Case assignment

In order to prevent this state from continuing, the office of chief financial officer believes that $1 00 million SAID WOUld cover the risk enervated by low level of cash and liquid securities and guarantee for the bank's financial stability. Types of Risks The main risk faced by NAB from the low cash level is liquidity risk, and there are two risks derived from liquidity risk: contagion risk and funding risk. Liquidity risk refers to an DAD will have insufficient funds to meet its financial obligations when due.In fact, a low liquidity ratio in one bank could affect the entire system, in other words, it can lead to contagion risk that the payment system collapses as a result of default by ADDIS in general. Hence manage equity adequately could minimize serious problems arise in the future (Jasmine et a', 2012, IPPP). While the funding risk refers to an DAD is difficult to maintain sufficient funds to cover its loans. It is closely related to liquidity risk since failure to rollover l iabilities will result in a liquidity crisis for the AD'.Causes of The Risks There are several causes of the liquidity risk. A liquidity risk could arise due to the mismatch in the maturity of the bank's sources and uses of funds. The maturity mismatch is an imbalance between the average maturity of a ban? Assets and its liabilities. Observed by Agate (2009), approximately half of the funds in banking system are provided by deposits, and the majority of them are in transaction or saving accounts that could be withdrawn immediately. Ender this unreasonable liability structure, when customers withdraw a great deal of deposits, a liquidity risk can be caused. 2. An economic factor can influence the liquidity risk within ADDIS (Somalis, 2010). For example, during a crisis, lenders are likely to panic and cause a run on their DAD to withdraw their funds. On the other hand, a boom in the economic yes could also cause a liquidity risk because of active demands for investment in various ind ustries such as real estate, mining, etc.Most funds of these investments are from bank loans, which bring a credit risk (I. E. Borrower defaulting). Once the bank suffer a loss of its assets, the liquidity ratio will decrease thus increase the liquidity risk. 3. Monetary policy could affect the liquidity risk in a bank as well. For example, if the interest rate is expected to decrease in the future, customers will deposit now in order to decrease the loss of wealth. Meanwhile, bank loans will crease because customers will borrow money in the future due to low expected interest rate.However, when the interest rate is expected to increase in the future, firms' demand for loan will blow up, and customers is unwilling to save money now due to expected high interest rate in the future, hence cause a liquidity shortage which give rise to liquidity risk. Solution NAB is facing a serious condition now where the liquidity ratio is low. It has to come up with several strategies to manage the liquidity risk that is likely to cause a bank to bankruptcy. 1.The office of CROP believe that about $100 million ADD would solve the robber, because by holding this amount of cash, exchange settlement funds and liquid assets, it is able to maintain the liquidity when unexpected shortages of liquidity occur. Another method to manage liquidity risk is to balance asset and liability of the bank by matching the maturities. In order to do so, the bank deposits should be allocated in well-organized maturities assets. Hence, the demand for liquidity from the matured deposits could be fulfilled from the liquidity of the matured assets (Greenberg and Thacker, 1 995, Pl 72).

Rehabilitation Paper Essay

As I am told to write this rehabilitation paper and to quote a definition, I understand that rehabilitation basically is a word of hope in the prisoner life not only for prisoners but as well for the selected individuals that strive to make prisoners better members of society. So, with that being said, my definition for rehabilitation is as follows: the idea or concept of making a prisoner better. The purpose of rehabilitation is almost with no form. It’s supposed to correct or bring an end to criminals’ wrong doing so that criminal offenders can emerge as useful members of society. The basic idea derived from the idea that a person who has been incarcerated will never want to be sent back to prison after they have been set free. Well, as we can see that is not the case. Most prisoners go through these rehabilitation programs and are released and just as soon as they are released go back to the way they were before and become criminal offenders and prisoners again. The origins of rehabilitation focused on forcing an inmate to consider both the error of his or her ways, the gravity of the crime committed, and why good conduct and further avoidance of crime would be beneficial. The initial origins of the penitentiary were created by the Quakers, and reinforced by religious fervor for a ‘black and white’ application of the law. â€Å"What the Quakers believed in was penance, the suffering of punishment inducing the prisoner to express sorrow for his sins and to promise to do good to make up for his evil acts-social change based on the religious transformation that took place within the penitentiary. The penitentiary was a place for penitents to do penance. This was intended to take place in isolation, as one might meditate alone in one’s room (Foster, 2006).† Rehabilitation affects the prisoners as well as general society because it’s supposed to make prisoners more acceptable in society. These programs strive to make criminals better citizens with this being said,   criminals as less likely to be an oppose threat to other citizens’ or members of the general society. I think that you can improve rehabilitation by starting rehabilitation as soon as a prisoners become a prisoner and making better choices on what types of programs that will help prisoners personally and individual ly. I think that rehabilitation can make a big difference in prison as well as having prisoners go through rehabilitation when they are released too. References Foster, B. (2006) Corrections: The fundamentals. Upper Saddle River.NJ: Prentice Hall.

Market Models

The main objective of a private firm is to maximize profits and without the control over costs, they try to sell at higher prices. This is true if the operating industry has an inelastic demand schedule as a price rise brings in higher revenue. The Marginal revenue concept states that in order to increase revenues, firms need to lower prices if they are operating in a price-elastic industry but a fall in price in a relatively in-elastic demand adds a deficit to the revenue that so firms increase their prices in order to attain a higher profit. 2) The US airline industry operates in the oligopolistic structure. That is the big four firms namely American, Southwest, United and Delta have a combined share of more than 40% of the market which supports the fact that these firms can be classified as oligopolies. Further the firms do not react to price increases that sharply as it is a characteristic of an oligopoly to react more towards a price fall rather than an increase except for the case of a market leader. 3) No, the result will not differ whether we consider the entire domestic market or just the market for San Francisco and Seattle. The firms operating are same and customers are quite rational that is the service being offered is homogenous so it would not matter if we look at it as a whole or individually. Here a price rise in the case of a single market would mean that the competitor may gain an advantage and attain higher revenue. 4) There are many advantages of collusion or price fixing related to competitors. One of them being an equal share for all, this means that they can share areas among themselves and reduce competition. This helps reduce uncertainty as the market saturation is done and firms are bound by agreement to receive equal share. This would further give rise to profits and most of all this behavior is a very strong entry barrier as firms can unite in order to drive away an entrant. Collusive pricing also means a restricted supply therefore firms can ask higher prices as there is a quota in place thus creating an in-elastic demand. 5) No, an oligopoly operates in between both extremes of its demand schedule that is the elastic region and the in-elastic region. The reason that the firm rescinds from increasing prices is due to the fear of losing its market share as the products in this industry are homogenous and so the customers would shift easily to other airlines. The oligopolists must consider how their rivals will react to any change in the price, output, characteristics, or advertising. Oligopoly is thus characterized by strategic behaviour and mutual interdependence. By strategic behaviour we simply mean self interested behaviour that takes into account the reaction of others. So we can not associate that such advertisements or statements are for a fixture in price. Bibliography 1)Parkin, Michael. (2004) Economics. Addison Wesley Publishing Company

THE IMPORTANCE OF EMPLOYEE EMPOWERMENT IN THE GLOBAL WORLD Essay

THE IMPORTANCE OF EMPLOYEE EMPOWERMENT IN THE GLOBAL WORLD - Essay Example The logic behind employee's participation and empowerment is quite simple: by involving workers in those divisions that affect them and by increasing their autonomy and control over their work lives, employees will become more motivated, more committed to the organisation, more productive and more satisfied with their jobs. Empowerment is the authority to take decisions within one's area of operation without having to get approval; from anyone else. Here the operatives are encouraged to use their initiative to do things the way they like. To this end, the employees are given not just authority but resources as well so that they not only take decisions but implement them quickly. This empowerment means giving the employees the authority to make decisions and providing them with financial resources to implement these decisions (Koch & Godden, 1997 11). Employees participation and empowerment participation means sharing the decision making power with the lower ranks of an organisation in an appropriate manner (Lashley & McGoldrick, 1994, 35). When workers participate in organisational decisions they are able to see the big picture clearly and also how their actions would impact the overall growth of the company. They can offer feedback immediately based on their experiences and improve the quality of decisions greatly. Since they are now treated with respect, they begin to view the job and the organisation as their own, and commit themselves to organisational objectives whole heartedly. 3. Creating an Empowerment Culture Organization culture depends basically on its history, technology, industry, custom and practice, leadership style organization structure etc. All organizations are unique and therefore have unique cultures. However, if one examines the attributes of the majority of industrial organizations, there are a number of traits that are seen as desirable for effective organization. First, no organization can be isolated from cultural environment, that is, organization as a social unit must operate within the framework of the larger cultural system. As such, a congruency has to be maintained with the values of total culture. Second, organization may be considered as a subculture within the framework of total broader culture. No doubt, every organization develops its own norms and cultural pattern of behavior; these elements are developed within the context of the larger cultural pattern. No part of the system should go against it if both have to succeed. From this point of view, the creating an empowerment culture is important for the functioning of a modern organization. A model for understanding organizational culture is: Which effect

English legal system case report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

English legal system case report - Essay Example ited type of knife has been described by this section as one that has an automatically opening blade (Restriction of Offensive Weapons Act (c.37), 1959). However, in this knife, the blade should open when hand pressure is applied to a button or other device attached to the knife handle. Such offence attracts the following punishment, on summary conviction. For a first offence the offender will be sentenced to prison for a term that does not exceed three months or to a fine that is limited to  £50 or to both (Restriction of Offensive Weapons Act (c.37), 1959). In this case, the chief inspector charged the respondent with an offence under the provisions of section 1 of the Restriction of Offensive Weapons Act 1959. The charge was that on 26 October1959, the respondent had made an offer of sale with respect to a prohibited variety of knife. This knife opened automatically on pressure being applied to a device that was attached to the handle of the knife (Souper, 2008). The respondent consented to the police constable’s request to examine the knife. Thereafter, the latter confiscated the knife and submitted it to the superintendent of police. Subsequently, he returned to the shop and informed the respondent that the knife had been determined to be a flick knife and that he would be reported for offering it for sale (Souper, 2008). In court the appellant contended that the display of the knife in the shop window by the respondent with its price, constituted an offer of sale of the knife, in accordance with the provisions of the Restriction of Offensive Weapons Act 1959. This was contested by the respondent, who stated that he had never offered the knife for sale, as per the interpretation of the 1959 Act (Souper, 2008). The plaintiff’s main contention was that the display of Knife in the shop window does not amount to an offer. The court held that as this Act was devoid of a definition, the term offer for sale had to be determined from the law of contract. As a

(Not sure about that) this is a critical project report from the Essay

(Not sure about that) this is a critical project report from the module of issues in accounting research, - Essay Example A critical review of its content is thus relevant even now. Watts and Zimmermann The impact of Watts and Zimmermann's paper is immense: A Google Scholar search finds 1035 citations of it, and Watts' (1990) ten year retrospective article has 3041! Published in The Accounting Review, a major journal, the paper not only introduced positive accounting as a concept but began to focus on the role of regulatory boards and politics. The papers' primary research question is simple: Why would firms spend valuable assets resisting accounting standards (Watts and Zimmermann, 1978, 131)? Empirically, they had done so numerous times. A superficial analysis might point to corruption or to trying to protect against malfeasance, but Watts and Zimmermann's research indicates that there is a more complex structural reason. Their research indicated several trends: 1. Larger companies, ceterus paribus, will support less complex accounting measures like General Price Level Accounting more often than small er companies: This is theoretically supported by the notion that a large company would be more likely to be a target of government interference or auditing and thus has more of a stake, proportional to their size. Firm size is the largest factor in their analysis. 2. Direction of change in earning is vital: Companies that are earning less than in previous years and thus experiencing negative growth or at risk of reporting losses unsurprisingly resist accounting changes that might a) further depress their costs by requiring more administrative overhead and paperwork and b) might require more complex reporting of the firms' difficulties. The paper also pointed to complex government-economic interaction forces. Even the mere effect of requiring different accounting standards could have multiple impacts on firm behavior. â€Å"Investment-production† decisions could end up changing as firms' accounting overhead increases, with firms picking either less costly or less risky investm ents to shield them from the risk (Watts and Zimmermann, 1978, 131). This would be indicated by a lower beta on common stock, which was found in those firms supporting GPLA. They also found that there was a â€Å"decline in systematic risk as firm size increases and as government intervention costs rise†. The benefits of improved accounting might be eclipsed by the cost for larger and larger companies. This in turn begs a question: Might larger firms have larger accounting overhead in general due to the number and complexity of their transactions? There are implications for policy as well, both for NGO accounting standards boards like the FASB and for national and provincial governmental regulation like the SEC. Corporate lobbying has historically had a major freezing effect on actions taken by regulators, including the SEC arguably having chosen the AICPA as their â€Å"scapegoat† so as to avoid the difficult task of crafting regulatory standards themselves (Watts and Zimmermann, 1978, 132). To avoid resisting corporate lobbying, regulators may wish to choose accounting standards that improve firms' fidelity of financial information without incurring substantial overhead. Of course, in light of recent events in the global

