Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Systems in Earth Abides essays

Systems in Earth Abides essays In George R. Stewarts novel Earth Abides, a vivid and highly detailed future of society is painted. After a fast spreading and fast acting disease has all but destroyed civilization, seemingly infecting nothing but humans, only a few survivors are left to live on and determine the future of the human race. But how will the once stable ecosystem of an entire planet react to such a drastic change as the end of civilization as we know it? To answer this question it is important to understand the many concepts and processes involved in systems. First, it is imperative to understand what a system is. A system is a structured set of components which are related to each other and which operate together as a complex whole. There are several types of systems, with the most common being open and closed systems. Consider the desert in chapter 3. As an example of an open system, that is, one in which both energy and materials pass through the system, the materials passing through are the humans and their chips of stone and roads, while the energy could be the wind blowing through. It becomes a closed system, that is, one in which only energy passes through, when the human intervention ceased, and all that is left was the wind (although technically grains of sand could be carried out of the system). Initially after the fall, little changed. For example, the novels main character, Isherwood Williams, henceforth referred to as Ish, was on an almost hermetic research retreat at the beginning of the novel, and thus knows nothing of the plague until he heads into town one day. Upon his first contacts with abandoned homes, there is so little changed that he thinks nothing of it other than perhaps the inhabitants are on vacation, or at a baseball game. As time began to pass, however, the full effect of the loss of civilization on the environment began to be felt. Dogs and cats that had been left in kennels or ho...

Friday, November 22, 2019

How to Stay Organized in College

How to Stay Organized in College You might have had grand plans about getting organized in college. And yet, despite your best intentions, your plans for organization seemed to slip through your fingers. So how can you stay organized for the long road ahead? Fortunately, although there are a zillion things to manage between your first day of classes and your last, staying organized in college is a lot easier than you might think. With a little advanced planning and the right skill set, staying organized can become more of your routine instead of just your ideal. Try Various Time Management Systems If you were wholly dedicated to making some fancy schmancy new calendaring app work for you this semester, but it ended up not working at all, dont be too hard on yourself. That means a particular system didnt work for you, not that youre bad at time management. Keep trying (and trying and trying) new time management systems until you find one that clicks. And if that means using a good, old-fashioned paper calendaring system, so be it. Having some calendar is the most important part of staying organized through the chaos that is college. Keep Your Dorm Room Clean When you lived at home, you had to keep your room relatively clean. But now that youre in college, you can keep your dorm room as messy as you want, right? Wrong! As silly as it sounds, a messy dorm room can represent a messy college life. Keeping your living space clean can help with everything from preventing you from losing your keys (again) to being able to mentally focus when you need to since you wont be visually distracted by all the junk on your desk. Additionally, keeping your space clean doesnt have to take a lot of time and will lead to all those little things that make you feel like youre in control of your own life: having clean clothes to choose from in the morning, knowing where that FAFSA form went, always having your cell phone charged. If keeping your dorm room clean seems like a waste of time, spend one-week tracking how much time you spend maintaining it clean and another week tracking how much time you spend looking for stuff or trying to recover from things youve lost (like that FAFSA form). You might surprise yourself. Stay on Top of Your Responsibilities When you are faced with anything that connects with your college life responsibilities - from a cell phone bill to an email from your mom about when youre coming home for Thanksgiving - make yourself do one of four things: Do it Schedule it Toss itFile it As an example, spending the next month arguing with your mom over when youll fly home will take ten times as much time as it will for you to just give her some dates when she brings it up. And if you arent sure yet, figure out a day by which you will be sure - and then put it into your calendaring system. Your mom will leave you alone, youll knock something off