Issues in the Global Economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Issues in the Global Economy - Essay Example India is one of the quickest developing economies and in addition, globalization in the Indian market has prompted new open doors with more difficulties and duties. Since the initiation in the year 1995, India joined WTO for administration of global exchange with expanded open doors with the part nations and to challenge approaches of other creating nations. Progression in science and innovation in the field of transportation and correspondence as of late because of globalization in the economy with more changed arrangements and on-going necessities made the whole world market as a neighborhood advertise for India alongside encouraging it to think past its domains and exchange products and enterprises over the outskirt. In any case, exchange administrations is far not the same as exchange merchandise, as far as intrinsic nature of both. Administrations or the business administrations are sorted as imperceptible, elusive, fleetingness and non-storable. Regardless, all such qualities a re not applied in all the administrations at the same time. Business administrations are the arrangement of administrations that the part nations of WTO or the business associations accommodate others business applications. For instance, lodging administration can be guaranteed to be achievable where the client wishes to remain it could be past there geological area. Business benefits principally incorporate transportation, travel and other business administrations, for example, correspondence, media transmission, development, money related, protection, PC administrations, and other individual administrations.

The Quiet American Essay -- Films Movies Vietnam War Essays

The Quiet American The film The Quiet American happens during the 1950’s in Vietnam. The film represents the air of Vietnam past to the Vietnam War and during the French control of the nation. The primary plot of the film rotates around three characters: Fowler played by Michael Caine, Pyle played by Brendan Fraiser, and Phoung played by Do Thi Hai Yen. For the span of the film the three fundamental characters are engaged with a semi love triangle. This triangle and the feelings that the male characters feel towards Phoung start to portray the manner in which they feel about the nation of Vietnam itself. Vietnam becomes feminized, no-no, and sexualized similarly as Phoung does in Pyle and Fowler’s eyes. The way where Fowler and Pyle battle over Phoung speaks to the methodology that Britain and America utilized in their battle to â€Å"save† Vietnam from socialism. Pyle’s’ goals toward Phoung, albeit comparative at times to Fowler’s, vary incredibly simultaneously. The two men see Phoung as a kind of item that should be spared or requires a type of help with request to suffer life. At the point when Pyle goes gaga for Phoung upon their first gathering, he concludes that he should do whatever he can or whatever he esteems vital so as to â€Å"save† Phoung from a humble presence. This is precisely the same way that Pyle sees Vietnam and its current condition. He needs to protect Vietnam from what he accepts to be unadulterated wickedness: socialism. Pyle does this in a...

Whats New on LinkedIn - October 2016

Whats New on LinkedIn - October 2016 Over the past six months, and since my March 2016 report on the 8 Most Important Updates for You to Know on LinkedIn, LinkedIn has introduced a panoply of new features to make life easier for job seekers, enhance the mobile experience, and support both students and members of the LinkedIn community who might not have a college degree. If you know where to look, you can find a wealth of information and tools tailored just for you! Heres a list of what I think are the 6 most important updates on LinkedIn since March 2016. 1. LinkedIn’s Job Search App Whether you are a job seeker or an employer, you need to know about LinkedIn ® Jobs. Jobs are so important on LinkedIn, in fact, that they have their own tab right in the top menu. Now with robustly featured mobile apps for iOS and Android, job seekers can apply to jobs using LinkedIn right from their phones. Don’t let that job offer sit in your inbox for hours while you’re out networking! For Android users: Click here to get LinkedIn ® Job Search App for Android (Google Play) and log in to your account. Tap the grid icon in the upper right corner. From the dropdown menu, select Job Search. You can then search for new job opportunities, save your searches, create job alerts and apply. From the dropdown menu in the upper left, select “Activity” to see your recently viewed jobs, save searches, and keep track of where you’ve applied. Or click “Discover” to view the jobs that LinkedIn has recommended for you. You can also sync your phone with your LinkedIn account. For iOS (iPhone) users: Click here to get the LinkedIn ® Job Search App for iPhone (iTunes). iPhone users enjoy additional amenities with the Job Search App for iPhone. Search jobs, save searches, set up notifications, apply online and track jobs you’ve applied to. Click her for more about LinkedIn for mobile. 2. Open Candidates In October 2016, LinkedIn introduced the “Open Candidates” tool, which allows job seekers to privately signal to recruiters that they are open to new job opportunities. Now you don’t have to worry that you will be telling the world (or your current employer) that you are on the hunt. Here’s how to use Open Candidates: From the Jobs menu, select the Preferences tab and flip the switch to “On.” You will then be asked to provide preferences for jobs you are interested in. Open Candidates makes it easy to access hundreds of thousands of recruiters who are looking for talent on LinkedIn. It’s available in the U.S., U.K. Canada and Australia on both the desktop and mobile versions of LinkedIn, and there are plans to rolled out the program globally. Ready to get started? Log in here to change your preferences. Click here for more info on Open Candidates. 3. New Mobile App Features On October 12, 2016, LinkedIn kindly outlined the three newest features available to you via your mobile phone. These features are designed to help you find what you need more easily and to control the type of information that comes through your LinkedIn feed. Customizable Feed Click the three dots in the upper right corner of your mobile app to reveal the “Improve my feed” option. Pick topics that interest you, follow leaders you want to hear from, and tap on publications you like to read. Also, you can unfollow or hide updates from connections that you find less interesting, and the app will deliver more of what you like to read. Save Content for Later At the bottom right of each article, there is now an option to bookmark it so you can come back to it later. To access your saved content, click on your “Me” tab. Search for Content The mobile app’s search box allows you to find the content that interests you most. Who doesn’t love a search function? 4. LinkedIn Students App According to LinkedIn’s official article announcing this mobile app, “86% of students choose to go to college to get better jobs, but 44% of graduates are underemployed.” Ada Yu, LinkedIn’s product manager, stated that often students “don’t know what to search for … what they’re qualified to do, or even what’s out there.” This skill gap, coupled with mounting student debt, makes support to get a job right out of collegeâ€"or even during collegeâ€"a huge advantage. LinkedIn’s Students App was created to help college students land their first job sooner. Available for iOS and Android (in the US only), this app helps you as a student work on a host of job search activities between classes or whenever you have a few precious moments. Explore suggested roles based on your education. Read helpful articles curated by LinkedIn and JPMorgan Chase Company. See the companies that hire from your school. View the profiles of recent alumni with your major. Get job listings appropriate for your major and year. Get new recommendations delivered every day. The information recommended by the app is generated just as it is with LinkedIn Jobs, except tailored specifically for students. In fact, the app has been touted as resembling the infamous Tinder app, making it familiar and easy for students to learn and navigate. 5. Training Finder Are you just a training or two short of being qualified for the positions you want? In March 2016, LinkedIn began rolling out “Training Finder,” a service designed for people with a high school diploma and some or no college who need to learn a skill. Currently limited to only a handful of cities in Arizona and Colorado, this tool, powered by LinkedIn’s Economic Graph, provides local candidates a way to secure better jobs by connecting them with live training programs. Allen Blue, LinkedIn’s VP of Product Management and Co-Founder, describes Training Finder as providing “relevant training programs in their area; which programs are affiliated with employers; whether or not they’re accredited; the program’s employment rate, cost, and duration; the skills the program will teach them; the jobs they’ll be qualified for when they complete the program; and the estimated salary. These insights will help them choose the training program that will teach them the skills they need to get the job they want.” According to LinkedIn Help, the “majority of information about programs … is uploaded by the schools directly (training descriptions, potential job positions, affiliated employers, skills you will learn, etc.). The other information, such as alumni of the program, number of job openings related to the program, and expected salary for those jobs is based on LinkedIn’s own data.” 6. Career Pages On the Company side, LinkedIn has created the “Next Generation of Career Pages.” If you are a job seeker, the new career pages could mean that you are getting a much better customer experience when a company is interested in your candidacy! You will be able to learn more about a company’s culture, and have better access to people in similar roles to the ones that interest you. I’d love to hear your stories of how this feature works for you. Have you noticed any other new features on LinkedIn that you want to report or have questions about? Let me know and I will cover them in my next update!

Running Head Arguing A Moral Stance - 1269 Words

Running head: ARGUING A MORAL STANCE 1 Arguing a Moral Stance Dawn Phillips Patten University ARGUING A MORAL STANCE 2 Arguing a Moral Stance For a moment we can imagine two well qualified individuals interviewing on the same day for open positions as buyers for a major department store. They both hold college degrees, have similar work experience and both speak Spanish as a second language. They are both married, are the sole financial provider for their family, have one child and are home-owners. The positions are essentially identical, except one will be buying for household goods and furnishings and the other will be buying for electronics and appliances. The job description and expectations for both positions are also identical, these are salaried positions with the possibility of earning bonuses after an initial sixty day orientation period. Both of these individuals have great interviews and are hired. They both start with the company on the same day. After they had been working for a little over three weeks, there is an issue with the company computer system which affects the different departments in varying degree s. In the department that handles payroll, they can make the electronic direct deposits but they are unable to post electronic versions of paycheck stubs to employees’ personal files and they must send each employee a paper version. As the payroll department begins stuffing envelopes, one employee is distracted by a co-worker who has an urgent questionShow MoreRelatedThe Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway2674 Words   |  11 Pagesway to deal with the departure of her son to war. However, in Steven Galloways â€Å"The Cellist of Sarajevo,† the primary characters, although affected by war, employ a different strategy to come to terms with and survive the war, and to regain their moral values and identity. In this novel, music is employed as a tool of healing and rebirth. Specifically, Arrow, Kenan, and Dragan use the music of the anonymous cellist to reclaim their sense of humanity, compassion, and self-identity and move forwardRead MoreEssay on Tomas Aleas The La st Supper3791 Words   |  16 Pagestoo often slavery films categorically vilify whites as oppressive forces, polarizing race and stereotyping the white class as uniformly tyrannical. The sympathetic but relatively powerless white in this system is frequently left out, condoning a stance that separates race as a division between villains and martyrs. While I see an effort in Tomas Gutierrez Alea’s The Last Supper to move beyond these representations, how successful the film is as a transcendence above the typically extreme constructionsRead MoreEssay on The True Character of Isabella in Measure for Measure3886 Words   |  16 Pagesin Measure for Measure      Ã‚  Ã‚   Some critics of Shakespeare’s play, Measure for Measure, judge Isabella as a narrow minded but passionate girl afflicted with an irrational terror of sex (Barton, 546), a young, immature woman demonstrating moral absurdity and cruelty (Nicholls, 478), whose actions are scarcely defensible. A classmate of mine asked, Why doesnt Isabella just sleep with Angelo? Whats the big deal? These statements reveal that these people have no understanding or sympathyRead MoreMoby Dick : The Age Of Ecological Crisis3655 Words   |  15 Pagessocial organization of the ship ought to mean to the environmentally conscious twenty-first century reader. I will then analyze the characters Ahab, Ishmael, and Queequeg to demonstrate their varying psychological alienation from the environment, arguing that Queequeg represents a distinctly alternative disposition towards nature from Ahab and Ishmael. Ultimately, I will argue that Moby-Dick ought to be incontrovertibly placed within the ca non of American environmentalist literature, despite reservationsRead MoreEssay about Same Sex Marriage Controversy in the United States3686 Words   |  15 Pagesto understate the issue. It may be ironic but, as the controversy has grown in recent years, there seems to be more of a demand from the society that the issue be settled once and for all, and for that eyes turn to federal authority. This came to a head in the presidential campaigns of 2013, as same-sex marriage became a â€Å"hot button† issue actually defining voter sympathies as either liberal or conservative (Levendusky 42). In plain terms, the Mitt Romney campaign directly appealed to conservativeRead MoreEssay Eleanor Roosevelt5218 Words   |  21 Pages2002 the Eleanor Roosevelt Learning Team met with Senator Hillary Clinton. Motivated by the above debate we asked what it was that made Roosevelt stand out amongst other great leaders of the US. Senator Clinton expounded a convincing hypothesis, arguing tha t Roosevelt was one of the most influential figures in 20th Century history with a life spanning some of the most dramatic and challenging events in modern history e.g. the Depression, World War II, the Cold War and the civil rights movements.Read MoreSpratly Islands Dispute8776 Words   |  36 Pagescoordinates, based both upon the proximity principle as well as on the explorations of a Philippine explorer in 1956. In 1971, the Philippines officially claimed eight islands that it refers to as the Kalayaan, partly on the basis of this exploration, arguing that the islands: 1) were not part of the Spratly Islands; and 2) had not belonged to anybody and were open to being claimed. In 1972, they were designated as part of Palawan Province, Kalayaan municipality. The total land area of these islands isRead MoreGm Bankruptcy11472 Words   |  46 Pagesco-founded the Chevrolet Motor Company in 1911 with Louis Chevrolet. R S McLaughlin in 1915 built Chevrolet in Canada and After a brilli ant stock buyback campaign with the McLaughlin and DuPont corporations, and other Chevrolet stock holders, he returned to head GM in 1916,as Chevrolet owned 54.5% with the backing of Pierre S. du Pont. On October 13 of the same year, GM Company became incorporated as General Motors Corporation after McLaughlin merged both his Companies and sold his Chevrolet stock to allowRead MoreInside the Meltdown49737 Words   |  199 PagesSHEILA BAIR ... FDIC [Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.], established 75 years ago in the Great Depression. ... How does it feel being head of FDIC during another grand crisis? It s a very important place to be right now. We re getting a lot of media attention, and I think that s positive because I think the FDIC is all about public confidence. That s how we maintain the stability with people having confidence in our brand and our insurance guarantee, and I think we ve done that fairly successfullyRead MoreManagement: Social Responsibility and Page Ref19403 Words   |  78 Pagesresponsibility C) is a moral agent D) is a harmful agent Answer: Explanation: C) A socioeconomic view of social responsibility sees businesses not just as economic entities without moral responsibilities. Since a business exists within a sphere that is both economic and moral, a business should be considered to be both an economic and a moral agent. This eliminates economic agent and harmful agent as the correct response and identifies moral agent as the correct response. Note that as a moral agent, a business