The Corporate Citizenship of Avon Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Corporate Citizenship of Avon - Essay Example According to James Post, corporate citizenship does not merely involve good acts. One central requirement of citizenship is the promotion of social harmony. A company should, therefore, ensure that its social activities are those that are directed to the building and sustaining of a harmonious society. A company and its operations should also have a harmonious existence with the society in which it operates under because it cannot promote harmony if it is the first to rub shoulders with its stakeholders and the community (Post 146). AVON Company has achieved this to a good level by speaking violence and ensuring that its operations do not cause disputes with the society of operation. AVON Company has sustained and even increased its public social works as they continue with their own private business. This means they have met the key corporate citizenship requirement that businesses are supposed to re-connect private work and public work. As corporate citizens, multinational companie s are required to take responsibility for the impacts that the company’s activities have on the environment and its stakeholders (Wood and Logsdon 53). AVON Company participates in and focuses its environmental protection and rehabilitation activities in opportunities and places that will achieve the greatest impact hence it is a corporate citizen. Another requirement for a corporate citizen is to voluntarily extend its social activities beyond those that are required by the country’s legislation (Post 145). As a demonstration to this, AVON Company has been actively involved in helping women affected by cancer by donating approximately $700 million towards breast cancer programs. It also participates in emergency relief and has awarded millions of US dollars to women affected by natural disasters.  Ã‚  

Film Analysis and it's Applications Coursework

Film Analysis and it's Applications - Coursework Example Belfort divorces his loyal wife, begins using both drugs and prostitutes and is a fraudster. He commits a number of crimes as he operates his company aggressively often flaunting some existing laws that govern the operation of stock brokerage firms. The film provides an effective criticism of the society by proving the claim that â€Å"power corrupts† as the main character becomes increasingly powerful. The fact that the film is an adaption of a real life story makes it effective in representing the lives of some of the wealthiest people in the first world. Wall Street, for example, is a representation of America’s financial hub. The 0.7-mile street produces hundreds of millionaires on a yearly basis. The film provides the society with a view to the operations of the stockbrokers. This way, the film shows how the individuals generate their wealth. The film provides a systematic and equally effective criticism of the society thereby influencing the cultural values. From the rise and fall of Belfort in the film, the audience understands the importance of humility, respect, ethical business operations and obedience to the

HU300 unit 8 Journal Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

HU300 unit 8 Journal - Research Paper Example Let’s take an example of Chinese and Japanese films. These countries portray in their films a lot about their festivals and ceremonies. This tells us how festive these countries are. Chinese films also show the heroic struggle of the Chinese soldiers who reached their destination in the 1930s after the long march. An example of this is the Chinese movie named â€Å"The Long March†. The way Chinese films are made tells us that China has a strong film industry with talented actors. Russian films, like â€Å"Faust† by Alexander Sokurov, talk more about battles and wars, and portray the Russian history. Arabian films have their own special portrayal of beauty and culture. Moreover, if we talk about German films, most of them portray the humorous nature of the Germans which they are famous for. German comedy movies, like â€Å"Miss Congeniality 2 - Armed and Fabulous† and â€Å"The Edukators†, show the sense of humor Germans possess. Hence, keeping in mi nd that films portray cultures, they should not only be a source of entertainment but should also contain moral

Discuss the Careers of Teaching and Car Salesman Research Paper

Discuss the Careers of Teaching and Car Salesman - Research Paper Example I do have the panache to learn about the unique features of each model and brand I come across (Witkin 152). Should I be a car salesman, I will definitely be one who is quiet well informed about cars. Every good vocation begins with a deep interest, isn’t it (Bloom 26)? Besides, I am a very authentic talker and I do believe that anybody who comes to me with the intention of buying a car will certainly end up buying one (Andrews 247). I believe that sincerity and frankness are the ultimate credentials that make a good salesman (Shetty & Buehler 63). The other thing is that I am really good with numbers; however I really don’t know whether I will be able to convert my deftness and finesse with numbers into actual sales. One enticing factor is that if I end up being a great car salesman, at a later stage I can start my own car dealership. Pecuniary benefits do constitute an integral component of a great career. Well, one cannot expect to be a premium salesman right from th e start. Or perhaps, considering my astute skills and communication expertise, I can later on move to a career in real estate. Actually, the thing is that the more I ponder about a career in auto sales, the less convinced I feel about joining this profession. I should listen to my heart also. I think a career as a teacher will be the one that will do ample justice to my academic achievements and personal temperament. I do have the dedication to pursue a discipline with sincerity and dedication. One cannot teach what one does not know. In teaching a person needs to be proficient in the subject one teaches (Stronge 66). Besides, I have an academic bent of mind which continually nudges me to build on the understanding of the subjects I like (Aylett 75). Teaching will be a really suitable outlet for such academic dedication and sincerity. The other great personal attribute that supports my choice of teaching as a

Business strategy report on Ford Company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Business strategy report on Ford Company - Essay Example Ford Motor Company is a reliable name in the industry since the year 1903. It has now become a global name and has significant shares in different parts of the world. As per Healey (2012), it has 172000 employees globally and 65 plants across the world. It serves 50 markets and employees 65000 employees in Europe. The firm has two main brands Lincoln and Ford and is divided into two departments namely the auto sector and the financial services sector. Under the former it manufactures service cars, trucks, SUVs and vehicle parts. However, as per Naughton and Webb (2012),over 28% of its sales come from the European market, which is suffering for the past five years due to economic downturns. This in turn has affected the firm and it has broken off from the European industry by announcing the shut down of 3 prominent plants in the European region. According to Ramsey (2012), the firm claims that it will be running an annual loss of $ 1.5 billion in Europe. According to Castonguay (2012) , though the closer of these plants will cause the elimination of 5700 jobs directly, it will save the firm $ 500 million. It will decrease the production capacity by 18% and thus cut costs also (European Commission 2012). As per Ford, the market is predicted to fall even more and it was the only feasible solution that they could come up with to curtail their costs and answer their investors. This is a bold step that the firm is planning to take as no other firm in the industry has done so as yet.... This is a bold step that the firm is planning to take as no other firm in the industry has done so as yet. However, Ford is sure that this will work for the firm as an identical model of reducing cost by cutting labour in an attempt to reduce the production capacities has worked in North America (European Commission 2012). The firm needs to take this step as a large part of its revenue depends on the European market. However, there is fierce opposition by the labour union as the firm had earlier committed to build a facility in Genk but instead is going to build one in Spain. The workers need to be compensated and the firm has to face the union before it can take this measure (Ford, 2012). 1.2.1 Purpose of Ford The mission statement of the firm is: People working together as a lean, global enterprise for automotive leadership, as measured by: Customer, Employee, Dealer, Investor, Supplier, Union/Council, and Community Satisfaction. (Ford Motor Company Mission Statement 2012) The firm also aims to restructure itself in an aggressive disposition with the aim to operate with profitability at the on going demand altering the product mix as per the needs of the market, at the same time, work as a single team with the focus on improving the balance sheet. However, currently the firm is not in line with its mission as it is operating below profit and has not been able to alter its product mix with the changing demand (4-traders, 2012). The firm’s focus is not profitability in Europe and has been pressed down by the socio political environment (Thorpe, Slade and Bender, 2009). 1.3 Pestle analysis 1.3.1 Political / legal environment The political and legal environment governing the auto industry in Europe is quite

Critically reflect on my managerial role within my job Essay Example for Free

Critically reflect on my managerial role within my job Essay 1. Introduction With the development of society and economics, our world has become much more complex and changeful than years before. Todays managers have to be very sensitive to the changing of the environment, to understand and cope with the diversity of the world. As a result, the role management plays in private sector as well as public sector has become more and more important, both theoretically and practically. Elements of management could be found as early as in the building construction of the Pyramids in ancient Egypt. However, great progress has been made since last century in the study of management. The theories of management vary from culture to culture, from generation to generation. The following report is my understanding towards the principles of management and a reflection of my own managerial roles at work, referring to Mintzbergs ten principles. 2. About management theory The first theory of management was delivered by Henri Fayol, a French industrialist, in 1916. He defined management as to manage is to forecast and plan, to organise, to command, to co-ordinate and to control(Mc Ilwee T. and Roberts I., 1991, p.117). The other important management theories, such as Elton Mayos human relations movement, Max Webers idealized bureaucracy, and Henry Mintzbergs ten principles on management, have emerged subsequently. Here, I mainly want to introduce Henry Mintzbergs ten principles on management. * What is it? Henry Mintzbergs ten roles management theory was based on the study of five chief executives and a few others managers real lives. He described what he had seen as the roles a manager play, which were called ten principles on management. The ten roles are divided into three groups: interpersonal, informational, and decisional (see Figure 1). Figure 1 The Ten Managerial Roles The three interpersonal roles are radically considered the interpersonal relationships. In the figurehead role, the manager represents the organization in all matters of formality. Duties that involve inter personal roles may sometimes be routine, Nevertheless, they are important to the smooth functioning of an organization and cannot be ignored by the manager (Mintzberg H., 1989, p.15-16). The leader role defines the relationships between the manger and employees. In the liaison role, the manger maintains information links both inside and outside organization. The interpersonal roles make the managers more easily accept information. Thus, the three informational roles are primarily concerned with the information aspects of managerial work. The processing of information is a key part of the managers job (Mintzberg H, 1989, p.18). In the monitor role, the manager acts as the nerve centre for the organisation, receiving the latest, most concrete, most up-to-date information. In the role of disseminator, the manager transmits special information into the organization. In the role of spokesperson, the manager disseminates the organizations information into its environment. Information is not, of course, and end in itself; it is the basic input to decision-making (Mintzberg H., 1989, p.19). The decisional roles make significant use of the information. The unique access to information places the manager at the centre of organisational decision-making. There are four decisional roles. In the entrepreneur role, the manager tries to improve their organization by seeking effective ways of using resources and technologies. In the disturbance handler role, the manger resolves unexpected problems that threaten organizational goals. In the resource-allocating role, the manager decides how organizational resources will be used to meet planned objectives. In the negotiator role, the manager negotiates on behalf of the organization. Although the Mntzbergs ten managerial roles are described individually, they are hardly separated. No role can be pulled out of the framework and the job be left intact (Mintzberg H., 1989, p.19). So we should consider the Mntzbergs ten managerial roles as both interactive and integrated. * Why do I choose it? There are many definitions of management, and most of them are relatively concise and simplistic. However, management is a complex process much more complex than this simple definition leads us to believe (Griffin R. W., 1999, p.4). Although there are several other major approaches and theories that exist, such as the human resources, quantitative, and systems approaches, I believe that their impact on the management basics is not as greatly felt as that of the works of Mintzberg. Mintzberg focused on what the managers job and life is really like, applied the folklore and fact to managers, and got the ten managerial roles theory. Compared with other management theories, Mintzbergs work is considered as the best reflection of the practice in the real manager life, which analyses the managerial roles comprehensively. Many of them can be found in todays management ideas and practices. In addition, Mintzberg regards the ten roles as a whole, which makes us more easier understand the pro cess of management. 3. Critically reflect on managerial role within my work I worked in Liaoning Provincial Financial Bureau, taking charge of government procurement. Although I am not at the position of manager yet, I actually shoulder the equivalent responsibilities in the administration of work. Most of the ten managerial roles, which Mintzberg had mentioned in his article, were involved in my daily work. In addition, these roles do not exist separately, they connect with each other. Here is an illustration of my managerial roles at work with regard to Mintzbergs theory (see Figure 2). Figure 2 Firstly, the interpersonal roles help me get more useful information. With no title manager, the figurehead role seldom occurs in my work. But I actually perform the leader role. I should set goals and make plans to decide how the process of government procurement to be arranged. In the three interpersonal roles, I think the liaison role is the basic role in my work. From my personal experience, if I want to provide better services, I must contact with people both inside and outside. For example, I need make contacts outside to learn what the public sectors, which I am in charge of, want to buy this year, and then decide how government procurement can be arranged. In addition, I must connect with my colleagues to learn the other public sectors demands. In this stage, the communication is important. Communication is the exchange of information, facts, ideas, and meanings. Good communication is vital in organisations and lies at the heart of effective management. How to achieve effective communication? I conclude the following principles according to my work experience. Know what your objective is, Analyse situation, Use effective communication tools, such as mail, phone calls, meetings, etc., Make sure you understand what the others say properly. Secondly, the informational roles are the main constitution of my work. Everyday I seek and receive a great deal of information through interpersonal roles (monitor role), and then forward information to other organization members (disseminator role), and furthermore transmit information to outsiders (spokesman role). For example, I collect information from the suppliers and buyers, and then discuss this information with my colleagues. Afterward, I must pass on clear and definitive information to outside people who concern about it. In this stage, it is important for me to distinguish different kinds of information. Because I receive a great deal of information both internally and externally every day, I must tell immediately the informal information from those formal ones, so as to get precise and useful information for users both inside and outside. It is essential to establish a steady and efficient channel to achieve a free information flow. Thirdly, the decisional roles are the most important roles in my work. Of four decisional roles, I spend more time in the disturbance handler and negotiation role. I must deal with all the questions from suppliers and buyers, and coordinate among them. Sometimes, I get them together and make trade-off to get a win-win solution in some difficult transaction. From my work experience, I conclude that the ability to analyze, interpret, and solve problems becomes increasingly important for managers. It is crucial for managers to see the organization as a whole and the relationships among its various levels and visualize ways to make the organization more efficient and effective. These abilities are essential to effective decision-making. How to achieve effective decision-making? It depends on many factors. Quality of information, which you have received, is the key element of decision-making. In addition, the skill of disturbance handler and negotiation will help you achieve effective decision-making. 4. Conclusion We have learned lots of management theories. Mintzbergs ten managerial roles are the synthesis of theory and practice. It is helpful for management work. But I think we should pay more attention to practice of management. We should synthesize our own methods and habits that are suitable for our own area. It will eventually make the public administration more effective and efficient. Reference * Griffin R. W., (1999) Management, 6th .ed., Houghton Mifflin. * Mc Ilwee T., Roberts, I. (1991) Human Resourse Management. * Mintzberg H., (1989) Mintzberg On Management: Inside Our Strange World of Organizations, London: Collier Macmillan Publisher.

