouse, a great career, and be acceptable to family, friends and public. The models with perfectly shaped bodies are depicted as glamorous, rich and powerful in the advertisements and therefore a perfect body is seen as the passport to happiness. However, women do not know that only 5 % of all the women have the potential and body-type to achieve the ideals displayed by the models in the advertisements. Conclusion Today, the objectification of women has reached great heights; almost every other advertisement is using this concept to promote a product. What needs to be realized is this behavior has not only degraded the status of women but has also hurt the moral values of the global society. It has also given false hopes to millions of people and has distorted the image or reality for many. And the consequences are also very apparent in the form of the kind of treatment women get from men and the number of women suffering from anorexia for example. All the aspects discussed on the objectification of women call for strong system which could align the activities of the advertisers to more ethically sound principles. References: 1. Onyejekwe, C. J. (2005). Advertising and Exploitation of Female Sexuality. Retrieved from http://www. quietmountainessays. org/Onyejekwe. html 2. Body Image. (2009). Body Image. Retrieved from http://www. snac. ucla. edu/pages/Body_Image/Body_Image. htm 3. Media Advertising. (2010). Women in the Media. Retrieved from http://www. 123helpme. com/view. asp? id=18401 4. Lukes, S. A. (n. d). The Gender Ads Project. Retrieved from http://www. ltcconline. net/lukas/gender/pages/power. htm 5. Gladen, N. R. (2008). Media Objectification of Women. Retrieved from http://medialiteracy. suite101. com/article. cfm/media_objectification_of_women 6. Boeree,C. G. (2009). Personality Theories. Retrieved From http://webspace. ship. edu/cgboer/freud. html

The Stupidest Angel Chapter 9

Chapter 9 THE LOCAL GUYS, THEY HAVE THEIR MOMENTS Thursday morning it became official: Dale Pearson, evil developer, was a missing person. Theo Crowe was going over the big red truck parked by the pounding Pacific at Lime Kiln Rock in the Big Sur wilderness area above Pine Cove. This was the area where half the world's car commercials were filmed – everything from Detroit minivans to German lux-o-cruisers was filmed snaking around the cliffs of Big Sur, as if all you needed to do was sign the lease papers and your life would be an open road of frothy waves beating on majestic seawalls, with nothing but leisure and prosperity ahead. Dale Pearson's big red truck did look carefree and prosperous, parked there by the sea, despite the crust of salt forming on the paint and the appearance that the owner had been washed away in the surf. Theo wanted that to be the case. The highway patrol, who had found the truck, had reported it as an accident. There was a surf-casting rod there on the rocks, conveniently monogrammed with Dale's initials. And the Santa hat he'd been wearing was found washed up nearby, and therein lay the problem. Betsy Butler, Dale's squeeze, had said that Dale had gone out two nights ago to play Santa at the Caribou Lodge and had never come home. Who went fishing in the middle of the night while wearing a Santa hat? Granted, according to the other Caribou, Dale had done â€Å"some drinking,† and he was a little wound up from his confrontation with his ex-wife the day before, but he hadn't lost his mind completely. Negotiating the cliffs by Lime Kiln Rock to get down to the water during the day was risky business; there's no way that Dale would have tried it in the middle of the night. (Theo had lost his footing and slid twenty feet before he caught himself, wrenching his back in the process. Sure he was a little stoned, but then, Dale would have been a little drunk.) The highway patrolman, who had a crew cut and looked to be about twelve – an escapee from one of the hygiene films Theo had seen in sixth-grade health class, Why Mary Won't Go in the Water – had Theo sign off on his report, then climbed in his cruiser and headed up the coast into Monterey County. Theo went back and looked through the truck again. All the things that should have been there – some tools, a black Mag flashlight, a couple of fast-food wrappers, another fishing rod, a tube of blueprints – were there. And all the things that shouldn't – bloody knives, shell casings, severed limbs, evidence of bleach from cleanup – were not. It was like the guy had just driven up here, climbed down the cliff, and washed away. But that just couldn't be the case. Dale could be mean-spirited, crude, and even violent, but he wasn't stupid. Unless he knew the exact topography of these cliffs, and had a good flashlight, he'd never