Leadership and nurse retention: The pivotal role of nurse leaders Essay

The Massachusetts Department of Higher Education in collaboration with the CITATION Thu12 l 1033 (Thurston, 2012)organized a working sectional conference titled Effective Mentoring; Nursing Leadership Practices after Training Completion and development skills for charge nurses. Over 40 experienced professionals from major statewide stakeholders in the Healthcare industry were brought together during this session. Those in attendance included nurses from various practice sessions and representatives from the Department of Higher Education, the Board of Registration in Nursing, the Massachusetts Center for Nursing (MCN), the Massachusetts Association of Colleges of Nursing (MACN), the Massachusetts/Rhode Island League for Nursing (MARILN), other national accrediting agencies were also present like the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC) and the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). The keynote speaker for the conference was MD Welborn E. Crawford of Massachusetts Semin Hospital who has extensive experience in offering guidance on organizational leadership in the practice of medicine and is also chairman on the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) board. Crawford also has several publications under his belt specifically discussing about how to boost development skills of leadership at the workplace. His past roles in professional development are inclusive of nursing peer review and advancement, teaching and the use of simulation. The current role he holds at the hospital as MD provides oversight on how various departments of the hospital are run including quality service provision and process improvement. The conference sought to ensure that, graduating nurses from nursing school to have a platform to ensure a seamless progression in their career by furnishing with necessary knowledge and skills that will ensure their development while practicing nursing after their graduation. Participation in the conference was on the consideration of the fact of holding a charge nurse position at my workplace and the constant need to make decisions and supervise ACRNs at the workplace needed a more astute approach of leadership. Analysis of Leadership Characteristics and Style Most of the conflicts in the nursing industry are as an increased inefficiency in leadership styles and practices. In many instances, personality traits often in one way or the other demonstrate a link with leadership behaviors and characteristics and in this instances are either inborn or easily learned. The main focus of Crawford’s speech was on the process of enhancing transformation of other nurses’ while at the workplace through meeting the needs of the pre-identified environment. The keynote speaker kept the participants going throughout the session through the asking of questions. Through the question and feedback process, a debating platform was created similar to the one encourage for organizational leaders where employees are allowed the opportunity to be engaged in the decision-making process of an organization. He reflected on Brooks and Andersons publications which suggested that a good number of nurses felt invaluable to an organization when they were not allowed the opportunity to participate in decision-making processes and their efforts at the workplaces going unrecognized. These ideology posters to core the need of as a leader to acknowledge a subordinate in the event they contribute something worthy at the work setting. The exchange of information and negotiation between people and their leaders has evolved over the years and this and this has similarly had an impact on leadership theories evolvement. In the conference setting, our keynote speaker had adopted the democratic style of leadership where all and sundry were allowed to measure in on the debate and from the information provided by the audience, the Crawford expounded further on their ramifications in ensuring success during task performance. Further from his speech, it became clear that apart from the democratic leadership style, there existed other two distinct styles that have always been adopted by leaders namely; authoritarian and laissez faire. Under authoritarian leadership, an employee were not allowed to make any decisions and in most cases handles all managerial duties and decisions all by themselves without any external interference from the employees. It is largely the opposite of democratic leadership. Lastly, there is the lais sez-faire leadership style where the leader is in total control of all aspects of an organization. Environments are also fundamental in determining what particular style of leadership will be a success but transformational leadership is mostly championed for in many leadership settings for it is particularly considered to create a conducive environment for not only nurses but also their respective patients. However, there still exists doubts on the credibility of these words for there exists little or no studies at all that pinpoint an exact correlation between leadership behaviors, patient outcomes and nursing practice environments. Charge nurses were therefore encouraged to adopt the transformational leadership style for the nurses that one is in-charge of are allowed to participate in any decision-making process. It has been established that nurses have positive response to transformational leadership because it ensures that build and develop themselves individually as a unit thus they are personally empowered to achieve their goals. In retrospect, in utilization of this kind of leadership, a leader is equally motivated a leader that allows the creation of synergetic environments where creativity can be easily managed. Considering the fact that a good number of nursing discords are in one way or the other related with the leaderships styles, it is important for charge nurses to adopt a stance of being facilitators for solutions as opposed to being problem creators. One important aspect fro transformational leadership is the participatory decision-making approach with employees to similar to what Dr. Crawford w as utilizing at the platform. The participatory decision-making approach allows an increased accountability of actions at the workplace by employees thus they are empowered and the same can be transformed to patients. Frontline charge nurses who not have effective leadership practices in most instances do not perform their duties for solving problems at the nursing unit, it therefore important for such leaders to adapt effective leadership skills so that they can be assured of achieving better outcomes. Communication skills In delivering speeches, it is important for a speaker to develop an interpersonal relationship with his audience for it is the foundation for all human interaction. Not only are effective communication deponents beneficial in delivering speeches but also it ensures the normal function of various systems of an organization. In the nursing workplace, as a charge nurse it is important to ensure that communication is two-way in the sense that not only are people listening to directives of their leader but also the leader allows them the opportunity to air their concerns. Whether an individual is traversing information in a formal or informal context, it is important for them to acknowledge their audiences, purpose for speaking, follow through in what one is putting across, have a broad array of presenting your information and utilization of several techniques in delivering information CITATION Ant13 l 1033 (Anthony, et al., 2013). It is also important to note one’s external enviro nment while putting across a specific message for it determines how information seriated and perceived by an audience. In the case of Crawford, he focused mainly on the ensuring the comfort of his audience by constantly asking whether or not they were comfortable in the conference room and delved mainly on the progressive leadership in nursing for all those in attendance were knowledgeable of the topic being discussed. The speaker was also keen on ensuring that all the stakeholders and those in attendance were convinced of his thoughts on progressive leadership for nurses and how to develop this in graduation nurses form nursing school by ensuring that he gave a clear background information of the topic he was discussing then finally gave an in-depth analysis of the developmental ways for building leadership skills for junior nurses at the workplace. While communication his information across, his stands on leadership styles were backed up by facts and claims from other professional s in the healthcare industry with utmost clarity and simplicity which ensured a good number of those in attendance to comprehend the information that was being put across and the purpose of the conference was thus being achieved in an astute and prospective manner. MD Crawford made it his mandate to ensure that all relevant aspects of leadership in nursing and how to nurture young habits in graduating nurses could be attained which brought to core leadership issues that if neglected by one who is in-charge at the workplace could impact negatively on the functioning of a particular unit of a hospital CITATION Ame09 l 1033 (Association, 2009). Considering the fact that nurturing the graduating nurses was a new noble idea for healthcare practitioners, the idea therefore needs a lot of selling. The delivery of this message was efficient in the sense that it was being aimed at the correct audience who effectively act on it, this was ensured through constant repetition of the idea in the delivery of his speech and for sure he did deliver the message to its desired levels for a good number of participants after the conference signed up for a two month seminar that Crawford suggested for the 27th the same month where further leadership models would be discussed and how they could be applied at the workplace. With respect to the experience of Crawford and considering that he was getting delivering his speech to his peers, he adopted the good old boy presentation style. Basically, his presentation was divided into an introduction which gave a clear understanding of the problem that needed nursing practitioners’ attention. Secondly, he talked of the organizations which sponsored the event and their role in collaboration with the American Nursing Association in ensuring nurses developed well envisaged skills to be great leaders in their nursing careers upon graduation from school by ensuring there existed some sort of mentoring platform where they could interact and exchange ideas with experienced professionals in the industry CITATION Gir12 l 1033 (Girvin, 2012). Thirdly, using visual aid supports like chart drawings and diagrams, the speaker used supporting facts to put across information regarding leadership styles and how effectively communication can be achieved at the workplace. Most importantly, each visual aid used in the delivery of the speech fully gave an in-depth understanding of what was being discussed whose main purpose was to ensure that those in the audience were familiar with the topic being discussed by the end of his presentation. The conclusion of the presentation effectively showed that the proposal that was presented by the speaker could be made effective in hospital interstate and according to the interpersonal discussions among the participants; it was evident that the stakeholders present were eager to take up the initiative of pushing the recommendations into a reality. Upon conclusion of his speech, the keynote speaker allowed the participants to air their questions which were promptly answered Critical Reflections The speakers’ speech was outlined and delivered to the requirements of the Massachusetts Organization of Nurse Executives who had organized the conference. In clearly defined detail, the conference topic, â€Å"Effective Mentoring; Nursing Leadership Practices after Training Completion and development skills for charge nurses,† was extensively addressed and all the stakeholders present were given a challenge of developing some sort of mentoring program that will help in nurturing the leadership skills of graduating nurses. Guided by the conference topic, Crawford presented the leadership debate convincingly through diving his content into leadership issues and the most effective ways and the role played b communication in ensuring one was efficient in their position as a leader. The adoption of a Good Old Boy presentation style of communication was effective considering that the participants at the conference were his peers and this coupled with his use of visual aids t o deliver his speech ensured a good delivery CITATION Was10 l 1033 (Waskett, 2010). Implications for Professional Nursing Practice The conference proceedings were influential in answering good number of concerns that those in the nursing environment experience in their workplace which generally affect the outcomes of the job. A good number of problems are associated with the nursing charge position such as poor description of the jobs being delegated to others, irresponsibility experienced with the an increase in the duties appended to a particular individual at the workplace and most importantly the lack of necessary knowledge on how to undertake leadership positions. Personally, the conference furnished with important knowledge of I was previously ignorant on: the role of communication for leadership. It was evident that as a charge nurse, I need to be not only authoritarian when it came to decision-making situations but also involvement and listening to other nurses will help with ensuring that a diverse pool of ideas are available to ensure an easy decision-making process. At the same time, involving other i n decision-making ensured that they felt part of the organization that they were more motivated to perform their tasks effectively CITATION Gar09 l 1033 (Garvey, Stokes, & Megginson, 2009). As a leader, I have the mandate of ensuring and facilitating the learning process of other junior nurses at the workplace through the more refined method of mentoring. With respect to developing a mentoring platform for graduating nurses, it is important to ensure that all nurses at the workplace are under a senior guardian at the workplace who will ensure that the nurses are given lessons and guidance on how to communicate effectively at the workplace thus preparing them for future leadership positions. References   Anthony, M., Standing, T., Glick, J., Duffy, M., Paschall, F., Sauer, M., et al. (2013). Leadership and nurse retention: The pivotal role of nurse leaders. Journal for Nursing Adminstartion, 146-155. Association, A. N. (2009). Nurse leaders pass measures on disastser planning . Washington DC: American Nurses Association . Garvey, B., Stokes, P., & Megginson, D. (2009). Coaching and Mentoring: Theory and Practice. London: SAGE Publications . Girvin, J. (2012). Leadership and nursing: Part two: styles of leadership. Nursing and Managment , 20-22. Thurston, B. (2012, August 24). Annual Conference on Nursing leadership 2012. Retrieved November 14, 2014, from Massachusetts Organization of Nurse Executives : http://www.mooneleadership.org/ Waskett, C. (2010). Clinical supervision using the 4S model 1: Considering the structure and setting it up . Nursing Times , 12-14. Source document