Treating Alzheimers Disease with Vitamin A, C E (ACE)

Treating Alzheimers Disease with Vitamin A, C E (ACE) ACE Alzheimers: An adjuvant strategy of treating Alzheimers disease with Vitamin A, C E (ACE) ABSTRACT Alzheimers disease (AD) is a chronic and slowly progressing neurodegenerative disorder which has become a major concern with regards to health, worldwide. This disorder is characterised by progressive dementia and cognitive decline. Pathologically, AD is characterised by the presence of AÃŽÂ ² plaques and tau neurofibrils. However, literature has shown that oxidative stress is one of the most important risk factor behind the cause of AD. Oxidative stress often leads to production of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS), which further increases structural and functional abnormalities in neurons of the brain, which subsequently, presents as dementia and cognitive decline. In order, to curb the oxidative stress, antioxidants can be of great help. There have been many evidences that supports the use of antioxidants in the treatment for AD. Vitamins A, C and E are an example of antioxidants that can be used as adjuvants in the treatment of AD. This article will focus on current literature and will present forward the evidence based advantages of using Vitamin A, C and E as an adjuvant treatment for AD. Keywords: Antioxidants, ACE, Adjuvant therapy. INTRODUCTION A clinical psychiatrist and neuroanatomist, Alois Alzheimer, reported A peculiar severe disease process of the cerebral cortex to the 37th Meeting of South-West German Psychiatrists in Tubingen, thus marking the discovery of one of the most interesting pathologies in medicine Alzheimers disease. His invention was based on the observations in one his patient named Auguste D, suffering from profound memory loss, unfounded suspicions about her family, and additional worsening psychological changes. Her post mortem findings further revealed dramatic shrinkage of the brain and abnormal deposits in and encircling the nerve cells [1]. AD has proven to be a significant public health issue, as it consumes a major amount of heath budget in developed as well as developing countries. AD has become one of the leading causes of dementia in patients less than 65 years, other causes being Lewy body dementia (LBD), frontotemporal dementia (FTD), vascular dementia (VaD) and alcohol associated dementia [2]. United States alone has documented a $200 billion annual expenditure on patients affected by AD. Moreover, one person develops Alzheimers dementia every 68 seconds emphasizing the incidence of the disease [3]. Dementia can be defined as a chronic progressive disorder marked by memory deficits, personality changes, and impaired reasoning. Results from population-based studies have shown a significant relationship between the certain risk factors and development of AD. Increased risk was shown with an increase in age, fewer years of education, and head trauma. Genetic factors do contribute to the early development of AD increased risk with mutations on chromosome 21 (cases of downs syndrome) as it carries the amyloid precursor protein, the presence of apolipoprotein E epsilon 4 allele and the presenilin 1 and 2 genes. The strongest factor identified till date are the apolipoprotein E genes located on chromosome 19 which exists in three forms ÃŽÂ µ2, ÃŽÂ µ3, and ÃŽÂ µ4. ÃŽÂ µ2 has been found to reduce the risk, ÃŽÂ µ3 is found to be neutral whereas ÃŽÂ µ4 has been associated with a tremendous increase in risk as well as early development of symptoms (Figure 1) [4]. Chromosome Genes 21 AMYLOID PRECURSOR PROTEIN 19 APOLIPOPROTEIN E 14 PRESENILIN 1 1 PRESENILIN 2 Figure 1. Genetic factors causing a risk to develop Alzheimers Ad is difficult to differentiate from other causes of dementia like LBD, FTD and Vad [5]. It may present with dysfunction of various fields such as vision, touch voluntary movements, personality deficits and judgemental disorders depending upon the area of the brain affected [6].The National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke and the Alzheimers disease and Related Disorders Association (NINCDS/ADRDA) has proposed a diagnostic criteria for differentiating between AD and other known causes of dementia. In compliance with NINCDS/ADRDA , AD is diagnosed if: (I) Cognitive functions decline progressively over a period of time including/ not including memory impairment or (Ia) Inability to understand language and verbal commands (aphasia); (Ib) Loss of ability to accomplish tasks due to incoordination of muscles (apraxia); (Ic) Failure to recognise previously known objects and loss of ability to use them(agnosia); (Id) Unable to plan, organise and execute dail y chores; (II) All above mentioned under I do get progressively deteriorated with time; (III) Other known causes of dementia as well as cognitive deterioration must be eliminated [6,7]. Neurofibrillatory tangles and extracellular amyloid plaques have been the initial histopathological findings associated with AD. Recently several other features have been recognised which include degeneration of neuronal synapses, aneuploidy and loss of neurons in the hippocampus. Despite the recent inventions, presence of extracellular amyloid plaques and intracellular NFT have been taken into account as the main histopathological criteria for establishment of AD [8]. Among all the different hypothesis, AÃŽÂ ² cascade has been the most accepted. Previously, a mutation in beta-Amyloid Precursor Protein (APP), which contributes to the normal function of neurons and cerebral development, was thought to be the sole culprit since the accumulation of AÃŽÂ ² proteins had lead to the pathogenesis of AD [9]. Eventually, mutated presenilin genes (both 1 and 2) have been discovered to play a role in the formation of AÃŽÂ ² pools [10]. But the exact mechanism underlying how AÃŽÂ ² a ggregation contributes to the pathophysiology of AD largely remains unclear. Formerly, toxicity of neurons was believed to be caused by intracellular plaques. But recent data has suggested the role of intracellular AÃŽÂ ² proteins, which do not become sequestered into the extracellular plaques, as the toxic triggers stimulating the progression of AD [11]. Recently, it has also been shown that intracellular accumulation of AÃŽÂ ² proteins precedes the formation of extracellular AÃŽÂ ² protein plaques and NFT formation [12]. The role of intracellular AÃŽÂ ² protein in the progression of AD has also been demonstrated in recent experiments on transgenic mice. Results of these experiments indicate that increased deposits of AÃŽÂ ² proteins within the cells are associated with accelerated cell death [13]. Other important causative factors in the development of AD include oxidative stress and Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) [14]. Susceptibility to oxidative damage is due to several factors which include relatively lower levels of antioxidants, significantly higher levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids, (these fatty acids rapidly fall prey to ROS), the presence of metallic ions and high oxygen utilisation [15]. Oxidation have been prove to be fatal for several constituents of the cells including carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, RNA and DNA [16]. Indirect mechanisms do play a vital role in the damaging process. Oxidation has been proven to accelerate the expression of inducible nitric oxide (iNOS) and accentuate the activity of neuronal NOS (nNOS). This leads to increased production of nitric oxide (NO). NO is known to interact with super oxide anions thus forming a highly reactive peroxynitrite anion. These transient molecules exerts their effects mainly on sulfhydryl groups of cells. [17 ]. The entire process has been depicted in figure 2. Figure 2. Nitric Oxide Pathogenesis In addition to the indirect mechanisms, oxidative stress alters the protein structure. Impaired proteins are known to accelerate oxidative damage, thus proven to be interrelated. ROS causes the protein to be oxidised leading to a modified structure and causing them to be dimerized and aggregated [18]. Thus the oxidised protein which is both structurally and functionally abnormal gather as inclusions within the cytoplasm of the neurons, seen in the form of NFT (tau aggregates) and AÃŽÂ ² plaques [19]. Alternatively, AÃŽÂ ² plaques can also lead to the increased production of ROS. The entire process has been depicted in figure 3. OXIDATION ALTERED PROTEIN STRUCTURE CYTOPLASMIC INCLUSIONS DIMERISATION AGGREGATION Figure 3.Displaying Correlation between Oxidation and Protein Dimerization, thus forming a Vicious Cycle AÃŽÂ ² (1-42) is an abundant species of AÃŽÂ ² proteins seen in AD [20]. AÃŽÂ ² (1-42) peptides is known for its toxicity which can be attributed to a residue of methionine at position 35 [21]. Oxidation of methionine contributes to the formation of methionine sulfoxide, which generally leads to irreversible oxidation and subsequently, forming methionine sulfone [22]. Methionine sulfoxide reductase (MSR) can even help the reduction of methionine sulfoxide into methionine [23]. However, the activity of MSR is also observed to be impaired in AD [24]. Methionine peroxide plays an important role in oxidative stress and toxicity caused by AÃŽÂ ² (1-42) peptides. The lone-pair of electrons present on the S atom of methionine undergoes oxidation of one atom and as a result, sulfuranyl radicals (MetS.+) are generated [21,25]. Sulfuranyl radicals are known to trigger the generation of other ROS like sulfoxides and superoxides by interacting with molecular oxygen [26]. The reason behind this intense oxidative damage could be attributed to the relative absence or decreased function of different antioxidant mechanisms of the body. Glutathione is one of the major antioxidant which can protect the brain tissues by causing detoxification of damaging ROS [27]. One of the main reasons of increase in oxidative stress in AD is the decreased glutathione levels in the brain [28]. The other members of the cellular antioxidant mechanism which plays a pivotal role includes Superoxide Dismutase (SOD) and Catalase (CAT). SOD is an antioxidant which is responsible for converting toxic superoxide ions into far less toxic hydrogen peroxide [29]. CAT evolves this reaction in to one step further and turns hydrogen peroxide into water [30]. Investigations have revealed that the levels of SOD and CAT decline in patients with AD [31]. Glutathione reductase (GR) and Glutathione peroxidase (GPx) represent the other crucial parts of the cellular defence mechanism which acts against oxidative stress. GPx is responsible for the metabolism of hydrogen peroxide and lipid hydroperoxides [32] and GR accelerates the reaction which helps in the regeneration of Glutathione (GSH) [33]. In total, the combination of an oxidative stress with above mentioned cellular defence mechanism against ROS, leads to the pathogenesis of AD. The pathogenesis of Alzheimers disease is mentioned in Figure 4. Figure 4. Pathogenesis of Alzheimers disease (MG : Microglia ; AS: Astrocyte; AP: Amyloid protein beta; NFT: Neurofibrillary tangles) ACE ALZEIHMERS: VITAMIN A, C E (ACE) THERAPY   Ã‚   ROLE OF VITAMIN A Vitamin A and beta carotene have been shown to have multiple benefits for people suffering from AD. Various studies have found that patients suffering from AD have significantly lower levels of Vitamin A level and beta carotene in their CSF as well as blood [34]. The development of neurodegenerative disorders has shown to be influenced by Vitamin A and beta-carotene. Vitamin A plays an active role in neuronal development both in early life and in the adult nervous system. It protects and assists in the regeneration of neurons during recovery from neurodegeneration [35]. Inhibition of formation and destabilization of AÃŽÂ ² fibrils is an additional effect of Vitamin A and beta-carotene [35]. Since oligomerization of AÃŽÂ ² fibrils is an important mechanism contributing to neuronal toxicity in AD, Vitamin A supplementation has been shown to decrease the aggregation and oligomerization of AÃŽÂ ²40 and AÃŽÂ ²42 fibrils [36]. It has also been shown that Vitamin A and beta carotene decrease the decline of cognitive function in AD. Moreover, higher levels of these vitamins have been associated