your to-do list, and you wont have to spend time telling yourself Oh shoot, I need to figure out Thanksgiving a million times a day between now and then. Spend Time Each Week Reorganizing Youre in college because youve got a great brain. So put it to use on all you have to do outside of the classroom! Just like a finely tuned athlete, your mind is learning, expanding, and strengthening each week; youre in school. Consequently, what organizing systems worked for you a month or two ago might not work any longer. Spend a few moments looking at what you got done, what youre doing, and what youll need to do over the next few weeks. While it may seem like a waste of time, those precious minutes can save you a lot of lost time - and a lot of disorganization - in the future. Plan Ahead to Stay Ahead Everyone knows that student who always says, Oh, I cant do something then, Ill be up all night cramming for my midterm. Really? Because that is just planning to be disorganized! Plan for everything you have to do. If you have a significant event youre planning, make sure your homework is done ahead of time so you can focus on your event when the time comes. If you know you have a major paper due, plan to work on it - and finish it - a few days in advance. Since its on your calendar and in your master plan, youll stay organized and on top of your tasks without even having to think about it. Take Care of Your Physical, Emotional, and Mental Health Being in college is hard - and not just academically. If youre not eating healthy, getting enough sleep, finding time to exercise, and overall treating yourself kindly, it will catch up with you sooner or later. And its impossible to get and stay organized if you dont have the physical, emotional, and mental energy to function. So give yourself a little TLC and remember that taking care of your health is an integral part of reaching your college goals.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Innovation Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Innovation Management - Essay Example In the current business environment, technological innovation is the key driver of achieving competitive advantage among the companies. Firms rely on the recently developed products as the major sources of revenue and increase in the profit margin. Thus, innovation is becoming a metric measure of the current performance level of firms in different sectors. Globalization has taken, and is taking place in the business world (Aalbers et al., 2014). As such, it has contributed towards the development of innovative strategies among the firms. Such emerges from the foreign pressure that local firms receive in terms of the quality of their products and services. Therefore, companies are engaging in the production of differentiated products and services so that they can survival foreign competition. The introduction of the new products ensures that firms have the potential of protecting their margins and lowering their production costs. Such includes improving on abilities of the firms in th e competitive market. Technological advancements have also triggered firms to focus on innovation. These advancements include computer-aided manufacturing and computer-aided design, which help in the short-run production, as well as the attainment of economies of scale within the production chain. The aim is to ensure that the products and services meet the customer needs. Such is essential because different customers express unique needs in terms of the quality of the quality of services and products that they receive from the market.

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Wireless network implementation (Enterprise Network Design (Aston)) Case Study

Wireless network implementation (Enterprise Network Design (Aston)) - Case Study Example There will be a mesh topology setup in the core and distribution layers. Along with the redundant paths there will be redundant hardware in those layers. This will allow for more throughput and fault tolerance. QoS will also be implemented in all layers of the network to improve performance. The current reliability problems are half hardware failure and half over utilization of circuits. With the addition of QoS and redundancy, we can assure that mission critical applications will never fail. Aston is a leading firm in the private sector legal support business. These accounts are served worldwide by their franchise network. As you can tell, Aston is on a mission to keep trucks rolling by creating and delivering the best products and services for customers. The current network design analysis showed us that there are strong areas of the network and many weak areas. The current networks strongest point is in the campus backbone. Currently there is a full mesh between all routers. Because of this setup the backbone is the strongest part of the network. However, the backbone is currently running on 100 Mbps copper which is causing bottlenecks during