Performance Measurement Paper Essay

In the world of business there are many cliche’s about how performance measurements are implemented and what they actually do such as â€Å"if your company doesn’t measure results then you can’t tell success from failure. † http://www. balancedscorecard. org/Home/tabid/36/Default. aspx The key focus on strategic objectives should always articulate precisely what the organization wants to accomplish which is the key to finding accurate, true, strategic measurements. The strategic performance measures will allow the organization to monitor the implementation and effectiveness of the operational efficiency. The best performance measures will provide a way to monitor and see if that strategy is actually working. Focusing on the importance of the employee’s contribution to the success of the organization is another important measure that can be added along with providing a common language for the communication of everyone. Performance measurement is so vital in the structure of an organization because it is an ongoing and constant reporting and monitoring of accomplishments. Typically the program is implemented by agency management. The different program activities are measured by this system as well. A program may be considered any project, activity, or function that has a set of objectives. The three types in which will be compared and contrasted begins with the output type of performance measures which indicates a specific workload that is processed throughout a period of time. The next type of performance type of selection is the efficiency type, which indicates the different ratio’s of the resources to work the product. The resources of this particular type are primarily considered budget dollars. The final performance measurement type that will be under contrast is the outcome type which tells the results over a period of time from work which was performed by the organization in order to benefit the people receiving the service. (EOM) or enterprise output management is a practice used in information technology dealing with the organization of data that is created for banking systems, insurance database systems, customer relationship management, as well as many others. Output distributed management is defined as middle ware that threatens to drive out the process originally supported in order to implement an auto mated one. EOM output managment could potentially reduce the cost of traditional printing because it uses digital output channel such as fax and email. The potential of this is depends on how the concept is adopted by the targeted customer group. Management information systems allow organizations to get right people the correct information at a timely and efficient manner. The efficiency type of performance management works by pulling together information. Therefore improving the products and expanding the customer base at the same time. A manger with a good management information system can eliminate redundant miscues that waste time and may instead focus on what actually works for the betterment of the organization. If an MIS is added into the equation then the amount of time saving that will benefit the organization will be tremendous because there is more time being focused on the specific task at hand. The computer program can collect data from employees much faster than the alternative time consuming method of not taking advantage of the technology. The over-all term performance management is defined as the output of employees and groups individually. The employees may be divided into groups and departments within the organization as a whole. Therefore the performances can be evaluated much more effectively by knowing what everyone’s production levels are and by gathering this information will definitely help to improve the quality of production in the organization which will lead to good things for everyone. In order for the performance management procedures to be put in place and do the job that they are needed to do there should be a performance definition done as soon as humanly possible because this knowledge will help drive the rest of the tasking in sequence for what needs to be done for the organization.

Differences and Similarities Essay

What are the differences in narrative and descriptive essays? This is a question many students ask. Having experienced writing both, I can tell that there are plenty of similarities as well as some very big differences between the two types of writings. Both narrative and descriptive essays provide great details. A narrative tells a story about an event, while descriptive creates a picture of a person, place, thing or event for the reader. I think that a descriptive essay gives a clearer picture of the story that’s happen or been created in someone life. A narrative essay often reflects your personal experiences, explaining what happened during some sort of experience. For example in the narrative essay â€Å"Homeless† the author was telling the story of how a women was homeless staying a bus terminal for several weeks and she had a home before but she lost it. The author explained the women explained â€Å"They were pictures of a house. It was like a thousand houses in a hundred towns, not suburb, not city, but somewhere in between, with aluminum siding and a chain-link fence, a narrow driveway running up to a one-car garage and a patch of backyard. The house was yellow.† The author was narrating the home that she once had before. This is what is meant by narrative essays have a purpose of telling the events to the reader. Narrative essay topics can include recounting an experience where you learned something significant, your first fight, your first job interview, or a frightening encounter. Narration is not always a personal experience, a book report can be consider a narrative since it spells out a plot. On the other hand descriptive essays uses sensory detail like sight, sound, smell and taste to describe a scene, person or feeling to the reader. In the descriptive essay â€Å"I want a wife† you can clearer visualize how the  man wanted his cloths to be kept up to part. For instance when the autho r said â€Å"I want a wife who will keep my cloths cleaned, ironed, mended, replaced when need be, and who will see to it that my personal things are kept in their proper place so that I can find what I need the minute I need it.† As you describe, you can create a three dimensional picture so the reader can experience the item, place, person or emotion along with the reading. Descriptive essay topics can include your favorite place, your basement, your bedroom, your best friend, an odd object that you own, an art exhibit, the best or worst teacher you ever had, your ideal job or your dream home. When it comes to the similarities between narrative and descriptive essay they have a lot in common. Just as in the narrative essay â€Å"Homeless† the author explained that â€Å"it’s not the size or location but pride of ownership†. Where as in the descriptive essay † I Want a Wife† the author explained † I want a wife who is a good nurturant attendant to my children, who arranges for their schooling, makes sure that they have an adequate social life with their peers, takes them to the park, the zoo, etc†. That writer was detailing what it was he wanted in a wife. Both wri ters were explaining specific details. Both narrative and descriptive essays should follow essay format with an introductory paragraph, body paragraphs and a concluding paragraph. At the end of the introduction, place a thesis, a sentence that explains the overall purpose of the paper. Give a reason for the narration or description in the thesis explaining why the event, person, place or thing is important enough to write about. In both, the thesis should express that you are telling a story because something was learned or that you are describing a place that creates a sense of clam in your life. Also, in both narration and description essay, including specific details in the body paragraphs to support the idea set forth in the thesis. However, there are some big differences between narrative and description writings. Narration often employs first person point of view, using words like â€Å"I† and â€Å"me†, while description do not. For example, the author of â€Å"Homeless† said â€Å"I’ve never been very good at looking at the big picture, taking the global view, and I’ve always been a person with an overactive sense of place, legacy of an Irish grandfather.† This is her using the word â€Å"I† explaining to the reader this is how she is. Another big difference between the two is that a narrative essay includes action,  but the descriptive essay does not. Narration follows a logical order, typically chronological. In contrast, description typically contains no time elements, so organize descriptive essays by some other reasonable means, such as how you physically move around in a space or with a paragraph for each of the senses you use to describe. When it comes to the descriptive essay â€Å"I want a wife† the author describes what he want his wife to do for him and the kids and the household by saying â€Å"I want a wife who will take care of my physical needs. I want a wife who will keep my house clean. A wife who will pick up after my children, a wife who will pick up after me.† He states know order as to how he wants it all done, he just know this is the way that he want his wife to be. In conclusion, Narrative and description writings have a similarities and difference. Both writings can be interesting to write and read about because the point of the writings is to grab the reader’s attention. On the other hand, both essays have different writing techniques to use to catch the reader attention. After getting a better understanding and examples in the similarities and differences between the two writings one will be more exciting to write on a topic then the other one. Depending on the style of the writer or what experiences and places or people that have encounter in your life this will determine which essay style you will choose. Like me if you enjoy painting a picture in someone head to make them feel like they can see, smell or even taste what your are writing about then descriptive essays is the way to go. References: Brady, J. (1971). I want a wife. Retrieved from http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/everythingsanargument4e/content/cat_020/Brady_I_Want_a_Wife.pdf Quindlen, A. (n.d.). Homeless. Retrieved from http://pers.dadeschools.net/prodev/homelesstext.htm Connell, C. M., & Sole, K. (2013). Essentials of college writing (2nd ed.). San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.