with better memory performance and spatial learning in these patients [3436]. ROLE OF VITAMIN C Various studies both in vivo and in vitro have shown to have significant effect in the brain due to decreased levels of vitamin C. Decreased plasma levels despite adequate intake in patients further confirmed the belief of protective effects of vitamin C in the spectrum of neurodegenerative diseases [37]. Hence, it can be proved that oxidative stress induces damage in AD and protection against this stress is offered to a certain degree by antioxidant vitamins. The progression of AD is altered by Vitamin C by interfering with various different aspects of pathology. Numerous studies, both in-vivo and in vitro, have shown that Vitamin C can decrease oxidative stress. The structural progression of AD is prevented by Vitamin C by hindering the oligomerization of AÃŽÂ ² peptides [38]. Brain injury induces oxidative stress and reduces the level of antioxidants like vitamin C and SOD. Vitamin C supplementation improves the level of SOD, which consecutively helps to decrease oxidative stress and subsequent brain injury [39]. It has been suggested that even without additional supplementation, a normal intake of Vitamin C can have a neuroprotective effect in patients with AD. Cognitive decline in AD patients has shown to decrease is patients taking adequate Vitamin C [40]. In addition, results from a prospective observational study (n=4740) over a period of 3 years have shown that additional supplementation with antioxidant vitamins like vitamin C and E may be associated with both decreased incidence and prevalence of AD [41]. ROLE OF VITAMIN E Vitamin E represents a cluster of 8 antioxidants composed of 4 tocotrienols and 4 tocopherols. It has been reported that there is a greater risk of neurodegenerative disorders like AD and Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) with lower plasma levels of vitamin E. Additionally, the level of vitamin E metabolic products (5-nitro-ÃŽÂ ³-tocopherol etc.) is shown to increase significantly in AD and MCI [42]. Deficiency of Vitamin E can lead to the damage and destruction of neurons and has been implicated in cases of cerebellar atrophy [43]. Vitamin E is a potent antioxidant which can delay the progression of AD at several levels. Increased oxidative stress induced by AÃŽÂ ² plaques is known to be a risk factor for neuronal death and ensuing brain injury in AD. Vitamin E behaves like a scavenger for these free radicals and therefore, is neuroprotective. [44]. Vitamin E also provides protection against AD via various other methods. For example, the 12-lipoxygenase pathway leads to glutamate-induced neuronal cell death by inflammation. Vitamin E can reduce this inflammation induced neuronal death [45]. Furthermore, consumption of vitamin E has been linked with the regeneration of SOD, levels of which are shown to decline in AD [39]. Among the different forms of vitamin E, the greatest degree of protection against AD is provided by ÃŽÂ ±-tocopherols and ÃŽÂ ³-tocopherols [46]. A population-based cohort study of 5395 individuals was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of dietary supplementation of antioxidants to provide protection against AD. Among all the antioxidants used, results showed that the most significant degree of protection (p=0.02) against dementia and AD was provided by Vitamin E [47]. Moreover, supplementation of 30 International Units of alpha-tocopherols can act as a valuable adjuvant in the treatment of various neurodegenerative diseases, including AD [48]. Conclusion Alzheimers disease represents one of the most significant age-related neurodegenerative disorders. Oxidative stress is one of the most important mechanisms involved in the development and progression of this condition. In order, to curb the oxidative stress, antioxidants can be of great help. The use of antioxidant vitamins A, C and E as adjuvant therapy for AD has always been given consideration. Thus, further clinical research is necessary to study the potential of these vitamins such that it can be integrated into clinical treatment to accelerate the recovery of patients afflicted by this disorder. REFERENCES Alzheimer A, Uber eine eigenartige Erkrankung der Hirnrinde Allgemeine Zeits Psychiat Psychisch Gerichtlich Med 1907 64:146-48. Harvey RJ, Skelton-Robinson M, Rossor MN, The prevalence and causes of dementia in people under the age of 65 years J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2003 74:1206-09. Alzheimers Association2012 Alzheimers disease facts and figures Alzheimers Dement 2012 8:131-68. Lindsay J, Laurin D, Verreault R, Hà ©bert R, Helliwell B, Hill GB, Risk factors for Alzheimers disease: a prospective analysis from the Canadian study of health and aging Am J Epidemiol 2002 156:445-53. Karantzoulis S, Galvin JE, Distinguishing Alzheimers disease from other major forms of dementia Expert Rev Neurother 2011 11:1579-91. Castellani RJ, Rolston RK, Smith MA, Alzheimer Disease Dis Mon 2010 56:484-546. McKhann GM, Knopman DS, Chertkow H, Hyman BT, Jack CR, Kawas CH, The diagnosis of dementia due to Alzheimers disease: Recommendations from the National Institute on Aging-Alzheimers Association workgroups on diagnostic guidelines for Alzheimers disease Alzheimers Dement 2011 7:263-69. Swerdlow RH, Pathogenesis of Alzheimers disease Clin Interv Aging 2007 2:347-59. Zheng H, Jiang M, Trumbauer ME, Sirinathsinghji DJ, Hopkins R, Smith DW, Beta-amyloid precursor protein-deficient mice show reactive gliosis and decreased locomotor activity Cell 1995 81:525-31. Levy-Lahad E, Wasco W, Poorkaj P, Romano DM, Oshima J, Pettingell WH, Candidate gene for the chromosome 1 familial Alzheimers disease locus Science 1995 269:973-77. Lesne S, Kotilinek L, Amyloid plaques and amyloid-beta oligomers: An ongoing debate J Neurosci 2005 25:9319-20. Gouras GK, Tsai J, Naslund J, Vincent B, Vincent B, Edgar M, Intraneuronal Abeta42 accumulation in human brain Am J Pathol 2000 156:15-20. Bayer TA, Wirths O, Intracelluar accumulation of amylois beta- A predictor for synaptic dysfunction and neuron loss in Alzheimers disease Front Aging Neurosci 2010 2:8 Butterfield DA, Amyloid beta-peptide (1-42)-induced oxidative stress and neurotoxicity: implications for neurodegeneration in Alzheimers disease brain. A review Free Radic Res 2002 36:1307-13. Butterfield DA, Castegna A, Lauderback CM, Drake J, Evidence that amyloid beta-peptide-induced lipid peroxidation and its sequelae in Alzheimers disease brain contribute to neuronal death Neurobiol Aging 2002 23:655-64. Butterfield DA, Reed T, Newman SF, Sultana R, Roles of amyloid ÃŽÂ ²-peptide-associated oxidative stress and brain protein modifications in the pathogenesis of Alzheimers disease and mild cognitive impairment Free Radic Biol Med 2007 43:658-77. Koppenol WH, Moreno JJ, Pryor WA, Ischiropoulos H, Beckman JS, Peroxynitrite, a cloaked oxidant formed by nitric oxide and superoxide Chem Res Toxicol 1992 5:834-42. Hensley K, Hall N, Subramaniam R, Cole P, Harris M, Aksenov M, Brain regional correspondence between Alzheimers disease histopathology and biomarkers of protein oxidation J Neurochem 1995 65:2146-56. Butterfield DA, Kanski J, Brain protein oxidation in age-related neurodegenerative disorders that are associated with aggregated proteins Mech Ageing Dev 2001 122:945-62. Selkoe DJ, Alzheimers disease: genes, proteins, and therapy Physiol Rev 2001 81:741-66. Butterfield DA, Boyd-Kimball D, The critical role of methionine 35 in Alzheimers amyloid beta-peptide (1-42)-induced oxidative stress and neurotoxicity Biochim Biophys Acta 2005 1703:149-56. Moskovitz J, Berlett BS, Poston JM, Stadtman ER, Methionine sulfoxidereductase in antioxidant defence Methods Enzymol 1999 300:239-44. Maher P, Redox control of neural function: background, mechanisms, and significance Antioxid Redox Signal 2006 8:1941-70. Gabbita SP, Aksenov MY, Lovell MA, Markesbery WR, Decrease in peptide methionine sulfoxidereductase in Alzheimers disease brain J Neurochem 1999 73:1660-66. Pogocki D, Schoneich C, Redox properties of Met(35) in neurotoxic beta-amyloid peptide. A molecular modeling study Chem Res Toxicol 2002 15:408-18. Milller B, Williams T, Schoneich C, Mechanism of sulfoxide formation through reaction of sulfur radical cation complexes with superoxide of hydroxide ion in oxygenated aqueous solution J Am Chem Soc 1996 118:11014-25. Dringen R, Gutterer JM, Hirrlinger J, Glutathione metabolism in brain: metabolic interaction between astrocytes and neurons in the defence against reactive oxygen species Eur J Biochem 2000 267:4912-16. Saharan S, Mandal PK, The emerging role of glutathione in Alzheimers disease J Alzheimers Dis 2014 40:519-29. Zelko IN, Mariani TJ, Folz RJ, Superoxide dismutase multigene family: a comparison of the CuZn-SOD (SOD1), Mn-SOD (SOD2), and EC-SOD (SOD3) gene structures, evolution, and expression Free Radical Biol and Medi 2002 33:337-49. Chelikani P, Fita I, Loewen PC, Diversity of structures and properties among catalases Cell Mol Life Sci 2004 61:192-208. Marcus DL, Thomas C, Rodriguez C, Simberkoff K, Tsai JS, Strafaci JA, Increased peroxidation and reduced antioxidant enzyme activity in Alzheimers disease Exp Neurol 1998 150:40-44. Arthur JR, The glutathione peroxidases Cell Mol Life Sci 2000 57:1825-35. Shigeoka S, Onishi T, Nakano Y, Kitaoka S, Characterisation and physiological function of glutathione reductase in Euglena gracilis z Biochem J 1987 242:511-15. Bourdel-Marchasson I, Delmas-Beauviex M-C, Peuchant E, Richard-Harston S, Decamps A, Reignier B, Antioxidant defences and oxidative stress markers in erythrocytes and plasma from normally nourished elderly Alzheimer patients Age and Ageing 2001 30:235-41. Ono K, Yamada M, Vitamin A and Alzheimers disease Geriatrics Gerontol Intl 2012 12:180-88. Takasaki J, Ono K, Yoshiike Y, Ikeda T, Morinaga A, Takashima A, Vitamin A has anti-oligomerization effects on amyloid-ÃŽÂ ² in vitro J Alzheimers Dis 2011 27:271-80. Rivià ¨re S, Birlouez-Aragon I, Nourhashà ©mi F, Vellas B, Low plasma vitamin C in Alzheimer patients despite an adequate diet Int J Geriatr Psychiatry 1998 13:749-54. Montilla-Là ³pez P, Muoz-à gueda MC, Feijà ³oLà ³pez M, Muà ±oz-Castaà ±eda JR, Bujalance-Arenas I, Tà ºnez-Fià ±ana I, Comparison of melatonin versus vitamin C on oxidative stress and antioxidant enzyme activity in Alzheimers disease induced by okadaic acid in neuroblastoma cells Eur J of Pharmacol 2002 451:237-43. Ishaq GM, Saidu Y, Bilbis LS, Muhammad SA, Jinjir N, Shehu BB, Effects of ÃŽÂ ±-tocopherol and ascorbic acid in the severity and management of traumatic brain injury in albino rats J Neurosci Rural Pract 2013 4:292-97. Harrison FH, A critical review of Vitamin C for the prevention of age-related cognitive decline and Alzheimers disease J Alzheimers Dis 2012 29:711-26. Zandi PP, Anthony JC, Khachaturian AS, Stone SV, Gustafson D, Tschanz JT, Reduced risk of Alzheimer disease in users of antioxidant vitamin supplements: the Cache County Study Arch Neurol 2004 61:82-88. Mangialasche F, Xu W, Kivipelto M, Costanzi E, Ercolani S, Pigliautile M, Tocopherols and tocotrienols plasma levels are associated with cognitive impairment Neurobiol Aging 2012 33:2282-90. Aoki K, Washimi Y, Fujimori N, Maruyama K, Maruyama K, Yanagisawa N, Familial idiopathic vitamin E deficiency associated with cerebellar atrophy Rinsho Shinkeigaku 1990 30:966-71. Yatin SM, Varadarajan S, Butterfield DA, Vitamin E prevents Alzheimers amyloid ÃŽÂ ²-peptide (1-42)-induced neuronal protein oxidation and reactive oxygen species production J Alzheimers Dis 2000 2:123-31. Khanna S, Parinandi NL, Kotha SR, Roy S, Rick C, Bibus D, Nanomolar vitamin E ÃŽÂ ±-tocotrienol inhibits glutamate-induced activation of phospholipase A2 and causes neuroprotection J Neurochem 2010 112:1249-60. Morris MC, Evans DA, Tangney CC, Bienias JL, Wilson RS, Aggarwal NT, Relation of the tocopherol forms to incident Alzheimer disease and to cognitive change Am J Clin Nutr 2005 81:508-14. Devore EE, Grodstein F, van Rooij FJ, Hofman A, Stampfer MJ, Witteman JC, Dietary antioxidants and long-term risk of dementia Arch Neurol 2010 67:819-25. Pham DQ, Plakogiannis R, Vitamin E supplementation in Alzheimers disease, Parkinsons disease, tardive dyskinesia, and cataract: Part 2 Ann Pharmaco ther 2005 39:2065-72.

