Succubus Heat CHAPTER 10

Dante promptly passed out after sex later that night, but I stayed awake for a while. Rolling over at last, I turned my back to him and stared at my bedside table. I'd set Seth's book there, and now its spine stared out at me, like we were having a showdown to see who would look away first. Seth had given it to me as a gift, possibly a peace offering, yet I was afraid of it, afraid of how I might feel if I opened it. After ten minutes of staring, I finally reached for the book and scooted closer to the bed's edge so that I could get more light from my tiny reading lamp. Curling onto my side, I took a deep breath and opened up All Fools Night . First came the title page, then the dedication: For my niece Brandy, who dreams of great things and will achieve greater ones still . It was embarrassing, but I had almost for a moment speculated whether he might have dedicated the book to me. He'd finished it right around the time we first started dating, but he'd been editing and making small changes right up until the time we broke up. It was vanity, I supposed, to think there might be some sign of my time with Seth in the book. Yet, when I turned the page, I wondered. Before the first chapter, Seth always had a quote, something from a speech or possibly a verse from a poem that was relevant to the book. This was from a song: And if I only could I'd make a deal with God And I'd get Him to swap our places – â€Å"Running Up That Hill,† by Kate Bush I read the lyrics a couple of times, wondering if there was more to them or if I just wanted there to be more to them. I'd heard the song a long time ago, and it had had that poppy synth feel so common to music in the 1980s. I didn't recall this particular part. Finally, dragging my eyes away, I moved onto the heart of the book. Before meeting Seth, I'd rationed myself while reading his novels. I would only read five pages a day because I'd wanted to prolong the sweetness of that first reading. When something was really good, it was easy to dive into it, and before you knew it, the moment was gone. You'd burned through it. I experienced that too frequently in my long existence, and a strict reading schedule was a weak attempt to slow things down. When I settled into this book, though, I didn't really have a plan, and before long, I knew stopping at five pages was impossible. It was exquisite. While he had a few self-standing novels, this series-Cady and O'Neill-was his flagship one. At its basic level, this was just a mystery book, yet there was a wonderful, lyrical quality to Seth's writing that elevated him above the genre ghetto. Sure, there was action and a trail of clues, but his characters were also evolving, always growing in ways both wonderful and heartbreaking. Seth had a way of describing their feelings and their reactions in a style that was so real, it resonated with my own life and left an ache in my chest. Whether that was for his art or for the man himself, I couldn't say. It was only when Dante rolled over that I'd realized I'd been sniffling. â€Å"Are you crying, succubus?† â€Å"It's this book,† I said. I had just read a section where Cady and O'Neill were having a profound talk about life, and O'Neill had commented that all people were seeking both damnation and forgiveness, needing each to make sense of their existence. I was crying because it was true and because Seth had known it was true. â€Å"There are a lot of things to cry about in this world,† Dante said through a yawn. â€Å"Not sure a book should be one of them.† The clock read 4 a.m. by that point, and my eyes were bleary from tears and a need to sleep. I put down Seth's book-which I was now more than half-way through-and turned off the light. Dante shifted and threw an arm around me, resting his chin on my shoulder. His breathing grew heavy and regular, and before long, I joined him in sleep. The phone woke me up at an ungodly hour later in the morning. Dante was gone already. I found that surprising, but seeing as he hadn't gotten three hours of sleep, it might not have been that much of a leap. â€Å"Hello?† Finding the phone had been feat enough, let alone checking the caller ID. A frantic voice answered me. â€Å"Georgina? This is Blake.† â€Å"Blake?† I didn't think I knew any Blake. â€Å"Don't tell me you forgot about us?† He pronounced â€Å"about† as â€Å"aboot,† and it came back to me through my sleep-addled brain. â€Å"Oh, God. I'm sorry. Blake. From the Army.† Him calling me couldn't be a good sign. I sat up straighter in bed. â€Å"What's going on?† â€Å"They're doing something today†¦I'm not supposed to tell anyone, but I'm worried. I don't know much, except that it's big.† I was up and moving now, clothes and hair shape-shifting as I walked. â€Å"Do you have anything else? A time or place?† â€Å"Not yet. Evan's being really secretive about what he's telling us. He says the Angel wants it to be a need-to-know-thing and that we won't find out the details until the absolute last minute.† â€Å"Fuck.† I suspected the Angel was also trying to limit my knowledge as well. Flattering, but frustrating. â€Å"Okay, well, listen, I'm in Seattle, but I'm getting on the road right now. I should be there in two hours.† â€Å"You can't get up here in two hours,† he said incredulously. â€Å"I can if I don't drive the speed limit.† There was a bit of congestion within the city itself, but once I got a little north of it, the traffic cleared up. It was the morning commute; everyone wanted to get into Seattle. Once I had clear highway ahead of me, I dialed Cedric. I knew he wasn't going to like my lack of information, but considering how angry he'd been after last time, I had to at least make the attempt here to keep myself out of trouble. It was Kristin who answered. â€Å"He's having breakfast right now,† she told me. â€Å"It's kind of a special time for him. He doesn't like to be disturbed.† There was an anxious tone to her voice, and I could almost picture her arranging a breakfast tray just-so for him. â€Å"Yeah, well, he might be disturbed whether he likes it or not.† I told her what Blake had said, and her response was similar to mine. â€Å"That's all you've got?† â€Å"Their Angel's working on a need-to-know basis now,† I said bitterly. â€Å"I'll let you know more when I learn more. I just figured Cedric should know.† She sighed. â€Å"You're right. Thanks. Man, this is going to piss him off. He'll have no appetite at all.† I made the drive in the two hours I'd quoted Blake and miraculously didn't get pulled over. I hadn't heard from him the entire time, so I dialed him once I was over the border and buying coffee. I'd found a Starbucks and took a secret thrill in defying the Tim Hortons domination. Except†¦once I had the coffee in hand, I decided a donut would be really good with it, so I walked over and got one from the Tim's across the street. Blake didn't answer, so I tried Evan next and also got no answer. Frustrated, I drove over to Evan's house and knocked on the door for a while. I was nearly on the verge of climbing in through a back window when my phone rang again-and ironically, it was Evan himself. â€Å"Georgina!† he exclaimed, sounding ecstatic. â€Å"Where are you? We need you here.† â€Å"Where are you ?† I demanded. â€Å"On the observation deck,† he said. â€Å"Observation deck of what?† â€Å"The Space Needle. You live close by, don't you?† I nearly dropped the phone. â€Å"You're in Seattle ?