Collective Bargaining - Protective Services Research Paper

Collective Bargaining - Protective Services - Research Paper Example In addition, if military members, or any government employee, petitioned for higher pay, a wage increase relates directly to an increase in taxes. Although members of the military deserve equal collective bargaining rights as private sector employees, granting said rights creates adverse economic and political implications. Collective bargaining incorporates negotiations between an employer and an employee in order to create satisfactory working conditions for the employee within the employer’s means. The agreements made through collective bargaining include working hours, payment, working conditions, and union procedures (Congressional Digest 2003). In the United States, the National Labor Relations Act or Wagner Act covers the collective bargaining rights and procedures of most private sector employment. ... create collective bargaining rights for certain public and government employees, however, no constitutional act exists to protect the labor rights of the members of the United States military. For example, the Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act (LMRDA) provides labor rights for most public sector employees including postal workers and those covered by the Railway Labor Act which covers railway and airline workers (US Department of Labor 2011). While some may argue that the inability to collective bargaining is a breach of military members rights, there are economic and political implications that gravely hinder the ability to easily grant said rights. Recently several states have begun to discuss limiting the collective bargaining rights of their public employees in order to increase revenue and appease the national deficit. Protests continue in these states in response to the abolishment of rights (Wisniewski 2011). Nevertheless, the recent collective bargaining legislati on changes portray the economic implications of granting said rights to government employees. All government employees, including members of the military, are paid through tax money. If military members were given the right to collective bargaining and asked for an increase in pay, it would subsequently mean an increase in taxes for citizens. Such economic consequences hinder the accessibility to grant military members collective bargaining rights. In addition, several political circumstances prevent members of the military to have rights to collective bargaining. According to article 1 section 8 of the United States Constitution, members of the military abide by a different set of rules known as the Uniform Code of Military Justice: "The Congress shall have Power . . . To make Rules for

Organizational Behavior Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 5

Organizational Behavior - Essay Example In order to answer the objectives previously mentioned, the study reviewed job satisfaction-related literature in defining what job satisfaction is, its intrinsic and extrinsic factors, and other elements that can either increase or decrease it. The study used published peer-reviewed articles in scholarly journals from year 2000 and onwards. All articles included in the study are empirical and have used questionnaires as methodological approach. Job satisfaction has been the topic of various researches for the past few decades, focusing on the factors that affect job satisfaction, how it can be achieved, and how it can be enhanced (Hoppock, 1935). It has also been said that job satisfaction can determine the quality of performance and productivity of an individual (Patterson, et al 2004). By definition, job satisfaction can be feelings, attitudes and emotions that employees feel towards work-related aspects (Lock, 1976). These can be their relationships with their co-workers, wages, workload, and working environment (Jackson and Corr, 2002). This implies that if an individual employee is satisfied with his/her working environment of the amount of salary and compensation that he/she receives, his level of job satisfaction will correspondingly increase. However, if an individual suffers from over workload or stressful environment, it can contribute to his/her dissatisfaction. It also implies that job dissatisfaction can lead to poor level of performance and absenteeism of an employee. Job satisfaction also consists of intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Intrinsic factors are an individual evaluation of the quality of work performed; how the work was handled professionally; individual development of skills and expansion of horizon; and intellectual growth and maturity. Extrinsic factors, on the other hand, include the kind of work environment; salary provided and bonuses; rewards and promotions in return for excellent performance;

Marketing debate and discussion Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Marketing debate and discussion - Research Paper Example It is also satisfactory to the marketer by meeting marketing objectives. Nevertheless, as the above definition holds, other people criticize the process of marketing as to creating unnecessary needs and wants. Promotion services offered during marketing are always meant to attract many customers and give the company higher sales than the competitors. However, as Mattsson puts it, companies fail when they raise the expectations of the consumers beyond what they can actually provide. This raises the cost of marketing, and as a result of failure to deliver; more efforts are required to counter and correct the effect of the former promotion by both the marketer as well as the consumers (Mattsson 11-14). To meet specific customer expectations and or the failure to satisfy them may also translate to spending more by the customer. The successes of all marketing procedures highly depend on training and the competency of the marketing team and this as well translates to extra cost and need to the company. Therefore, marketing can be rightly seen to satisfy and cr eate needs, both to the marketer and to the target group. Mission statement for an organization is usually a theme that is well deliberated on as to how the business and operations relate to the customers, employees, management and the ownership structure of the enterprise. Mission statements are very essential to any organization as they aid in marketing through the following three ways; shows how a marketing plan fulfills the mission of marketing as pertains to the overall organizations mission, assists in a clear manner of evaluating the performance of marketing procedures and designs and guides implementation of a marketing plan (Anon 5). Mission statements have been found to have little or at times no disparity between similar organizations or departments. On customer targeting, marketing in particular may opt for age. Marketers usually have

Geology Tour Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Geology Tour - Essay Example Since, numerous studies have contended that numerous creatures, for instance, furred elephants (American mastodon) inhabited the snow region prior they were extinct. This information and much more coupled with diverse timelines of when they occurred usually characterizes the entire â€Å"Page Museum, La Brea Tar Pits† (McNassor 97). As one proceeds inside, does not stop to wonder because various ice age fossils excavated from the â€Å"backyard† (Tar Pits) of the museum (McNassor 13). It is intriguing how some animals looked like prior to the emergence of people in Los Angeles region, which prompted to their extinct. For illustration, Bison Antiquus, this was the first herbivore in N. America and its existence and emergence marked the mammal age in the region. According to diverse staffs who are in every stand ready and busy explaining to keen admirers regarding diverse life forms, many of the fossils originate from Tar Pits (McNassor 97). This was after its discovery, which also has its own information regarding why it is rich in diverse extinct forms that fill the entire museum. Hence, museum has allocated a stand meant to offer to visitors’ adequate information regarding Brea Tar Pits (McNassor 25). Research about the site argues that, Asphaltum from other regions seeped up into the pits for a long time where wild animals inhabited. Dust, leaves or water covered the Asphaltum in the pits, which trapped the animals and other smaller forms like rats while grazing or searching for water. Therefore, resulting to numerous animals trapped in it. The museum boasts of possessing numerous species starting from those of the great cats to the tooth of a rat besides plants that normally characterized the Tar Pits prior extinction of the big animals (McNassor 22). The cats encompass small-tailed Smilodon Fatalis, which are a distant cousin to the present cats.

The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven Essay

The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven - Essay Example However Sherman Alexie doesn’t get satirical at all. He in his simple tones and simple style puts across the reader as what happened in the lives of his people. His metaphors although strong don’t overwhelm the reader. These metaphors come from his background, the culture he has been brought up in and the traditions and stories passed on from one generation to another. The thesis for analysis for this essay is the style of Sherman Alexie’s writing style which is literal and metaphorical, human and natural with a mix of reality and fantasy. The powerful use of metaphors and subtle hint towards magical realism gives a very special effect to the art of Sherman Alexie’s story telling. From the perspective of literature, they present many stories under one title. Some stories are kept in the background but their effects are seen on the characters and stories on the foreground, while some stories may go hand in hand in one story presented. Although the reader is reading many stories in one story, the main thread is not lost, which is what makes Sherman Alexie’s writing style unique and captivating. ... The party that is going on in the house is a vain attempt to fill the house with colours and laughter. In the same story Victor also states about the abject poverty during the festival time and his father being penniless to buy gifts for the family and the friends. The scene when Victor sees his father pulling out his wallet continuously, examining it as if there is miraculously going to be some money inside and keeping it back in the pocket touches every reader. It gives a very powerful picture in a very simple language. During other hurricanes broadcast on the news, Victor had seen crazy people tie themselves to trees on the beach. Those people wanted to feel the force of the hurricane first hand, wanted it to be like an amusement ride, but the thin ropes were broken and the people were broken. Sometimes the trees themselves were pulled from the ground and both the trees and the people tied to the trees were carried away. (Every Little Hurricane) Victor sees people hanging on, thin king that the hurricane will pass. He also talks about the people who were not party to the war, maybe by their own will or by situation, but they were affected alike by the war. He talks about people who tie themselves to trees to watch the hurricane, to feel it. Not all people participating in the action had a high end motive like sacrifice for the people and all, but they did participate in what was going on. Pulling out of trees indicates that whatever we stick to as a solid ground or possibly fundamental also gets shaken from the roots. The events and occurrences around you are so strong that they uproot you and change your direction altogether. One big hurricane in the story gives way to other little