Risk-taking During Childhood Play

Risk-taking During Childhood Play Introduction to the proposed study area The aim of this dissertation is to focus on the question of the nature of risk around childrens play. What risks are the kinds of risks children prefer? How these risks are tolerated and coped with. What is meant by risky play the thrilling and exciting form of play which involves the chance of physical injury. This type of play can involve great heights, high speeds or even dangerous environments and elements. Risky play generally takes place outdoors and is generally through childrens free play which is normally not organised by adults. My interest for studying childrens play lies in my perceptions of my son and that children seem to seek and prefer this type of play. Play is built in to a childs very nature this helps them to learn, and be curious about there surroundings and themselves. This is that they unconsciously test boundaries and possibilities from there environment to get a reaction. It is through this play that they discover what is safe and what is not. This type of play is becoming increasingly hard to find due to the welfare state of today securing our environments in order to avoid accidents and liability issues. This has set a trend to prohibit the dangerous, resulting in an aversion on taking risk. This focus on childrens play and playgrounds has continuously grown over recent years bringing play to many discussions about the balance between safety, risk and the opportunities for children to develop through play. In this research I aim to examin issues such as safety accidents and childrens developmental benefits of risk in play. Aims of the project The main aims of the dissertation are to: Evaluate literature, best practice guidance, government guidance, and information on child development and risk Research legal positions with in risk and play The effect of risk upon an individual Present a picture of childrens play relative to a risk adverse society Research the benefits of risk in childrens play Explain why learning benefits will be reduced by removing risk Summary of risky criteria Make recommendations on how to encourage risk to make the best use of play areas (by the use of case studies) Research legal positions with in risk and play Personal Aims include: To complete the dissertation and gain my MA Extend my knowledge regarding childrens play and best practice Gain skills in conducting research Develop contacts through seminars, meetings and work Prepare myself in furthering my employment skills Scope and limitations of the study The topic is selected because it represents, possible significant risks to the health and well being of children and any possible subsequent social or health implications, which could contribute to the development of children from risky behaviour. This study will focus on the healthy risky behaviour of childrens play such as physical interactivity and unintentional injury. The methods of study could include observational or interventional with secondary data analyses of existing information, analyses of costs and benefits of risk in play to children. A multidisciplinary approach will be used researching findings from childrens behavioural scientists, education, public policy and others. Which can be influenced by a multitude of social, environmental or psychological factors. These could be affected by genetic makeup, temperament and memory of previous experiences could all be potential factors. These can all influence the physical intellectual and emotional development of risk in play it is my opinion that children should be encouraged to expand upon current experiences to consider techniques and strategies such as decision making and goal directed behaviours. Skills that could be developed through play are self-monitoring, self-awareness, stress management, mental imagery, prevention skills, conflict resolution, assertiveness skills, decision making skills, and will help develop healthy behaviors. Both internal and external factors could contribute to an individuals tendency to engage in or refrain from risky behaviors. What these factors are, how they interact, for whom, and when in the developmental trajectory, are all questions of importance in understanding risky behaviors and behavior change and development in children. Methodology and methods Literature search and review, data will be accessed through university library, city librarys and information service using a selection of tertiary and secondary information sources such as the information database, bibliographic database, internet search engines, directories and journals. These sources will be reviewed and analysed through a qualitative method for my primary data collection. Through observations and talking to children and school staff I plan to find out what kind of risky play children prefer and like to do. I will also look into how staff will arrange and cope with this type of play. This will help to find about childrens and adults thoughts and attitudes on risky play. I plan on observing children at several primary schools going about there every day life. This will allow me to get a better impression on how childrens risky play differs. I plan on collecting recordings images and write field notes thoughts and reflections. Studies of interest maybe: Secondary data analyses of existing information and desktop studies Benefits to children, issues and opportunities conduct primary research with schools Observational studies case studies Interventional how to make changes Resources The university facilities will be used extensively in support of my dissertation. In particularly the university library, computing suites and on-line systems. I will also be attending seminars and lectures Conducting interviews Using work experience Conducting internet research Reading books and journals Time table Prepare dissertation proposal Literature searching Literature searching Intensive research Final proposal Bibliography listing Dissertation presentation Further reading Draft dissertation Editing and rewrites References Bruner, J. (1972). Nature and uses of immaturity. American Psychologist, 27, 687-708. Childrens Play Council (2002). More than swings and roundabouts: Planning for outdoor play. Retrieved 23 May 2009, www.ncb.org.uk/dotpdf/open%20access%20-%20phase%201%20only/moveswing2_cpc_20050512.pdf Dempsey, J. D., Frost, J. L. (1993). Play environments in early childhood education. In B. Spodek (Ed.), Handbook of research on the education of young children New York: Macmillan. Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Getting serious about play: A review of childrens play. London: Author. Retrieved 12 June 2009, www.culture.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/21762951-E07E-4439-8BA3-04C6ECE510A3/0/ReviewofChildrensPlay.pdf Fjortoft, I. (2001). The natural environment as a playground for children: The impact of outdoor play activities in pre-primary school children. Early Childhood Education Journal, 29(2), 111-117 Fjortoft, I., Sageie, J. (2000). The natural environment as a playground for children: Landscape description and analysis of a natural playscape. Landscape and Urban Planning, 48(1/2), 83-97. Furedi, F. (2001). Paranoid parenting: Abandon your anxieties and be a good parent. London: Penguin. Gallahue, D. L. (1993). Motor development and movement skill acquisition in early childhood education. In B. Spodek (Ed.), Handbook of research on the education of young children (pp. 24-41). New York: Macmillan. Goodyear-Smith, F. A., Laidlaw, T. M. (1999). The price of safety at all costs. Nuance Greenfield, C. (2003). Outdoor play: The case for risks and challenges in childrens learning and development. Safekids News, 21, 5. Henniger, M. L. (1994). Planning for outdoor play. Young Children, 49(4), 10-15. Isenberg, J. P., Quisenberry, N. (2002). Play: Essential for all children. Childhood Education, 79(1), 33-39. Karsten, L., van Vliet, W. (2006). Children in the city: Reclaiming the street. Children, Youth and Environments Little, H. (2006). Childrens risk-taking behaviour: Implications for early childhood policy and practice. International Journal of Early Years Education, 14(2), 141-154. Lupton, D., Tulloch, J. (2002). Life would be pretty dull without risk: Voluntary risk taking and its pleasures. Health, Risk Society, 4(2), 113-124. Mitchell, R., Cavanagh, M., Eager, D. (2006). Not all risk is bad, playgrounds as a learning environment for children. International Journal of Injury Control and Safety Promotion, 13(2), 122-124. New, R. S., Mardell, B., Robinson, D. (2005). Early childhood education as risky business: Going beyond whats safe to discovering whats possible. Early Childhood Research and Practice, 7(2). Retrieved March 3 2006, http://ecrp.uiuc.edu/v7n2/new.html Pless, I. B., Magdalinos, H. (2006). Risk compensation behaviour in children. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 160(6), 610-614. Poest, C. A., Williams, J. R., Witt, D. D., Atwood, M. E. (1990). Challenge me to move: Large muscle development in young children. Young Children, 45(5), 4-10. Potts, R. P., Martinez, I. G., Dedmon, A. (1995). Childhood risk taking and injury: Self-report and informant measures. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 20(1), 5-12. Rivkin, M. S. (1995). The great outdoors: Restoring childrens right to play outside. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children. Stephenson, A. (2002). Opening up the outdoors: Exploring the relationship between indoor and outdoor environments of a centre. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 10(1), 29-38. Stephenson, A. (2003). Physical risk-taking: Dangerous or endangered? Early Years, 23(1), 35-43. Stine, S. (1997). Landscapes for learning. New York: John Wiley Sons. Taylor, S. I., Morris, V. G. (1996). Outdoor play in early childhood settings: Is it safe and healthy for children? Early Childhood Education Journal, 23(3), 153-158. Valentine, G., McKendrick, J. (1997). Childrens outdoor play: Exploring parental concerns about childrens safety and the changing nature of childhood. Geoforum, 28(2), 219-235.

A Problem-Based Approach to Teaching about Pollution Essay example --

A Problem-Based Approach to Teaching about Pollution Science is a very important subject for students to study in middle school. It is â€Å"More than a body of knowledge or a set of answers, science is a way of thinking about the world† (Beamon 20). Science forces students to think critically about ethical issues, such as pollution. This is often difficult for students because they must make the jump from the narrow parameters of their own lives to the issues that affect many people living on this planet. In studying pollution, students must come to realize that even throwing garbage on the ground and not recycling will in some way affect many of the living things in the ecosystem. The feeling commonly described by students by the words â€Å"I hate science† is often the result of science frustrating them. One reason why students might feel this way is that there are two types of sciences. One is â€Å"school science†, which has in many cases become a listing of facts and definitions, and the other is â€Å"real science†, which is what scientists practice. Maybe the students spend too much time on â€Å"school science† and do not make the connection between what is learned in science class and the world around them. The teacher’s job is not only to make the science material manageable for the students to learn, but it is also to show the students how science applies to everyone and everything. Using the problem-based learning approach is a great way for a teacher to combine these two sciences (Uyeda et al. 24). It is the key that a teacher uses to open the door to the minds of students who need to know how what they are learning applies to the real world. Problem-based learning as an instructional model is associated with the new... ... Works Cited Beamon, Glenda W. â€Å"Guiding the Inquiry of Young Adolescent Minds.† Middle School Journal. 33.3 (Jan. 2002): 19-27. Goodnough, Karen Ph.D. â€Å"Preparing pre-service science teachers: Can problem-based learning help?† 22 April 2003. EBSCOHOST. The College of New Jersey Lib. 05 Feb. 2005. Kim, Younghoon, et al. â€Å"Science teachers’ perspectives of web-enhanced problem-based learning environment: A qualitative inquiry.† 23 April 2003. EBSCOHOST. The College of New Jersey Lib. 05 Feb. 2005. Problem-Based Learning. 04 March 2003. Center for Educational Technologies at Wheeling Jesuit University. 05 Feb. 2005. . Uyeda, Steve, et al. â€Å"Solving Authentic Science Problems: Problem based learning connects science to the world beyond school.† Science Teacher. 69.1 (Jan. 2002): 24-29.

The Authenticity of Hecate in Macbeth Essay -- Macbeth essays

The Authenticity of Hecate in Macbeth      Ã‚  Ã‚   The authenticity issue of Macbeth's Hecate endures. Recent critics still argue about whether the scenes are Shakespearean, why they are or are not, and what the implications are one way or the other. Some critics cling to the authenticity of the Folio while others wave their copies of Middleton's "The Witch" in protest. The modern director and reader then will find no clear direction to read or not to read from textual scholarship. Instead, would-be travellers to the world of Macbeth had better consider their options and ask specifically: what does Hecate add with her appearance and how do these additions impact the play?    Some critics have made the mistake of trying to dismiss Hecate as a fetching song-and-dance girl. In his Introduction to Macbeth, editor Kenneth Muir remarks: "The Hecate passages were clearly invented to introduce the songs and Middleton is usually blamed for these insertions" (xxxiii). But more recent critics like Henri Suhamy take umbrage with both the form and the substance of this argument. Suhamy notes: "the direction printed in italics in the Folio, after line 33 (III,v)--"Musicke, and a Song"--does not mention any identifiable song, contrary to what is indicated by most editors" (274). Stallybrass seems also to believe that Hecate is there to dance, but at least he credits her with a particularly important number: "the dance of Hecate and the six Witches gives a concrete dramatization of the 'deed without a name' (IV.i.49) which reverses the whole order of 'Nature'" (200). What Hecate's interpolation really supplies, however, is order and much more: balance, authority, direct ion, and reason are all part of the substance she provides.    .. ...ologie." In Minor Prose Works. Ed. James Craigie. Edinburgh: Scottish Text Society, 1982. Muir, Kenneth. "Introduction." In Macbeth. Ed. Kenneth Muir. New York: Routledge, 1992. Palmer, D.J. "'A new Gorgon': visual effects in Macbeth." In Focus on Macbeth. Ed. John Russell Brown. Boston: Routledge, 1982. Perkins, William. The Damned Art of Witchcraft. (xeroxed copy) Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. Ed. Kenneth Muir. New York: Routledge, 1992. Stallybrass, Peter. "Macbeth and Witchcraft." In Focus on Macbeth. Ed. John Russell Brown. Boston: Routledge, 1982. Suhamy, Henry. "The Authenticity of the Hecate Scenes in Macbeth : Arguments and Counter-Arguments." In French Essays on Shakespeare and His Contemporaries: 'What Would France With Us?" Ed. Jean Marie Maguin and Michele Willems. Newark: University of Delaware Press, 1995.   