The Argument for Peds - 2220 Words

Former Notre Dame Football coach, Knute Rockne, once said, â€Å"Show me a good and gracious loser and I’ll show you a failure,† (â€Å"The Future of Steroids†). The importance of winning in sports and being the greatest has grown immensely. This unquenchable desire to be stronger, faster, and more agile than the opponent, has caused many athletes to stop at nothing to be the best; this pressure has caused athletes to take banned and illegal substances known as performance-enhancing drugs (Performance-enhancing drugs) to achieve maximum strength and speed. The use of illegal performance-enhancing drugs in sports has been obvious to many spectators and sports enthusiasts for quite some time now, and athletes who have been found guilty of taking†¦show more content†¦The economy is in the worst recession since the 1970s and it is only getting worse, and many professional league teams are feeling the burn. Instead of letting the economy suffer, lawmakers can help it. By removing the ban on performance-enhancing drugs, more players are likely to take them; as a result they get better, stronger, faster, and more competitive. With the fiercest and the best competition always out there, more people are likely to watch and buy tickets. Thus, consumption by the public helps the economy because consumption by the people drives the economy. However, like most things in this world, if there is a positive side to an issue, there is usually a negative lingering in the shadows. When taking performance-enhancing drugs, the user will receive great rewards, but at high risks. There are major mental and physical risks involved when taking a performance-enhancing drug, especially anabolic steroids. According to the Mayo clinical staff, â€Å"Men may develop breasts, shrunken testicles, and infertility. Women may develop a deeper voice, an enlarged clitoris, and increased body hair. Both might experience rage, severe acne, infections, and other health issues,† (Clincal Staff, Mayo). It is evident that there are high risks when taking a performance-enhancing drug. These risks come in various forms, from being mild toShow MoreRelatedThe Issue Of Performance Enhancing Drugs1453 Words   |  6 Pages2015 PEDs: Are they Really Unfair? The issue of performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) has been among the most controversial in the sports world. A number of high profile athletes from Barry Bonds to Lance Armstrong have seen their reputations tarnished as a result of their use of these substances. Even the US Congress has held a number of high profile hearings on the subject to rid professional sports of their usage. In the sports world, it is almost assumed that sports are better when PEDs are removedRead MoreShould Athletes Gain An Unfair Advantage By Using Performance Enhancing Drugs?935 Words   |  4 Pagesweaken athletic performance which make it hard to concentrate in whatever sport you may play. Athletes gain an unfair advantage by using PEDS. The use of PEDS is cheating because it violates constitutive rules of the activity. Cheating is wrong and one should be removed from the game if caught. This assumption is proven through a simple and straightforward argument. â€Å"Cheating is the deliberate, knowing, and voluntary violation of certain constitutive rules in order to gain a competitive advantage†Read MorePerformance Enhancing Drugs Should Not Be Legalized1129 Words   |  5 Pagesperformance enhancing drugs (PEDs) should be legalized has sparked a heated debate. However, the use of PEDs is morally wrong and it should be banned in sports. This essay will demonstrate three main points which explain the reasons why these drugs should be banned. Firstly, it is unfair on the athletes who do not use drugs to allow the use of PEDs in sports. Secondly, the behavior of using drugs in sports violates the spirit of sport. Finally, there are some health risks on using PEDs. This essay will alsoRead MoreThe Prohibition Of Performance Enhancing Drugs1257 Words   |  6 Pagesand author of â€Å"Bring Truth into Play by Saying Yes to Drugs in Sport†, is an Australian health social sciences researcher with training in psychology, public health, and applied ethics. Fry testifies that the positives that would result in supervised PED use in elite competitions would create a more fair and balanced playing field. However Craig Fry’s claim is invalid, not only are there a multitude of health risks continually being discovered, the use of performance enhancing drugs would diminish theRead MoreAthletes Who Are Caught Using Peds Be Allowed For Sports?908 Words   |  4 PagesLet us take a moment to understand we are all human beings capable of making mistakes, so the answer to the first question should athletes who are caught using PEDs be allowed to return to sports? Absolutely! Maybe not the same organization, team, etc. but to permanently ban s omeone from a specific sport is hasty. However, there are exclusions for every rule and if he/she becomes a threat to the league as a whole or a repeat offender, then that is when it should be put up for consideration. I doRead MorePerformance Enhancement Drugs For American Sports1493 Words   |  6 Pageshurtful. The real issue of performance drugs is medical need versus physical want. Moreover, performance-enhancement drugs should still be allowed but with restrictions. The first issue of performance-enhancement drugs (PED) and probably the most recognized PEDs are the use of anabolic steroids.†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦anabolic steroids may provide distinct benefit in size, strength, and stamina† (McCloskey). Anabolic agents are those that promote the growth of muscle, while androgenic agents are those that promoteRead MorePerformance Enhancing Drugs in Baseball and the Hall of Fame1749 Words   |  7 Pagestheir use (alleged or proven) of performance enhancing drugs (PEDs), or it may also be due to a personality issue. Having players who are widely considered the best to ever play the game not be in the Hall of Fame due to the mindset of people who report on the sport is not a fair or balanced system. Players should be allowed in based on what they did on the field and not what they did off the field. One of the underlying issues with the PED problem is that it does allow a player to gain more power withRead MorePerformance Enhancing Drugs For Professional Sports1703 Words   |  7 Pageseven. Many believe that using steroids and other performance enhancers should automatically disqualify an athlete from ever being able to be a member of the Hall of Fame, in sports in general, not just in Major League Baseball. However, there is an argument to be made to make the use of performance enhancing drugs legal in all of professional sports.   Performance enhancing drugs should remain illegal in professional sports because they provide an unfair advantage, they are extremely unethical, and theyRead MorePerformance Enhancing Drugs. . Performance-Enhancing Drugs1580 Words   |  7 PagesPerformance Enhancing Drugs Performance-enhancing drugs (PED s) have been an issue for many decades now for the medical and sports field. Olympic and professional athletes have been using them to gain an upper hand on the competition, but some may ask if it s really worth it? Studies show that performance-enhancing drugs have been proven to negatively affect the health of athletes who take them. Simply put, performance-enhancing drugs could either improve athletic performance or can be extremelyRead MoreShould Athletes Use Performance Enhancing Drugs Help Push Themselves Farther Than Their Natural Limits?1047 Words   |  5 PagesCredibility: I feel as if I’m credible to speak on the topic because a good friend of mine provided a very fact driven argument on the topic when I ragged on him for taking the stuff. That argument led me to do a lot of research on the topic to try and prove him wrong and instead I just gained a lot of knowledge on the subject and ended up convincing myself that most of what I ’ve ever heard about PEDs is simply wrong. Main Points: Today, I’m going to focus mostly on the health issues, because in my opinion,