† â€Å"Yeah!† I could perfectly picture that eager, zealous look of his. â€Å"Cool, huh? The Angel wanted us to expand our message. So, we're all up here with these banners that we're going to unfurl at the same time, and then we've got a few more surprises to-â€Å" â€Å"Evan,† I begged, sprinting toward my car. â€Å"Don't do it. You're stirring up more trouble than you realize.† â€Å"That's the point!† he chuckled. â€Å"How long until you can be here?† Once I told him I wasn't in the city, he lost interest, and my pleas became meaningless. As soon as we disconnected, I dialed Cedric, expecting to get Kristin. Instead, I got his voice mail. Somehow, that made me angry. â€Å"Cedric, this is Georgina. The Army isn't doing their thing here-they're down in Seattle right now. I hope you finally believe I didn't have anything to do with their stupid plans now! When Jerome finds out, it's going to be my ass on the line, and knowing my luck, he'll think you and I are working together.† Yes, this was one of those situations in which there was no way I could win. I was going to get in trouble no matter what I did, but again, I had to attempt damage control. Jerome had a cell phone that he never answered and didn't even have voice mail for. Hugh was the best way to get a hold of him-but he didn't pick up either. â€Å"Damn it!† I cried into his phone. â€Å"Doesn't anyone answer their fucking phones anymore?† I gave him a hasty recap of what was happening and told him to let Jerome or one of the demonesses know about the cult's plans, or else Jerome was going to get the same scrutiny from the higher-ups that Cedric had been getting. After that, there was nothing left for me to do except hit the road to Seattle again-something I was not happy about. Fortunately, I was fully outside the commuting times now and again could enjoy easy driving as I zipped down I-5 at 75. Pretty Hate Machine blared on my speakers and was oddly soothing to my agitated mood. I eventually fell into that trance-like state drivers often get, with one part of my brain watching the road and the other frantically wondering if my warning had reached any of the Seattle demons in time to intercept the Army. I had just cleared Everett, about a half-hour outside of Seattle, when it hit me. A jolt of electricity shot through my body, making the world spin and my vision blur. I felt hot all over. My hands slipped on the wheel, nearly causing me to swerve into the neighboring lane. I had just enough bearings to slam on my hazard lights and pull off on the shoulder before I hit someone. A wave of nausea rolled through my stomach, then settled down, then swept through me again. Shifting the car into park, I put my head down on the steering wheel, hoping for some clarity. There was a buzzing in my ears, and my whole body shook. What the hell? I didn't get sick. Ever. The only thing that could really affect me like this was drinking too much or indulging in other substances. I'd had food poisoning a couple of times, but it had been short-lived, and somehow I doubted that donut I'd had was doing this to me. I lifted my head up a little, but the world kept rocking. Closing my eyes, I rested my cheek against the steering wheel and took a few deep breaths, hoping I wouldn't throw up. I had no idea what was going on here, but it would pass. It had to pass. And it did-a little. I don't know how long I sat like that, maybe about fifteen minutes, but the next time I dared a peek up, the dizziness had lessened. The nausea was still there, but it too had dropped to a lower level. Deciding to risk it, I turned back onto I-5, anxious to finish my drive to the city and figure out what was wrong with me. I made it back to town without causing an accident and nearly fell over trying to make it up my building's stairs. I didn't even bother with my suitcase and simply left it in the car. Once in my apartment, I headed straight for my room and crashed on the bed. Aubrey joined me and peered curiously at my face. I gave her a few pets, then let my hand slip down as I fell asleep, too weak to hold it up any longer. I woke up almost two hours later, shaken out of sleep by knocking at my door. I sat up, relieved to find my stomach had settled. The light-headedness had also gone away. Maybe the donut had been defective after all†¦and yet, I had this weird feeling-this tiny, nagging suspicion-that something wasn't right. Only, I had no clue or evidence as to what it was. Ignoring it for now, I stumbled out to the living room and opened my door, not even bothering to look out the peephole. Cody and Peter stood there, both of them grinning from ear to ear. â€Å"What do you want?† I asked, stepping aside for them when the door opened. â€Å"I was sleeping.† â€Å"I can tell by your hair,† said Peter, flouncing on my couch. â€Å"And what are you doing asleep? It's the middle of the day.† Still groggy, I squinted at my clock. It was a little after three. â€Å"Yeah, I know. I didn't feel good. It's weird. I just suddenly felt wiped out and dizzy.† That smile had never left Cody's face. He sat beside Peter. â€Å"How do you feel now?† I shrugged and settled onto my loveseat. â€Å"Fine, I guess. A little tired, but the worst is over.† That nondescript something isn't right here feeling was still with me, though. â€Å"You shouldn't be cooped up inside,† said Peter. â€Å"It's a great day.† â€Å"Look at all the sun,† agreed Cody. â€Å"It's like summer came early.† I followed his gaze to the window. Warm golden light spilled in onto my floor, much to Aubrey's delight, and beyond the neighboring building, I could see blue sky. Still, I wasn't impressed. â€Å"We're barely into spring. This is a fluke. It'll probably be cold tomorrow.† Peter shook his head. â€Å"You sure are grumpy when you wake up.† They both seemed so absurdly pleased with themselves, and I couldn't figure out why. â€Å"Maybe you should get outside,† said Cody, exchanging smirks with Peter. â€Å"We were going to go for a walk after this. It might cheer you up.† â€Å"Yup. Nothing like a bright, sunny afternoon to perk up the old spirits.† Peter's grin grew even bigger. I leaned my head back against the loveseat. â€Å"Okay, okay. What's the joke I'm missing here?† â€Å"No joke,† said Peter. â€Å"We just think it's a great day.† â€Å"A beautiful, sunny day,† Cody concurred. â€Å"Will you two stop already? I get it. It's a nice day. The sun is out the, the birds are singing-â€Å" I stopped. I felt my eyes go wide. I looked at the smirking vampires, then looked at the sun-filled world outside, and then looked back at them. I swallowed. â€Å"How,† I asked quietly, â€Å"are you guys out in the middle of the day?† Their pent-up mirth exploded, and they both dissolved into laughter. I felt wide awake now. â€Å"I'm serious! What's going on? You can't be out in daylight, and how-wait. I didn't sense you guys at the door. I still can't sense you.† â€Å"I know,† said Cody. â€Å"Isn't it crazy?† â€Å"No! Well, I mean, yes. But it's not†¦it's not supposed to happen,† I argued. I didn't understand how they could find this so entertaining. Something was wrong. Very wrong. All the drama with the Army was gone from my mind. That niggling worry that I'd woken up with turned into a hard knot of fear. My heart was pounding in my chest, and I'd gone cold all over. â€Å"How is this possible? The sun should fry you.