Education reality Essay

Dealism Idealism is the metaphysical and epistemological doctrine that ideas or thoughts make up fundamental reality. Essen? ally, it is any philosophy which argues that the only thing actually knowable is consciousness (or the contents of consciousness), whereas we never can be sure that ma? er or anything in the outside world really exists. Thus, the only real things are mental en es, not physical things (which exist only in the sense that they are perceived) Progressivism Progressivist believes that individuality, progress, and change are fundamental to one’s educa? on. Believing that people learn best from what they consider most relevant to their lives, progressivist centers their curricula on the needs, experiences, interests, and abili? es of students. Progressivist teachers try making school interes? ng and useful by planning lessons that provoke curiosity. In a progressivist school, students are ac? vely learning. The students interact with one another and develop social quali? es such as coopera? on and tolerance for di&erent points of view. Essen? alism It is an educa? onal philosophy whose adherents believe that children should learn the  tradi? onal basic subjects thoroughly and rigorously. In this philosophical school of thought, the aim is to ins? ll students with the â€Å"essen? als† of academic knowledge, enac? ng a back-to-basics approach. Essen? alism ensures that the accumulated wisdom of our civiliza? on as taught in the tradi? onal academic disciplines is passed on from teacher to student. Such disciplines might include Reading, Wri? ng, Literature, Foreign Languages, History, Mathema? cs, Science, Art, and Music. Moreover, this tradi? onal approach is meant to train the mind, promote reasoning, and  ensure a common culture. Realism Realism, at its simplest and most general, is the view that en es of a certain type have an objec? ve reality, a reality that is completely ontologically independent of our conceptual schemes, linguis? c prac? ces, beliefs, etc. Thus, en es (including abstract concepts and universals as well as more concrete objects) have an existence independent of the act of percep? on, and independent of their names. Reconstruc? onism Social Reconstruc? onism is a philosophy that emphasizes the addressing of social ques? ons and  a quest to create a be? er society and worldwide democracy. Reconstruc? onist educators focus on a curriculum that highlights social reform as the aim of educa? on. Existen? alism It is based on the view that humans de3ne their own meaning in life, and try to make ra? onal decisions despite exis? ng in an irra? onal universe. It focuses on the ques? on of human existence, and the feeling that there is no purpose or explana? on at the core of existence. It holds that, as there is no God or any other transcendent force, the only way to counter this  nothingness (and hence to 3nd meaning in life) is by embracing existence. Pragma? sm Pragma? sm is a rejec? on of the idea that the func? on of thought is to describe, represent, or mirror reality. Instead, pragma? sts consider thought to be a product of the interac? on between organism and environment. Thus, the func? on of thought is as an instrument or tool for predic? on, ac? on, and problem solving. Pragma? sts contend that most philosophical topics— such as the nature of knowledge, language, concepts, meaning, belief, and science—are all best viewed in terms of their prac?  cal uses and successes rather than in terms of representa? ve accuracy Perennialism Believe that one should teach the things that one deems to be of everlas? ng per? nence to all people everywhere. They believe that the most important topics develop a person. Since details of fact change constantly, these cannot be the most important. Therefore, one should teach principles, not facts. Since people are human, one should teach 3rst about humans, not machines or techniques. Since people are people 3rst, and workers second if at all, one should teach liberal topics 3rst, not voca? onal topics.

Csr in Sme

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY IN SMES (Small and Medium Enterprises) THE LITERATURE REVIEW The importance of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has been increasing rapidly over the past few years (Crawford and Scaletta, 2005) although meaning of the term CSR remains a subject of much debate (Roberts, 2003; Hopkins, 2003). The reason behind the debate is that the beliefs and attitudes on the nature of CSR have varied over time (Hill et al. , 2003). However, according to European Commission’s Green Paper on CSR (2001), CSR is a concept whereby the companies integrate social and environmental concerns in their daily business operations and in their interaction with their stakeholders on a voluntary basis. On the other hand, CSR can also be understood as the business contribution to sustainable development (EC, 2002). Regardless the definitions, CSR is all about effectively managing the relationships that can affect the business and taking responsibility for the consequences that running the business has on society (Mallen Baker, 2008). Again, the arguments so far shows that all organizations have an impact on society and the environment through their operations, products and services and through their interaction with key stakeholders and therefore CSR is important in all firms, large and small (Williams, 2005; Hopkins, 2003; Roche, 2002). But it seems that less research have been made regarding the engagement of CSR in SME (Vyakarnam et al. , 1997; Schaper and Savery, 2004; Perrini et al. , 2006; Spence et al. , 2000). This literature review has been prepared with the aim of clarifying the engagement of CSR in SMEs. Small and Medium Enterprises as defined by DTI and EU are those organizations with a turnover of under 40 million Euros (? 27 million) and either has employees below 250 or over 25% owner-managed is proven to be important both numerically and economically since the last couple of decades (Jenkins H. , 2004). According to the research conducted by UNIDO (2002), SMEs make up over 90 per cent of businesses worldwide and account for between 50 and 60 per cent of employment. Similarly, a recent research suggests that SMEs (Small & Medium Enterprises) in the UK may make a social contribution worth up to ? 3bn each year – about ten times that of large corporations (BITC, 2002) which proves their equal importance like companies. *Unlike in large organizations, the ownership and management of small organizations seems to be more closely related (Spence and Rutherfoord, 2001). Thus, control remains in the hands of one of the owners, potentially enabling him or her to make personal choices about the allocation of resources (Spence, 1999). As described by Burns, 2001 small businesses are like social entities that revolve around personal relationships, which are often short of cash, likely to operate in a single market, who find it difficult to diversify business risk and are vulnerable to the loss of customers. Thus, in SMEs, the acceptance of CSR is largely a factor of the personal attitudes of the owner/manager (Hopkins, 2003; Perez-Sanchez, 2003). Improved image and reputation. Improved trust and understanding. Better market position. More business. Increased employee motivation. Increased attractiveness to potential recruits. Cost savings and increased efficiency. Risk management The overwhelming motivating factor for SMEs to engage in CSR is not external pressure but an internal drive to ‘doing the right thing’ or ‘putting something back’ or showing ‘entrepreneurial spirit’(Jenkins H. , 2001). *However, from the viewpoint of SMEs, CSR means to pay attention toward social and environmental responsibility (Southwell, 2004). Similarly, Grayson (2005) suggests that, researchers and practitioners should recognize that lots of small firms are already doing things that benefits society, but those are not described as CSR. Another important element in the field of CSR research is stakeholder theory. There is an inherent acceptance that all business has stakeholders and appropriate management of which can help reduce risk and improve all companies’ social responsibility (European Commission and Observatory of European SMEs, 2002; Irwin, 2002). However, stakeholder research has tended to focus on â€Å"corporation† or large company. But the nature of stakeholder relationship for SMEs may not be drastically different (Jenkins, 2004). Stakeholder relationships for an SME may be based on a more informal, trusting basis and characterized by intuitive and personal engagement with less of a gap between the relative power and influence of company and stakeholder; whilst large companies are far more likely to engage in carefully planned, formal strategic stakeholder management (Jenkins, 2004). Thus, SMEs approach to CSR is likely to influence according to the way they manage their key stakeholder. Brussels, 2001, Green Paper for Promoting a European Framework for Corporate Social Responsibility, Commission of the European Communities, COM (2001)366 final, p. 6. Burns, P. 2001, Entrepreneurs hip and Small Business, Hampshire: Palgrave. Business in the Community (BITC), 2002, â€Å"_Engaging SMEs in community and social issues_†. Cohen, A. P. , 1985, The_ Symbolic Construction of Community, _London: Routledge. EC and Observatory of European SMEs, (2002), ‘‘_European SMEs and Social and Environmental Res ponsibility_†, No. 4, Enterprise publication, p. 12. Fuller, T. : 2003, ‘Small Business Futures in Society’, Futures 35 (4), 297-304. Hill, R. , Stephens, D. and Smith, I. (2003), ‘‘Corporate social responsibility: an examination of individual firm behaviour’’, Business and Society Review, Vol. 08 No. 3, pp. 339-64. Irwin, D. , 2002, Encouraging Responsible Business, Small Business Service, London. Jenkins, H. (2004), â€Å"A Critique of Convectional CSR Theory: An SME Perspective†, Journal of General Management, Vol. 29 No. 4. Pp. 37-57. Mallen Baker, (2008), â€Å"Arguments against corporate social responsibility – redoubled†, Business Respect, 26 October, Issue Number 139. Perez-Sanchez, D. (2003), ‘‘Implementing environmental management in SMEs’’, Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, Vol. 10 No. 2, pp. 67-77. Perrini, F. , Russo, A. and Tencati, A. 2006), ‘à ¢â‚¬ËœSMEs and CSR theory: evidence and implications from an Italian perspective’’, Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 67 No. 3, pp. 305-16. Roberts, S. (2003), ‘‘Supply chain specific? Understanding the patchy success of ethical sourcing initiatives’’, Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 44 Nos 2/3, pp. 159-70. Roche, J. (2002), ‘‘CSR and SMEs: chalk and cheese? ’’, Ethical Corporation, Vol. 9, pp. 18-19. Sarbutts, N. (2003), ‘‘Can SMEs ‘do’ CSR? A practitioner’s view of the ways small and medium sized enterprises are able to manage reputation through corporate social responsibility’’, Journal of Communication Management, Vol. No. 4, pp. 340-7. Schaper, M. and Savery, L. (2004), ‘‘Entrepreneurship and philanthropy: the case of small Australian firms’’, Journal of Development Entrepreneurship, Vol. 9 No. 3, pp. 239-50. Southwell, c. : 2004, ‘Enga ging SMEs in community and Social Issues’, in L. J. Spencer, A. Habisch and R. Schimidpeter (eds. ), Responsibility and Social Capital: The world of small and medium sized enterprises (Palgrave MacMillan, Hampshire), pp. 96-111. Spence, L. (1999), ‘‘Does size matter? The state of the art in small business ethics’’, _Business Ethics: A European Review_, Vol. No. 3, pp. 163-72. Spence, L. and Lozano, J. (2000), ‘‘Communicating about ethics with small firms: experiences from the UK and Spain’’, Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 27 Nos 1/2, pp. 43-53. Spence, L. and Rutherfoord, R. (2001), ‘‘Social responsibility, profit maximisation and the small firm owner-manager’’, Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, Vol. 8 No. 2, pp. 126-39. Tilley, F. , P. Hooper and L. Walley: 2003, â€Å"Sustainability and Competitiveness: Are there Mutual Advantages for SMEs? †, in O. Jones and F. Tilley (eds. ,_ Competitive Advantage in SMEs: Organising for Innovation and Change,_ pp. 71-84. Vives, A. (2006), ‘‘Social and environmental responsibility in small and medium enterprises in Latin America’’, Journal of Corporate Citizenship, Vol. 21, pp. 39-50. Vyakarnam, S. , Bailey, A. , Myers, A. and Burnett, D. (1997), ‘‘Towards an understanding of ethical behaviour in small firms’’, Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 16 No. 15, pp. 1625-36. Williams, A. (2005), ‘‘Consumer social responsibility? ’’, Consumer Policy Review, Vol. 15 No. 2, pp. 34-5.

The Distribution of Population in Northern England

Northern England has a vary distributed population across the Northern area. Northern England is home to some very well known towns like Kendal, Barnard Castle and Hexham. The diagram below shows the distribution of popuation in Northern England. And as you can see the most populated areas are all situated all the East coast of the country, these include towns like Morpeth, Hexham and Alnwick. The further you work in land the less populated it gets until you reach the centre which is hardly populated at all and in fact only homes around 2% of Northern Englands population, this is less than 20 people per km2. The Eastern Coast of the north east is where it is most populated with three diffferant parts of population. The ultra high density which homes around 33% of the North Population which again is over 400 people per km2, the secound part is of High density which homes around 35% of the Norths population this is between 40-400 people per km2 and finally the medium density which homes 30% North Englands population this is 20-40 people per km2. The middle of the country, like the pennines area has hardly any of the population based here, it has less than 20 people per km2 which is 2% of the population. This area however takes up alot of the Northern land area, it is around 40%. There are many factors which help us to understand the reason for the population distribution in Northern England, these include the following, Climate, Fertile Soil, Transport, Communications and job offers (ie- employment, which will attract alot of people). The reason for High density distribution along the coast is because with being on the coast this is a excellant way of transport, for Industry (ie, like trading, export and inport, the countrys economy), this can also be used by locals and other countrys if they want to set up businesses. So the coast is a brilliant place for Industrys to set up because it cuts down on Transport costs, therefore the company will benefit. With Industry setting up here then this will attract alo of people because there will many Job others and homes will be set up near the Industry for the workers to live. A example of this is Teeside this homes alot of important Industrys like ICI and also has a new wastewater and sludge treatment plant which can serve over a population of 3.5 million and it will also cater for other difficult industrial effluents produced my Teeside Industry, for example it already hosts for ICI. Also the Climate on the Coast isnt as cold as it is in the middle of the country which has very altitudes. The coast has areas of relatively flat land for building unlike the middle of the country which has alot of mountain areas like the Pennines. The largest Suburban housing estate is also based in Teeside called Ingly Barwick.Other towns of High Density in this area is Tyneside and Wearside. The reason for the places of High Density like Consett, South East Northumberland and Mid Durham is because of the the traditional mining and industrial towns that declined are now diversifying and attracting new investment. This again will attract people for employment oppurtunities. And also with this area not beging ultra high density the scenery isnt as ugly (ugly meaning views of lots of Industrys), as the settlements consist of villages and small towns, this will also attract people as it is attractive. The soil is also very Fertile in these areas therefore large yields of crops will be produced to sustain the large population but also for profit. As you move further inland the population density distribution decreases, a main reaon for this is because the land becomes less flat and more moutains occur like the Pennines. This makes it hard to build settlements and Industry. The only Industry in this area is sheep farming, because there is alot of land for the animals to shelter in bad weather. With this area being at such High altitudes this also affects the reason why people dont often live here, because the weather will be so cooled, and the high altitudes make it hard for communication to be set up. And as you can see from the picture below of the Pennines area the land is not very flat. Areas like this that dont hold many people are places like Cheviots, Pennines and Cumbria. The only reasons that people may live here are for Farmling, Retirement or for the tourist industry as there are many attractive areas like the Lake District which attract many people from all over the world. The soil in this area may also not be very fertile, so that the yeilds of groups are not very high. Unlike on the Coastal area where it is very populated. With the High Altitudes it is also very hard to build transport, like roads which would have very dangerous roads in the mountaind and hair pin bends which may cause alot of accidents, would be hard to build and mantain.Also building communication links like bridges would be very difficult and would probably cost a large of money to do so. For Industry it would be hard to set up here because of a lack of flat land and the little areas of flat land are not good enough to expand on, and transport costs would be really high because the coast is far away and making railway lines and building airports is hard again because of the lack of flat land. So the reason for the Density Distribution in North England is all down to the factors like Climate, Land Altitude, Transport, Vegetation, Siol Fertility, resources and communications. Thats why there is a distribution of population in the North of England.