Analyzing a Photograph Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Analyzing a Photograph - Essay Example When the photo was taken, it was the day the Japanese surrendered to the Americans through signing a contract of agreement. Eisensteadt was then assigned in Manhattan and was taking pictures in the streets when he witnessed the phenomenal stolen kiss, which made him very famous. In his recollection, he claimed to have followed the Sailor as he saw the other kissing different women. The photo was published in Life Magazine where it appeared on the center of a page, among two other photos with other couples kissing. In the other photos, the couples intended to kiss, whereas in The V-J Day in Times Square, the subjects did not know each other, and they did not plan to kiss. Produced in 1945, the photo is still in black and white, thus showing the high contrast between the sailor’s blue uniform and the nurse’s white outfit. The high contrast makes the subjects easily identifiable, hence allowing the artist to achieve focus and emphasis. The subject of the photograph is what makes it extraordinary. At first glance, viewers will think that the kissing couple knows each other, and that they are kissing in front of the crowd to make a show. However, if viewers will find out the story behind the photograph, they will have more interest in it. Photos of kissing couples are quite common especially nowadays; but the thought of two persons kissing despite being totally strangers to each other is really surprising, not to mention that the photo was taken way back in 1945 when the people were a lot more conservative than today. When investigated, the sailor and the nurse were found to be unfamiliar with each other, and the sailor was said to have done the kissing out of his exhilaration in hearing the news about the withdrawal of Japanese from the war. Later investigations revealed that the sailor named Glen McDuffie kissed the nurse identified as Edith Shain because he knew that his brother who was captured by the Japanese will be set free (Goddard). The unfami liarity between the man and woman is established by their hand gestures. The man who is holding the woman with his left arm closes his fist instead of holding the woman’s face to show gentleness and intimacy. Likewise, the woman’s left arm, which is supposed to embrace the man around his neck, does the same unlikely gesture for intimate partners: it closes in a fist, hence reflecting unfamiliarity. As regards the response of the nurse, she claimed to have responded to the sailor’s kiss because she saw the happiness in him. In sum, the festive mood of the subject is the general feeling that Eisenstaedt has captured. In other pictures where couples are kissing, passion or love could be perceived. However, in Eisenstaedt’s photo, the expression of freedom to do what one desires to do is given emphasis instead. Emphasis is further achieved with the reactions of people around the subject. On the right side is a woman in her forties, looking and giggling at the sight of the kissing couple. On the left side is another sailor in his outfit, giving a good laugh at the subject. The reactions of the bystanders add to the emphasis in the photo. Such smiles draw the attention of the audience further to the couple in the middle of the picture, especially at what they are doing. Moreover, by laughing and giggling a

Choose one of the subjects ( table of content is required) Term Paper

Choose one of the subjects ( table of content is required) - Term Paper Example Consumers tend to purchase more when the interest rates are low, and purchase less when the interest rates are high. This is because low interest rates increase the disposable income available to a consumer, and as such, has more income to spend on purchases, whilst high interest rates reduces the disposable income available to a customer, thereby he or she has less income to spend on purchases. As a natural rule of economics, a person tends to spend more when he or she has a higher amount of disposable income. However, if such a person has lower amount of disposable income, he or she will probably spend less. As such, interest rates primarily tend to affect the middle income and the low-income consumers within the economy who do not have a vast fortune to spend of purchases and luxuries. However, this does not rule out the fact that interest rates also affect the high-income earners within the economy only that its effect on their disposable income is dismal compared to consumers from the other two income brackets. The rich might only feel the effect of high interest rates while investing, especially when the cost of investment raises due to high interests rates. As for shopping and purchase, the rich will probably go for pricy high-end luxury goods and services as they attach price to quality, in the sense that the more expensive it is, the higher quality it is. As for th e other consumers, they tend to purchase within their limits in the sense that higher prices scare them away and reduce their spending and purchasing patterns, while lower prices increase their spending as it increases their purchasing power, As such, interest rates come into play in the sense that higher interest rates equally lead to a rise in common products and services consumed by middle level and lower level consumers. For instance, if a proprietor secures a loan for his or

The stagnant MP Essay Example for Free

The stagnant MP Essay Hence, given the stagnant MP, plus the fact that the bailout is being financed by foreign borrowing and by printing, there is no question that the dollar will fall. Since 2000, the dollar has lost 40% of its value against the Euro. In the chart below, the dollar is compared with the Euro during the bailout from 28 December 2007 to 27 January 2008. The below graph does indicate some recovery of the dollar against te Euro, but there can be no doubt as to the long term weakness of the US currency. Apparently, there is some mild increase in confidence that the bailout might make the US economy more solvent, but the below information is too limited for a full understanding. From the beginning of the bailout until mid November of last year, the US debt increased almost $958 billion. Add to this the record breaking trade deficit of almost $1 trillion, and the dollar is in serous trouble. The increase in public debt due to the bailout out is destroying the dollar’s value. According to Asia News (2008), the US is now committed to over $8. 95 trillion dollars to the bailout. The total US economy was roughly $13 billion, with the full debt at about $10 trillion. About 61% of this debt was held by foreign investors, the majority Asian. Since trillions of dollars are held by Asian investors, and debt in the US (both private and public) reaches levels of complete insolvency, the Asians will insist on eliminating dollars as a method of doing business and hence, the dollar will not only loose value, but collapse, leading to a crisis of Argentinian proportions in 2009 (Asia News, 2008). This year, the same author at Asia News writes: â€Å"But Asia now understands that the increase of money supply decreases the intrinsic value of a currency. That is why China is seeking a possible and rational attempt to decouple Asian currencies from the dollar, as recent news stories report. (Asia News, 2009). Hence, the math is simple: too many dollars in circulation, too much printing by the Fed to create the bailout liquidity means the devaluation and eventual collapse of the dollar, and the US taxpayer is powerless over the private Fed as well as the foreign investors that are publically now saying they will eliminate dollar reserves. The reality is this: once there is a sense that a country is insolvent, and that it simply cannot pay its debts, compounded by a massive bailout that the country cannot possibly finance on its own, investors run to get rid of dollars. Even worse, capital fight can result, where money begins leaving the insolvent country, in this case the US, investing instead in Russia, China, Thailand or the EU. Hence, the bailout is merely the tail end of a long fall in th US dollar, a powerful symbol of the US government and corporate governance to control investment and spending.. Appendix: Chart of the dollar against the Euro: Source: Exchange Rates. org. References: Maurizio, D’Orlando. â€Å"US Debt Approaches Insolvency: Chinese Currency Reserves at Risk. ’ Asia News. December 19, 2009 _______. â€Å"Chinese Yuan Set to Replace Dollar. † Asia News. January 3, 2009 Perry, John. â€Å"Fed Keeps Banks Afloat in Money Market. † Reuters. September 25, 2008. Corbett, John. â€Å"Bailout by Stealth. † The Corbett Report. September 30, 2008. Beck, Frank. â€Å"Time to Devalue the Us Dollar. † Forbes. Devember, 2008 Engdahl, William. â€Å"Federal Reserve Sets Stage for Weimar Style Inflation. † Globalia Magazine. February 2, 2008 Rodgers, Lee. â€Å"Elite Can’t Bail Out Everyone. † Funny Money Report. September 17, 2008. Warring, David. â€Å"Arguments for and Against the Bailout. † Informed Trades. November, 2008. The Center for Responsive Politics. â€Å"Banking on Becoming President. † Open Secrets Reports: October 27, 2008.

The Chrysalides Essay Example for Free

The Chrysalides Essay During the course of the novel The Chrysalids we learned and traveled into the minds of some of the characters. All of the characters had their strengths (as well as weaknesses) but one character in particular seemed to keep her cool and lead her group of friends with a power known as ESP (extra sensory perception) away from a place known as Waknuk where they would be hunted and killed werent it for the fact that they all looked like regular human beings. The name of the girl I speak of is Rosalind. She plays a very big part in the story even though most people dont pay much attention to the things she does, she in essence keeps the group together and keeps them alive because she is a determined, resourceful and self-reliant young woman. To start lets look at some of the characteristics that make Rosalind who she is. A large part of her personality revolves around her determination in everything she does in life. (this includes her love life, her motherly attitude, the safety of the group etc. ) Lets start with her love life. In the early stages after David and Sophie are separated because her deviation is discovered we find out that Rosalind and David start to like each other, we find this out more through David then Rosalind as David is mainly the one speaking in the novel and we know that they like each other because things like She was handsome, with a face you could not help watching; she was attractive, too, in the way she moved and carried herself, (93) and I loved the bronze-gold hair that felt like heavy silk in ones hand(p. 149) It is also stated in the book that they would ometimes go into the fields to meet with each other and keep a romantic relationship but they could not do so as often as they would have wanted to because their fathers did not quite like each other The feud between our families which had first come into the open over the matter of the great-horses had now been established for years. (98). In terms of her determination towards her motherly duties at the time (taking care of Petra) she was always making sure she was safe even if it meant taking her away from David emotionally. It also served as a relief to her having another female other than David that she could vent to. She was also determined to keep Petra calm when she was scared of what would happen to the group and try to get information out of her calmly when she contacted the people of Sealand. for example when she says Did you ask her the name of the place, darling? Rosalind inquired. and But it is, darling. You get them from her, then you show them to us only gently, so that we can read them. (136) She would say words like darling and keep calm and say things in an upbeat tone so that she would cooperate and tell them what they wanted to know. To finish off this topic of discussion I look toward the fact that Rosalind was always determined and ready to help the group when they needed it. She did various things throughout the book to show her determination to the group. These actions were very beneficial and helpful but may have gone unnoticed because she was always the one pulling the group together so we forget about the smaller things she did and usually just recall the big things. For example, some very important things she did that could have gone unnoticed during the course of the book include the fact that before David and Petra had to leave home because the group had been discovered, they had not packed very much for the journey as opposed to Rosalind who had everything set up and ready to go at a moments notice. This small detail in the plot could have made the difference between life and death for the 3 of them. I say this because if Rosalind did not have everything set up the way she did it might have taken too long to get the horses or they might have run out of food on the way and starved making them incapable of finishing their journey. In essence we can already see that Rosalind is a true leader and we can also see by the last example that she is a very resourceful young lady. She demonstrates this in many parts of the novel and every time she shows this trait it not only helps the group proceed in their journey but also advances the plot. To start if we look back to the novel we can see that in every case where a plan needed to be made or a task executed she would be at the front lines getting everything ready to ensure that everything went smoothly. This included events such as the escape from Waknuk which I have already mentioned AND also the route for the journey they would take to get into the Fringes. She would also make contact to Michael whenever she could to get a status report on the soldiers position Whats happening? I asked Michael. Was that your lot shooting? No. That was the other party. Theyre trying to draw the Fringes men across their way so that we can come in from the opposite side and take them in the rear. (173) During their travels the group would also meet up with some people they didnt particularly want to see. Rosalind being the resourceful quick thinker she is would quickly take care of them with whatever and however she could. Perhaps I was sleeping lightly, or it may have been just coincidence that I woke up to catch an anguished thought from Rosalind. Ive killed him, Michael. Hes quite dead . . . Then she slid off into a panicky, chaotic thought-shape. (103) This just goes to show that her resourcefulness and committed attitude strengthens her overall personality and she will go to great lengths and use as well as do whatever she has to do to keep the group safe, which truly displays her personality and the type determined resourceful kind of person she is. To conclude there is one more point that must be addressed that brings her personality all together. Rosalind never had anyone at home or in her family she could talk to. For the most part she had to grow and learn for herself. This is what gives her, her protective shield and bring her together as one of the strongest (if not the strongest) member of the group. In every aspect of her life that we know of in the novel she relied on herself and got things done for her well being as well as the well being of those she cared about, because she was incredibly self-reliant. She always took things into her own hands and would even scold or get away from people if things were being done wrong Do you mean to say thats all youve brought? she said disapprovingly. ( ) She also took an active role in being a parental figure for Petra even though she had no parenting experience. She would simply rely on what she knew from what she had learned from what she had done through her mistakes and accomplishments and apply it to her real world scenarios. And in doing so would also give her the capacity to apply a game plan to other scenarios in her life such as how to keep everyone quiet about the groups powers and how to avoid and escape dangerous situations. It could even be said that being alone helped her develop her mind faster and that her armour would keep her in her thoughts long enough to be able to make non-rash decisions which could have ultimately led to the groups overall victory in the end. In conclusion the aspects of Rosalinds personality let her strive in a community where she would not have been accepted.  Knowing this Rosalind trained herself in the 3 key personality traits I have discussed which allowed her to be able to carry herself and the group to a triumphant victory over the people of Waknuk and allowed her to finally be able to take off her armour She turned her head. The under-Rosalind was in her face, smiling, shiny-eyed. The armour was gone. She let me look beneath it. It was like a flower opening. (208)which was probably Rosalinds biggest accomplishment.