† â€Å"Hell if we know,† said Peter. â€Å"We were in our coffins and then just suddenly†¦woke up. We got out, and there we were. Out and about in the middle of the day. You know what else? I don't want blood. No desire whatsoever. Not even a drop.† â€Å"And so what, you guys just decide to go stroll around and enjoy the day? You didn't contact Jerome? You didn't question the fact that something has seriously altered your immortal existence?† A mischievous look crossed Peter's face. â€Å"Not just us, Georgina.† They both watched me expectantly. â€Å"Don't look at me like that,† I told them. â€Å"I've always been able to go out in the sun.† â€Å"You don't have a signature either. We can't sense you,† said Cody. I stared at them for several heavy seconds, trying to parse the meaning here. An uneasy feeling began building in my stomach as I recognized their implication-except what they were implying was impossible. Unthinkable. â€Å"You're wrong,† I said. Slowly, carefully, I touched my face. It was exactly the same as it had been this morning. My build was the same. My height was the same. I was still me. I exhaled with relief. â€Å"I'm the same.† Peter's eyes danced. â€Å"Fix your hair. It's a mess.† Shape-shifting is an instinct for a succubus or incubus, practically subconscious. It's like tightening a muscle or taking a deep breath. You barely think about it, send the message from your brain, and it happens. So, I thought about my hair, willing it to smooth out and tidy itself into a ponytail. There was usually a slight tingle when that happened, resulting from the burn of using up a piece of my stored energy. And of course, there was always the tangible evidence-the actual change of my appearance. This time, there was nothing. No tingle. No hair movement. Peter leaned forward. â€Å"Ooh, it did happen to you! You're the same. None of us are working.† â€Å"No,† I said frantically. â€Å"That's not possible.† I tried again, willing my hair to change-to turn a different color, grow short, restyle itself†¦but there was nothing. I tried to shift my clothes, urging my jeans and Henley to become a slip dress. Or maybe a track suit. I even attempted to make my clothes disappear altogether. Nothing happened. Nothing . In pure desperation, I did the unthinkable: I tried to give up the unconscious hold I always maintained in order to keep a form that wasn't my natural one. I let go of all control, allowing my body to shift back to the one I was born with, the one my essence always wanted to return to-the one I fought very, very hard to hide from the world. Nothing happened. I stayed the same. I couldn't shape-shift. It was like having my arm cut off. Until that moment, I didn't realize how much of my self was tied into shape-shifting. As a mortal, the power had been unimaginable. After having it for a millennium and a half, it had become part of me, and its absence was now unbearable. I didn't have to see my face to know I wore pure panic. Peter and Cody were still laughing. I shot up, incredulous. â€Å"This isn't funny,† I cried. â€Å"We have to talk to Jerome. Now. There's something seriously wrong with us!† â€Å"Or right,† suggested Cody. â€Å"Why do you think this is a joke?† â€Å"We don't,† said Peter calmly. Underneath his mirth, I saw the tiniest bit of concern in his eyes, concern he was clearly trying to ignore for now. â€Å"We just think it's cool. You don't think Jerome already knows about this? Whatever it is, they'll fix it soon enough. Nothing we can change.† The tirade I was about to unleash on them was interrupted by more knocking. Just like with the vampires, I sensed no immortal signature. Anyone could have been at my door. Yet, peering out the peephole, I saw Hugh. I let him in, feeling relieved. Hugh would sort this out. He always knew what was going on since he and Jerome maintained such constant communication. Hugh's confidence and typical know-it-all air would fix everything. Instead, he looked miserable. Dejected. He trudged in and dropped onto where I'd just been sitting. He put his elbows on his knees and rested his chin in his hands. â€Å"Hey, Hugh,† said Cody. â€Å"Isn't it a great day?† I knelt down on the floor in front of Hugh, so I could look straight into his eyes. â€Å"Hugh, what's going on?† He simply stared at me, dark eyes mournful and bleak. I'd seen Hugh angry, elated, and exasperated over the years, but I'd never seen him depressed. It would have bothered me, if not for the fact we had a few other things to worry about than his hurt feelings just now. â€Å"Hugh! We've all lost our†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I frowned, not sure what to call it. Powers? That sounded too Justice League. â€Å"†¦abilities.† â€Å"I know,† he said at last. â€Å"So have I.† â€Å"What powers did you even have?† asked Cody, apparently not minding the superhero comparison. â€Å"Multitasking?† teased Peter. â€Å"The ability to balance books and collate?† I shot him a quick glare over my shoulder and then glanced at Cody to explain. â€Å"Imps see souls-everyone's life energy. They can tell whose soul is good and whose is bad.† â€Å"I know that,† said Cody. â€Å"I just thought there was†¦more.† Hugh sighed. â€Å"You can't imagine it, Georgina. Not having that ability now. It's like losing one of my senses. Or going colorblind.† â€Å"I know exactly what you mean,† I told him. â€Å"Not likely. When you can't see energy and souls around living beings, the world is so†¦empty. It's dull.† â€Å"Why did it happen?† I asked gently, trying my best to squelch my own escalating fear. Internally, I was still reeling. My shape-shifting was gone. My immortal signature was gone. The marks that defined me as Georgina Kincaid, succubus, were gone. â€Å"What's going on?† Hugh's eyes were still sad and unfocused, but finally, he looked at me and studied my face, like he'd just noticed me in front of him. â€Å"We get our various gifts and immortality for selling our souls,† he began slowly. â€Å"Those unique abilities-and their side effects-come from our contract with Hell and are filtered through our archdemons. It's what lets them keep track of us. We're†¦connected†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He frowned, grasping at how to best explain the system through which Hell managed its employees. â€Å"I know what you're talking about,† I said. Cedric would know if I crossed into his territory simply because he could sense me when I was close enough. Jerome, so long as he was my supervisor, knew where I was at all times and if I was hurt. He was always aware of me, always tied to me. â€Å"Our†¦powers†¦are transmitted from Hell, through Jerome, to us.† â€Å"Right,† Hugh said. I waited for more, but that seemed to be all he had to say. â€Å"Right what? Why are our abilities gone?† A bit of the normal Hugh exasperation glinted in his eyes. â€Å"Because Jerome is gone.† â€Å"Jerome's gone all the time,† Peter said. â€Å"We can never get a hold of him. We can't get a hold of him now.† Hugh shook his head. â€Å"You aren't getting it. When I say gone, I don't mean hiding from us at a bar. I mean gone . Vanished. Disappeared. Might as well not exist for all intents and purposes. No one knows where he is. Not our side, not the other side. He. Is. Gone.† Dead silence hung around us for what felt like an eternity. And that was saying something. Peter's voice was hard to hear when he finally spoke. â€Å"And as long as he's gone†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"†¦then so are our abilities,† I finished.