peak usage. The existing network has far more weak areas then strong ones. We found one of the weakest areas of the network to be in the server farm. ... Also, all connections were made with copper to the campus backbone which limits the speed. Another area of concern is with the building distribution layer. This layer also has no layer 3 capabilities and has no redundant paths. There are multiple switches in the building distribution but in the event of a failure the core will have to reroute all traffic due to lack of appropriate redundancy. Another area that lacks redundancy is the edge distribution module. Currently if the edge distribution router were to fail, all internet and internal communications with other branches would be lost. Along with lack of redundancy, there were many security concerns. Currently there is only one firewall and it is placed between the internet service provider and the edge distribution router. This is a good start to securing the network but there is a lack of intrusion detection which is a concern. Also, the current e-commerce connection is in front of the firewall which provides absolutely no protection to the e-commerce server from the outside world. Finally, the other area of concern is the lack of outside accessibility. Currently there is only one remote access server which accepts incoming modem connections. The current system is not capable of support the very large mobile work force of Aston and it does not support current technology. In order for a remote worker to gain access to the network they have to have a dial up modem and a telephone line. Once the connection is made the speed is slow and the functionality is limited. Along with the lack of speed and functionality, the network is limited on its ability to upgrade to VPN technology. Currently there is only one internet service provider that only provides 3 Mbps which is barely enough

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Music theatre history Essay Example for Free

Music theatre history Essay Miss Saigon is the tenth-longest running Broadway Musical in music theatre history, according to Hernandez (2009). Such was its success that it has toured all over the world since its opening day in April 1991 (Broadway Musical Home n. d. ). The plot of the play is simple enough, a Marine fell in love with a young Vietnamese call girl while in Vietnam, serving in the Vietnam war (Music Theatre International n. d. ). He fathers her child but does not discover it until a few years later when he has another family from coming back to America (Music Theatre International n. d. ). In the play, he was forced to choose between his legal wife and the woman he loves (Music Theatre International n. d. ). The composer of the songs in the musical is Claude-Michel Schonberg, the lyricists are Alain Boubil and Richard Maltby Jr. and the librettists are Claude-Michel Schonberg and Alain Boubil (Broadway Musical Home n. d. ). My experience Over a decade ago, I was fortunate enough to watch a production of Miss Saigon on Broadway with the original casts. These casts were: Hinton Battle, Barry K. Bernal, Liz Callaway, Kam Cheng, Willy Falk, Jonathan Pryce, Lea Salonga. I understand that Salonga and Pryce are Olivier and Tony award winners for their performances as Kim (the Vietnamese girl) and the Engineer (the pimp) for this musical. Back then, I was so overwhelmed by the production. I thought the cast was fantastic; Salonga was so good, so very convincing as Kim. She had such a powerful voice, constant and unwavering, so pleasant to listen to. I was perhaps 10 or 11 when I saw that original production on Broadway, and it was an amazing experience. At the time, I could not fully comprehend the seriousness of the issues being tackled in the script. I just knew I liked listening to the songs and I bought a CD to remember the play. When I was vacationing in Houston, Texas last February, I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to see Miss Saigon again. I do not quite remember the Broadway actors who have played it, and to be honest, I have did not pay close attention, I simply wanted to see the reproduction of that Broadway play I remember from long ago. A quick search on Google tells me that this reproduction played at The Hobby Center for the Performing Arts was directed by Bruce Lumpkin. Kim, is played by Melinda Chua, Chris (the Marine) is played by Eric Kunze and Joseph Anthony plays the Engineer (BWW News Desk 2010). Having listened to the original cast’s CD of the play, the new cast fell short of the vocal prowess I have come to love. As such, I was underwhelmed by the casting and their singing despite their respective accomplishments in their craft. Salonga was just too strong a performer for me and her voice was perfect, in my opinion. The songs â€Å"Sun and Moon† and â€Å"Last Night of the World† did not have the certain charm they used to have with that reproduction’s performance. What I am thankful