Why Authoritarian Governments In Asia Control The Media Politics Essay

Why Authoritarian Governments In Asia Control The Media Politics Essay Authoritarian regimes or governments have always been considered by western scholars or politicians as standing on the opposite side of democracy. In those states within which media are controlled, the freedom of speech, human rights and democracy remain big concerns of those democrats. Asia, the largest continent in the world, boasts its diversified politic forms, be it democratic regimes, like Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korean and quasi-democratic ones like Thailand, as well as authoritarian ones like Mainland China, North Korean and Burma. The role of media in Asia varies with the political style, from free to control. This essay, then, mainly focuses on exploring the reason why authoritarian regime expects to take control of media from the political, cultural, technological and economic perspectives. à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã‚  Media in authoritarian rule in Asia Authoritarian government refers to the government that concentrates power in the hands of a leader or a small group of elites unelected by the people; and is opposed to individualism and democracy. Although authoritarian governments always claim that their existence is to protect the country and to provide discipline and order to its way of life and that the traditional culture should be aggressively maintained against encroaching external or contemporary culture (Robert McKenzie, 2006 73-74), the reality is in the opposite side that those basic components of a civil society like human rights, free information, free speech, social justice, etc. are almost eliminated or constrained in the so called order and traditional culture. As what Myung-Jin Park,James Curran(1999) point out, authoritarian regimes can be divided into three major forms: single-party regime, military regime and religious regime. In Asia, countries can be entitled as authoritarian are Brunei (the executive authority lies with the unelected sultan), China (state under communist single party rule), Laos (a communist single party state), Burma (military rule), North Korea (one-party rule), Oman (ruled by a hereditary sultan, and no political parties are legal and no opposition movement), Qatar (ruled by hereditary emirates), Saudi Arabia Syria United Arab Emirates (ruled by hereditary emirates), Vietnam (communist single-party state). Media in these authoritarian regimes can be either privately or publicly owned but must resort to the control of the state. Such control means that the media are never allowed to expose the information that opposes the will of ruling class or interest groups strictly related to the government. Media can criticize the government, but not the supreme level which takes the hold of the highest power. They have certain degree of freedom, but it is only restricted to the reports and programs unrelated to political areas, such as entertainment, sports, travel, etc. In authoritarian rule, Robert McKenzie (2006) points out two procedures that are commonly implemented: censorship and punishment. In terms of the censorship of the media content, it involves two steps: state censorship and self-censorship. State censorship is applied when speech and communication are contrary to state objectives, then the content is banned for dissemination. Self-censorship is the act of intently censoring ones own publications, blogs, films, news scripts, TV programs or other means of expression without direct pressure from the authority, in order not to disseminate the content against the government objectives. So after finishing ones work, he or she may remove inappropriate material for fear of sanction by the government. With the above two kinds of censorship, media only speak the voice of the government or ruling class instead of the people. With the regard to the punishment, the consequence is always conditioned by the seriousness of the illegal content. In the authoritarian rule, the state has the right to penalize individuals and media organizations for seditious libel (Robert McKenzie, 2006). Since the authoritarian societies are under the rule of men instead of law, the punishment can be various types according to the leaders will, such as confiscating private facilities, incarceration of media professionals, expiration, long-term prison, or even death. The content of media in different countries may vary, but one common feature of the authoritarian states in Asia is that media are controlled or owned by the state. Therefore, the information the audience received in the media reflect not the interest of the people but the ruling class, no matter how capable or how hard-working the leaders are, because it is the system of a state that decides the role of the media. à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã‚ ¡Reasons for the authoritarian seeking to control the media According to Denis Mcquail(2005), there are four types of control over media: control of content for political reasons; control of content for cultural and/or moral reasons; control of infrastructures for technical reasons; and control infrastructures for economic reasons. These reasons can serve as a guideline for the author to explore further. 1. Control for political reasons The influence of media in political societies is immense and should never be underestimated. As what Katrin Voltmer and Gary Rawnsley (2010)point out, the function of media in democratic society is to (a) provide a forum where all voices can be heard and engage in a dialogue with each other, and (b) to act as a watchdog of the government. However, the effect of these above two functions are what the authoritarian ruling elites want to decrease, because they are not only the functions, but inherent nature of media, and if without control, the innate force will bring the media to the peoples side. Then the pluralistic opinions and voices will appear that are unlikely all to conform to the political will proposed by the ruling elites. But if we stand at the point of the authoritarian government, the control seems to be necessary, because the media have too much potential power that could be used to unseat the state or destabilize the country (Robert McKenzie, 2006 73-74). What the authoritarian governments most badly need is stability, for in chaos the power of the people will release and it is uneasy to be taken control again. Take China as an example. The government makes every effort to forbid the expressions related to Tiananmen event in 1989, for fear of arousing another wave of opponents that might shake the foundation of the superstructure. Although the information is blocked in mainland China, related videos, books, magazines and reports from abroad still remain hard evidence, which can be a great threat against the authority of communist party. Only if those media become inaccessible to people can the central government avoid losing support from the public. Therefore, the authoritarian media can also be a watchdog, but to watch people instead of the government. Beside, given that the president or premier or the elite ruling group has the high morality, responsibility, wisdom and really concern the people, it is unlikely for them to make sure that every official they appoint or appointed by their appointers other than through the election from the people obey the principles of the constitution. Holding great power and backed by the superior, bureaucractism, red-tapism and corruption will generate, which means that only by controlling the media can they cover their bad deeds, without knowing from the above and the public. But if even the supreme rulers or elites group have ulterior or scandal of their own, degree of control will be much stricter and the free of media is far from possible. In addition, since the media belong to the government, they can be used as a powerful agency to propagate, reinforce and sublimate the value and merits of the ruling concept, thus win more trust and understanding over disagreement. The news from the state-owned media is always the wise decisions and favorable policies which give the people hope and better future, but seldom is there any voice that directly criticizes the state leaders or central government. 2. Control for cultural reasons Almost all authoritarian countries in Asia have their unique as well as dominating traditional or political culture. These cultures not only determine the patterns of thought of the people, but also provide a well constructed harbor for the elite ruling groups to prevent their regime from the impact of the outside world. Media, therefore, can serve as a useful tool to further strengthen the preexisted culture on the one hand, and to broadcast and spread the domestic culture to the world on the other. In this sense, to control the media is to some extent to control the mind of the mass people. The following analysis will focus on the analysis from several powerful cultures. The most distinguished culture in Asia may be Islamism, a belief that Islam is a political ideology, as well as a faith. For this culture, to control the media is to maintain the purity of the peoples thought and enhance the loyalty to the god. It is a modernist claim that political sovereignty belongs to God, that the Sharia should be used as state law, that Muslims form a political rather than a religious bloc around the world and that it is a religious duty for all Muslims to create a political entity that is governed as such.(http://www.quilliamfoundation.org/faqs.html) Based on the above definition, religious belief becomes legitimate tool and peoples behaviors are judged by the Quran. They believe in one God and resist other religions. Then the Islamic content is dominant in media. The western thought, belief, values as well as culture are severely censored and are considered conflict to Islam. For them, the religion and politic are tied extremely close to each other. So if the religion or culture is affected by outside or different impact, the political rule will also be impaired. Another powerful culture is communist culture. In this culture, to control the media is to prevent the attack and cultural impact from the outside world.In present China, North Korea, Laos, Vietnam, the culture is shaped by communist party rather than Confucianism, even though some parts of the behaviors and thoughts still follow the principles proposed by Confucius. Communist culture is relatively young but very influential. At the very beginning of the communist party, those vanguards did set up educational and honorable examples that inspire the fellow country men and women to fight against outside invasion. They did win peoples trust that the communist party will bring them freedom, democracy and equality. But communism is based on the philosophy proposed by Karl Marx that it is possible to create an egalitarian or classless society by means of working as a collective whole. Besides, there is a huge difference of the definition of democracy. While western world regard democracy a s characterized by free speech, two or multiparty and mass election, the communism believe that the democracy is to liberate people and let people become the sovereign master. Ever since the Marxism was applied by the developing countries, the capitalism has become their enemy. The western thought and value as well as ways of running economy are all considered as against the communist belief. Therefore, everything from the western world is banned or defined as evil. In extreme case like North Korea, the image of the party is always the representative of justice, while those western capitalist societies are shown as the lack enlightenment of communist thought. In this environment, the people are deprived of the idea to fight against free speech, liberty and democracy, because as what media show, there are in this process. 3. Control for technological reasons With the development of high technology, especially the booming of the internet, the battle between media control and anti-control has been largely upgraded. Modern communications technologies mean that authoritarian governments find it ever more difficult to hermetically seal their borders and prevent their people from receiving often uncomfortable news, information and opinion from overseas sources (Katrin Voltmer and Gary Rawnsley, 2010). On the other hand, the ruling elites clearly know that to control the core technology is to hold the initiative advantage, so the high technology is not only widely applied by people, but also by the government as a fairly useful tool to exercise censorship, underground investigation as well as supervisory. In other word, the authoritarian government plays the role of defense, while the dissidents and civil right fighters act as the role of offense, and the rest becomes the audience, looking on the development of the game. This means that even though people can create some software to get access to the blocked information, government then can renew the fire-wall and all kinds of software to block the sensitive expressions, detect the opinion initiators, or even control them. After all, the power of individuals is relatively small. They do not have enough economic income to keep them fighting longer. They are intelligent and are able to find the flaw of the censorship system, but seldom is there anyone daring to cross the bottom line of the ruling class. However, the government has sufficient financial support. It can establish well-equipped companies and hire a group of highly professional hackers or internet veterans to help the information control and monitoring. New technology or the new media does provide the citizens with a platform to voice out their opinions and unfair experience with the government and the exposed officials will do meet their deserved consequence. Nevertheless, no government wants its system to be corrupted and then lose its efficiency. In this sense, new technology also helps the government to find a new method to govern the stuff and officials. 4. Control for economic reasons When studying the media issues, economic respect should be considered, for mass media is not only a social institution, but also an industry. With the regard to the present essay, the reasons of media control from the economic perspective are mainly focused on the issue of ownership. Altschull(1984) in his second law of journalism says: the contents of media always reflect the interests of those who finance them. That is to say, the economic structure of the state decides the structure of the media industry, thus determines the role of media. Specifically, in authoritarian regime, the state owns the media, and the main sources of income are advertising, consumer revenue as well as the state financial support. What should be noticed is that the most powerful enterprises in authoritarian states are commonly the state-owned or royal relates-owned industries, which contribute a lion share of the advertising investments. Those state-owned companies not only have continuously financial support from the central government, but also take control of the choices of the consumers, in other word, the market. The vulnerable private media companies, though exist, can seldom have the opportunities to set foot in the most influential market like broadcasting industry and are fac ed with severe competition from various aspects. Then the domination of powerful state-owned companies in communication industries remains as an impassable barrier for private sectors. Consequently, since the government controls the market, that media are controlled becomes a nature process. à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã‚ ¢ Conclusion The study of the relationship between government and the media involves a various range of research and analysis. The present essay at first introduces the situation of media in authoritarian regimes in Asia. When media are unable to perform as an agent of democratic transition and consolidation, they become the important means of enforcing the authoritarian or totalitarian rule. Serving as the lapdog and gatekeeper of the government and accompanied by the relevant law and policy, the position of media is fixed and can hardly be changed. Consequently, the people have to be careful with the serious censorship and take the risk of being punished if they seek to rebel the government will. The purpose for government to control the media can be analyzed in four aspects. The first one is the political aspect that government takes the media as a useful tool to maintain the stability of ideology, reinforce the governance and to hide truth and dirt deeds of the rulers themselves. In terms of the cultural reasons, the author tries to find result from studying to distinctive cases of Islam culture and communist culture. A common feature of the both cultures is that the government seeks to manipulate media through keeping the purity of the culture, thus erecting a shield to resist the western democratic thought and culture. With the regard to the technological sphere, the government does realize the potential threat from the booming internet communication, so they intently act as a powerful defender to defend the attack from the domestic and abroad on the one hand, and makes most use of the high technology to strengthen itself on the other. The last reason is from the economic sphere that since the authoritarian government has the huge influence on the market, it influences the media industry as well. Owned and financed by state-run enterprises, the media industry is unchallengeablely controlled by the government. All in all, the media independence is a long process, and the freedom of media and information follows the political reform, cultural transformation and globalization, technological advancement as well as economic development. Although media are controlled, they are still able to play a significant role in pushing forward the social progress of these authoritarian countries in Asia,