Pestal Analysis of Airline Industry in India Essay

Economics Project Submitted To : suhana malik Submitted By :raJbeer kaur Enrollment no. :m 8023863880 Class Roll NO : 62 Course : MBA Company Chosen: British Airways Existing Line of Business: Aviation New Market: Indian Aviation Industry British Airways Future Indian Plans: British Airways global CEO Willie Walsh finds India to be one of the fastest growing aviation markets in the world. Walsh, who was in Mumbai on September 3rd, 2010 to announce a code-share agreement with Kingfisher Airlines, says that despite the airline facing mounting competition from other international carriers operating in India, he is not worried as India has huge growth potential and each player can have a decent pie of the expanding market. On the flip side, he tells that though the future of the aviation industry is consolidation and many foreign carriers want to invest in India, Indian law does not permit them to do so. Mr. Willie Walsh said, â€Å"India is the second largest market for us after the US. In fact, after the recession, India was among the fastest regions to recover from the downfall. We are operating in and out of India for the past several decades and will continue to o so in a consolidated fashion. We have a huge customer base here and we still find growth opportunities in the region. Though I can’t divulge revenue details from India, I have always said that India will be one of the biggest aviation markets in the future and clearly, we want to have a very strong presence in this market. † PESTLE Analysis: The Indian Airline Industry Political Factors industry existing in the country. Like it or not, the political interference has to be present everywhere. Given below are a few of the political factors with respect to the airline industry: The airline industry is very susceptible to changes in the political environment as it has a great bearing on the travel habits of its customers. An unstable political environment causes uncertainty in the minds of the air travellers, regarding travelling to a particular country. Overall India’s recent political environment has been largely unstable due to international events & continued tension with Pakistan. The Gujarat riots & the government’s inability to control the situation have also led to an increase in the instability of the political arena. The most significant political event however has been September 1 1 . The events occurring on September had special significance for the airline industry since airplanes were involved. The immediate results were a huge drop in air traffic due to safety & security concerns of the people. International airlines are greatly affected by trade relations that their country has with others. Unless governments of the two countries trade with each other, there could be restrictions of flying into particular area leading to a loss of potential air traffic (e. . Pakistan & India) Another aspect is that in countries with high corruption levels like India, bribes have o be paid for every permit & license required. Therefore constant liasoning with the minister & other government official is necessary. The state owned airlines suffer the maximum from this problem. These airlines have to make several special considerations with respect to selection of routes, free seats to ministers, etc which a pr ivately owned airline need not do. The state owned airlines also suffers from archaic laws applying only to them such as the retirement age of the pursers & hostesses, the labour regulations which make the management less flexible in taking ecision due to the presence of a strong union, & the heavy control &interference of the government. This affects the quality of the service delivery & therefore these airlines have to think of innovative service marketing ideas to circumvent their problems & compete with the private operators. Economic Factors Business cycles have a wide reaching impact on the airline industry. During recession, airline is considered a luxury & therefore spending on air travel is cut which leads to reduce prices. During prosperity phase people indulge themselves in travel & prices increase. After the September 11 incidents, the world economy plunged into global recession due to the depressed sentiment of consumers. In India, even a company like Citibank given first class railway tickets instead of plane tickets. The loss of income for airlines led to higher operational costs not only due to low demand but also due to higher insurance costs, which increased after the WTC bombing. This prompted the industry to lay off employees, which further fuelled the recession as spending decreased due to the rise in unemployment. Even the SARS outbreak in the Far East was a major cause for slump in the airline industry. Even the Indian carriers like Air India was deeply affected as many flights were cancelled due to internal (employee relations) as well as external problems, which has been discussed later. Social Factors The changing travel habits of people have very wide implications for the airline industry. In a country like India, there are people from varied income groups. The airlines have to recognize these individuals and should serve them accordingly. Air India needs to focus on their clientele which are mostly low income clients & their habits in order to keep them satisfied. The destination, kind of food etc all has o be chosen carefully in accordance with the tastes of their major clientele. Especially, since India is a land of extremes there are people from various religions and castes and every individual travelling by the airline would expect customization to the greatest possible extent. For e. g. A Jain would be satisfied with the service only if he is served Jain food and it should be kept in mind that the customers next to him are also Jain or at least vegetarian. Another good example would be the case of South West Airlines which occupies a solid position in the minds of the US air travelers as a reliable and convenient, fun, ow fare, and no frills airline. The major element of its success was the augmented marketing mix which it used very effectively. What South West did was it made the environment inside the plane very consumer friendly. The crew neither has any uniform nor does it serve any lavish foods, which indirectly reduces the costs and makes the consumers feel comfortable. Technological Factors The increasing use of the Internet has provided many opportunities to airlines. For e. g. Air Sahara has introduced a service, through the internet wherein the unoccupied seats are auctioned one week prior to the departure. Air India also provides many internet based services to its customer such as online ticket booking, updated flight information & handling of customer complaints. USTDA (US trade & development association) is funding a feasibility study and workshops for the Airports Authority of India as part of a long-term effort to promote navigation, surveillance, and air traffic management systems for India’s aviation sector that will help the country meet the expected growth and demand for air passenger and cargo service over the next decade. A proposal for restructuring the existing airports at Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata through long-term lease to make them world class is under consideration. This will help in attracting investments in improving the infrastructure and services at these airports. Setting up of new international airports at Bangalore, Hyderabad and Goa with private sector participation is also envisaged. A good example of the impact of technology would be that of AAI, wherein with the help of technology it has converted its obsolete and unused hangars into profit centers. AAI is now leasing these hangars to international airlines and is earning huge profits out of it. AAI has also tried to utilize space that was previously wasted installing a lamination machine to laminate the luggage of travelers. This activity earns AAI a lot of revenue. These technological changes in the environment have an impact on Air India as well. Better airport infrastructure, means better handling of airplanes, which can help reduce maintenance cost. It also facilitates more flights to such destinations. Legal Factors Prior to 1953, there were 9 private airlines in operation with too many surplus aircraft and the airline industry was sick. There was no competitive environment in the onopolized aviation market.