for for this reviewing is that I fully understand now what Miss Saigon is all about. I remember the story from memory and I knew it had a tragic ending. However, this second watching of the film helped open my eyes to the grave issues involved in the play. First, it talked about the horrors that war can do, especially to the innocent. Kim was orphaned because of the war and being an orphan forced her to work in a night club where all sorts of horror can be imagined. A third world country like Vietnam, would not miss the chance to serve the enemy for some good money. One particular scene that was intriguing for me was during the opening acts when the girls at the night club were competing to be Miss Saigon, the winner will be auctioned off to a Marine and the winner of such contest begged the Marine she was auctioned to to take her back to America, where she can live a better life. The Marine there refused. It shows how America is such the dream land for the third world country people. America that was their enemy in the war, who was killing their men in its continuous search for imperialism. Kim, in that night club met Chris, another Marine. Kim and Chris spent the night together, Chris was touched by the innocence of Kim and he tried to give her money so she can get away from the night club. Kim did not accept the money, even for her fee for spending a night with Chris. She was a virgin and she did not accept the money because, essentially she liked the experience and perhaps because she was developing feelings for Chris. Basically, Kim and Chris fell in love but Chris had to leave but before leaving he promised Kim that he will come back and marry her. This of course, did not happen because of a series of events that thwarted their love. Chris married another woman and before the play ended, he was forced to choose between Kim and his wife, he chose his wife. Kim committed suicide and such was the ending to this wonderful musical play. Such love story was poignant, evoking feelings of melancholy. References: BWW News Desk. (2010). TUTS Announces Their MISS SAIGON Cast, Show Opens 2/9. BroadwayWorld. com – Dallas. Retrieved 21 July 2010 from http://dallas.broadwayworld. com/article/TUTS_Announces_Their_MISS_SAIGON_Cast_Show_Opens_29_20100115 Broadway Musical Home. (n. d. ). Miss Saigon. Retrieved 21 July 2010 from http://www. broadwaymusicalhome. com/shows/misssaigon. htm Hernandez, E. (2009). Long Runs on Broadway. Playbill. com. Retrieved 21 July 2010 from http://www. playbill. com/celebritybuzz/article/75222-Long-Runs-on-Broadway Music Theater International. (n. d. ). Miss Saigon. Retrieved 21 July 2010 from http://www. mtishows. com/show_detail. asp? showid=000156

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Nortel Meridian :: essays research papers

INPUT/OUTPUT CRASH COURSE Meridian crash course faq798-5880 Posted: 20 May 05 (Edited 3 Jun 05) Programming Meridian SL1 PBX This is a short introduction into programming a Meridian PBX. The Meridian PBX's software divides information into LOADS. Each Load has a specific function for example. LD 20 is where you can print information about phones. The loads range from LD 01 - LD 143 How to HyperTerminal in to the PBX and VOICEMAIL Systems. 1. Launch HyperTerminal 2. Set phone number to your modem dialin number 3. Set terminal emulation to VT102 X Modem 4. Dial†¦ it should end up at a blank HyperTerminal window 5. Type the password to access the PBX modem. This will not show up on the screen when you type it. The screen should now display â€Å"Ok, You are now transparent to port 1†. 6. Type â€Å"logi† to login, then the password. 7. You should now have a > command prompt. To go from PBX commands to VOICEMAIL (in Hyperterminal) 1. Go to â€Å"File†, â€Å"Properties†, â€Å"Settings† and set the terminal emulation to VT100. 2. At the >, type â€Å"AX† 3. Hit â€Å"F1† to bring up the command bar at the bottom. 4. Hit â€Å"F1† again to Logon To go from VOICEMAIL back to PBX (in Hyperterminal) 1. EXIT all the way out of VOICEMAIL, back to where F1 says â€Å"logon† (lower left button) 2. Go to â€Å"File†, â€Å"Properties†, â€Å"Settings† and set the terminal emulation to VT52. 3. hit â€Å"Ctrl ]† TO EXIT IMPORTANT – Do NOT exit HyperTerminal until you have logged out of BOTH the VOICEMAIL and PBX Command System (â€Å"logo† is the PBX logout command) Basic commands LOGI = LOG IN LOGO = LOG OUT **** = TO CLOSE LOAD ** = RETURN TO REQ PROMPT ERR SCHXXXX = Explanation of error code ( ovl†¦sch†¦) DNB = DIRECTORY NUMBER (DN) a.k.a. phone extension ex: 2300 TNB = TERMINAL NUMBER (TN) (port number on the switch) = i.e. 24 00 02 05 - 24=Loop 00=Shelf 02=Card 05=Unit = *Please note: Enter "spaces" between the numbers: CUST: Customer number (almost always "0" unless you have more then one customer set up) Short Cut's For Option 11's: When entering the "TN" information you don't have to insert all the 0's. i.e. 09 00 00 02 would only be 9 2. ============================================================ Logging in: Be carful not to log in more than 3 time incorrectly, If you see OVL400 this means you are locked out for up to 45 Minutes. You should see this when you press return:">" or "OVL000"