Managing the Diverse Workforce Free Essays

string(41) " by means of excellent work and loyalty\." Everybody is created uniquely as compared with others. There might be qualities that some people or groups possess that the other group does not. This is diversity. We will write a custom essay sample on Managing the Diverse Workforce or any similar topic only for you Order Now A diverse workforce can give many advantages that the problems associated with it are carefully studied and solved for. Variety of ideas and views regarding important matters within the organization can contribute a lot to the success of the work. Although there might arise conflict and misunderstanding, it can be addressed properly to be converted as strength of the company. Efficient diverse workforce management requires a lot of effort and even money, yet it is very worth it for it gives a lot of benefits to the company.                                                 Managing the Diverse Workforce With further advancement in technology, health issues are continuously being addressed. As such, the life expectancy of people is increasing. This has an immense effect in the business sector. According to Sheldon Steinhauser, the median age of workers raised from 38 years in 1994 to 55 or more in 2005. Also, more and more people from poor performing countries or states are going to richer countries or nations to apply for jobs. The days when women are left in the houses for housekeeping and baby-sitting are also over. Women are pursuing their own careers nowadays. With these happenings, diversity in the workforce is very evident and is expected to increase in the coming years. The question now is what its effects in the business are and how this issue should is addressed. Everybody is created uniquely as compared with others. There might be qualities that some people or groups possess that the other group does not. This is diversity. Oftentimes, diversity is associated with demographic-related factors such as ancestry, gender or age. Aside from those mentioned above, this may also cover sexual orientation, educational and professional training, civil status and religious preference. Cultural background is also a major dimension. According to Bateman and Snell, a diversified workforce may include, but are not limited to: ethnic groups and minorities, migrant workers, disable, women, and people with varying expectations, values, affiliations, economic status and work style. In order to manage diversity, the systems and practices must be reviewed and changed if necessary to maximize the capabilities of the people in it. Implementation of the systems must be ensured to extract the abilities of the employees so as to maximize their contribution to the company. In order to do this effectively, the employer or the human resource personnel must know the individual differences of the workforce. Just like in other setting, diversity can be taken as advantageous to the company if handled well. People with varying values and skills may contribute to the aggregate success of the whole. However, to be able to achieve such success, each difference must be preserved and nurtured. Bateman and Stale noted the existence of a glass ceiling in the company. This is an invisible barrier that hinders women and members of the minority groups from reaching a higher level in the hierarchy of the organization. As such, the potentials of these groups are not maximized. However, f or the sake of profit and improvement, this barrier is being removed nowadays. As different ways to manage diversity are being discovered, discrimination in the workplace is slowly exiting. Although there is really no definite formula in handling diversity, researches and experiences help the human resource personnel and leaders extract the full potentials of their employees from all walks of life. Employing people amidst their cultural and demographic background allows the company to have a good share in the labor pool. Many skillful workers belong to ethnic groups or are women, or are older people. Thus, not including them in the search would lessen the already small labor pool. Also, according to studies at the Stanford Business School, as written in the Business and Legal Reports, diversity among employees can generate better performance when it comes to out-of-the-ordinary creative tasks. For instance, business developments are more effective if the decision-making body is composed of diverse individuals. Their different views could be taken into the advantage of the company. Their varying experiences can be put together to achieve a solid and effective decision. In sales and promotions, a team composed of people from different regions or age brackets or lifestyles can have their own suggestions based from what they themselves want or favor. The target customer could be re presented by the members of the team so their needs would be addressed even at the start of the project. Discussions about the differences of ideas can also be taken as positive since more options will arise and more factors would be considered on the initial planning, thus reducing the chance of error or unseen circumstance. Also, a company that crosses boundaries and differences creates a good impression to the labor pool. In effect, workers would be the ones to approach the human resource personnel, thus, saving more money for the promotions and employee search, and more often than not, those highly-skilled workers are the ones who go for such companies. Furthermore, traditional practices may no longer be applicable to the current policies and need and a diverse workforce is more unbounded to deviate from this, resulting to a better system. Businesses and organizations are sprouting all over during the course of time. In effect, competition is high not only for the share of the market, but also for the shrinking labor pool. Aside from attracting workers due to effective diversity management, homogeneity can also address the need for flexibility and change. By valuing the differences of the individuals, the company is rewarded by its employees by means of loyalty and excellence. A secret in effective management is making the subordinates feel its worth as part of the team. If this is given to him, he would strive to return this sense of importance by means of excellent work and loyalty. You read "Managing the Diverse Workforce" in category "Essay examples" This is when the employee shows his best capabilities. Managing a diverse workforce creates a good impression not only to the employees and members of the organizations but to the people outside it as well. According to Bateman and Stale, diverse customers tend to favor these kinds of organizations. Also, the diverse market can be better addressed if they are well-represented in the company by the diverse employees. As such, customer satisfaction is higher and patronage would be awarded. To marginalize the workforce is to waste money, time and skillful workers. Such action would create a bad impression to the market and to the labor pool. Also, it would hinder the entrance of highly-skilled workers who happened to not belong to the widely-accepted group. It may also illicit complaints and conflicts from members of the marginalized group. Having a diverse workforce is not all glory. Diversity also creates conflicts especially if it involves ideas or beliefs. Yes, varying opinions create a healthy atmosphere for discussion and debate but this oftentimes lead to misunderstanding and conflict. Interpersonal conflict may arise and eventually destroy the group. Sometimes, attack is taken not just against the idea but on the person as well. Discrimination among workers may also be difficult to handle. People from different groups tend to be more protective of their identity or beliefs and this often lead to discord. Discussions may also take longer than usual in order to entertain all differing and sometimes conflicting views. Lack of cohesiveness does not only involve ideas or views but even understanding of the goal. The aim may be interpreted differently and this would lead to people walking towards different directions, making the finish line more difficult to reach. This must be attended to at the start so as to ensure that the team is walking towards the same direction in order to save effort, time, money and other resources. According to the Business and Legal Reports, problems also include the answer to the question of how the employees must be treated. Should it be fair or same? What is the basis of fairness? Treating different employees is not an easy task. A simple task of distributing a memo for all the employees poses a problem. The language to be used, the capacity of all the people to understand and a lot others must be taken into primary consideration. Biases must be kept far from decision-making and management but individual capacities of the employees must also be taken into account. As for members of the workforce, the major problem is miscommunication. Differences may hinder smooth transfer of information from the people inside the organization. People from different races might have different understanding in words or expressions. Misinterpreting the gestures or actions of others may yield to conflict or argument within the organization. Also, stereotyping may also arise. An individual or group may think that they are superior to others. This would affect the performance of all the people in the workforce. Instead of focusing on the goal, stereotyped members of the team may be distracted and concentrate on being within the â€Å"more superior† group. Also, perseverance and efforts of the members might be disregarded as several members focus on their colleagues. Researches and experiences claim that to manage a diverse workforce is never easy. It is a task that has to be well-taken cared of. Yet, it is also possible. In fact, there are several multicultural organizations that employ a diverse workforce. There are advices for management and human resources personnel as to how this issue must be handled in order to extract the best abilities of the members of the team. First and foremost, the top management must have an eye on the effectiveness of the diverse workforce. They must be sensitive to the feedbacks of diverse groups regarding company policies or ordinances. They must be also aware to the response of the other members of the team. The plans and objectives of the organization must also incorporate diverse workforce. Most of all, top managers must participate and take the lead in the programs that aim to learn about diversity. Trainings and seminars can also be conducted to better handle and manage a diverse workforce. Rewards can be given to further affirm the good works of the team members. Lastly, a team building is essential to create a bond between members of the company. In doing so, the risk of miscommunication is lessened, as well as the possibility for conflict. With the growing competition in the labor pool and the market, any organization cannot afford to lose a skillful individual just because he belongs to a minority or because he is outside the margin line. A diverse workforce can give many advantages that the problems associated with it are carefully studied and solved for. Variety of ideas and views regarding important matters within the organization can contribute a lot to the success of the work. Although there might arise conflict and misunderstanding, it can be addressed properly to be converted as strength of the company. Efficient diverse workforce management requires a lot of effort and even money, yet it is very worth it for it gives a lot of benefits to the company. References Bateman and Snell. Managing the Diverse Workforce. Retrieved November 22, 2007   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   from http://management.uta.edu/Dr.Wheeler/Mana5312/Chap011.ppt Business and Legal Reports. Diversity Can Improve Decision-Making. Retrieved   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   November   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   22, 2007, from http://www.vault.com/nr/newsmain.jsp?nr_page=3 Human Resources, University of California, Berkeley.Guide to Managing Human   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Resources: Chapter 12: Managing Diversity in the Workplace. Retrieved November   Ã‚  Ã‚   22, 2007 from http://hrweb.berkeley.edu/guide/diversity.htm Improvement Network. Managing a Diverse Workforce. Retrieved November 22,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2007 from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.improvementnetwork.gov.uk/imp/core/page.do?pageId=10912 Piturro Marlene, PhD.. Recruiting and Managing a Diverse Workforce. Retrieved   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   November   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   22, 2007 from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.vault.com/nr/newsmain.jsp?nr_page=3ch_id=402 Steinhauser Sheldon. (1999, January). Successfully Managing an Age Diverse Workforce.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Managing Diversity, Vol. 8, Retrieved November 22, 2007 from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://clem.mscd.edu/~steinhas/managing_diversity.htm    United States Department of Trade (2007). Leading a Diverse Workforce. Retrieved   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   November 22, 2007 from http://dothr.ost.dot.gov/Toolkit/Diversity/   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   leading_a_diverse.html       How to cite Managing the Diverse Workforce, Essay examples

Case on Adoption Law

Question: Discuss about the Case on Adoption Law. Answer: Introduction When a person takes the responsibilities of a child, to raise the child in a way they would raise their own child, it is known as adoption. It is a formal process through which a legal relationship between the child and the guardian is created. The adopted child becomes the child of the adoptive parent and gets all the rights that a biological child would have. So, an adoptive child would be the legal heir of the parent and this would terminate the childs legal rights in relation to his natural parents (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2016). In the following segments, a discussion on adoption for the given case has been made. Legislation In United States, the adoption is ruled by federal laws and the state laws. Federal laws provide the standards which the States have to comply with in their adoption laws. State laws contain the adoption laws based on the area of adoption which can be domestic or inter country. State laws also contain the laws regarding post adoption. The Constitution of US does not mention adoption as a fundamental right as was seen in the case of Lindley for Lindley v. Sullivan, 889 F.2d 124 (7th Cir. 1989) (Cornell University Law School, 2016). So, adoption can only take place if the enabling statues exist. In North Carolina, There are certain requirements for adoption which have to be fulfilled and these are stated here. The adoptive parents have to be of at least 18 years of age (Adopt US Kids, 2016). A person can be adopted regardless of the age of such person. So, a minor as well as an adult can be adopted in North Carolina. A person who is married, single, divorced or widowed can adopt. Further, the adoptive person may or may not have a previous experience of parenting. Even if such person has a child, they can adopt another person. The person interested in adopting may be living in his own house or on rent. The North Carolina Adoption Statute and Law are stated in Chapter 48, through its various articles, which relates to Adoptions (Child Adoption Laws, 2013). The adoptive applicants are checked for a criminal record by taking finger prints of such applicants. Further, the adoption agencies state the necessary number of training hours for the adoptive parents. A person can become an adoptive parent only if such person can provide the adopted person with the necessary care and stability (Find Law, 2016). Such parent has to be ready to face the challenges which may arise due to adoption of a person. A person who is above 12 years of age can only be adopted only after the approval is taken from such person. Further, to adopt in North Carolina, the adoptive parents have to live in the state for a minimum of 90 days. A parent adopting a person with special needs receives adoptive subsidy. Federal title IV-E and state adopting assistance programs, known as non-IV-E are formulated to assist the parents in meeting the costs of such special adoptive children (North American Council on Adoptable Children, 2012). A child with learning difficulties is included in the list of special children. But such child has to be analyzed by a qualified professional. Such professional has to diagnose that the child has a psychiatric condition which weakens the mental, intellectual, or social functioning, of the child. The professional also has to show that such child requires professional services. A special child can only be adopted if such child is free for adoptions. Further, such child has to be in the placement responsibility of North Carolina agency, which has been authorized to place the child as eligible, for adoption assistance. After the adoption process is completed, the payments of adoption assistance are granted to the adoptive parent. Advice In the given case, Brenda is divorced and is of above 18 years of age. The person she wants to adopt, Leesa, is 22 years old. She is diagnosed with learning difficulties. Brenda wants to adopt Leesa and Leesa also wants the same. So, the essential as per the statues of North Carolina have been fulfilled here and hence, Brenda can adopt Lessa. But Brenda would have to get a certification from a professional which proves that Lessa has learning difficulties, so as to be eligible for the adoption assistance. So, it is advised to Brenda to get the necessary certification so as to adopt Lessa as per laws and also be eligible for the adoption assistance. References Adopt US Kids. (2016). North Carolina foster care and adoption guidelines. Retrieved on 15/09/16 from: https://adoptuskids.org/adoption-and-foster-care/how-to-adopt-and-foster/state-information/north-carolina Child Adoption Laws. (2013). Child Adoption Laws North Carolina. Retrieved on 15/09/16 from: https://www.childadoptionlaws.com/child_adoption_laws/adoption_laws_north_carolina.htm Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2016). Adoption. Retrieved on 15/09/16 from: https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/adoption/ Cornell University Law School. (2016). Adoption. Retrieved on 15/09/16 from: https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/adoption Find Law. (2016). North Carolina Adoption Laws. Retrieved on 15/09/16 from: https://statelaws.findlaw.com/north-carolina-law/north-carolina-adoption-laws.html North American Council on Adoptable Children. (2012). North Carolina State Subsidy Profile. Retrieved on 15/09/16 from: https://www.nacac.org/adoptionsubsidy/stateprofiles/northcarolina.html