Bloodsucking Fiends: A Love Story Chapter 11~12

Chapter 11 Lather, Rinse, Repent The Animals were humming the wedding march when Tommy walked in the store. Tommy was rattled from the cab ride from Telegraph Hill. Evidently the cabdriver, who had a nervous tic and the habit of screaming, â€Å"The fuckers!† at indeterminate intervals and for no particular reason, felt that if you weren't going to top a hill without all four wheels leaving the ground and land in a shower of sparks, you might as well not top it at all, and, in fact, should avoid it by taking a corner on two wheels and crushing your passengers against the doors. Tommy was sweat-soaked and a little nauseated. â€Å"Here comes the bride,† Troy Lee said. â€Å"Fearless Leader,† Simon said, â€Å"you look like you just left a three-toweler.† Simon measured the success of any social event by the number of towels it took to clean up afterward. â€Å"Was a time in my life,† Simon would say, â€Å"when I only owned one towel and I never had any fun.† â€Å"You're not still pissed at me?† Tommy asked. â€Å"Hell, no,† Simon said. â€Å"I had me a three-toweler myself tonight. Took two choir girls from Our Lady of Perpetual Guilt out in the truck and taught them the fine art of slurping tadpoles.† â€Å"That's disgusting.† â€Å"No, it ain't. I didn't kiss 'em afterward.† Tommy shook his head. â€Å"Is the truck in?† â€Å"Only fourteen hundred cases,† Drew said. â€Å"You'll have plenty of time to plan the wedding.† He held out a stack of bride magazines to Tommy. â€Å"No, thanks,† Tommy said. Drew chucked the magazines behind him and held out a can of whipped cream with his other hand. â€Å"Take the edge off?† â€Å"No, thanks. Can you guys stack the truck? I've got some stuff I want to do.† â€Å"Sure enough,† Simon said. â€Å"Let's go do it.† The crew headed to the stockroom. Clint stayed behind. â€Å"Hey, Tommy,† he said, his head down, looking embarrassed. â€Å"Yeah?† â€Å"A pallet of kosher food came in tonight. You know, getting ready for Hanukkah and everything. And it's supposed to be blessed by a rabbi.† â€Å"Yeah. So?† â€Å"Well, I was wondering if I could say a few words over it. I mean, they're not washed in the Blood or anything, but Christ was Jewish. So†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Knock yourself out, Clint.† â€Å"Thanks,† Clint said. Taken with the Spirit, he scurried off to the stockroom. Tommy went to the news racks by the registers and gathered up an armload of women's magazines. Then, glancing over his shoulder to make sure that none of the Animals was watching, he took them into the office, locked the door, then sat down at the desk and began his research. He was about to move in with a woman for the first time, and he didn't know a thing about women. Maybe Jody wasn't crazy. Maybe they were all that way and he was just ignorant. He flipped quickly through the tables of contents to get an overview of the female mind. There was a pattern here. Cellulite, PMS, and men who don't commit were the enemies. Delightfully light desserts, marriage, and multiple orgasms were the allies. Tommy felt like a spy, as if he should be microfilming the pages under a gooseneck lamp in some back room of a Bavarian castle stronghold, and any minute some woman in SS gear would burst in on him and tell him that she had ways of making him talk. Actually, that last part wouldn't be too bad. Women seemed to have some collective plan, and most of it seemed to involve getting men to do stuff that they didn't want to do. He skimmed an article entitled: â€Å"Tan Lines: Sexy Contrast or Panda Bear Shame? – A Psychologist's View,† then flipped to one entitled: â€Å"Men's Love for Sports Analogies: How to Use Vince Lombardi to Make Him Put the Seat Down.† (â€Å"When one player falls in, the whole team gets a wet butt.†) He read on: â€Å"When it's fourth and ten and Joe Montana decides to go for it, would his linemen tell him that they won't go to the store to get him tampons? I don't think so.† And: â€Å"Of course Richard Petty doesn't want to wear a helmet, but he can't drive without protection either.† By the time Tommy got to the warnings about never using Wilt Chamberlain or Martina Navratilova as examples, he was completely disenchanted. How could you deal with a creature as devious as woman? He turned the page and his heart sank even further. â€Å"Can You Tell Him He's a Lousy Lay?: A Quiz.† Tommy thought, This is exactly the kind of thing that made me stay a virgin until I was eighteen. 1. It's the third date and you're about to have an intimate moment, but when he drops his shorts you notice he's less blessed than you expected. Do you: A: Point and laugh. B: Say, â€Å"Wow! A real man at last.† Then turn and snicker to yourself. C: Say, â€Å"Is that what they mean by microbiology?† D: Just go ahead with it. He might be shamed into making a commitment. And what do you care if all your sons are nicknamed Peewee? 2. You decide to do the dread deed, and just as things are starting to get hot he comes, rolls over, and asks, â€Å"Was it good for you?† You: A: Say, â€Å"God, yes! That was the best seventeen seconds of my life!† B: Say, â€Å"Sure, as good as it gets for me with a man.† C: Put a Certs in your navel and say, â€Å"That's for you, Mr. Bunnyman. You can have it on your way back up, after the job is finished.† D: Smile and throw his car keys out the window. 3. After fumbling in the dark, he thinks he's found the spot. When you tell him that's not it, he forges ahead anyway. You: A: Grab the lamp off the nightstand and beat him with it until he gets off you. B: Grab the lamp off the nightstand and beat him to death with it. C: Grab the lamp off the nightstand, turn it on, and say, â€Å"Would you look where you're at?† D: Wait patiently until he finishes, wishing the whole time that you had a lamp on your nightstand. The phone in the office rang. Tommy closed the magazine. â€Å"Marina Safeway.† â€Å"Tommy, is that you?† Jody asked. â€Å"Yeah, I have on my phone voice.† â€Å"Look, you're registered into room two-twelve at the Van Ness Motel – the corner of Chestnut and Van Ness. There's a key waiting for you in the office. The papers and keys for my car are on the bed. I left some papers for you to take to Transamerica and some money too. I'll meet you at the motel office a little after sunset.† â€Å"What room are you in?† â€Å"I don't think I should say.† â€Å"Why? I'm not going to come in and jump you or anything.† â€Å"It's not that. I just want things to be right.† He took a deep breath. â€Å"Jody?† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"Is there a lamp on the nightstand in your room?† â€Å"Sure, it's bolted down. Why?† â€Å"No reason,† Tommy said. Suddenly, from the back of the store, the Stones belted out  «Satisfaction » from a boom box cranked to distorted fuzz level. Tommy could hear the Animals chanting, â€Å"Kill the pig!† in the background. â€Å"I've got to go,† he said. â€Å"I'll see you tomorrow night.† â€Å"Okay. Tommy, I had a nice time tonight.† â€Å"Me too,† he said. He hung up and thought: She's evil. Evil, evil, evil. I want to see her naked. Jeff, the failed power forward, burst into the office. â€Å"The truck is stacked, dude. The ski boat is charged! We're talking luau in the produce aisle.† The Clark 250, self-propelled, professional floor-maintenance machine, is a miracle of janitorial design. Approximately the size of a small desk, the Clark 250 sports two rotating scrub disks at the front of the machine, as well as an onboard reservoir that distributes soap and water, and a squeegeed vacuum that sucks it up. It is propelled by two overpowered electric motors that will drive its gum-rubber tires over any flat surface, wet or dry. A single operator, walking behind the Clark 250, can, in less than an hour, scrub four thousand square feet of floor, and buff it to a shine in which he can see his soul, or so the brochure claims. What the brochure neglects to mention is that if the squeegee is retracted and the vacuum turned off, a single operator can slide along behind the Clark 250 on a river of soapy froth. The Animals called the machine the ski boat. When Tommy came around the corner of aisle 14, he saw Simon, shirtless, wearing his cowboy hat, cooking weenies over thirty cans of Sterno on a stainless-steel rack that normally was used to display potato chips. â€Å"I love the smell of napalm in the morning,† Simon said, waving a barbecue fork. â€Å"It smells like victory.† â€Å"Cowabunga!† Drew screamed. He was sliding through two inches of soapsuds behind the ski boat, towing Lash toward a makeshift ramp by a length of clothesline. Lash hit the ramp, went airborne, and flipped in the air with a battle cry of â€Å"Workman's Comp!† Tommy stepped aside as Lash landed on his chest and plowed a drift of suds with his face. Drew powered down the boat. â€Å"Eight-two,† Barry shouted. â€Å"Nine-one,† said Clint. â€Å"Nine-six,† said Drew. â€Å"Quatro-uno,† said Gustavo. â€Å"A four-one from the Mexican judge,† Simon said into his barbecue-fork microphone. â€Å"That's got to hurt his chances for getting into the finals, Bob.† Lash spit out a mouthful of soap and coughed. â€Å"The Mexican judges are always tough,† he said. He wore a beard of suds that made him look like a thin, wet version of Uncle Remus. Tommy helped Lash to his feet. â€Å"Are you okay?† â€Å"He's fine,† Simon said. â€Å"His personal trainer is here.† Simon grabbed a coconut off the shelf and lopped the top off with a huge knife from the meat department. â€Å"Dr. Drew,† he said, holding the coconut out to Drew, who took a pint of rum from his hip pocket and splashed some in the shell. â€Å"Down this,† Simon said, handing the coconut to Lash. â€Å"Kill the pig, partner.† The Animals chanted â€Å"Kill the pig† until Lash had downed the whole drink, coconut milk and rum washing streams though his beard of suds at the corners of his mouth. He stopped to breathe and threw up. â€Å"Nine-two!† Barry shouted. â€Å"Nine-four,† Drew said. â€Å"Six-one,† Simon drawled. â€Å"Penalty points for chunks.† â€Å"Fuego,† Gustavo said. Simon jumped in Gustavo's face. â€Å"Fuego? What fucking number is Fuego? You can be disqualified as a judge, you know?† â€Å"Fuego,† Gustavo said, pointing over Simon's shoulder to the chip rack, where three dozen weenies had burst into flames and were spewing black smoke. The smoke alarm went off with a Klaxon scream, drowning out the Rolling Stones. â€Å"It rings into the fire department,† Drew shouted in Tommy's ear. â€Å"They'll be at the door in a minute. It's your job to head them off, Fearless Leader.† â€Å"Me? Why me?† â€Å"That's why you make the big bucks.† â€Å"Kill that stereo and put out the fire,† Tommy yelled. He turned and was heading for the front door just as Clint came out of the stockroom. â€Å"The kosher stuff is all blessed, and I prayed over some of the gentile food for good measure. You know, Tom, the guys said that you might be getting married, and I'm getting my minister card in the mail soon, so if you need – â€Å" â€Å"Clint,† Tommy interrupted, â€Å"clean-up in the produce aisle.† He went to the front door, unlocked it, and went outside to wait for the fire department. The bay was socked in with fog and the beam from the lighthouse on Alcatraz cut a swath across Fort Mason and the Safeway parking lot. Tommy thought he could make out the figure of someone standing under one of the mercury lights. Someone thin, dressed in dark clothing. A fire truck pulled into the parking lot, siren off, its flashing red lights cutting the fog. As the fire truck's headlights swept across the lot, the dark figure dodged and ran, staying just ahead of the lights. Tommy had never seen anyone run that fast. The thin guy seemed to cover a hundred yards in only a few seconds. A trick of the fog, Tommy thought. Chapter 12 Fashionably Doomed There were five police cars parked at the Van Ness Motel when Tommy got off the bus across the street. He thought: They've come to get me for turning in a false alarm to the fire department. Then he realized that only Jody knew that he was coming to the motel. Pity, he thought, I would have gotten a lot of writing done in prison. He crossed the street and was met at the office door by a uniformed police woman. â€Å"Crime scene, sir. Move along unless registered.† â€Å"Am registered. Need shower,† Tommy said. He'd learned his lesson about saying too much when he had talked to the angry fireman at the store. They didn't want to hear why it happened, they just wanted to be sure that it didn't happen again. â€Å"Name?† the cop said. â€Å"C. Thomas Flood.† â€Å"ID?† Tommy handed her his Indiana driver's license. â€Å"Says ‘Thomas Flood, Junior. No ‘C. ; † ‘C' is pen name. Thomas is writer,† Tommy said. The cop adjusted her baton. â€Å"Are you trying to give me a hard time?† â€Å"No, I just thought you wanted to talk that way. What's going on?