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Protection and Freedom: Why We Need Our Right to Bear Arms Essay

Fourteen-year-old Jessica Carpenter was left to babysit her younger siblings while her parents were running errands the morning of August 23, 2000. Armed with only a pitchfork, Jonathon David Bruce, who was high on drugs, entered the home and began chasing and stabbing the children. Jessica’s father had taught her how to use a firearm, but she could not access the gun because it was locked up in accordance with California state law. She was left unprotected and unable to defend herself and her family (Pratt). Situations like these are why it is necessary for our right to bear arms to not be infringed. Guns, when allowed to be carried by citizens, can cause a decrease in crime. â€Å"If a criminal thinks his potential victim may be armed, he may be deterred from committing the crime† (Freakonomics) The right to bear arms is necessary because it is constitutionally protected under the second amendment, leads to safer communities, offers personal protection, and because gun control is essentially impossible and would only lead to a false sense of security. One of the main arguments used by proponents of gun control against the right to bear arms is that guns kill people. There are several circumstances in which guns are used to cause death: accidents, protection, and murder. As humans, we are prone to make mistakes. Sadly, mistakes with a gun can cost a life, and unfortunately, these mistakes cannot always be avoided no matter what safety precautions are taken. Murder, on the other hand, is not a gun’s decision. Whether the act was premeditated or not, it was the actions of the person with the gun, not the weapon. Therefore, an appropriate slogan is â€Å" Guns Don’t Kill People, People Kill People,† which is now the official slogan of the National Riffle Association (NRA). Lastly, guns are needed for protection. A gun is used to protect an individual from another individual, a group or the government. Often we see where a store clerk used a gun to shoot an armed person who was trying to rob him, or where a homeowner has shot a burglar. In addition, there were no means for the Jews to protect themselves from the Nazis during the Holocaust. The German government was corrupt, and the Jews were not allowed to have guns, or any other form of protection, and, therefore, had no means to defend themselves. Because of the lack of any means of self-protection, millions of innocent people died. The Constitution of the United States is based-off of John Locke’s â€Å"Social Contract,† which in essence says that the citizenry has a right to revolt against their government if it is corrupt. It is the government’s duty to fulfill our right to self-preservation. The government’s role is to protect us, and we also have a right to protect ourselves; taking away the right to bear arms restricts the ability to protect oneself. Being able to protect oneself, being armed, decreases the likelihood that a crime will be committed against that person. The Second Amendment was added to the Constitution on December 12, 1792. It stated, â€Å"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed†(Constitution). â€Å"Gun control proponents have argued that the use of the word ‘people’ in this Amendment refers not to the civilian population of the United States, but to the State National Guard Units.† (Agresti). James Madison, who was responsible for proposing the Second Amendment, argued, â€Å"that a standing federal army could not be capable of conducting a coup to take over the nation. He estimated that based on the country’s population at the time, a federal standing army could not field more than 25,000 – 30,000 men† (Agresti). This means that if the government were to be attacked, the citizenry would have to have protection from tyranny. The citizenry would have protection against the crime of tyranny because it would be armed. Therefore, revoking a citizen’s right to bear arms is not only a constitutional violation, but also threatens the freedoms of Americans. If we as citizens of the United States allow our Second Amendment right to be restricted, it only sets a precedent for other rights, such as the freedom of speech or freedom of the press, to be restricted as well. The essential purpose of the Constitution of the United States was to set limitations on the powers of government rather than grant them powers. The founders believed that the true obligation was to the citizens, and thus the bill of rights was created in order to protect individual freedoms. By mandating the control of firearms, the government is removing the Second Amendment’s guaranteed right to self-protection, and consequently allowing