Arthur Miller - The crucible

Arthur Miller - The crucible The CRUCIBLEHow does Arthur Miller prepare his audience for the conflict within the Salem community and the way they will come outA kettle with a broken pressure valve is the best metaphor to describe Salem's striving community. Arthur Miller effectively represents through act one all the characters of his play as a whole body moving towards a point of explosion, where " [...] suspicions and the envy of the miserable toward the happy could and did burst out in the general revenge."The first important thing we notice about Salem's society is their deep conviction in a strict theocracy, which has or wants control of the destiny of all citizens to maintain the community together : " [...] whose function was to keep the community together, and prevent any kind of disunity [...] " . The information Miller gives at the beginning of the play in his essays sets the correct situation, and describes the historical and cultural background of Salem's past.Legend (Abigail Williams EP)We understan d from these essays there are many hidden subtle "Long-held hatreds [...]" between neighbours and disputes for land "[...] which had been expressed before by constant bickering over boundaries and deeds[...] now could be openly resolved. The citizens saw the possibility of a witch-hunt as a way " [...] to express publicly his guilt and sins, under the cover of accusations against the victims."Act one develops from the solitary sorrow of a man in seeing his child mysteriously ill:Betty. Child. Dear child. Will you wake, will you open your eyes! Betty little one...To the serious matter of condemning nine human souls to witchcraft:Abigail: I saw Goody Hawkins with the Devil!Betty: I saw Goody bibber with the Devil!Abigail: I saw Goody Booth with the Devil!All this gets carried while...

Mitigation Essays - Environmental Economics, Free Essays

Mitigation Essays - Environmental Economics, Free Essays Mitigation Mitigation measures for all culturally significant locations found during an archaeological survey along the thirty-mile long proposed gas pipeline project in portions of Cleveland and McClain Counties in central Oklahoma should consider the degree of the impact, such as, no adverse affect, an adverse effect, or no effect. Other consideration, when considering mitigation techniques is how significant is the impact. Early notification of the State historic preservation officers is also important when determining historical site information and mitigation considerations. 1.Mitigation plans for location A (5 miles east of the westernmost point of the pipeline), which is already included in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) would consist of the following; alternate routes that would avoid the NRHP site completely, down scaling the proposed project size, or possibly abandoning the pipeline project completely. All these proposed mitigation techniques could be used which would spare the NRHP site any adverse effects. If the pipeline project must continue along the proposed route, alternative mitigation options could be used. Possibly repairing, rehabilitating or even restoring the site where any damage has occurred during the construction phase of the pipeline. If these mitigation would not be acceptable, then relocation of the site and the salvage of all sites' material if the site location had to be destroyed during construction. 2.Location B and C (8 miles and 9 miles, respectively, east of the westernmost point of the pipeline), were found eligible for NRHP protection. Mitigation measures at both location B and C would be the same as location A, since properties eligible for inclusions are covered under section 106 of The National Historic Preservation Act which is the same as properties already listed in the NRHP. 3.At location D (14 miles east of the westernmost point of the pipeline), an old building used as a farm house by early settler (about 100 years ago) in Cleveland county was found not eligible for the NRHP. Even thought the farmhouse was not eligible for the NRHP this does not necessarily mean that the farmhouse does not have historical value to the Locals. Consideration of Local concerns should be addressed when considering destruction of the farmhouse and possible mitigation measures. Other considerations include possible future eligibility to the NRHP, since the farmhouse is 100 years old. Possible mitigation measure could include relocation of the farmhouse or event an alternate route for the pipeline. Finally it may be necessary to demolish the farmhouse in the interest of the gas pipeline project. 4.At location E (23 miles east of the westernmost point of the pipeline) several grave sites were found: which are thought to be a part of a larger Indian burial ground. This location and all associated items would be protected by The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990. Mitigation recommendation for this site would be not to disturb the graves by rerouting the pipeline, or canceling the pipeline project. Disruption of the Indian burial ground as a mitigation alternative would be unlikely. Prearranged plans should be made for any additional historic properties found during the construction phase of the thirty-mile long pipeline. The plans should be included in any documentation during the assessment and consultation steps of the Section 106 process. It may be necessary to develop agreements or Memoranda of Understanding with the state and local archaeological agencies just in case a site is discovered during the construction phase. Care should be taken not to divulge any information to the public until the historical site is protected from thieves and from people that could damage the site.

Human Computer Interaction Assesment 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Human Computer Interaction Assesment 2 - Essay Example There are many shortcuts that can be used to make the browsing user friendly. For example, ‘Ctrl+T’ opens a new tab for you, ‘Ctrl+1’ moves you to the first tab, ‘Ctrl+2’ moves you to the second tab etc. Firefox address bar has an auto complete option which gives possible suggestions for whatever address you are typing. This also has special character filters to show only a particular group of addresses which has the given word in it. It may happen sometimes that we may need to open the web pages that are closed. Firefox has facility to open the recently closed windows as shown below: What happens when you have a lot of tabs opened on Firefox and your system crashes? This is not a problem while using Firefox because it has ‘session restore’ capability. You also have Save & Quit option for restoring all the tabs so that the next time when you open Firefox, all tabs are ready for you to continue browsing from where you have stopped earlier. â€Å"Add-ons are small pieces of software created by people all over the world, that add new features or functionality to your installation of Firefox. Add-ons can augment Firefox with new search engines, foreign-language dictionaries, or change the visual appearance of Firefox. Through add-ons, you can customize Firefox to meet your needs and tastes.† (Customizing Firefox with add-ons, 2010). A private browsing mode in Firefox allows you to do browsing such that the history will not record your surfing. Firefox also remembers where you where before starting the private browsing mode. You can switch on or off the private browsing mode by just clicking ‘Start Private Browsing’ and ‘Stop Private Browsing’ in the Tools menu. You can customize your Firefox interface according to your wish by using Customize Option that you get when you right-click the Menu Bar. Firefox has the capacity to track the location from where you

Quote two claims Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Quote two claims - Essay Example Observably, it can be stated that having good sense is not important, but it is significant for people to use it in a good direction. It is quintessential that an individual should not presume his/her mind to be better than other individual in general. Besides, sharpness, clarity in thoughts and memory which is capacious is argued to be vital components within an individual to define the perfect mind. It is also crucial to select a path that enables an individual to develop imaginations and maxims, which ultimately leads an individual to foster method that facilitate him/her to acquire knowledge gradually (Thomas and Turner 32-44). Thomas and Turner’s notion, â€Å"clarity is the central virtue of classic prose† can also be supported, grounded on the fact that classic writer were engaged in presenting literary works that has already been perceived by them. Classic prose can be argued to be predominantly an efficient instrument, which neither invents nor misleads their view. Besides, classic prose evaded hesitations and uncertainties. Thus, it can be firmly justified that â€Å"clarity is the central virtue of classic prose† (Thomas and Turner