have made it down in the dark. And his flashlight was still in the truck. Theo wished that he had better training in crime-scene investigation. He'd learned most of what he knew from television, not at the academy where he'd spent a miserable eight weeks fifteen years ago when the corrupt sheriff who had found his personal pot patch had railroaded him into becoming Pine Cove's constable. Since the academy, almost every crime scene he'd encountered had been turned over to the county sheriff or highway patrol almost immediately. He went over the truck cab again looking for something that might be a clue. The only thing remotely out of order was some dog hairs on the headrest. Theo couldn't remember if Dale had a dog. He put the dog hairs in a sandwich bag and dialed Betsy Butler on his cell phone. She didn't sound that broken up about Dale's disappearance. â€Å"No, Dale didn't like dogs. He didn't like cats either. He was kind of a cow man.† â€Å"He liked cows? Did you guys have a pet cow?† Could it be cow hair? â€Å"No, he liked to eat them, Theo. Are you okay?† â€Å"No, sorry, Betsy.† He had been so sure that he didn't sound stoned. â€Å"So, do I get the truck? I mean, are you going to bring it here?† â€Å"I have no idea,† said Theo. â€Å"They'll tow it to the impound yard. I don't know if they'll release it to you. I'd better go, Betsy.† He snapped the phone shut. Maybe he was just tired. Molly had made him sleep on the couch last night – saying something about him having mutant tendencies. He hadn't even known that she liked the salad shooter. He was sure that she could tell that he'd been smoking pot. He flipped the phone back open and called Gabe Fenton. â€Å"Hey, Theo. I don't know what that stuff is you brought me, but it's not hair. It won't burn or melt, and it's damn hard to cut or break. Good thing it was torn out by the roots.† Theo cringed. He had almost forgotten about the crazed blond guy he'd run over. He shuddered now, thinking about it. â€Å"Gabe, I have some more hair I'd like you to look at.† â€Å"Oh my God, Theo, did you run over someone else?† â€Å"No, I didn't run over anybody. Jeez, Gabe.† â€Å"Okay. I'll be here all day. Actually, I'll be here all night, too. It's not like I have anywhere to go. Or anyone who cares whether I live or die. It's not like –  » â€Å"Okay. I'm coming over.† There were two men and three women, including Lena, in the offices of Properties in the Pines when Tucker Case came through the door. The women were immediately intrigued by him and the men immediately disliked him. It had always been that way with Tuck. Later, if they got to know him, the women would dismiss him and the men would still dislike him. Basically, he was a geek in a cool guy's body – one feature or the other worked against him. It was an open stable of desks and Tuck went directly to Lena's desk at the back. As he went he smiled and nodded to the realtors, who smiled back weakly, trying not to sneer. They were beat from showing properties to Christmas vacation be-backs who wouldn't move here even if they could find employment in this toy town. They'd just failed to plan any vacation activities and so decided to take the kids out for a rousing round of jerk off the realtor. Or so went the party line at the MLS meetings. Lena met Tuck's gaze and instinctively smiled, then frowned. â€Å"What are you doing here?† â€Å"Lunch? You. Me. Eating. Talking. I need to ask you something.† â€Å"I thought you were supposed to be flying.† Tuck hadn't seen Lena in her business clothes – a sensible skirt and blouse, just a little mascara and lipstick, her hair pinned up with lacquered chopsticks, a few strands escaping here and there to frame her face. He liked the look. â€Å"I flew all morning. There's weather. The edge of a storm coming.† He really wanted to pull the chopsticks out of her hair and throw her down there on the desk and tell her how he really felt, which was somewhat aroused. â€Å"We could get Chinese,† he added. Lena looked out the window. The sky was going dark gray over the shops across the street. â€Å"There's no Chinese place in Pine Cove. Besides, I'm really swamped here. I handle vacation rentals and it's Christmas Eve eve.† â€Å"We could go to your place for a quick lunch. You have no idea how quick I can be if I put my mind to it.† Lena looked past him to her coworkers, who, of course, were now staring. â€Å"Is that what you need to ask me?† â€Å"Oh, no, no, of course not. I wouldn't – that would be, well, yes – but there's something else.† Now Tuck was feeling the realtors watching him, listening to him. He leaned over Lena's desk so only she could hear. â€Å"You said this morning that that constable guy your friend is married to lives in a cabin at the edge of a ranch. It wouldn't be the big ranch north of town, would it?