revelation Essay -- essays research papers

Waiting room is a place where most of story is developed. With Mrs. Turpin’s appearance, this room is turned to one small society which has variety of social class, genders, ages, and skin colors. People are classified by the view of rich white woman. Her view of human is very simple; ‘niggers’ who are divided into bottom group, ‘white-trash’, sometimes even worse than niggers, and home and land owners like herself. All kind of people can be assessed by two criteria – Color and wealth. This was common view to assess people after the civil war, the period when racism still remained and material things began to be important with industrialization. In terms of racism, after the civil war, African-Americans were not slavers and should not be treated as slavers anymore. However, both white peo...

Invisable Man - Black Leaders Essay -- essays research papers

At the time that Ralph Ellison writes the novel The Invisible Man there were, as there are today, many ideas on how to improve the black mans status in a segregated nation. Marcus Garvey was a militant black nationalist leader who created a "Back to Africa" movement. On the other side was Booker T. Washington who preached for racial uplift through educational attainments and economic advancement. A man who strayed more on the middle path was W.E.B. Du Bois. He was less militant than Marcus Garvey but was more so than Booker T. Washington. Ellison uses characters from the novel to represent these men. Marcus Garvey is fictionalized as Ras the Exhorter. Booker T. Washington is given voice by the Reverend Barbee. W.E.B. Du Bois is never directly mentioned in the novel. However, the actions and thoughts of W.E.B. Du Bois are very similar to that of the narrator. While all three men were after the same dream they all went about making that dream reality in different ways. There are strengths and weakness that can be found in all three men’s philosophies. The most militant and extreme of the three was Garvey. Marcus Garvey was born Marcus Mosiah Garvey Jr. on August 17 1887, at Saint Ann’s Bay, Jamaica. He was the youngest of eleven children. His father, Malcus (Marcus) Mosiah Garvey, was a stonemason and his mother, Sarah Jane Richards, was a domestic servant and produce grower. He left school at the age of fourteen to serve as a printer’s apprentice. After completing his training he took a job with a printing company in Kingston. There he organized and led a strike for higher wages. He then traveled to Central and South America. He moved to London in 1912 and became interested in African history and culture. He returned to Jamaica two years later and founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) and the African Communities League. The UNIA helped found the Black Muslim movement. In 1916 Garvey moved to the United States. He went to New York City and set up a branch of the UNIA and began a weekly newspaper called the Negro World. Garvey preached that blacks should be proud of who they are. He called for racial pride. Because of his persuasiveness and his eloquence people started to listen to Garvey. Blacks became proud of who they were. Booker T. Washington said to bow down to the whites and accept being inferior. When they hear... ...re they too subtle. Du Bois criticized Garvey’s black power movement and he looked down upon Booker for having such an emphasis on economic independence. Du Bois only fault, like Garvey, was in his belief in racial separation. He would not compromise with whites. During the civil rights movements, individuals and organizations challenged segregation and discrimination with a variety of activities. In the forefront of these movements were Marcus Garvey, Booker T. Washington, and W.E.B. Du Bois. All three of these men had a dream of equality; they lead the way for future leaders such as Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. Marcus Garvey preached for racial pride among his people and told them to return to Africa. Booker T. Washington told his followers to accept the status quo and improve themselves through hard work and economic independence. W.E.B. Du Bois told the black community to separate themselves from whites and to gain economic self-reliance. All three men went after the same goal; they just did it in their own ways. There is a thin line between doing nothing and doing too much Works Citied "Garvey, Marcus," Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia 2000