Static Analysis of Uncertain Structures

Static Analysis of Uncertain Structures Static Analysis of Uncertain Structures Using Interval Eigenvalue Decomposition 1Mehdi Modares and 2Robert L. Mullen 1Department of Civil and Environmental   Engineering Tufts University Medford, MA, 02155 2Department of Civil Engineering Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, OH, 44106 Abstract: Static analysis is an essential procedure to design a structure. Using static analysis, the structures response to the applied external forces is obtained. This response includes internal forces/moments and internal stresses that is used in the design process. However, the mechanical characteristics of the structure possess uncertainties which alter the structures response. One method to quantify the presence of these uncertainties is interval or unknown-but-bounded variables. In this work a new method is developed to obtain the bounds on structures static response using interval eigenvalue decomposition of the stiffness matrix. The bounds of eigenvalues are obtained using monotonic behavior of eigenvalues for a symmetric matrix subjected to non-negative definite perturbations. Moreover, the bounds of eigenvectors are obtained using perturbation of invariant subspaces for symmetric matrices. Comparisons with other interval finite element solution methods are presented. Using this method, it has shown that obtaining the bound on static response of an uncertain structure does not require a combinatorial or Monte-Carlo simulation procedure. Keywords: Statics, Analysis, Interval, Uncertainty  © 2008 by authors. Printed in USA. REC 2008 Modares and Mullen In design of structures, the performance of the structure must be guaranteed over its lifetime. Moreover, static analysis is a fundamental procedure for designing reliable structure that are subjected to static or quasi-static forces induced by various loading conditions and patterns. However, in current procedures for static analysis of structural systems, the existence of uncertainty in either mechanical properties of the system or the characteristics of forcing function is generally not considered. These uncertainties can be attributed to physical imperfections, modeling inaccuracies and system complexities. Although, in a design process, uncertainty is accounted for by a combination of load amplification and strength reduction factors that are based on probabilistic models of historic data, consideration of the effects of uncertainty has been removed from current static analysis of structural systems. In this work, a new method is developed to perform static analysis of a structural system in the presence of uncertainty in the systems mechanical properties as well as uncertainty in the magnitude of loads. The presence of these uncertainties is quantified using interval or unknownbut-bounded variables. This method obtains the bounds on structures static response using interval eigenvalue decomposition of the stiffness matrix. The bounds of eigenvalues are obtained using the concept of monotonic behavior of eigenvalues for a symmetric matrix subjected to non-negative definite perturbations. Furthermore, the bounds of eigenvectors are obtained using perturbation of invariant subspaces for symmetric matrices. Using this method, it has shown that obtaining the bound on static response of an uncertain structure does not require a combinatorial or MonteCarlo simulation procedure. The equation of equilibrium for a multiple degree of freedom structure is defined as a linear system of equations as:   [K]{U}={P}   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (1) where, [K]is the stiffness matrix, {U}is the vector of unknown nodal displacements, and {P} is the vector of nodal forces. The solution to this system of equation is:   {U} = [K]−1{P}   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (2) The concept of interval numbers has been originally applied in the error analysis associated with digital computing.   Quantification of the uncertainties introduced by truncation of real numbers in numerical methods was the primary application of interval methods (Moore 1966). A real interval is a closed set defined by extreme values as (Figure 1): ~l ,zu ] ={z∈â„Å"| zl ≠¤ z ≠¤ zu} (3)   Z = [z ~ x = [a,b] Figure 1. An interval variable. In this work, the symbol (~) represents an interval quantity. One interpretation of an interval number is a random variable whose probability density function is unknown but non-zero only in the range of interval. Another interpretation of an interval number includes intervals of confidence for ÃŽ ±-cuts of fuzzy sets. The interval representation transforms the point values in the deterministic system to inclusive set values in the system with bounded uncertainty. Considering the presence of interval uncertainty in stiffness and force properties, the system of equilibrium equations, Eq.(1), is modified as an interval system of equilibrium equation as: ~~   [K]{U}={P}   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (4) ~ where, [K]is the interval stiffness matrix, {U}is the vector of unknown nodal displacements, and {P} is the vector of interval nodal forces. In development of interval stiffness matrix, the physical and mathematical characteristics of the stiffness matrix must be preserves. This system of interval equations is mainly solved using computationally iterative procedures (Muhanna et al 2007) and (Neumaier and Pownuk 2007). The present method proposes a computationally efficient procedure with nearly sharp results using interval eigenvalue decomposition of stiffness matrix. While the external force can also have uncertainties, in this work only problems with interval stiffness properties are addressed. However, for functional independent variations for both stiffness matrix and external force vector, the extension of the proposed work is straightforward. 3.1. DETERMINISTIC EIGENVALUE DECOMPOSITION The deterministic symmetric stiffness matrix can be decomposed using matrix eigenvalue decomposition as:   [K] = [ÃŽ ¦][Λ][ÃŽ ¦]T   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (5) where, [ÃŽ ¦] is the matrix of eigenvectors, and [Λ] is the diagonal matrix of eigenvalues. Equivalently, N   [K] =∑Î »i{à Ã¢â‚¬ ¢i}{à Ã¢â‚¬ ¢i}T   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (6) i=1 where, the values of ÃŽ »i is the eigenvalues and the vectors{à Ã¢â‚¬ ¢i}are their corresponding  eigenvectors.   Therefore, the eigenvalue decomposition of the inverse of the stiffness matrix is: equivalently, [K]−1 =[ÃŽ ¦][Λ]−1[ÃŽ ¦]T   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (7) −N 1T [K] 1 =∑ {à Ã¢â‚¬ ¢i}{à Ã¢â‚¬ ¢i}   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (8) i=1 ÃŽ »i Substituting Eq.(8) in the solution for the deterministic linear system of equation, Eq.(2), the solution for response is shown as:   {U}= ( N 1 {à Ã¢â‚¬ ¢i}{à Ã¢â‚¬ ¢i}T ){P}   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (9) 3.2. INTERVAL EIGENVALUE DECOMPOSITION Similarly, the solution to interval system of equilibrium equations, Eq.(4), is:   {U~}= (∑N ~1 {à Ã¢â‚¬ ¢~ }{à Ã¢â‚¬ ¢~i}T ){P}   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (10) i i=1 ÃŽ »i ~~ } are their where, the values of ÃŽ »i is the interval eigenvalues and, the vectors {à Ã¢â‚¬ ¢i corresponding interval eigenvectors that are to be determined. 4.1. BACKGROUND The research in interval eigenvalue problem began to emerge as its applicability in science and engineering was realized. Hollot and Bartlett (1987) studied the spectra of eigenvalues of an interval matrix family which are found to depend on the spectrum of its extreme sets. Dief (1991) presented a method for computing interval eigenvalues of an interval matrix based on an assumption of invariance properties of eigenvectors. In structural dynamics, Modares and Mullen (2004) have introduced a method for the solution of the interval eigenvalue problem which determines the exact bounds of the natural frequencies of a system using Interval Finite Element formulation. 4.2. DEFINITION The eigenvalue problems for matrices containing interval values are known as the interval ~ ~ nn ) and [A] is a member of the eigenvalue problems. If [A] is an interval real matrix (A∈â„Å" ~ interval matrix ([A]∈[A]) , the interval eigenvalue problem is shown as: ~ 4.2.1. Solution for Eigenvalues The solution of interest to the real interval eigenvalue problem for bounds on each eigenvalue is ~ defined as an inclusive set of real values (ÃŽ ») such that for any member of the interval matrix, the eigenvalue solution to the problem is a member of the solution set. Therefore, the solution to the interval eigenvalue problem for each eigenvalue can be mathematically expressed as: ~l ,ÃŽ »u ]|∀[A]∈[A~]: ([A]−Î »[I]){x} = 0}   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (12)   {ÃŽ »Ã¢Ë†Ë†ÃŽ »= [ÃŽ » 4.2.2. Solution for Eigenvectors: The solution of interest to the real interval eigenvalue problem for bounds on each eigenvector is defined as an inclusive set of real values of vector {~x} such that for any member of the interval matrix, the eigenvector solution to the problem is a member of the solution set. Thus, the solution to the interval eigenvalue problem for each eigenvector is: 4.3. INTERVAL STIFFNESS MATRIX The systems global stiffness can be viewed as a summation of the element contributions to the global stiffness matrix: n i=1 where [ Li ] is the element Boolean connectivity matrix and [Ki ] is the element stiffness matrix in the global coordinate system. Considering the presence of uncertainty in the stiffness properties, the non-deterministic element elastic stiffness matrix is expressed as: ~ in which, [li ,ui ] is an interval number that pre-multiplies the deterministic element stiffness matrix. This procedure preserves the physical and mathematical characteristics of the stiffness matrix. Therefore, the systems global stiffness matrix in the presence of any uncertainty is the linear summation of the contributions of non-deterministic interval element stiffness matrices: ,ui ])[Li ][Ki ][Li ] =∑ i=1i=1 in which, [Ki ] is the deterministic element elastic stiffness contribution to the global stiffness matrix. 4.4. INTERVAL EIGENVALUE PROBLEM FOR STATICS The interval eigenvalue problem for a structure with stiffness properties expressed as interval values is:   [K~]{à Ã¢â‚¬ ¢~} = (ÃŽ »~){à Ã¢â‚¬ ¢~} (17) Substituting Eq.(16) in Eq.(17): ]){à Ã¢â‚¬ ¢} = (ÃŽ »){à Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ i=1 This interval eigenvalue problem can be transformed to a pseudo-deterministic eigenvalue problem subjected to a matrix perturbation. Introducing the central and radial (perturbation) stiffness matrices as: i 1 [K~R ] =∑i=n1 (ÃŽ µi )(ui 2−li )[Ki ]    ,  Ã‚  Ã‚   ÃŽ µi =[−1,1]  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (20) Using Eqs. (19,20), the non-deterministic interval eigenpair problem, Eq.