The Sublime and Architectural Theory

As Michael K. Hayes comments in Architecture Theory since 1968, a typology to emerge in the mid eighteenth century was a return of architecture to its natural origins, an example of the primitive shelter. This return and respect of nature was interestingly enough occurring across art, literature and landscape design simultaneously and internationally. It was as if people were warily eyeing the beginnings of the Industrial Revolution and entered into a love-hate tolerance of the machine age with the concepts of nature playing a reassuring role throughout these social and industrial evolutions.In reference to nature, the sublime countered many perceptions of the tamed environment through poetry, painting, national parks and urban design. The term â€Å"sublime† was first used to describe nature by British writers taking the Grand Tour of the Swiss Alps in the 17th and 18th centuries. The sublime was meant as an aesthetic quality in nature that was both beautiful and terrible, ho rrible and harmonious, appreciating the unexpected and dangerous forms found in nature that had been avoided in literature and art through the concepts of a more tamed and friendly environment.German philosopher Immanuel Kant reflects on the concept of boundaries between beauty and the sublime in his Critique of Judgment written in 1790. Distinguishing between the differences of beauty versus the sublime, beauty is connected with the form of the object, respecting the object's boundaries whereas the sublime is found in a formless object, boundless, unfamiliar and unexpected.The Romantic Period revealed a shift from the picturesque paintings of a controlled and safe landscape to paintings depicting the grotesque and beautiful as found in works such as Frederic Edwin Church's Cotopaxi , oil on canvas 1826, an opposition to the classical ideals of perfection. The concept of sublime evolved through the machine age with a sense of self-forgetfulness, an awe-inspired feeling of well-being and security when faced with an object or place of superiority.It is a realization of unavoidable suffering that is to be accepted and that the difficulties in life will never be completely resolved. The terrible, beautiful and inescapable sublime resonated with the social instability found in the Modernist period. These two movements faced suffering brought about by the consequences of the Industrial Revolution. Inescapably crowded cities meant survival was dependent on the proximity to work. Leisure was a little afforded luxury. As John Mitchell much later on discusses in his ook What Is to be Done about Illness and Health (1984), the attributes of a healthy life is a clean and safe environment, time for rest and recreation, a reasonable living standard, freedom from chronic worries, hope for the future, an adequate level of self-confidence and autonomy, and finally to have a worthwhile and fulfilling job. These well-being concepts were absent for many low and middle class famili es working in factories during the machine age and were threatened by social injustices of modern times.Throughout difficult times experienced in the Romantic period up through present day, the order and at times chaos of nature remained a constant influence in the perceptions of design and life. It would seem our societies distanced themselves from primitive nature through perfect geometry of the Classical movement, imitated nature through the rusticity of the hut and embraced the sublime during the Romantic period.It was as if a return to the most basic and natural state gave a sense of control over the uncontrollable, â€Å"the forest/city was to be tamed, brought into rational order by means of the gardener's art; the ideal city of the late eighteenth century was thereby imaged on the garden† The acknowledgment and connection of the roles of nature throughout our design history offered an outlying and abstract zeitgeist: a continuing spirit of admiration, reverence and fe arful respect of our natural surroundings as they are impacted by our industrial and socially changing cities.

A Single Needle; Single Handily Changing the Game Essay Example for Free

A Single Needle; Single Handily Changing the Game Essay ? America’s Pastime has been the true root of sports in the United States of America. Baseball blew up in the late 19th century towards the end of the American Civil War. Before there were TV’s, internet, or DVD’s, baseball is what kids did for fun. It became the thing to do if you were a white male going into the 20th century, and that was just the beginning of a long bittersweet road of the game of baseball. Up until the 1990’s many greats had walked in between the lines showing off their pure god given talent, then an era came along that makes every baseball fan cringe, the â€Å"Steroids Era.† Steroids started to spread throughout the league like wildfire, and sadly no one was doing anything about it. The only thing administration, owners, authorities, and fans had were suspicion no one knew for sure if these record breaking seasons were real or all just a fluke. The greats like Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Lou Gehrig, and Ted Williams all have been being surpassed in the record books by Jose Canseco, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Alex Rodriguez, Mark McGuire, and plenty more players due to the use of Performance Enhancing Drugs. The use of illegal Steroids in baseball has single handily degraded and disgraced the great game that once was proud to be known as America’s Pastime. The man who started it all and really brought Performance Enhancing Drugs (PED’s) to the baseball scene in the late 1980’s was Oakland Athletics outfielder, Jose Canseco. Once Canseco starting showing his teammates how influential these drugs were to their performance through his own personal achievements it wasn’t long before a large amount of players were using PEDs. Canseco states in his book, Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant ‘Roids, Smash Hits, and How Baseball Got Big that, â€Å"About 85% of Major Leaguers have used it† (Canseco). The MLB rarely, if at all tested for steroids during this time of the â€Å"Steroids Era† and if they did there was no penalty for testing positive. At the time it was virtually a win win for the players, they could juice up, exceed the stats they could only dream about, and never get in trouble during the process. Performance Enhancing Drugs became an epidemic in the world of baseball, but not only was it enhancing players performance, it was enhancing every aspect of revenue a ball club could ever imagine. The Record books were once again open and ready for business. Athletes such as Barry Bonds, Jose Canseco, Mark McGuire, and so forth were smashing homeruns and going up on the charts little by little for the all time homerun record holder, Hank Aaron. This excitement on the field attracted more fans through these steroid years than baseball had ever seen, and when there are fans there is money, and when there is money there is no concern. The Major League of Baseball had been oblivious to the illegal use of Steroids over the years. Until 2002 there were no penalties for testing positive for PEDs. The new rules stated, â€Å"A first time offense would only result in treatment for the player† (Baseball-Almanac). Not one player was sentenced to any suspensions for this crime, until the Bay Area Laboratory Cooperative (BALCO) steroid scandal came to light, and brought out many of the All-Stars of the MLB to the top of the list. Victor Cante the founder of BALCO was a god to the sports world. He was the guy that not only supplied athletes wit h their steroids, but also had ways to cheat the tests so they could come up clean. Testing companies such as the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the U.S Anti Doping-Agency (USADA) are always trying to improve the efficiency of the tests to make cheating near impossible if not totally full proof, but as those agencies are working to stop the cheaters workers at BALCO labs are finding ways once again come up with a new way to slide by the new and improved tests on the market (Quinn). So in 2005 The MLB created a new testing policy that was accepted by the players and owners that said, â€Å"The first positive test will result in a suspension of up to ten days. The second positive test will result in a suspension of thirty days. The third positive test will result in a suspension of sixty days. The fourth positive test will result in a suspension of one full year. Finally, the fifth positive test will result in a penalty at the discretion of the Commissioner of Major League Baseball. Players will be tested at least once per year, with a chance that several players can be tested numerous times per year† (Baseball-Almanac). That wasn’t the last adjustment Bud Selig, the Commissioner of the Major League of Baseball, was going to make to the steroid testing policy. On December 13, 2007, Greg Mitchell, an investigator who was appointed by Bud Selig in 2006 to investigate the use of Performance Enhancing Drugs in the MLB, presented a 409 page report to Selig showing his investigation and