its citizens to be predisposed to criminals. The right to bear arms helps maintain the safety of society. This security is established through a simple apprehension of not knowing who is armed and who is not. While there are other means of protection, carrying a gun is a basic, Constitutional right, and every person is entitled to receive the most amount of protection possible. It is also evident in other countries how gun control negatively affects society. Countries that have strict gun control measures have a much higher crime rate than countries that allow its citizens to have guns. For instance, â€Å"In 1900, when England had no gun controls, the homicide rate was only 1.0 per 100,000. Moreover, using data through 1996, the U.S. Department of Justice study ‘Crime and Justice’ concluded that in England the robbery rate was 1.4 times higher, the assault rate was 2.3 times higher, and the burglary rate was 1.7 times higher than in the U.S.† (Halbrook). Laws were passed in England in 1953 and 1967 made it illegal for any person to carry a weapon (Waters). This shows that when citizens are legally allowed to posses and carry a gun crime rates are lower.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

A Game of Thrones Chapter Twenty-eight

Catelyn My lady, you ought cover your head,† Ser Rodrik told her as their horses plodded north. â€Å"You will take a chill.† â€Å"It is only water, Ser Rodrik,† Catelyn replied. Her hair hung wet and heavy, a loose strand stuck to her forehead, and she could imagine how ragged and wild she must look, but for once she did not care. The southern rain was soft and warm. Catelyn liked the feel of it on her face, gentle as a mother's kisses. It took her back to her childhood, to long grey days at Riverrun. She remembered the godswood, drooping branches heavy with moisture, and the sound of her brother's laughter as he chased her through piles of damp leaves. She remembered making mud pies with Lysa, the weight of them, the mud slick and brown between her fingers. They had served them to Littlefinger, giggling, and he'd eaten so much mud he was sick for a week. How young they all had been. Catelyn had almost forgotten. In the north, the rain fell cold and hard, and sometimes at night it turned to ice. It was as likely to kill a crop as nurture it, and it sent grown men running for the nearest shelter. That was no rain for little girls to play in. â€Å"I am soaked through,† Ser Rodrik complained. â€Å"Even my bones are wet.† The woods pressed close around them, and the steady pattering of rain on leaves was accompanied by the small sucking sounds their horses made as their hooves pulled free of the mud. â€Å"We will want a fire tonight, my lady, and a hot meal would serve us both.† â€Å"There is an inn at the crossroads up ahead,† Catelyn told him. She had slept many a night there in her youth, traveling with her father. Lord Hoster Tully had been a restless man in his prime, always riding somewhere. She still remembered the innkeep, a fat woman named Masha Heddle who chewed sourleaf night and day and seemed to have an endless supply of smiles and sweet cakes for the children. The sweet cakes had been soaked with honey, rich and heavy on the tongue, but how Catelyn had dreaded those smiles. The sourleaf had stained Masha's teeth a dark red, and made her smile a bloody horror. â€Å"An inn,† Ser Rodrik repeated wistfully. â€Å"If only . . . but we dare not risk it. If we wish to remain unknown, I think it best we seek out some small holdfast . . . † He broke off as they heard sounds up the road; splashing water, the clink of mail, a horse's whinny. â€Å"Riders,† he warned, his hand dropping to the hilt of his sword. Even on the kingsroad, it never hurt to be wary. They followed the sounds around a lazy bend of the road and saw them; a column of armed men noisily fording a swollen stream. Catelyn reined up to let them pass. The banner in the hand of the foremost rider hung sodden and limp, but the guardsmen wore indigo cloaks and on their shoulders flew the silver eagle of Seagard. â€Å"Mallisters,† Ser Rodrik whispered to her, as if she had not known. â€Å"My lady, best pull up your hood.† Catelyn made no move. Lord Jason Mallister himself rode with them, surrounded by his knights, his son Patrek by his side and their squires close behind. They were riding for King's Landing and the Hand's tourney, she knew. For the past week, the travelers had been thick as flies upon the kingsroad; knights and freeriders, singers with their harps and drums, heavy wagons laden with hops or corn or casks of honey, traders and craftsmen and whores, and all of them moving south. She studied Lord Jason boldly. The last time she had seen him he had been jesting with her uncle at her wedding feast; the Mallisters stood bannermen to the Tullys, and his gifts had been lavish. His brown hair was salted with white now, his face chiseled gaunt by time, yet the years had not touched his pride. He rode like a man who feared nothing. Catelyn envied him that; she had come to fear so much. As the riders passed, Lord Jason nodded a curt greeting, but it was only a high lord's courtesy to strangers chance met on the road. There was no recognition in those fierce eyes, and his son did not even waste a look. â€Å"He did not know you,† Ser Rodrik said after, wondering. â€Å"He saw a pair of mud-spattered travelers by the side of the road, wet and tired. It would never occur to him to suspect that one of them was the daughter of his liege lord. I think we shall be safe enough at the inn, Ser Rodrik.