The Complex Character of King Richard II Essays -- Richard II Richard

The Complex Character of King Richard II A general conclusion of most critics is that Richard II is a play about the deposition of a "weak and effeminate" king. That he was a weak king, will be conceded. That he was an inferior person, will not. The insight to Richard's character and motivation is to view him as a person consistently acting his way through life. Richard was a man who held great love for show and ceremony. This idiosyncrasy certainly led him to make decisions as king that were poor, and in effect an inept ruler. If not for this defect in character, Richard could be viewed as a witty, intelligent person, albeit ill-suited for his inherited occupation. Immediately the reader is shown the adoration of ceremony and drama that Richard holds. He hears the accusations brought to him by his cousin Bolingbroke and Mowbray. Mowbray fearing impartiality on the kings part is reassured by Richard: "impartial are our eyes and ears./ Were he my brother, nay my kingdom's heir...Now by my scepter's awe I make a vow. (I.i.120-123). Notice the love Richard has of his power and of the ceremony itself that the kingship brings with three words, "my scepters awe". Interestingly until this point Richard has used the royal "we" in his speech; here it becomes his personal status. Additionally, he asks them to "be ruled by me" (i.i157) and follows this line with clever poetry. "Lets purge this choler without letting blood./ This we prescribe, though no physician;/ Deep malice makes too deep incision." (I.i.158-160). Richard is showing off his poetic talents, not necessarily his kingly talents. There seems to be a strong feeling that he enjoys this display of his talent. At this point the reader may be amused and entertained by his ... ... He was though very inconsistent. He lapses into moods and publicly displays his feelings. Inconstancy is not the way to rule a country. His entrance into "reality" stems from his adversity with Bolingbroke. Would Richard have matured if not faced with the opposition of Bolingbroke. Sadly the answer seems to be no. Richard was consistently acting through his reign, yet that was his true personality. Such is the paradox that is Richard II. Works Cited Calderwood, James L. and Howard E. Tolvier, eds. Essays in Shakespearean Criticism. NJ:Prentice Hall, Inc. 1970 Cubeta, Paul A., Twentieth Century Interpretations of Richard II. NJ:Prentice Hall, Inc. 1971 Dean, Leonard F., ed. Shakespeare Modern Essays in Criticism. New York:Oxford University Press. 1967 Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Richard The Second. New York: Washington Square Press. 1962