† Lena was still looking past him. â€Å"Yes, the Beer-Bar Ranch, belongs to Jim Beer.† â€Å"And there's an old single-wide trailer next to the cabin?† â€Å"Yes, that used to be Molly's, but now they live in the cabin. Why?† Tuck stood back and grinned. â€Å"Then white roses it is,† he said, a little too loudly for the benefit of the audience. â€Å"I just didn't know if they'd be appropriate for the holidays.† â€Å"Huh?† Lena said. â€Å"See you tonight,† Tuck said. He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek, then sauntered out of the office, smiling apologetically at the exhausted realtors as he went. â€Å"Merry Christmas, you guys,† he said, waving from the door. The first thing that Theo noticed when he entered Gabe Fenton's cabin was the aquariums with the dead rats. The female was scampering around the center cage, sniffing and crapping and looking rat-happy, but the others, the males, lay on their backs, feet shot to the sky, like plastic soldiers in a death diorama. â€Å"How did that happen?† â€Å"They wouldn't learn. Once they associated the shock with sex, they started liking it.† Theo thought about his relationship with Molly over the last few days. He pictured himself in the dead-rat display. â€Å"So you just kept shocking them until they died?† â€Å"I had to keep the parameters of the experiment constant.† Theo nodded gravely, as if he understood completely, which he didn't. Skinner came over and headbutted him in the thigh. Theo scratched his ears to comfort him. Skinner was worried about the Food Guy, and he was hoping that maybe the Emergency Backup Food Guy might give him one of the tasty-smelling white squirrels in the cages on the table, now that it appeared that the Food Guy was finished cooking them. This teasing was as bad as when that kid at the beach used to pretend to throw the ball, then not throw the ball. Then pretend to throw the ball, but not throw the ball. Skinner had to knock the kid down and sit on his face. Boy, had he been bad-dogged for that. Nothing hurt like being bad-dogged, but if the Food Guy kept teasing him with the white squirrels, Skinner knew he was going to have to knock him down and sit on his face, maybe even poop in his shoe. Oh, I am a bad, bad dog. No, wait, the Emergency Backup Food Guy was scratching his ears. Oh, that felt good. He was fine. Doggie Xanax. Never mind. Theo handed Gabe the sandwich bag with the hairs in it. â€Å"What's the oily substance in the bag?† Gabe said, examining the specimen. â€Å"Potato-chip flotsam. The bag is from my lunch yesterday.† Gabe nodded, then looked at Theo the way the coroner always looks at the cop on TV – like: You numbskull, don't you know that you're contaminating evidence just by continuing to draw breath and I'd be a lot more comfortable with you if you'd stop? He took the bag over to the microscope on the counter, removed a couple of the hairs, and put them on a slide with a cover, then fitted it into the microscope. â€Å"Please don't tell me it's polar bear,† Theo said. â€Å"No, but at least it's an animal. It seems to have a distinct sour-cream-and-onion signature.† Gabe pulled back from the microscope and grinned at Theo. â€Å"Just fucking with you.† He gave Theo a gentle punch to the arm and looked back into the microscope. â€Å"Wow, the medulla is absent and there's low birefringence.† â€Å"Wow,† echoed Theo, trying but not really feeling the low-birefringence stoke that Gabe was. â€Å"I have to check the hair database online, but I think it's from a bat.† â€Å"There's a database for that? What, Bat Hair Dot-Com?† â€Å"That was supposed to be the whole purpose of the Internet, you know. To share scientific information.† â€Å"Not a Viagra- and porn-delivery system?† Theo said. Maybe Gabe was going to be okay after all. Gabe moved to the computer at his desk and scrolled through screen after screen of microscope photos of mammal hair until he found one he liked, then went back to the microscope and checked it again. â€Å"Wow, Theo, you've got yourself an endangered species here.† â€Å"No way.† â€Å"Where the hell did you get this? Micronesian giant fruit bat.† â€Å"Out of a Dodge pickup truck.† â€Å"Hmm, that's not listed as their habitat. It wasn't parked in Guam, was it?† Theo fished his car keys out of his pocket. â€Å"Look, Gabe, I have to go. Meet at the Slug for a beer tonight, okay?† â€Å"We can have beer now, if you want. I have some in the fridge.† â€Å"You need to get out. I need to get out. Okay?† Theo was backing out the door. â€Å"Okay. I'll meet you at six. I have to go pick up some Super Glue solvent at the Thrifty-Mart.† â€Å"Bye.