† It was near dark when they reached it, at the crossroads north of the great confluence of the Trident. Masha Heddle was fatter and greyer than Catelyn remembered, still chewing her sourleaf, but she gave them only the most cursory of looks, with nary a hint of her ghastly red smile. â€Å"Two rooms at the top of the stair, that's all there is,† she said, chewing all the while. â€Å"They're under the bell tower, you won't be missing meals, though there's some thinks it too noisy. Can't be helped. We're full up, or near as makes no matter. It's those rooms or the road.† It was those rooms, low, dusty garrets at the top of a cramped narrow staircase. â€Å"Leave your boots down here,† Masha told them after she'd taken their coin. â€Å"The boy will clean them. I won't have you tracking mud up my stairs. Mind the bell. Those who come late to meals don't eat.† There were no smiles, and no mention of sweet cakes. When the supper bell rang, the sound was deafening. Catelyn had changed into dry clothes. She sat by the window, watching rain run down the pane. The glass was milky and full of bubbles, and a wet dusk was falling outside. Catelyn could just make out the muddy crossing where the two great roads met. The crossroads gave her pause. If they turned west from here, it was an easy ride down to Riverrun. Her father had always given her wise counsel when she needed it most, and she yearned to talk to him, to warn him of the gathering storm. If Winterfell needed to brace for war, how much more so Riverrun, so much closer to King's Landing, with the power of Casterly Rock looming to the west like a shadow. If only her father had been stronger, she might have chanced it, but Hoster Tully had been bedridden these past two years, and Catelyn was loath to tax him now. The eastern road was wilder and more dangerous, climbing through rocky foothills and thick forests into the Mountains of the Moon, past high passes and deep chasms to the Vale of Arryn and the stony Fingers beyond. Above the Vale, the Eyrie stood high and impregnable, its towers reaching for the sky. There she would find her sister . . . and, perhaps, some of the answers Ned sought. Surely Lysa knew more than she had dared to put in her letter. She might have the very proof that Ned needed to bring the Lannisters to ruin, and if it came to war, they would need the Arryns and the eastern lords who owed them service. Yet the mountain road was perilous. Shadowcats prowled those passes, rock slides were common, and the mountain clans were lawless brigands, descending from the heights to rob and kill and melting away like snow whenever the knights rode out from the Vale in search of them. Even Jon Arryn, as great a lord as any the Eyrie had ever known, had always traveled in strength when he crossed the mountains. Catelyn's only strength was one elderly knight, armored in loyalty. No, she thought, Riverrun and the Eyrie would have to wait. Her path ran north to Winterfell, where her sons and her duty were waiting for her. As soon as they were safely past the Neck, she could declare herself to one of Ned's bannermen, and send riders racing ahead with orders to mount a watch on the kingsroad. The rain obscured the fields beyond the crossroads, but Catelyn saw the land clear enough in her memory. The marketplace was just across the way, and the village a mile farther on, half a hundred white cottages surrounding a small stone sept. There would be more now; the summer had been long and peaceful. North of here the kingsroad ran along the Green Fork of the Trident, through fertile valleys and green woodlands, past thriving towns and stout holdfasts and the castles of the river lords. Catelyn knew them all: the Blackwoods and the Brackens, ever enemies, whose quarrels her father was obliged to settle; Lady Whent, last of her line, who dwelt with her ghosts in the cavernous vaults of Harrenhal; irascible Lord Frey, who had outlived seven wives and filled his twin castles with children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, and bastards and grandbastards as well. All of them were bannermen to the Tullys, their swords sworn to the service of Riverrun. Catelyn wondered if that would be enough, if it came to war. Her father was the staunchest man who'd ever lived, and she had no doubt that he would call his banners . . . but would the banners come? The Darrys and Rygers and Mootons had sworn oaths to Riverrun as well, yet they had fought with Rhaegar Targaryen on the Trident, while Lord Frey had arrived with his levies well after the battle was over, leaving some doubt as to which army he had planned to join (theirs, he had assured the victors solemnly in the afterma th, but ever after her father had called him the Late Lord Frey). It must not come to war, Catelyn thought fervently. They must not let it. Ser Rodrik came for her just as the bell ceased its clangor. â€Å"We had best make haste if we hope to eat tonight, my lady.