Digital Fortress Chapter 94-99

Chapter 94 Midge Milken stood fuming at the water cooler near the entrance to the conference room. What the hell is Fontaine doing? She crumpled her paper cup and threw it forcefully into the trash can. There's something happening in Crypto! I can feel it! Midge knew there was only one way to prove herself right. She'd go check out Crypto herself-track down Jabba if need be. She spun on her heel and headed for the door. Brinkerhoff appeared out of nowhere, blocking her way. â€Å"Where are you headed?† â€Å"Home!† Midge lied. Brinkerhoff refused to let her pass. Midge glared. â€Å"Fontaine told you not to let me out, didn't he?† Brinkerhoff looked away. â€Å"Chad, I'm telling you, there's something happening in Crypto-something big. I don't know why Fontaine's playing dumb, but TRANSLTR's in trouble. Something is not right down there tonight!† â€Å"Midge,† he soothed, walking past her toward the curtained conference room windows, â€Å"let's let the director handle it.† Midge's gaze sharpened. â€Å"Do you have any idea what happens to TRANSLTR if the cooling system fails?† Brinkerhoff shrugged and approached the window. â€Å"Power's probably back on-line by now anyway.† He pulled apart the curtains and looked. â€Å"Still dark?† Midge asked. But Brinkerhoff did not reply. He was spellbound. The scene below in the Crypto dome was unimaginable. The entire glass cupola was filled with spinning lights, flashing strobes, and swirling steam. Brinkerhoff stood transfixed, teetering light-headed against the glass. Then, in a frenzy of panic, he raced out. â€Å"Director! Director!† Chapter 95 The blood of Christ†¦ the cup of salvation†¦ People gathered around the slumped body in the pew. Overhead, the frankincense swung its peaceful arcs. Hulohot wheeled wildly in the center aisle and scanned the church. He's got to be here! He spun back toward the altar. Thirty rows ahead, holy communion was proceeding uninterrupted. Padre Gustaphes Herrera, the head chalice bearer, glanced curiously at the quiet commotion in one of the center pews; he was not concerned. Sometimes some of the older folks were overcome by the holy spirit and passed out. A little air usually did the trick. Meanwhile, Hulohot was searching frantically. Becker was nowhere in sight. A hundred or so people were kneeling at the long altar receiving communion. Hulohot wondered if Becker was one of them. He scanned their backs. He was prepared to shoot from fifty yards away and make a dash for it. El cuerpo de Jesus, el pan del cielo. The young priest serving Becker communion gave him a disapproving stare. He could understand the stranger's eagerness to receive communion, but it was no excuse to cut inline. Becker bowed his head and chewed the wafer as best he could. He sensed something was happening behind him, some sort of disturbance. He thought of the man from whom he'd bought the jacket and hoped he had listened to his warning and not taken Becker's in exchange. He started to turn and look, but he feared the wire-rim glasses would be staring back. He crouched in hopes his black jacket was covering the back of his khaki pants. It was not. The chalice was coming quickly from his right. People were already swallowing their wine, crossing themselves, and standing to leave. Slow down! Becker was in no hurry to leave the altar. But with two thousand people waiting for communion and only eight priests serving, it was considered bad form to linger over a sip of wine. The chalice was just to the right of Becker when Hulohot spotted the mismatched khaki pants. â€Å"Estas ya muerto,† he hissed softly. â€Å"You're already dead.† Hulohot moved up the center aisle. The time for subtlety had passed. Two shots in the back, and he would grab the ring and run. The biggest taxi stand in Seville was half a block away on Mateus Gago. He reached for his weapon. Adios, Senor Becker†¦ La sangre de Cristo, la copa de la salvacion. The thick scent of red wine filled Becker's nostrils as Padre Herrera lowered the hand-polished, silver chalice. Little early for drinking, Becker thought as he leaned forward. But as the silver goblet dropped past eye level, there was a blur of movement. A figure, coming fast, his shape warped in the reflection of the cup. Becker saw a flash of metal, a weapon being drawn. Instantly, unconsciously, like a runner from a starting block at the sound of a gun, Becker was vaulting forward. The priest fell back in horror as the chalice sailed through the air, and red wine rained down on white marble. Priests and altar boys went scattering as Becker dove over the communion rail. A silencer coughed out a single shot. Becker landed hard, and the shot exploded in the marble floor beside him. An instant later he was tumbling down three granite stairs into the valle, a narrow passageway through which the clergy entered, allowing them to rise onto the altar as if by divine grace. At the bottom of the steps, he stumbled and dove. Becker felt himself sliding out of control across the slick polished stone. A dagger of pain shot though his gut as he landed on his side. A moment later he was stumbling through a curtained entryway and down a set of wooden stairs. Pain. Becker was running, through a dressing room. It was dark. There were screams from the altar. Loud footsteps in pursuit. Becker burst through a set of double doors and stumbled into some sort of study. It was dark, furnished with rich Orientals and polished mahogany. On the far wall was a life-size crucifix. Becker staggered to a stop. Dead end. He was at the tip of the cross. He could hear Hulohot closing fast. Becker stared at the crucifix and cursed his bad luck. â€Å"Goddamn it!† he screamed. There was the sudden sound of breaking glass to Becker's left. He wheeled. A man in red robes gasped and turned to eye Becker in horror. Like a cat caught with a canary, the holy man wiped his mouth and tried to hide the broken bottle of holy communion wine at his feet. â€Å"Salida!† Becker demanded. â€Å"Salida!† Let me out! Cardinal Guerra reacted on instinct. A demon had entered his sacred chambers screaming for deliverance from the house of God. Guerra would grant him that wish-immediately. The demon had entered at a most inopportune moment. Pale, the cardinal pointed to a curtain on the wall to his left. Hidden behind the curtain was a door. He'd installed it three years ago. It led directly to the courtyard outside. The cardinal had grown tired of exiting the church through the front door like a common sinner. Chapter 96 Susan was wet and shivering, huddled on the Node 3 couch. Strathmore draped his suit coat over her shoulders. Hale's body lay a few yards away. The sirens blared. Like ice thawing on a frozen pond, TRANSLTR's hull let out a sharp crack. â€Å"I'm going down to kill power,† Strathmore said, laying a reassuring hand on her shoulder. â€Å"I'll be right back.† Susan stared absently after the commander as he dashed across the Crypto floor. He was no longer the catatonic man she'd seen ten minutes before. Commander Trevor Strathmore was back-logical, controlled, doing whatever was necessary to get the job done. The final words of Hale's suicide note ran through her mind like a train out of control: Above all, I'm truly sorry about David Becker. Forgive me, I was blinded by ambition. Susan Fletcher's nightmare had just been confirmed. David was in danger†¦ or worse. Maybe it was already too late. I'm truly sorry about David Becker. She stared at the note. Hale hadn't even signed it-he'd just typed his name at the bottom: Greg Hale. He'd poured out his guts, pressed print, and then shot himself-just like that. Hale had sworn he'd never go back to prison; he'd kept his vow-he'd chosen death instead. â€Å"David†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She sobbed. David! At that moment, ten feet below the Crypto floor, Commander Strathmore stepped off the ladder onto the first landing. It had been a day of fiascoes. What had started out as a patriotic mission had swerved wildly out of control. The commander had been forced to make impossible decisions, commit horrific acts-acts he'd never imagined himself capable of. It was a solution! It was the only damn solution! There was duty to think of: country and honor. Strathmore knew there was still time. He could shut down TRANSLTR. He could use the ring to save the country's most valuable databank. Yes, he thought, there was still time. Strathmore looked out over the disaster around him. The overhead sprinklers were on. TRANSLTR was groaning. The sirens blared. The spinning lights looked like helicopters closing in through dense fog. With every step, all he could see was Greg Hale-the young cryptographer gazing up, his eyes pleading, and then, the shot. Hale's death was for country†¦ for honor. The NSA could not afford another scandal. Strathmore needed a scapegoat. Besides, Greg Hale was a disaster waiting to happen. Strathmore's thoughts were jarred free by the sound of his cellular. It was barely audible over the sirens and hissing fumes. He snatched it off his belt without breaking stride. â€Å"Speak.† â€Å"Where's my pass-key?† a familiar voice demanded. â€Å"Who is this?† Strathmore yelled over the din. â€Å"It's Numataka!† the angry voice bellowed back. â€Å"You promised me a pass-key!† Strathmore kept moving. â€Å"I want Digital Fortress!† Numataka hissed. â€Å"There is no Digital Fortress!† Strathmore shot back. â€Å"What?† â€Å"There is no unbreakable algorithm!† â€Å"Of course there is! I've seen it on the Internet! My people have been trying to unlock it for days!† â€Å"It's an encrypted virus, you fool-and you're damn lucky you can't open it!† â€Å"But-â€Å" â€Å"The deal is off!† Strathmore yelled. â€Å"I'm not North Dakota. There is no North Dakota! Forget I ever mentioned it!† He clamped the cellular shut, turned off the ringer, and rammed it back on his belt. There would be no more interruptions. Twelve thousand miles away, Tokugen Numataka stood stunned at his plate-glass window. His Umami cigar hung limply in his mouth. The deal of his lifetime had just disintegrated before his eyes. Strathmore kept descending. The deal is off. Numatech Corp. would never get the unbreakable algorithm†¦ and the NSA would never get its back door. Strathmore's dream had been a long time in the planning-he'd chosen Numatech carefully. Numatech was wealthy, a likely winner of the pass-key auction. No one would think twice if it ended up with the key. Conveniently there was no company less likely to be suspected of consorting with the U.S. government. Tokugen Numataka was old-world Japan-death before dishonor. He hated Americans. He hated their food, he hated their customs, and most of all, he hated their grip on the world's software market. Strathmore's vision had been bold-a world encryption standard with a back door for the NSA. He'd longed to share his dream with Susan, to carry it out with her by his side, but he knew he could not. Even though Ensei Tankado's death would save thousands of lives in the future, Susan would never have agreed; she was a pacifist. I'm a pacifist too, thought Strathmore, I just don't have the luxury of acting like one. There had never been any doubt in the commander's mind who would kill Tankado. Tankado was in Spain-and Spain meant Hulohot. The forty-two-year-old Portuguese mercenary was one of the commander's favorite pros. He'd been working for the NSA for years. Born and raised in Lisbon, Hulohot had done work for the NSA all over Europe. Never once had his kills been traced back to Fort Meade. The only catch was that Hulohot was deaf; telephone communication was impossible. Recently Strathmore had arranged for Hulohot to receive the NSA's newest toy, the Monocle computer. Strathmore bought himself a SkyPager and programmed it to the same frequency. From that moment on, his communication with Hulohot was not only instantaneous but also entirely untraceable. The first message Strathmore had sent Hulohot left little room for misunderstanding. They had already discussed it. Kill Ensei Tankado. Obtain pass-key. Strathmore never asked how Hulohot worked his magic, but somehow he had done it again. Ensei Tankado was dead, and the authorities were convinced it was a heart attack. A textbook kill-except for one thing. Hulohot had misjudged the location. Apparently Tankado dying in a public place was a necessary part of the illusion. But unexpectedly, the public had appeared too soon. Hulohot was forced into hiding before he could search the body for the pass-key. When the dust settled, Tankado's body was in the hands of Seville's coroner. Strathmore was furious. Hulohot had blown a mission for the first time ever-and he'd picked an inauspicious time to do it. Getting Tankado's pass-key was critical, but Strathmore knew that sending a deaf assassin into the Seville morgue was a suicide mission. He had pondered his other options. A second scheme began to materialize. Strathmore suddenly saw a chance to win on two fronts-a chance to realize two dreams instead of just one. At six-thirty that morning, he had called David Becker. Chapter 97 Fontaine burst into the conference room at a full sprint. Brinkerhoff and Midge were close at his heels. â€Å"Look!† Midge choked, motioning frantically to the window. Fontaine looked out the window at the strobes in the Crypto dome. His eyes went wide. This was definitely not part of the plan. Brinkerhoff sputtered. â€Å"It's a goddamn disco down there!† Fontaine stared out, trying to make sense of it. In the few years TRANSLTR had been operational, it had never done this. It's overheating, he thought. He wondered why the hell Strathmore hadn't shut it down. It took Fontaine only an instant to make up his mind. He snatched an interoffice phone off the conference table and punched the extension for Crypto. The receiver began beeping as if the extension were out of order. Fontaine slammed down the receiver. â€Å"Damn it!† He immediately picked up again and dialed Strathmore's private cellular line. This time the line began to ring. Six rings went by. Brinkerhoff and Midge watched as Fontaine paced the length of his phone cable like a tiger on a chain. After a full minute, Fontaine was crimson with rage. He slammed down the receiver again. â€Å"Unbelievable!† he bellowed. â€Å"Crypto's about to blow, and Strathmore won't answer his goddamn phone!† Chapter 98 Hulohot burst out of Cardinal Guerra's chambers into the blinding morning sun. He shielded his eyes and cursed. He was standing outside the cathedral in a small patio, bordered by a high stone wall, the west face of the Giralda tower, and two wrought-iron fences. The gate was open. Outside the gate was the square. It was empty. The walls of Santa Cruz were in the distance. There was no way Becker could have made it so far so quickly. Hulohot turned and scanned the patio. He's in here. He must be! The patio, Jardin de los Naranjos, was famous in Seville for its twenty blossoming orange trees. The trees were renowned in Seville as the birthplace of English marmalade. An eighteenth-century English trader had purchased three dozen bushels of oranges from the Seville church and taken them back to London only to find the fruit inedibly bitter. He tried to make jam from the rinds and ended up having to add pounds of sugar just to make it palatable. Orange marmalade had been born. Hulohot moved forward through the grove, gun leveled. The trees were old, and the foliage had moved high on their trunks. Their lowest branches were unreachable, and the thin bases provided no cover. Hulohot quickly saw the patio was empty. He looked straight up. The Giralda. The entrance to the Giralda's spiral staircase was cordoned off by a rope and small wooden sign. The rope hung motionless. Hulohot's eyes climbed the 419-foot tower and immediately knew it was a ridiculous thought. There was no way Becker would have been that stupid. The single staircase wound straight up to a square stone cubicle. There were narrow slits in the wall for viewing, but there was no way out. David Becker climbed the last of the steep stairs and staggered breathless into a tiny stone cubicle. There were high walls all around him and narrow slits in the perimeter. No exit. Fate had done Becker no favors this morning. As he'd dashed from the cathedral into the open courtyard, his jacket had caught on the door. The fabric had stopped him mid stride and swung him hard left before tearing. Becker was suddenly stumbling off balance into the blinding sun. When he'd looked up, he was heading straight for a staircase. He'd jumped over the rope and dashed up. By the time he realized where it led, it was too late. Now he stood in the confined cell and caught his breath. His side burned. Narrow slats of morning sun streamed through the openings in the wall. He looked out. The man in the wire-rim glasses was far below, his back to Becker, staring out at the plaza. Becker shifted his body in front of the crack for a better view. Cross the plaza, he willed him. The shadow of the Giralda lay across the square like a giant felled sequoia. Hulohot stared the length of it. At the far end, three slits of light cut through the tower's viewing apertures and fell in crisp rectangles on the cobblestone below. One of those rectangles had just been blotted out by the shadow of a man. Without so much as a glance toward the top of the tower, Hulohot spun and dashed toward the Giralda stairs. Chapter 99 Fontaine pounded his fist into his hand. He paced the conference room and stared out at the spinning Crypto lights. â€Å"Abort! Goddamn it! Abort!† Midge appeared in the doorway waving a fresh readout. â€Å"Director! Strathmore can't abort!† â€Å"What!† Brinkerhoff and Fontaine gasped in unison. â€Å"He tried, sir!† Midge held up the report. â€Å"Four times already! TRANSLTR's locked in some sort of endless loop.† Fontaine spun and stared back out the window. â€Å"Jesus Christ!† The conference room phone rang sharply. The director threw up his arms. â€Å"It's got to be Strathmore! About goddamn time!† Brinkerhoff scooped up the phone. â€Å"Director's office.† Fontaine held out his hand for the receiver. Brinkerhoff looked uneasy and turned to Midge. â€Å"It's Jabba. He wants you.† The director swung his gaze over to Midge, who was already crossing the room. She activated the speaker phone. â€Å"Go ahead, Jabba.† Jabba's metallic voice boomed into the room. â€Å"Midge, I'm in the main databank. We're showing some strange stuff down here. I was wondering if-â€Å" â€Å"Dammit, Jabba!† Midge came unglued. â€Å"That's what I've been trying to tell you!† â€Å"It could be nothing,† Jabba hedged, â€Å"but-â€Å" â€Å"Stop saying that! It's not nothing! Whatever's going on down there, take it seriously, very seriously. My data isn't fried-never has been, never will.† She started to hang up and then added, â€Å"Oh, and Jabba? Just so there aren't any surprises†¦ Strathmore bypassed Gauntlet.†