† Theo jumped off the porch and loped to the Volvo. Skinner barked at him in four-four time. Hello? Tasty white squirrels? Still in the little box? Hello? You forgot? When Theo pulled up to Lena Marquez's house, there was a generic white economy rental car (A Ford Mucus, he thought) parked out front. He looked for the bat he'd seen hanging from the porch ceiling, but it wasn't there. He hadn't even filed the experience of running over the apparently indestructible blond guy, and now he was facing the possibility that he might actually be about to confront a murderer. Just in case, he'd stopped at home and gotten his gun off the shelf in the closet and his handcuffs off the bedpost where Molly had last imprisoned him when they had still been speaking. (She'd been in the yard out behind the cabin, working out with a bamboo shinai kendo sword she'd been using since breaking her broadsword – he'd snuck in and out without confrontation.) He unsnapped the Glock's nylon holster that was clipped to the back of his jeans and rang the doorbell. The door opened. Theo screamed and drew his gun as he jumped back. On the other side of the threshold, Tucker Case screamed and dove backward also, shielding his face with his hands. His hat made a little yelping sound. â€Å"Hold it right there,† Theo said. He could feel his pulse beating in his neck. â€Å"I'm holding, I'm holding. Jesus, what the fuck is this about?† â€Å"You have a bat on your head!† â€Å"Yeah, and for that you're going to shoot me?† The bat, his huge black wings wrapped around the pilot's head, gave the impression of a large leather cap with a Mohawk crest of fur that culminated in a big-eared little dog face that was now barking at Theo. â€Å"Well, uh, no.† Theo lowered the gun, feeling a little embarrassed now. He was still in his shooter's crouch, though, which now, with the gun lowered, made him look like he was posing as the world's skinniest sumo wrestler. â€Å"Can I get up?† Tuck asked. â€Å"Sure, I just wanted to talk to Lena.† Tucker Case was exasperated and his bat had fallen over one eye. â€Å"Well, she's at her office. Look, if you're going to get high, maybe you ought to leave the gun at home, huh?† â€Å"What?† Theo had been careful to use some Visine, and it had been hours since he'd hit his Sneaky Pete pot pipe. He said, â€Å"I'm not high. I haven't gotten high in years.† â€Å"Yeah, right. Constable, maybe you'd better come in.† Theo stood and tried to shake off the appearance that he'd just had about five years of life scared out of him by a guy with a bat on his head. He followed Tucker Case into Lena's kitchen, where the pilot offered him a seat at the table. â€Å"So, Constable, what can I do for you?† Theo wasn't sure. He'd planned on talking to Lena, or at least the two of them together. â€Å"Well, as you probably know, we found Lena's ex-husband's truck up in Big Sur.† â€Å"Of course, I saw it.† â€Å"You saw it?† â€Å"From the helicopter. Tucker Case, contract pilot for the DEA, remember? You can check me out if you want to. Anyway, we've been patrolling that area.† â€Å"You have?† The bat was looking at Theo and Theo was having trouble following his own thoughts. The bat was wearing tiny sunglasses. Ray-Bans, Theo could see by the trademark in the corner of one lens. â€Å"I'm sorry, Mr., uh – Case, could you take the bat off your head. It's very distracting.† â€Å"Him.† â€Å"Pardon?† â€Å"It's a him. Roberto. He no like the light.† â€Å"Pardon?† â€Å"Friend of mine used to say that. Sorry.† Tucker Case unwrapped the bat and put it on the floor, where it spidered away, walking on its wing tips into the living room. â€Å"God, that's creepy,† Theo said. â€Å"Yeah, you know, kids. What are you gonna do?† Tuck dazzled a perfect grin. â€Å"So, you found this guy's truck? Not him, though?† â€Å"No. It was made to look like he was washed into the ocean while fishing off the rocks.† â€Å"Made to look? So, you suspect foul play?† Tuck bounced his eyebrows. Theo thought the pilot should be taking this more seriously. It was time to drop the bomb. â€Å"Yes. First, he never came home after the Caribou Christmas party Tuesday night, where he played the joke Santa. No one goes surf-fishing in the middle of the night, wearing a Santa suit. We found the Santa hat still in the truck, and I found hairs from a Micronesian fruit bat on the headrest.† â€Å"Well, that's a coincidence. Jeez, that's got to make you suspicious, doesn't it?† Tucker Case got up and went over to the counter. â€Å"Coffee? I just made it.† Theo stood up, too, just because he didn't want the suspect to get away, or maybe to show that he was taller, because it seemed like the only advantage he had over the pilot. â€Å"Yes, it is suspicious. And I talked to a kid Tuesday night who said he saw a woman killing Santa Claus with a shovel. I didn't think anything of it then, but now I think the kid might have actually seen something.