revealing 89 alleged players who used steroids during their career (Healey). Once Bud Selig had been shown the report, his 3rd written drug testing policy came in to play which was known as the â€Å"Three strikes and you’re out approach† (Verhaeghe). This final policy stated that, â€Å"The first positive test would result in a fifty game suspension. The second positive test would result in a one-hundred game suspension. Finally, the third positive test would result in a lifetime suspension from Major League Baseball† (Baseball Almanac). Bud Selig and the rest of the administration inside of the Major League of Baseball had finally seen the light, and properly taken action on how to cut down the use of Performance Enhancing Drugs throughout the MLB. Once the â€Å"Mitchell Report† was released many super stars and role models for fans all around the world were printed in black under the category of the illegal use of steroids throughout their career. The most popular player named in the Mitchell Report due to his court and trial issues would have to be 7 time Cy Young winner, Roger Clemens. Once he saw that his name had been brought to light in the report he went to Capitol Hill to clear his name off the list that he felt he didn’t need to be on. Little did he know that when made the statement, â€Å"I appreciate the opportunity to tell this Committee and the public-under oath-what I have been saying all along: I have never used steroids, human growth hormone [HGH], or any other type of illegal performance enhancing drugs. I think these types of drugs should play no role in athletics at any level, and I fully support Senator Mitchell’s conclusions that steroids have no place in baseball. However, I take great issue with the report’s allegation that I used these substances. Let me be clear again: I did not.† (Healey) That he was entering a world of charges when committing perjury in a court of law. Many of the players claimed their innocence like Clemens did, but in the end they all served the types of charges. The original group of all time Baseball greats like Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Cy young, etc. set a high standard for the Players after them to strive for and gave them something to achieve. Never in their minds would they of thought that the game of baseball would have turned out the way it is today. These modern day All-stars who cheated and used Performance Enhancing Drugs for a shortcut just to go ahead of someone’s hard work and love for the game as well to achieve their personal and selfish desires should be punished and have their awards and accolades stripped from them and taken out of the record books as if they were never there to begin with. The use of Performance Enhancing Drugs has put a permanent stain on the name of Baseball and what it is truly about. Bud Selig and the Major league of Baseball has come a long way regarding minimizing the use of Performance Enhancing Drugs by enforcing harsher penalties and consequences for testing Positive for steroids. As the years have gone by thanks to the leagues stricter policies on testing positive for PEDs the amount of players getting suspended for steroid use has decreased on a year to year basis. The Major League of Baseball will never be able to completely take Performance Enhancing Drugs out of the game, but with the right consequences, and appropriate policies they will be able continue to keep the use of Steroids at a very low rate and never re-enter the once dreaded time known as the â€Å"Steroids Era† ever again. Healey, Daniel. â€Å"FALL OF THE ROCKET: STEROIDS IN BASEBALL AND THE CASE AGAINEST ROGER CLEMENS.† Marquette Sports Law Review 19.1 (September 2008): SPORTDiscus. Web. 8 November 2011. Roger â€Å"The Rocket† Clemens is known to be one of the best of all-time to step on the rubber in the game of Major League Baseball. The Seven-time Cy Young winner was ultimately unstoppable in the last half of his career. He was just another great phenom in the baseball world until December 13, 2007 when the â€Å"Mitchell Report† was released, revealing a 409-page report that was sent to the commissioner of baseball (Bud Selig) that investigated the illegal use of steroids and Performance Enhancing Drugs used by players in Major League Baseball. There were over 80 players put on this report, but the one who stood out the most was Roger Clemens himself. On February 13th 2008 he went to Capitol Hill to argue the allegations against him saying, â€Å"I appreciate the opportunity to tell this Committee and the public-under oath-what I have been saying all along: I have never used steroids, human growth hormone [HGH], or any other type of illegal performance enhancing drugs. I think these types of drugs should play no role in athletics at any level, and I fully support Senator Mitchell’s conclusions that Steroids have no place in baseball. However, I take great issue with the report’s allegation that I used these substances. Let me be clear again: I did not.† Once Clemens had stated that it put a rather large target on his back not only by investigators but also the judicial system. They were trying to get him to admit using illegal steroids, but now as well they were going after him on counts of perjury. After 2 years of gathering enough evidence and testimonies on August 19, 2010 a Federal Grand Jury Indicted Roger Clemens on six counts, one count of obstruction of congress, three counts of false statements, and two counts of perjury. On July 13, 2011 Clemens’ first trial began, but on the second day the judge ruled a mistrial due to prosecutorial misconduct. For now Roger Clemens is a free man, but legal sources say that he will be retried. I will be using the â€Å"Mitchell Report† and the Roger Clemens trial to portray that not only is the use of steroids extremely risky and unhealthy but also that it’s against the law and you will get caught one way or another. 1991 to 2002 was known as the â€Å"Steroid Era† in professional baseball. Over those years particularly in 1995 after the cancellation of the 1994 playoffs and World Series the statistics of a majority of the players skyrocketed, which in retrospect played a huge role in filling the empty seats back up after the 1994 strike. I’ll be explaining that up until to this point in time the MLB did not have strict regulations on testing for the use of Performance Enhancing Drugs (PEDs) Kuenster, John. â€Å"Major League Player Records Dishonored by Steroid Users.† Baseball Digest. 62.2 (March 2008): SPORTDiscus. Web. 8 November 2011. John Kuenster touches on a very valuable subject when it comes to records, and honors given in the MLB. Back in early in mid 1900’s the greats of the game like, Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Hank Aaron, Joe DiMaggio, Bob Feller, and Ernie Banks. They all set legitimate records that should never be shadowed by the players who eventually broke them. These few players all had something in common. That was hard work and love for the game. They didn’t use PEDs to up there stats or to get to a higher number in a certain category. These historic greats earned their records off pure talent that was god given and worked hard to mature. The greats of our time such as, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Alex Rodriguez, or Mark McGwire also hold records like men mentioned earlier. The only difference between the past greats and the current greats is that these new all-stars were accused of using Steroids to achieve their records. Not only are the players the ones to blame for the whole â€Å"Steroid Era.† Stricter steps should have been taken from the get go through the league to enforce steroid testing to ensure the safety and fair play in professional play of baseball before the use of steroids spread like wildfire through the MLB. Will records and awards be stripped from players who’ve been tested positive for performing enhancing drugs? We don’t know for now, but who knows what the future holds. This article about dishonoring the awards given to players who have achieved them unfairly will allow me to voice my opinion on the topic of record breakers involving steroids. I personally am against the use of steroids solely because all it does it degrade the great game of baseball. Even though these cheaters didn’t use PEDs their whole career and achieved some of their record off pure talent doesn’t change the fact they broke the rules that is stated in the contract that’s signed by every professional player. It’s not fair that history’s greatest baseball players prior to the steroid era should be passed up in the record books by players that made themselves better by an illegal drug. Not only is it a disgrace to the violators name, but more importantly it’s a disgrace to the game of baseball. Rutecki, Jared. â€Å"A Study of Media Impact on Public Opinion Regarding Performance Enhancement in Major League Baseball.