† Tommy looked over the cop's shoulder at the motel manager, a tall, balding guy in his forties who was wiping fingerprints off his bulletproof window with a towel, looking as if he was going to start crying any minute. â€Å"Were you in the motel last night, Mr. Flood?† â€Å"No, I just got off work at the Marina Safeway. I'm night-crew leader there.† â€Å"You live in the City then?† The cop raised an eyebrow. â€Å"I've just been here a few days. I'm still looking for a place.† â€Å"Where can we reach you if the detectives need to talk to you?† â€Å"At the store from midnight to eight. But I'm off tonight. I guess I'll be here. What's going on?† The cop turned to the motel manager. â€Å"You have a C. Thomas Flood registered?† The manager nodded and held up a key. â€Å"Room two-twelve,† he said. The cop gave Tommy back his license. â€Å"Get that changed if you're going to stay in the City. You can go to your room, but don't cross any of the yellow tape.† The cop walked out of the office. Tommy turned to the manager. â€Å"What's going on here?† The manager motioned for Tommy to come closer to the window. The manager bent over and whispered through his talk hole: â€Å"The maids found a woman's body in the dumpster this morning – a woman from the neighborhood, not a guest.† â€Å"Murdered?† Tommy whispered. â€Å"Her and her poodle. This looks horrible for the motel. The police are talking to all of the guests as they check out. They knocked on your friend's door, but she didn't answer.† The manager passed Tommy's key through the slot, along with a business card. â€Å"They want her to call the detective at that number when she gets in. Would you give it to her?† â€Å"Sure,† Tommy said. He took the key and stood there trying to think of something to say to relieve the manager's anxiety. â€Å"Uh, sorry about your dumpster,† he said. It didn't work. The manager burst into tears. â€Å"That poor little dog,† he sobbed. On the bed were a stack of official-looking papers, a map of San Francisco, and a thick envelope filled with cash. There was a note clipped to the papers. It said: Dear Tommy, Here's the stuff to get my Honda out of impound. Use some of this cash to pay the fines. I don't know where the impound lot is, but you can ask any policeman. You will have to go to the Transamerica Building to get my last check. (I marked it on the map.) I've left a message on the personnel department's voice mail that you are coming. Good luck finding an apartment. I forgot to mention that you want to avoid getting a place in the Tenderloin (also on map). Sorry I'm being so mysterious. I'll explain everything tonight. Love, Jody Why in the hell was she being so mysterious? He opened the envelope and took out a stack of hundred-dollar bills, counted them, then put them back in the envelope. Four thousand dollars. He had never seen that much money in one place. Where did she get that kind of money? Certainly not filling out claims at an insurance company. Maybe she was a drug dealer. A smuggler. Maybe she embezzled it. Maybe it was all a trap. Maybe when he got to the impound lot to pick up her car, the police would arrest him. She had a lot of nerve signing her note â€Å"Love.† What would the next one say? â€Å"Sorry you have to do hard time in the big house for me. Love, Jody.† But she did sign it that way: â€Å"Love.† What did that mean? Did she mean it, or was it habit? She probably signed all of her letters with â€Å"Love.† Dear Insured, We are sorry but your policy will not pay for your barium enema as it was done for recreational purposes. Love, Jody. Claims Dept†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Maybe not. Maybe she did love him. She must trust him, she had given him four grand. He shoved the money in his back pocket, picked up the papers, and left the room. He ran down the steps to the ground level and tripped over a large black plastic bag full of dead woman. A coroner's deputy caught him by the arm before he fell. â€Å"Easy there, fella,† the deputy said. He was a big, hairy guy in his thirties. â€Å"I'm sorry.† â€Å"It's okay, kid. She's sealed for freshness. My partner went to get the gurney.† Tommy stared at the black bag. He'd only seen one dead person in his life, his grandfather. He hadn't liked it. â€Å"How did it†¦ I mean, was it murder?† â€Å"I'm betting creative suicide. She broke her own neck, drained out her blood, then killed the dog and jumped into the dumpster. The ME's betting murder, though. You pick.† Tommy was horrified. â€Å"Her blood was drained?† â€Å"Are you a reporter?† â€Å"Nope.† â€Å"Yeah, she was about a gallon low, and no visible wounds. The ME had to go into the heart for a blood sample. He was not pleased. He likes things simple – decapitation by cable car, massive gunshot trauma – you know.† Tommy shuddered. â€Å"I'm from Indiana. Stuff like this doesn't happen there.† â€Å"Stuff like this doesn't happen here either, kid.† A tall, thin guy in coroner blues came around the corner pushing a gurney with a small, gray, dead dog on it. He picked up the dog by a rhinestone leash. â€Å"What do I do with this?† he asked the big hairy guy. The dog spun slowly at the end of the leash like a fuzzy Christmas ornament. â€Å"Bag and tag it?† said Big Hairy. â€Å"A dog? That's a new one on me.† â€Å"I don't give a shit. Do what you want.† â€Å"Well,† Tommy interrupted, â€Å"you guys have a good day.† He hurried away to the bus stop. As the bus pulled up he looked back and saw the two coroners tucking the little dog into the woman's body bag. Tommy got off the bus at a coffeehouse near Chinatown where he had seen guys in berets scribbling in notebooks and smoking French cigarettes. If you were looking for a place to sit and stare into the abyss for a while, always look for guys in berets smoking French cigarettes. They were like road signs: â€Å"Existential Crisis, Next Right.† And the incident with the body bag had put Tommy in the mood to contemplate the meaninglessness of life for a few minutes before he started hunting for an apartment. They had treated that poor woman like a piece of meat. People should have been crying and fainting and fighting over her will. It must be some sort of protection mechanism, more of that ability that city people had for ignoring suffering. He ordered a double mocha at the counter. A girl with magenta hair and three nose rings frothed it up while Tommy searched though a stack of used newspapers on the counter, separating the classified sections. When he paid the girl she caught him staring at her nose rings and smiled. â€Å"Thought is death,† she said, handing him the mocha. â€Å"Have a nice day,† Tommy said. He sat down and began flipping though the classifieds. As he read through the apartments for rent, the money in his pocket seemed to shrink. Here was the reason why people seemed so distracted. They were all worrying about making rent. An ad for a furnished loft caught his eye. He was a loft kind of guy. He imagined himself saying, â€Å"No, I can't hang around, I've got to get back to the loft and write.† And, â€Å"Sorry, I left my wallet in the loft.† And writing, â€Å"Dear Mom, I've moved into a spacious loft in fashionable SOMA.† Tommy put the paper down and turned to a beret guy at the next table who was reading a volume of Baudelaire and building up a drift of Disc Bleu butts in the ashtray. â€Å"Excuse me,† Tommy said, â€Å"but I'm new in town. Where would I find fashionable SOMA?† The beret guy looked irritated. â€Å"South of Market,† he said. Then he picked up his book and cigarettes and walked out of the cafe. â€Å"Sorry,† Tommy called after him. Maybe if I had asked him in French†¦ Tommy unfolded the map Jody had left him and found Market Street, then a neighborhood marked â€Å"SOMA.† It wasn't far from where Jody had marked the Transamerica Pyramid. He folded up the map and tore the loft ad out of the classifieds. This was going to be easy. As he prepared to leave, he looked up to see an enormously fat man in a purple velvet robe enter the cafe carrying a leather sample case decorated with silver moons and stars. He sat at a table near Tommy, his bulk spilling over either side of the cane chair, and began removing things from the sample case. Tommy was captivated. The fat man's head was shaved and there was a pentagram tattooed on his scalp. He covered his table with a piece of black satin, then placed a crystal ball on a pedestal of brass dragons in the center. Next he unwrapped a deck of tarot cards from a purple silk scarf and placed them by the crystal ball. Last he removed a sign from the sample case and set it up on the table. It read: â€Å"Madame Natasha. Palmistry, Tarot, Divination. Psychic Readings $5.00. All proceeds go to AIDS research.† Madame Natasha was sitting with his back to Tommy. As Tommy stared at the pentagram tattoo, Madame Natasha turned to him. Tommy looked away quickly. â€Å"I think you need a reading, young man,† Madame Natasha said, his voice high and feminine. Tommy cleared his throat. â€Å"I don't believe in that stuff. Thanks, though.† Madame Natasha closed his eyes as if he were listening to a particularly moving passage of music. When he opened them again he said, â€Å"You're new to the City. A little confused and a little scared. You're an artist of some kind, but you don't make your living that way. And you've recently turned down a proposal of marriage. Am I right?† Tommy dug into his pocket, â€Å"Five dollars?† â€Å"Have a seat,† Madame Natasha said, waving him to a seat at his table. Tommy moved to the seat across from Madame and handed him a five-dollar bill. Madame Natasha picked up his tarot cards and began shuffling. His hands were tiny and delicate; his nails painted black. â€Å"What shall we ask the cards today?† Madame said. â€Å"I've met this girl. I want to know more about her.† Madame Natasha nodded solemnly and began laying the cards out on the table. â€Å"I don't see a woman in your near future.† â€Å"Really?† Madame pointed to a card on the right of the pattern he had laid out. â€Å"No. You see the position of this card? This card rules your relationships.† â€Å"It says ‘Death. ; â€Å"That does not necessarily mean physical death. The Death card can be a card of renewal, signifying a change. I would say that you recently broke up with someone.† â€Å"Nope,† Tommy said. He stared at the stylized picture of the skeleton with the scythe. It seemed to be laughing at him. â€Å"Let's try again,† Madame Natasha said. He gathered the cards, shuffled them, and began laying them out again. Tommy watched the spot where his relationship card would fall. Madame paused, then turned the card. Death. â€Å"Well, well, what a co-in-kee-dink,† Madame Natasha said. â€Å"Try again,† Tommy said. Again Madame shuffled, and again, when he laid down the relationship card, it was Death. â€Å"What does it mean?† Tommy asked. â€Å"It could mean a lot of things, depending on your other suits.† Madame waved to the other cards in the pattern. â€Å"Then what does it mean with the other cards?† â€Å"Honestly?† â€Å"Of course. I want to know.† â€Å"You're fucked.† â€Å"What?† â€Å"As far as relationships?† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"You're fucked.† â€Å"What about my writing career?† Madame Natasha consulted the cards again, then, without looking up, said, â€Å"Fucked.† â€Å"I am not. I'm not fucked.† â€Å"Yep. Fucked. It's in the cards. Sorry.† â€Å"I don't believe in this stuff,† Tommy said. â€Å"Nevertheless,† Madame Natasha said. Tommy stood up. â€Å"I have to go find an apartment.† â€Å"Do you want to consult the cards about your new home?† â€Å"No. I don't believe the cards.† â€Å"I could read your palm.† â€Å"Will it cost extra?† â€Å"No, it's included.† â€Å"Okay.† Tommy held out his hand and Madame Natasha cradled it delicately. Tommy looked around to see if anyone was looking, tapped his foot as if he was in a hurry. â€Å"Goodness, you masturbate a lot, don't you?† A guy at a nearby table spit coffee all over his paperback Sartre and looked over. Tommy pulled his hand away. â€Å"No!† â€Å"Now, now, don't lie. Madame Natasha knows.† â€Å"What's that got to do with an apartment?† â€Å"Just checking my accuracy. It's like zeroing out a polygraph.† â€Å"Not a lot,† Tommy said. â€Å"Then I'll have to adjust my reading. I would have rated you a wankmaster of the first degree. It's nothing to be ashamed of. Considering your relationship card, I'd say it's your only option.† â€Å"Well, you're wrong.† â€Å"As you wish. Let me see your palm again.† Tommy surrendered his palm reluctantly. â€Å"Oh, good news at last,† Madame Natasha said. â€Å"You will find an apartment.† â€Å"Good,† Tommy said, pulling his hand back again. â€Å"I've got to go.† â€Å"Don't you want to know about the rats?† â€Å"No.† Tommy turned and headed toward the door. As he reached it he turned and said, â€Å"I'm not fucked.† The Sartre reader looked up from his book and said, â€Å"We all are. We all are.†