(18),   becomes: Hence, the determination of bounds on eigenvalues and bounds on eigenvectors of a stiffness matrix in the presence of uncertainty is mathematically interpreted as an eigenvalue problem on a ~ central stiffness matrix ([KC ]) that is subjected to a radial perturbation stiffness matrix ([KR ]). This perturbation is in fact, a linear summation of non-negative definite deterministic element stiffness contribution matrices that are scaled with bounded real numbers(ÃŽ µi ) . 5. Solution 5.1. BOUNDS ON EIGENVALUES The following concepts must be considered in order to bound the non-deterministic interval eigenvalue problem, Eq.(21). The classical linear eigenpair problem for a symmetric matrix is: with the solution of real eigenvalues (ÃŽ »1 ≠¤ÃŽ »2 ≠¤ ≠¤ÃŽ »n ) and corresponding eigenvectors ( x1, x2,, xn ). This equation can be transformed into a ratio of quadratics known as the Rayleigh quotient:   R(x) =  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (23) The Rayleigh quotient for a symmetric matrix is bounded between the smallest and the largest eigenvalues (Bellman 1960 and Strang 1976).    (24) Thus, the first eigenvalue (ÃŽ »1) can be obtained by performing an unconstrained minimization on the scalar-valued function of Rayleigh quotient: ( (25) x∈ For finding the next eigenvalues, the concept of maximin characterization can be used. This concept obtains the kth eigenvalue by imposing (k-1) constraints on the minimization of the Rayleigh quotient (Bellman 1960 and Strang 1976): ÃŽ »k = max[minR(x)]   (subject to constrains(xT zi = 0),i =1,k −1,k ≠¥ 2 ) (26) 5.1.1. Bounding the Eigenvalues for Statics Using the concepts of minimum and maximin characterizations of eigenvalues for symmetric matrices, the solution to the interval eigenvalue problem for the eigenvalues of a system with uncertainty in the stiffness characteristics (Eq.(21)) for the first eigenvalue can be shown as: n x∈Rn{x}T {x} for the next eigenvalues: ~{x}T [K~]{x}{x}T ([K ]+[K~ ]){x} 5.1.2. Deterministic Eigenvalue Problems for Bounding Eigenvalues in Statics Substituting and expanding the right-hand side terms of Eqs. (27,28): ~T [K ]{x}~ui (li +u{x} (29) Since the matrix [Ki ] is non-negative definite, the term () is non-negative. Therefore, using the monotonic behavior of eigenvalues for symmetric matrices, the upper bounds on the eigenvalues in Eqs.(19,20) are obtained by considering maximum values of interval coefficients of uncertainty (ÃŽ µ~i = [−1,1]), ((ÃŽ µi )max = 1), for all elements in the radial perturbation matrix. Similarly, the lower bounds on the eigenvalues are obtained by considering minimum values of those coefficients, ((ÃŽ µi )min =−1) , for all elements in the radial perturbation matrix. Also, it can be observed that any other element stiffness selected from the interval set will yield eigenvalues between the upper and lower bounds. This imonotonic behavior of eigenvalues can also be used for parameterization purposes. Using these concepts, the deterministic eigenvalue problems corresponding to the maximum and minimum eigenvalues are obtained (Modares and Mullen 2004) as: n n 5.2. BOUNDS ON EIGENVECTORS 5.2.1. Invariant Subspace The subspace χ is defined to be an invariant subspace of matrix [A] if:   Aχ⊂χ (32) Equivalently,   if χ is an invariant subspace of [A]nn and also, columns of [X1]nm form a basis forχ, then there is a unique matrix [L1]mm such that: The matrix [L1 ] is the representation of [A] on χ with respect to the basis [X1] and the eigenvalues of [L1] are a subset of eigenvalues of [A]. Therefore, for the invariant subspace, ({v},ÃŽ ») is an eigenpair of [L1] if and only if ({[X1]{v}},ÃŽ ») is an eigenpair of [A]. 5.2.2. Theorem of Invariant Subspaces For a real symmetric matrix [A], considering the subspace χ with the linearly independent columns of [X1] forming a basis for χ and the linearly independent columns of [X2] spanning the complementary subspace χ⊠¥ , then,   χ is an invariant subspace of [A] iff: Therefore, invoking this condition and postulating the definition of invariant subspaces, the symmetric matrix [A] can be reduced to a diagonalized form using a unitary similarity transformation as:   [X1X2]T [A][X1X2] = à ¢Ã… ½Ã‚ ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã… ½Ã‚ ¡[X1]TT[[AA][][XX11]] à ¢Ã… ½Ã‚ £[X2] where [Li ] =[Xi ]T [A][Xi ], i =1,2. 5.2.3. Simple Invariant Subspace [X1]T [A][X2]à ¢Ã… ½Ã‚ ¤ à ¢Ã… ½Ã‚ ¡[L1] [X2]T [A][X2]à ¢Ã… ½Ã‚ ¥Ãƒ ¢Ã… ½Ã‚ ¦= à ¢Ã… ½Ã‚ ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã… ½Ã‚ £[0] [0] à ¢Ã… ½Ã‚ ¤ [L2]à ¢Ã… ½Ã‚ ¥Ãƒ ¢Ã… ½Ã‚ ¦ (35) An invariant subspace is simple if the eigenvalues of its representation [L1] are distinct from other eigenvalues of [A]. Thus, using the reduced form of [A] with respect to the unitary matrix [[X1][X2]], χ is a simple invariant subspace if the eigenvalues of [L1] and [L2] are distinct: 5.2.4. Perturbed Eigenvector Considering the column spaces of [X1] and [X2]   to span two complementary simple invariant subspaces, the perturbed orthogonal subspaces are defined as:   [Xˆ1] =[X1]+[X 2 ][P] (37)   [Xˆ 2 ] =[X 2]−[X1][P]T (38) in which [P] is a matrix to be determined. Thus, each perturbed subspace is defined as a summation of the exact subspace and the contribution of the complementary subspace. Considering a symmetric perturbation[E] , the perturbed matrix is defined as: Applying the theorem of invariant subspaces for perturbed matrix and perturbed subspaces, and linearizing due to a small perturbation compared to the unperturbed matrix, Eq.(34) is rewritten as: This perturbation problem is an equation for unknown [P] in the form of a Sylvesters equation in which, the uniqueness of the solution is guaranteed by the existence of simple perturbed invariant subspaces. Finally, specializing the result for one eigenvector and solving the above equation, the perturbed eigenvector is (Stewart and Sun 1990):   {xˆ1} = {x1}+[X 2 ](ÃŽ »1[I]−[L2 ])−1[X 2 ]T [E]{x1} 5.2.5 Bounding Eigenvectors for Statics For the perturbed eigenvalue problem for statics, Eq.(21),   the error matrix is: (41) ~nu [E] = [KR ] = (∑(ÃŽ µi )( i − li )[Ki ]) (42) i=12 Using the error matrix in eigenvector perturbation equation for the first eigenvector, Eq.(33) the perturbed eigenvector is: in which, {à Ã¢â‚¬ ¢1}is the first eigenvector, (ÃŽ »1) is the first eigenvalue, [ÃŽ ¦2 ] is the matrix of remaining eigenvectors and [Λ2 ] is the diagonal matrix of remaining eigenvalues obtained from the deterministic eigenvalue problem. Eq.(30,31 and 43) is used to calculate the bounds on interval eigenvalues and interval eigenvectors in the response equation, Eq.(9). In order to attain sharper results, the functional dependency of intervals in direct interval multiplications in Eq.(9) is considered. Also, input intervals are subdivided and the union of responses of subset results is obtained. 6. Numerical Example Problem The bounds on the static response for a 2-D statically indeterminate truss with interval uncertainty present in the modulus of elasticity of each element are determined (Figure 2). The crosssectional area A, the length for horizontal and vertical members L , the Youngs moduli E for all ~ elements are E = ([0.99,1.01])E . Figure 2.   The structure of 2-D truss The problem is solved using the method presented in this work. The functional dependency of intervals in the response equation is considered. A hundred-segment subdivision of input intervals is performed and the union of responses is obtained. For comparison, an exact combinatorial analysis has performed which considers lower and upper values of uncertainty for each element i.e. solving (2n = 210 =1024 ) deterministic problems. The static analysis results obtained by the present method and the brute force combination solution for the vertical displacement of the top nodes in are summarized Table (1). Lower Bound Present Method Lower Bound Combination Method Upper Bound Combination Method Upper Bound Present Method Error % U à ¢Ã… ½Ã¢â‚¬ º PL à ¢Ã… ½Ã… ¾ à ¢Ã… ½Ã…“à ¢Ã… ½Ã… ¸ à ¢Ã… ½Ã‚  AE à ¢Ã… ½Ã‚   -1.6265 -1.6244 -1.5859 -1.5838 % 0.12 Table1. Bounds on Vertical Displacement of Top Nodes The results show that the proposed robust method yields nearly sharp results in a computationally efficient manner as well as preserving the systems physics. 4.Conclusions A finite-element based method for static analysis of structural systems with interval uncertainty in mechanical properties is presented. This method proposes an interval eigenvalue decomposition of stiffness matrix. By obtaining the exact bounds on the eigenvalues and nearly sharp bounds on the eigenvectors, the proposed method is capable to obtain the nearly sharp bounds on the structures static response. Some conservative overestimation in response occurs that can be attributed to the linearization in formation of bounds of eigenvectors and also, the functional dependency of intervals in the dynamic response formulation. This method is computationally feasible and it shows that the bounds on the static response can be obtained without combinatorial or Monte-Carlo simulation procedures. This computational efficiency of the proposed method makes it attractive to introduce uncertainty into structural static analysis and design. While this methodology is shown for structural systems, its extension to various mechanics problems is straightforward. References Bellman, R. Introduction to Matrix Analysis, McGraw-Hill, New York 1960. Dief, A., Advanced Matrix theory for Scientists and Engineers, pp.262-281. Abacus Press 1991. Hollot, C. and A. Bartlett. On the eigenvalues of interval matrices, Technical Report, Department   of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 1987. Modares, M. and R. L. Mullen. Free Vibration of Structures with Interval Uncertainty. 9th ASCE Specialty Conference on Probabilistic Mechanics and Structural Reliability 2004. Moore, R. E. Interval Analysis. Prentice Hall, Englewood, NJ 1966. Muhanna, R. L. and R. L. Mullen. Uncertainty in Mechanics Problems-Interval-Based Approach. Journal of Engineering Mechanics June-2001,   pp.557-566 2001. Muhanna, R. L., Zhang H. and R. L. Mullen. Interval Finite Element as a Basis for Generalized Models of Uncertainty in Engineering Mechanics, Reliable Computing, Vol. 13, pp. 173-194, 2007. Neumaier, A. Interval Methods for Systems of Equations. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1990. Neumaier, A. and A. Pownuk. Linear Systems with Large Uncertainties, with Applications to Truss Structures, Reliable Computing, Vol. 13, pp. 149-172, 2007. Strang, G. Linear Algebra and its Applications, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1976. Stewart, G.W. and J. Sun. Matrix perturbation theory, Chapter 5. Academic Press, Boston, MA   1990.