† Open Sports Sciences Journal 3 (2010): SPORTSDiscus. Web. 8 November 2011. A chart in the article, A study of Media Impact on Public Opinion Regarding Performance Enhancement in Major League Baseball shows the percent of the coverage on specific sports and PEDs through 1968 to 2006 in Sports Illustrated, Newsweek, and Time. Baseball ranks number one in all 3 magazines with 43 percent, 39 percent, and 39 percent. Coming in second was football with a significant lower percent of 19, 14, and 15. Over the year’s magazine articles about PEDs have increased by a huge amount due to the popularity in steroid use among professional athletes. With the widespread use of steroids in sports particularly baseball, it’s apparent that the talk of it in magazines and media in general has shot up too. When something isn’t a public issue the media obviously isn’t interested in it which is why steroids in the earlier years weren’t written and talked about much. When the â€Å"Steroid Era† came into play that’s when the number of articles in magazines skyrocketed year by year and it all of sudden became a huge topic in our society. I will also be touching on the fact that even when people knew that steroids were an issue media didn’t start writing about it like crazy until the 104 MLB players tested positive for PEDs in 2003. From that year on the number of articles per year were above 49. The media writes what sells and in this day and age information and insider news about the world of baseball and steroids will always sell. Solberg, Joe. â€Å"Performance-Enhancing Drug Use in Baseball: The Impact of Culture.† Ethics and Behavior 21 (April 2011): 91-102. Philosopher’s Index. Web. 8 November 2011. Joe Solberg explains that once the steroid era of baseball blew up and became steady that it wasn’t out of the norm anymore, it became part of the culture. Once everyone was doing it the person below them had to use PEDs in order to get to the next level. The use of Steroids is a ladder that started in the pro’s and worked its way down to the minors. Major League Contracts are more than less based off offensive performance rather than defensive performance. To be more specific on offensive performance homeruns are what really can land you a big money contract. Over the years the biggest category that PEDs have helped is homeruns. Of course players want a lot of money, and in order to get that money is to hit homeruns, and in order to increase the amount of homeruns is to take performance enhancing drugs. Players will do what they have to do in order to make the money that they are satisfied with, and as a result for most players it is to partake in using steroids to increase their status as an all-star. The information I gathered in this article will help me explain the player’s motives for wanting to use PEDs. It’s not only used just to break records and be known as an all-star even though that is a plus that comes with it, but it’s the fact that if the person above you is using these substances then in order for you to excel above him and potentially take his spot you almost feel obligated to take PEDs as well. It was once a bad thing to be associated with the group known to take steroids back when it was a rare thing to do. Now days it’s such a common thing to partake in its part of the culture, it’s fairly normal in the MLB now to use PEDs. Sommers, Paul. â€Å"The Changing Hitting Performance Profile in Major League Baseball, 1966-2006.† Journal of Sports Economics 9.4 (August 2008) SPORTSDiscus. Web. 8 November 2011. Paul Sommers showed charts over the decades of average years played by an average starter in the pros. It went from 5.2 years in the 60’s to 6 in a half years in 2006. That shows that the use of steroids in the MLB increased a player’s career by almost 2 years. He also explains that the use of PEDs in baseball lets you peak at a higher level of skill. A persons overall skill level will increase by a big number while using steroids. Someone hitting .267 without the use of steroids could jump anywhere from a .324 to .378 average depending on the person. With all the statistics shown throughout the article it’s proven that Performance enhancing drugs increase a player’s batting average, peak, years played, MPH, and overall skill level. Before the 1960’s after a player’s peak their batting average tended to decline steadily due to falling off from their prime, but after the 1960’s a large amount of players started to excel past their peak year and raise their batting averages past their prime which was unusual. As we know now the reason for that was the use of PEDs. After 2004 the statistics seemed to start trending again like the 1960’s due to the random and mandatory drug tests which disabled the players to partake in using Anabolic Steroids of HGH. I will be using this information to show how all PEDs have been proven in many to not only better athletes, but make them more durable and tack on extra years of successful productivity past their prime. PEDs aren’t physically making them younger, but they sure are making them produce younger aged stats in a past prime aged body. Stone, Brad. â€Å"Another Poison Pill† Newsweek 146.7 (August 15 2005): Academic Search Complete. Web. 8 November 2011. The MLB is by far the top sport when it comes to the abuse of Performance Enhancing Drugs, but yet it holds the weakest punishment in the sports world for testing positive. Rafael Palmeiro in 2008 tested positive for Performance Enhancing Drugs in early August of 2008 just months after he testified before a U.S congressional committee stating that he had never used PEDs in his life. Not only did he test positive for steroids, he failed the test after lying under oath in a court of law, and all he was punished with through the MLB was a 10-day suspension and a $164,000 fine. Due to the particular steroid Palmeiro took, Stanozonol, which travels through your digestive system within 2 weeks, makes it hard for the court to prove that Palmeiro was lying when he testified. Baseball wants to stop the abuse of Steroids, but at the same time it seems like all these players that test positive these substances just get slaps on the wrist and are told not to do it again. If you want a problem to come to a halt you have to go the extra distance in order to get the results you’re looking for. PEDs have been persistent in the MLB for decades now; telling a player to stop will ultimately not stop them. There needs to be an ultimatum put into action to make the abusers consider that these PEDs aren’t worth the loss of their career. Every other sport that has extremely harsh penalties if tested positive for PEDs don’t have a very high percent of positive tests because the players don’t want to take the risk to put their career on the line. In the MLBs case they aren’t putting a severe enough consequence for the use of Performance Enhancing Drugs. My main point I’ll be using from this article is that if you want the use of PEDs to lower then you have to put consequences that the players don’t want to deal with out there in order to produce more negative resulting drug tests. Quinn, Tom â€Å"BASEBALL’S STEROID ERA.† Men’s Fitness 23. (August 2007): SPORTSDiscus. Web. 8 November 2011 Throughout the history of baseball testing for either steroids or street drugs really hasn’t been a big part of the games policy. Player’s played the game and what they did off the field was their own business. Once the early 80’s hit, and PEDs came on the scene the use of them among players got out of hand. It became an almost regular regime for a majority of the MLB. Tests were eventually being given, but that didn’t stop the players. When there’s motive to do illegal substances there’s always the backup plan to keep these athletes out of trouble. There were plenty of ways to come up clean on a test, and when the testers would find a way to stop it, Victor Cante and his crew at BALCO labs would just simply find another way to cheat. Even when the few unlucky players’ get caught all they have to do is admit it and simply explain they were told it was something else. For Example, Barry Bonds, when he spoke in front of the BALCO grand jury he came clean about all the PEDs he had taken, but the catch was he stated that he was oblivious to what he was actually using. People of this stature will make their illegal decisions, but don’t think they don’t have all the answers for when the going gets tough. I’ll be using Quinn’s article â€Å"BASEBALL STEROIDS ERA† to inform how little baseball can really do to not only catch these users, but to actually put a stop to the Performance Enhancing Drugs. If not cheating tests to save their own ass’ these professional athletes will just find a perfect window of time to where they know they won’t be tested in the offseason to fit in a couple cycles here and there to maintain the gains through using PEDs. Testing companies such as the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the U.S Anti Doping-Agency (USADA) will never stop trying to improve the efficiency of the tests to make cheating near impossible if not totally full proof, but as those agencies are working to stop the cheaters don’t think the cheaters at BALCO labs aren’t finding ways to break through and find loop holes in their tests. Verhaeghe, Dan. â€Å"Bud Selig Lays Down the Hammer on Performance Enhancing Drugs†. Bleacher Report. (January 2008): Web. 30 November 2011 A Single Needle; Single Handily Changing the Game. (2017, Aug 13).