† Tucker Case was busying himself with getting cups out of the cupboard, milk out of the fridge. â€Å"So, you did tell the kid that there's no Santa, right?† â€Å"No, I didn't.† Now Tucker Case turned, coffeepot in hand, and regarded Theo. â€Å"You know that there is no Santa, don't you, Constable?† â€Å"This is not a joke,† Theo said. He hated this – hated being the MAN. He was supposed to be the smart-ass in the face of authority figures. â€Å"Cream?† Theo sighed. â€Å"Sure. And sugar, please.† Tuck finished preparing the coffee, brought the cups to the table, and sat down. â€Å"Look, I see where you're going with this, Theo. Can I call you Theo?† Theo nodded. â€Å"Thanks. Anyway, Lena was with me Tuesday night, all night.† â€Å"Really? I saw Lena on Monday. She didn't mention you. Where did you meet?† â€Å"At the Thrifty-Mart. She was a Salvation Army Santa. I thought she was attractive, so I asked her out. We hit it off.† â€Å"You make it a habit of hitting on the Salvation Army Santas?† â€Å"Lena said that you're married to a scream queen called Kendra, Warrior Babe of the Outland.† Theo nearly shot coffee out his nose. â€Å"That was a character she used to play.† â€Å"Yeah, Lena says sometimes that's not so clear to her. My point is: Love is where you find it.† Theo nodded. Yeah, that was true. Before he drifted into a wistful state of mind, Theo reminded himself that this guy was, in an offhand way, attacking the woman he loved. â€Å"Hey,† Theo said. â€Å"It's okay? Who am I to judge? I married an island girl who had never seen indoor plumbing until I brought her to the States. Didn't work out –  » â€Å"Fruit-bat hair in the truck,† Theo interrupted. â€Å"Yeah, I knew you'd come back to that. Well, who knows? Roberto goes out on his own from time to time. Maybe he met this Dale guy. Maybe they hit it off. You know, love is where you find it. I doubt it, though. I hear that this Dale guy was a real creep.† â€Å"Are you implying that your bat may have something to do with the disappearance of Dale Pearson?† â€Å"No, you nitwit, I'm saying that my bat may have had something to do with bat hair, which, even you, with your Sherlock Holmes-like powers of observation, may have noticed he is all covered with.† â€Å"I can't believe you're a cop,† Theo said, getting truly angry now. â€Å"I'm not a cop. I just fly the helicopter for the DEA. They hire me by the season, and this is close to the harvest season in Big Sur and surrounding areas, so here I am, flying around looking in the forest for dark green patches while the agents in the back look at it through infrared and record everything on GPS so they can get specific warrants. And man, do they pay well. ‘Vive la war on drugs, I say. But no, I'm not a cop.† â€Å"I didn't think so.† â€Å"Funny thing is, I have learned to spot the right color of green from the sky, and usually the infrared confirms my suspicions. This morning I spotted about a thousand-square-foot patch of marijuana growing just north of the Beer-Bar Ranch. You know where that is?† Theo felt a lump in his throat the size of one of Gabe's dead rats. â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"Man, that's a lot of pot, even by commercial growers' standards. Felony quantity. I turned the helicopter – steered away without calling it to the agent's attention, but weather permitting, we could go back. There's a storm coming in, you know? Roberto and I drove by there this afternoon just to make sure. I guess I can always show the agents tomorrow.† Tucker Case put down his coffee, leaned on his elbows, and turned his head sideways like he was a cute kid in a cereal commercial who was reaching sugar nirvana. â€Å"You're a very unlikable man, Mr. Case.† â€Å"Oh my God, you should have seen me before I had my epiphany. I used to really be an asshole. I'm actually very charming now. By the way, I saw your wife working out in the yard at your house – very nice. The whole sword thing is a little scary, but otherwise, very nice.† Theo got to his feet, feeling a little dizzy even as he stood, like he'd been hit with a sock full of sand. â€Å"I'd better be going.† Tucker Case put his hand on Theo's shoulder as he walked him to the door. â€Å"You probably don't believe this, Theo, but at another time, I'm sure we'd be friends. And you have to understand, I really, really want things to work out with Lena. It was like we met just at the precise moment, the exact second, that I got over my divorce and was ready to love again. And it's so nice to have someone to bone under the Christmas tree, don't you think? She's a great woman.† â€Å"I like Lena,† Theo said. â€Å"But you are a psychopath.† â€Å"You think?† Tuck said. â€Å"I've really been trying to be more helpful.†