Black House Chapter Twenty-nine

29 â€Å"YOU GUYS READY?† Dale asks. â€Å"Aw, man, I don't know,† Doc says. This isn't the fifth time he's said it, maybe not even the fifteenth. He's pale, almost hyperventilating. The four of them are in a Winnebago kind of a rolling green room that has been set up on the edge of La Follette Park. Nearby is the podium on which they'll stand (always assuming Doc can keep his legs under him) and deliver their carefully crafted answers. On the slope running down to the broad river are gathered nearly four hundred newspeople, plus camera crews from six American networks and God knows how many foreign stations. The gentlemen of the press aren't in the world's best mood, because the prime space in front of the podium has been reserved for a representative sampling (drawn by lottery) of French Landing's residents. This was Dale's one ironclad demand for the press conference. The idea for the press conference itself came from Jack Sawyer. â€Å"Mellow out, Doc,† Beezer says. He looks bigger than ever in his gray linen slacks and open-collared white shirt almost like a bear in a tuxedo. He has even made an effort to comb his acres of hair. â€Å"And if you really think you're going to do one of the Three P's piss, puke, or pass out stay here.† â€Å"Nah,† Doc says miserably. â€Å"In for a penny, in for a fuckin' pound. If we're gonna give it a try, let's give it a try.† Dale, resplendent in his dress uniform, looks at Jack. The latter is if anything more resplendent in his gray summerweight suit and dark blue silk tie. A matching blue handkerchief pokes from the breast pocket of his coat. â€Å"You sure this is the right thing?† Jack is completely sure. It's not a matter of refusing to allow Sarah Gilbertson's Color Posse to steal the limelight; it's a matter of making certain that his old friend is in an unassailable position. He can do this by telling a very simple story, which the three other men will back up. Ty will do the same, Jack is confident. The story is this: Jack's other old friend, the late Henry Leyden, figured out the Fisherman's identity from the 911 tape. This tape was supplied by Dale, his nephew. The Fisherman killed Henry, but not before the heroic Mr. Leyden had mortally wounded him and passed his name to the police. ( Jack's other interest in this press conference, understood perfectly and supported completely by Dale, is to make sure Henry gets the credit he deserves.) An examination of French Landing property records and plats uncovered the fact that Charles Burnside owned a house on Highway 35, not far out of town. Dale deputized Jack and two widebodies who just happened to be in th e vicinity (that would be Messrs. Amberson and St. Pierre), and they went on out there. â€Å"From that point on,† Jack told his friends repeatedly in the days leading up to the press conference, â€Å"it's vital that you remember the three little words that lead to most acquittals in criminal trials. And what are those words?† † ? ®I can't remember,' † Dale said. Jack nodded. â€Å"Right. If you don't have a story to remember, the bastards can never trip you up. There was something in the air inside that place â€Å" â€Å"No lie,† Beezer rumbled, and grimaced. † and it messed us up. What we do remember is this:Ty Marshall was in the backyard, handcuffed to the clothesline whirligig.† Before Beezer St. Pierre and Jack Sawyer slipped through the police barricades and vaporized Black House with plastic explosive, one reporter got out there and took numerous pictures. We know which reporter it was, of course; Wendell Green has finally realized his dreams of fame and fortune. â€Å"And Burnside was dead at his feet,† Beezer said. â€Å"Right. With the key to the handcuffs in his pocket. Dale, you found that and released the boy. There were a few other kids in the backyard, but as to how many â€Å" â€Å"We don't remember,† Doc said. â€Å"As to their sexes â€Å" â€Å"A few boys, a few girls,† Dale said. â€Å"We don't remember exactly how many of each.† â€Å"And as for Ty, how he was taken, what happened to him â€Å" â€Å"He said he didn't remember,† Dale said, smiling. â€Å"We left. We think we called to the other kids â€Å" â€Å"But don't exactly remember † the Beez chips in. â€Å"Right, and in any case they seemed safe enough where they were for the time being. It was when we were putting Ty into the cruiser that we saw them all streaming out.† â€Å"And called the Wisconsin State Police for backup,† Dale said. â€Å"I do remember that.† â€Å"Of course you do,† Jack said benevolently. â€Å"But we have no idea how that darn place got blasted all to hell, and we don't know who did it.† â€Å"Some people,† Jack said, â€Å"are all too eager to take justice into their own hands.† â€Å"Lucky they didn't blow their heads clean off,† said Dale. â€Å"All right,† Jack tells them now. They're standing at the door. Doc has produced half a joint, and four quick, deep tokes have calmed him visibly. â€Å"Just remember why we're doing this. The message is that we were there first, we found Ty, we saw only a few other children, we deemed their situation secure due to the death of Charles Burnside, also known as Carl Bierstone, the South Side Monster, and the Fisherman. The message is that Dale behaved properly that we all did and he then handed the investigation off to the FBI and WSP, who are now holding the baby. Babies, I guess in this case. The message is that French Landing is okay again. Last but far from least, the message is that Henry Leyden's the real star. The heroic blind man who I.D.'d Charles Burnside and broke the Fisherman case, mortally wounding the monster and losing his own life in the process.† â€Å"Amen,† Dale says. â€Å"Sweet old Uncle Henry.† Beyond the door of the Winnebago, he can hear the surflike rumble of hundreds of people. Maybe even a thousand. He thinks, This is what rock acts hear before they hit the stage. A lump suddenly rises in his throat and he does his best to gulp it back down. He reckons that if he keeps thinking of Uncle Henry he will be okay. â€Å"Anything else,† Jack says, â€Å"questions that get too specific â€Å" â€Å"We can't remember,† Beezer says. â€Å"Because the air was bad,† Doc agrees. â€Å"Smelled like ether or chloro or something like that.† Jack surveys them, nods, smiles. This will be a happy occasion, on the whole, he thinks. A love feast. Certainly the idea that he might be dying in a few minutes has not occurred to him. â€Å"Okay,† he says, â€Å"let's go out there and do it. We're politicians this afternoon, politicians at a press conference, and it's the politicians who stay on message who get elected.† He opens the RV's door. The rumble of the crowd deepens in anticipation. They cross to the jury-rigged platform this way: Beezer, Dale, Jack, and the good Doctor. They move in a warm white nova glare of exploding flashbulbs and 10-k TV lights. Jack has no idea why they need such things the day is bright and warm, a Coulee Country charmer but it seems they do. That they always do. Voices cry, â€Å"Over here!† repeatedly. There are also thrown questions, which they ignore. When it comes time to answer questions they will as best they can but for now they are simply stunned by the crowd. The noise begins with the two hundred or so French Landing residents sitting on folding chairs in a roped-off area directly in front of the podium. They rise to their feet, some clapping, others waving clenched fists in the air like winning boxers. The press picks it up from them, and as our four friends mount the steps to the podium, the roar becomes a thunder. We are with them, up on the platform with them, and God, we see so many faces we know looking up at us. There's Morris Rosen, who slipped Henry the Dirtysperm CD on our first day in town. Behind him is a contingent from the now defunct Maxton Elder Care: the lovely Alice Weathers is surrounded by Elmer Jesperson, Ada Meyerhoff (in a wheelchair), Flora Flostad, and the Boettcher brothers, Hermie and Tom Tom. Tansy Freneau, looking a bit spaced out but no longer outright insane, is standing next to Lester Moon, who has his arm around her. Arnold â€Å"Flashlight† Hrabowski, Tom Lund, Bobby Dulac, and the other members of Dale's department are up on their feet, dancing around and cheering crazily. Look, over there that's Enid Purvis, the neighbor who called Fred at work on the day Judy finally high-sided it. There's Rebecca Vilas, looking almost nunnish in a high-collared dress (but cry no tears for her, Argentina; Becky has stashed away quite a nice bundle, thank you very much). Butch Yerxa is with her. At the back of the crowd, lurking shamefully but unable to stay away from the triumph of their friends, are William Strassner and Hubert Cantinaro, better known to us as Kaiser Bill and Sonny. Look there! Herb Roeper, who cuts Jack's hair, standing beside Buck Evitz, who delivers his mail. So many others we know, and to whom we must say good-bye under less than happy circumstances. In the front row, Wendell Green is hopping around like a hen on a hot griddle (God knows how he got into the roped-off area, being from La Riviere instead of French Landing, but he's there), taking pictures. Twice he bum ps into Elvena Morton, Henry's housekeeper. The third time he does it, she bats him a damned good one on top of the head. Wendell hardly seems to notice. His head has taken worse shots during the course of the Fisherman investigation. And off to one side, we see someone else we may or may not recognize. An elderly, dark-skinned gentleman wearing shades. He looks a little bit like an old blues singer. He also looks a little bit like a movie actor named Woody Strode. The applause thunders and thunders. Folks cheer. Hats are thrown in the air and sail on the summer breeze. Their welcome becomes a kind of miracle in itself, an affirmation, perhaps even an acceptance of the children, who are widely supposed to have been held in some bizarre sexual bondage linked to the Internet. (Isn't all that weird stuff somehow linked to the Internet?) And of course they applaud because the nightmare is over. The boogeyman died in his own backyard, died at the foot of a prosaic, now vaporized aluminum clothes whirligig, and they are safe again. Oh how the cheers ring in these few last moments of Jack Sawyer's life on planet Earth! Birds are startled up from the bank of the river and go squawking and veering into the sky, seeking quieter environs. On the river itself, a freighter responds to the cheers or perhaps joins in by blasting its air horn over and over. Other boats get the idea and add to the cacophony. Without thinking about what he's doing, Jack takes Doc's right hand in his left, Dale's left hand in his right. Dale takes Beezer's hand, and the Sawyer Gang raises their arms together, facing the crowd. Which, of course, goes nuts. If not for what is going to happen next, it would be the picture of the decade, perhaps of the century. They stand there in triumph, living symbols of victory with their linked hands in the sky, the crowd cheering, the videocams rolling, the Nikons flashing, and that is when the woman in the third row begins to make her move. This is someone else we know, but it takes us a second or two to recognize her, because she has had nothing at all to do with the case we have been following. She's just been . . . sort of lurking around. The two hundred seats up front have been awarded by random drawing from the French Landing voter rolls, the lucky lottery winners notified by Debbi Anderson, Pam Stevens, and Dit Jesperson. This woman was No. 199. Several people shrink from her as she passes them, although in their happy frenzy they are hardly aware of doing it; this pale woman with clumps of straw-colored hair sticking to her cheeks smells of sweat and sleeplessnes s and vodka. She's got a little purse. The little purse is open. She's reaching into it. And we who have lived through the second half of the twentieth century and have through the miracle of TV witnessed a dozen assassinations and near assassinations know exactly what she is reaching for. We want to scream a warning to the four men standing with their linked hands raised to the sky, but all we can do is watch. Only the black man with the sunglasses sees what's happening. He turns and starts to move, aware that she has probably beaten him, that he is probably going to be too late. No, Speedy Parker thinks. It can't end like this, it can't. â€Å"Jack, get down!† he shouts, but no one hears him over the clapping, the cheering, the wild hurrahs. The crowd seems to block him on purpose, surging back and forth in front of him no matter which way he moves. For a moment Wendell Green, still bobbing around like a man in the throes of an epileptic seizure, is in the assassin's path. Then she heaves him aside with the strength of a madwoman. Why not? She is a madwoman. â€Å"Folks † Dale's got his mouth practically on the microphone, and the P.A. horns mounted to the nearby trees whine with feedback. He's still holding up Jack's hand on his left and Beezer's on his right. There's a small, dazed smile on his face. â€Å"Thank you, folks, we sure do appreciate the support, but if you could just quiet down . . .† That's when Jack sees her. It's been a long time, years, but he recognizes her at once. He should; she spat in his face one day as he left the Los Angeles courthouse. Spat at him and called him a railroading bastard. She's lost fifty pounds since then, Jack thinks. Maybe more. Then he sees the hand in the purse, and even before it comes back out, he knows what's happening here. The worst is that he can do nothing about it. Doc and Dale have his hands in a death grip. He drags in a deep breath and shouts as he has been taught to do in just such a situation as this â€Å"Gun!† and Dale Gilbertson nods as if to say, Yes it is, it is fun. Behind her, pushing through the clapping, cheering crowd, he sees Speedy Parker, but unless Speedy's got a particularly good magic trick up his sleeve He doesn't. Speedy Parker, known in the Territories as Parkus, is just fighting his way into the aisle when the woman standing below the platform brings out her gun. It's an ugly little thing, a bulldog .32 with its handle wrapped in black kitchen tape, and Jack has just half a second to think that maybe it will blow up in her hand. â€Å"Gun!† Jack shouts again, and it's Doc Amberson who hears him and sees the snarling woman crouched just below them. â€Å"Ohfuck,† Doc says. â€Å"Wanda, no!