Employment Law Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Employment Law - Coursework Example Under the Pregnant Workers Directive, a woman who has worked for 26 weeks is entitled to maternity leave and pay. The Maternity and Parental leave Regulations (MPLR) 1999 grants to the woman a compulsory leave of for 2 weeks after which she is entitled to 6 weeks paid leave at 90% ordinary salary. The 6 weeks are followed by 20 weeks leave paid at a rate of  £123.06 per week which is similar to sick pay. In total, she is entitled to 26 weeks maternity leave with pay after which she can apply for additional unpaid leave provided she informs the employer in writing 15 weeks before the date of the expected birth. The line manager has, therefore, no right to refuse Nadia to attend antenatal appointments during working hours and 26 weeks maternity leave. On return, she should go back to her job and if she is dismissed then that amounts to unfair dismissal. Though the company is experiencing reduced profits, the proper procedures for declaring workers redundant should be followed otherwise it would be considered as discrimination on the basis of gender which is prohibited under the Equality Act 2010. The case of Simpson v Endsleigh Insurance Services Ltd, although not ruled in favor of Simpson, shows that under regulation 10 of MPLR 1999, a woman who becomes redundant during maternity leave is entitled to be offered alternative vacancy in the organization or with an associated employer. Endsleigh closed down branches and Simpson was invited to apply for a vacancy in a new place while she was on leave but she declined. EAT held that she was not dismissed unfairly. What is more, Nadia has the righ t to request for flexible working time under section 80f of the Employment Act 1996.10 This is to enable her to take care of the child. One can be declared redundant if the employer ceases to operate the business or the skills required to carry out duties are obsolete thus no longer required for the business. If Gemma cannot provide justification for declaring Nadia redundant when she returns, then it is unwarranted and discriminatory. There should also have been consultations with trade unions and worker councils before decisions for redundancies are achieved and the right procedures followed to select those to go but not based on personal reasons such as pregnancy.11 If redundancy is genuine, she is entitled to redundancy pay since she has worked for the company for three years. This also depends on her age. For age 21-40 redundancy pay is calculated as 1 week’s pay for each year worked and those above 40yrs get 11/2 week pay for each complete year.12 However, she

Abraham maslow Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Abraham maslow - Essay Example His approach to psychology has motivated eupsychology, for example, a new way of doing psychology as a science and as a therapy. Abraham Maslow is thus a humanistic psychologist. Above all he is a humanist, because he places the human being at the center of his studies, at the center of the world. His faith in the human being is reflected on his own conclusions about the human race. In this paper we will take a look a his life and work."He was born and raised in Brooklyn, the eldest of seven children. He was smart but shy, and remembered his childhood as lonely and rather unhappy. Maslow attended City College in New York. His father hoped he would pursue law, but he went to graduate school at the University of Wisconsin to study psychology. While there, he married his cousin Bertha, and found as his chief mentor Professor Harry Harlow. At Wisconsin he pursued an original line of research, investigating primate dominance behavior and sexuality. He went on to further research at Columb ia University, continuing similar studies. He found another mentor in Alfred Adler, one of Freud's early followers." (PBS Online, 1998).Maslow dedicated most of his life to studies in psychology. He was really an academic professional as he took part in different universities throughout his career. PBS Online goes on narrating his life:"From 1937 to 1951, Maslow was on the faculty of Brooklyn College.... Maslow became the leader of the humanistic school of psychology that emerged in the 1950s and 1960s, which he referred to as the "third force" -- beyond Freudian theory and behaviorism." (PBS Online, 1998). The Wikipedia deals with his life in a slightly different way: "Abraham Maslow (April 1, 1908 - June 8, 1970) was an American psychologist. He is mostly noted today for his proposal of a hierarchy of human needs. () Born in Brooklyn, New York, Maslow was the first of seven children of Jewish immigrants from Russia. His parents were uneducated, but they insisted that he study law. At first, Abraham acceded to their wishes and enrolled in the City College of New York. However, after three semesters he transferred to Cornell, then back to CCNY. After he married, he moved to Wisconsin to attend the University of Wisconsin from which he received his B.A. (1930), his M.A. (1931), and his Ph.D. (1934) in psychology. While in Wisconsin, Maslow studied with Harry Harlow, who was known for his studies of rhesus monkeys and attachment behavior. A year after graduation, Maslow returned to New York to work with E. L. Thorndike at Columbia." (Wikipedia, 2006). It is important to note that the Wikipedia doesn't say that Maslow married his first cousin. Maybe they didn't want to get too personal. The Wikipedia continues speaking about Maslow's life in the following manner: "Maslow began teaching full time at Brooklyn College. During this time he met many leading European psychologists, including Alfred Adler and Erich Fromm. In 1951, Maslow became the chairman of the psychology department at Brandeis University, where he began his theoretical

The New Mecca by George Saunders Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The New Mecca by George Saunders - Essay Example Saunders narrative the new Mecca has assisted a considerable number of people to change the attitude developed in certain things. Ignorance can make individuals to develop perceptions about certain places that are completely misplaced and untrue. According to Saunders, misconceptions from a far are sources of biasness that can be costly to a person, touring the world is a remedy to eliminating some of these perceptions. The magnificent city of Dubai changed Saunders attitude about a place he had never travelled before and the conclusive statement at the end of his narrative the new Mecca city carries the theme of the narrative. The picture created about Dubai was that it was a risky desert town with makeshift structures, which could not house people of class effectively. When Saunders had not travelled to Dubai, he heard the magnificent ideas that the government of United Arabs Emirates had but he only thought that these were just blusters. Saunders (23) states that, â€Å"Dubai looked something like Dallas circa 1985: a vast expanse of white boxes, punctuated by clusters of freakish skyscrapers†. This implies that the government had indeed fulfilled its plans to develop United Arabs Emirates to the benefit of its loyal citizens. On the plane to Dubai, he was amused to see a new technology based city dazzling in the desert. The ideas that sounded only theoretical to many people were indeed practical and all the projects were underway with some completed. There is a conception that the people in Dubai are violent hence, difficult to learn their language. Very many people doubt whether they can cope up with life in Dubai because of the language barrier. They think that they would find only uncooperative natives as city dwellers who only understand the local languages and it would be hard for them to find a translator. In reality when Saunders landed in Dubai, he was surprised that most of the city dwellers were foreigners who spoke very decent English and were very welcoming even if there were dressed like local Arabs. According to Saunders (24), â€Å"they are young sweet hearted guys from Nepal or Kenya or the Philippines, who speak terrific English†. Indeed Dubai proved to be an international city hence the idea of a language should not linger in the people’s minds. Most of the workers in the city came from the world poorest nations of Africa and southern Asia and all of them were satisfied with the life in this city. Saunders stated that,