† Jack cries. Doc has let go of his left hand (Dale has still got his right one hoisted high in the summer air) and Jack holds it out to her like a traffic cop. Wanda Kinderling's first bullet goes right through the palm, mushrooms slightly, begins to tumble, and punches into the hollow of Jack's left shoulder. Wanda speaks to him. There's too much noise for Jack to hear her, but he knows what she's saying, just the same: Here you go, you railroading son of a bitch Thorny says hello. She empties the remaining five bullets into Jack Sawyer's chest and throat. No one hears the insignificant popping sounds made by Wanda's bulldog .32, not over all that clapping and cheering, but Wendell Green has got his camera tilted up, and when the detective jerks backward, our favorite reporter's finger punches the Nikon's shutter-release button in simple reflex. It snaps off eight shots. The third is the picture, the one that will eventually become as well known as the photo of the Marines raising the flag on Iwo Jima and that of Lee Harvey Oswald clutching his belly in the parking garage of the Dallas police station. In Wendell's photo, Jack Sawyer looks calmly down toward the shooter (who is just a blur at the very bottom of the frame). The expression on his face might be one of forgiveness. Daylight is clearly visible through the hole in the palm of his outstretched hand. Droplets of blood, as red as rubies, hang frozen in the air beside his throat, which has been torn open. The cheering and the applause stop as if amputated. There is a moment of awful, uncomprehending silence. Jack Sawyer, shot twice in the lungs and once in the heart, as well as in the hand and the throat, stands where he is, gazing at the hole below his spread fingers and above his wrist. Wanda Kinderling peers up at him with her dingy teeth bared. Speedy Parker is looking at Jack with an expression of naked horror that his wraparound sunglasses cannot conceal. To his left, up on one of four media towers surrounding the platform, a young cameraman faints and falls to the ground. Then, suddenly, the freeze-frame that Wendell has captured without even knowing it bursts open and everything is in motion. Wanda Kinderling screams â€Å"See you in hell, Hollywood† several people will later verify this and then puts the muzzle of her .32 to her temple. Her look of vicious satisfaction gives way to a more typical one of dazed incomprehension when the twitch of her finger produces nothing but a dry click. The bulldog .32 is empty. A moment later she is pretty much obliterated broken neck, broken left shoulder, four broken ribs as Doc stage-dives onto her and drives her to the ground. His left shoe strikes the side of Wendell Green's head, but this time Wendell sustains no more than a bloody ear. Well, he was due to catch a break, wasn't he? On the platform, Jack Sawyer looks unbelievingly at Dale, tries to speak, and cannot. He staggers, remains upright a moment longer, then collapses. Dale's face has gone from bemused delight to utter shock and dismay in a heartbeat. He seizes the microphone and screams, â€Å"HE'S SHOT! WE NEED A DOCTOR!† The P.A. horns shriek with more feedback. No doctor comes forward. Many in the crowd panic and begin to run. The panic spreads. Beezer is down on one knee, turning Jack over. Jack looks up at him, still trying to speak. Blood pours from the corners of his mouth. â€Å"Ah fuck, it's bad, Dale, it's really bad,† Beezer cries, and then he is knocked sprawling. One wouldn't expect that the scrawny old black man who's vaulted up onto the stage could knock around a bruiser like Beezer, but this is no ordinary old man. As we well know. There is a thin but perfectly visible envelope of white light surrounding him. Beezer sees it. His eyes widen. The crowd, meanwhile, flees to the four points of the compass. Panic infects some of the ladies and gentlemen of the press, as well. Not Wen-dell Green; he holds his ground like a hero, snapping pictures until his Nikon is as empty as Wanda Kinderling's gun. He snaps the black man as he stands with Jack Sawyer in his arms; snaps Dale Gilbertson putting a hand on the black man's shoulder; snaps the black man turning and speaking to Dale. When Wendell later asks French Landing's chief of police what the old fellow said, Dale tells him he doesn't remember besides, in all that pandemonium, he could hardly make it out, anyway. All bullshit, of course, but we may be sure that if Jack Sawyer had heard Dale's response, he would have been proud. When in doubt, tell 'em you can't remember. Wendell's last picture shows Dale and Beezer watching with identical dazed expressions as the old fellow mounts the steps to the Winnebago with Jack Sawyer still in his arms. Wendell has no idea how such an old party can carry such a big man Sawyer is six-two and must go a hundred and ninety at least but he supposes it's the same sort of deal that allows a distraught mother to lift up the car or truck beneath which her kid is pinned. And it doesn't matter. It's small beans compared to what happens next. Because when a group of men led by Dale, Beez, and Doc burst into the Winnebago (Wendell is at the rear of this group), they find nothing but a single overturned chair and several splashes of Jack Sawyer's blood in the kitchenette where Jack gave his little gang their final instructions. The trail of blood leads toward the rear, where there's a foldout bed and a toilet cubicle. And there the drops and splashes simply stop. Jack and the old man who carried him in here have vanished. Doc and Beezer are babbling, almost in hysterics. They bounce between questions of where Jack might have gone to distraught recollections of the final few moments on the platform before the shooting started. They can't seem to let that go, and Dale has an idea it will be quite a while before he can let go of it himself. He realizes now that Jack saw the woman coming, that he was trying to get his hand free of Dale's so he could respond. Dale thinks it may be time to quite the chief's job after all, find some other line of work. Not right now, though. Right now he wants to get Beezer and Doc away from the Color Posse, get them calmed down. He has something to tell them that may help with that. Tom Lund and Bobby Dulac join him, and the three of them escort Beez and Doc away from the Winnebago, where Special Agent Redding and WSP Detective Black are already establishing a CIP (crime investigation perimeter). Once they're behind the platform, Dale looks into the stunned faces of the two burly bikers. â€Å"Listen to me,† Dale says. â€Å"I should have stepped in front of him,† Doc says. â€Å"I saw her coming, why didn't I step in front â€Å" â€Å"Shut up and listen!† Doc shuts up. Tom and Bobby are also listening, their eyes wide. â€Å"That black man said something to me.† â€Å"What?† Beezer asks. â€Å"He said, ? ®Let me take him there may still be a chance.' â€Å" Doc, who has treated his share of gunshot wounds, gives a forlorn little chuckle. â€Å"And you believed him?† â€Å"Not then, not exactly,† Dale says. â€Å"But when we went in there and the place was empty â€Å" â€Å"No back door, either,† Beezer adds. Doc's skepticism has faded a little. â€Å"You really think . . . ?† â€Å"I do,† Dale Gilbertson says, and wipes his eyes. â€Å"I have to hope. And you guys have to help me.† â€Å"All right,† Beezer says. â€Å"Then we will.† And we think that here we must leave them for good, standing under a blue summer sky close to the Father of Waters, standing beside a platform with blood on the boards. Soon life will catch them up again and pull them back into its furious current, but for a few moments they are together, joined in hope for our mutual friend. Let us leave them so, shall we? Let us leave them hoping. ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE TERRITORIES . . . ONCE UPON A TIME (as all the best old stories used to begin when we all lived in the forest and nobody lived anywhere else), a scarred Captain of the Outer Guards named Farren led a frightened little boy named Jack Sawyer through the Queen's Pavilion. That small boy did not see the Queen's court, however; no, he was taken through a maze of corridors behind the scenes, secret and seldom-visited places where spiders spun in the high corners and the warm drafts were heavy with the smells of cooking from the kitchen. Finally, Farren placed his hands in the boy's armpits and lifted him up. There's a panel in front of you now, he whispered do you remember? I think you were there. I think we both were, although we were younger then, weren't we? Slide it to the left. Jack did as he was bidden, and found himself peeking into the Queen's chamber; the room in which almost everyone expected her to die . . . just as Jack expected his mother to die in her room at the Alhambra Inn and Gardens in New Hampshire. It was a bright, airy room filled with bustling nurses who had assumed a busy and purposeful manner because they had no real idea of how to help their patient. The boy looked through the peephole into this room, at a woman he at first thought was his own mother somehow magically transported to this place, and we looked with him, none of us guessing that years later, grown to a man, Jack Sawyer would be lying in the same bed where he first saw his mother's Twinner. Parkus, who has brought him from French Landing to the Inner Baronies, now stands at the panel through which Jack, hoisted by Captain Farren, once looked. Beside him is Sophie of Canna, now known in the Territories as both the Young Queen and Sophie the Good. There are no nurses in the sleeping chamber today; Jack lies silent beneath a slowly turning fan. Where he is not wrapped in bandages, his skin is pale. His closed eyelids are hazed with a delicate purple bruise-blush. The rise and fall of the fine linen sheet drawn up to his chin can hardly be seen . . . but it's there. He breathes. For now, at least, he lives. Speaking quietly, Sophie says, â€Å"If he'd never touched the Talisman â€Å" â€Å"If he'd never touched the Talisman, actually held it in his arms, he would have been dead there on that platform before I could even get close to him,† Parkus says. â€Å"But of course, if not for the Talisman, he never would have been there in the first place.† â€Å"What chance has he?† She looks at him. Somewhere, in another world, Judy Marshall has already begun to subside back into her ordinary suburban life. There will be no such life for her Twinner, however hard times have come again in this part of the universe and her eyes gleam with an imperious, regal light. â€Å"Tell me the truth, sir; I would not have a lie.† â€Å"Nor would I give you one, my lady,† he tells her. â€Å"I believe that, thanks to the residual protection of the Talisman, he will recover. You'll be sitting next to him one morning or evening and his eyes will open. Not today, and probably not this week, but soon.† â€Å"And as for returning to his world? The world of his friends?† Parkus has brought her to this place because the spirit of the boy Jack was still lingers, ghostly and child-sweet. He was here before the road of trials opened ahead of him, and in some ways hardened him. He was here with his innocence still intact. What has surprised him about Jack as a grown man and touched him in a way Parkus never expected to be touched again is how much of that innocence still remained in the man the boy has become. That too is the Talisman's doing, of course. â€Å"Parkus? Your mind wanders.† â€Å"Not far, my lady; not far. You ask if he may return to his world after being mortally wounded three, perhaps even four times after being heart-pierced, in fact. I brought him here because all the magic that has touched and changed his life is stronger here; for good or ill, the Territories have been Jack Sawyer's wellspring since he was a child. And it worked. He lives. But he will wake different. He'll be like . . .† Parkus pauses, thinking hard. Sophie waits quietly beside him. Distantly, from the kitchen, comes the bellow of a cook lacing into one of the ‘prentices. â€Å"There are animals that live in the sea, breathing with gills,† Parkus says at last. â€Å"And over time's long course, some of them develop lungs. Such creatures can live both under the water and on the land. Yes?† â€Å"So I was taught as a girl,† Sophie agrees patiently. â€Å"But some of these latter creatures lose their gills and can live only on the land. Jack Sawyer is that sort of creature now, I think. You or I could dive into the water and swim beneath the surface for a little while, and he may be able to go back and visit his own world for short periods . . . in time, of course. But if either you or I were to try living beneath the water â€Å" â€Å"We'd drown.† â€Å"Indeed we would. And if Jack were to try living in his own world again, returning to his little house in Norway Valley, for instance, his wounds would return in a space of days or weeks. Perhaps in different forms his death certificate might specify heart failure, for instance but it would be Wanda Kinderling's bullet that killed him, all the same. Wanda Kinderling's heart shot.† Parkus bares his teeth. â€Å"Hateful woman! I believe the abbalah was aware of her no more than I was, but look at the damage she's caused!† Sophie ignores this. She is looking at the silent, sleeping man in the other room. â€Å"Condemned to live in such a pleasant land as this . . .† She turns to him. â€Å"It is a pleasant land, isn't it, sirrah? Still a pleasant land, in spite of all?† Parkus smiles and bows. Around his neck, a shark's tooth swings at the end of a fine gold necklace. â€Å"Indeed it is.† She nods briskly. â€Å"So living here might not be so terrible.† He says nothing. After a moment or two, her assumed briskness departs, and her shoulders sag. â€Å"I'd hate it,† she says in a small voice. â€Å"To be barred from my own world except for occasional brief visits . . . paroles . . . to have to leave at the first cough or twinge in my chest . . . I'd hate it.† Parkus shrugs. â€Å"He'll have to accept what is. Like it or not, his gills are gone. He's a creature of the Territories now. And God the Carpenter knows there's work for him over here. The business of the Tower is moving toward its climax. I believe Jack Sawyer may have a part to play in that, although I can't say for sure. In any case, when he heals, he won't want for work. He's a coppiceman, and there's always work for such.† She looks through the slit in the wall, her lovely face troubled. â€Å"You must help him, dear,† Parkus says. â€Å"I love him,† she says, speaking very low. â€Å"And he loves you. But what's coming will be difficult.† â€Å"Why must that be, Parkus? Why must life always demand so much and give so little?† He draws her into his arms and she goes willingly, her face pressed against his chest. In the dark behind the chamber in which Jack Sawyer sleeps, Parkus answers her question with a single word: Ka. Epilogue SHE SITS BY his bed on the first night of Full-Earth Moon, ten days after her conversation with Parkus in the secret passageway. Outside the pavilion, she can hear children singing â€Å"The Green Corn A-Dayo.† On her lap is a scrap of embroidery. It is summer, still summer, and the air is sweet with summer's mystery. And in this billowing room where his mother's Twinner once lay, Jack Sawyer opens his eyes. Sophie lays aside her embroidery, leans forward, and puts her lips soft against the shell of his ear. â€Å"Welcome back,† she says. â€Å"My heart, my life, and my love: welcome back.† April 14, 2001