† â€Å"It might be safer if we were not knight and lady until we pass the Neck,† she told him. â€Å"Common travelers attract less notice. A father and daughter taken to the road on some family business, say.† â€Å"As you say, my lady,† Ser Rodrik agreed. It was only when she laughed that he realized what he'd done. â€Å"The old courtesies die hard, my—my daughter.† He tried to tug on his missing whiskers, and sighed with exasperation. Catelyn took his arm. â€Å"Come, Father,† she said. â€Å"You'll find that Masha Heddle sets a good table, I think, but try not to praise her. You truly don't want to see her smile.† The common room was long and drafty, with a row of huge wooden kegs at one end and a fireplace at the other. A serving boy ran back and forth with skewers of meat while Masha drew beer from the kegs, chewing her sourleaf all the while. The benches were crowded, townsfolk and farmers mingling freely with all manner of travelers. The crossroads made for odd companions; dyers with black and purple hands shared a bench with rivermen reeking of fish, an ironsmith thick with muscle squeezed in beside a wizened old septon, hard-bitten sellswords and soft plump merchants swapped news like boon companions. The company included more swords than Catelyn would have liked. Three by the fire wore the red stallion badge of the Brackens, and there was a large party in blue steel ringmail and capes of a silvery grey. On their shoulder was another familiar sigil, the twin towers of House Frey. She studied their faces, but they were all too young to have known her. The senior among them would have been no older than Bran when she went north. Ser Rodrik found them an empty place on the bench near the kitchen. Across the table a handsome youth was fingering a woodharp. â€Å"Seven blessings to you, goodfolk,† he said as they sat. An empty wine cup stood on the table before him. â€Å"And to you, singer,† Catelyn returned. Ser Rodrik called for bread and meat and beer in a tone that meant now. The singer, a youth of some eighteen years, eyed them boldly and asked where they were going, and from whence they had come, and what news they had, letting the questions fly as quick as arrows and never pausing for an answer. â€Å"We left King's Landing a fortnight ago,† Catelyn replied, answering the safest of his questions. â€Å"That's where I'm bound,† the youth said. As she had suspected, he was more interested in telling his own story than in hearing theirs. Singers loved nothing half so well as the sound of their own voices. â€Å"The Hand's tourney means rich lords with fat purses. The last time I came away with more silver than I could carry . . . or would have, if I hadn't lost it all betting on the Kingslayer to win the day.† â€Å"The gods frown on the gambler,† Ser Rodrik said sternly. He was of the north, and shared the Stark views on tournaments. â€Å"They frowned on me, for certain,† the singer said. â€Å"Your cruel gods and the Knight of Flowers altogether did me in.† â€Å"No doubt that was a lesson for you,† Ser Rodrik said. â€Å"It was. This time my coin will champion Ser Loras.† Ser Rodrik tried to tug at whiskers that were not there, but before he could frame a rebuke the serving boy came scurrying up. He laid trenchers of bread before them and filled them with chunks of browned meat off a skewer, dripping with hot juice. Another skewer held tiny onions, fire peppers, and fat mushrooms. Ser Rodrik set to lustily as the lad ran back to fetch them beer. â€Å"My name is Marillion,† the singer said, plucking a string on his woodharp. â€Å"Doubtless you've heard me play somewhere?† His manner made Catelyn smile. Few wandering singers ever ventured as far north as Winterfell, but she knew his like from her girlhood in Riverrun. â€Å"I fear not,† she told him. He drew a plaintive chord from the woodharp. â€Å"That is your loss,† he said. â€Å"Who was the finest singer you've ever heard?† â€Å"Alia of Braavos,† Ser Rodrik answered at once. â€Å"Oh, I'm much better than that old stick,† Marillion said. â€Å"If you have the silver for a song, I'll gladly show you.† â€Å"I might have a copper or two, but I'd sooner toss it down a well than pay for your howling,† Ser Rodrik groused. His opinion of singers was well known; music was a lovely thing for girls, but he could not comprehend why any healthy boy would fill his hand with a harp when he might have had a sword. â€Å"Your grandfather has a sour nature,† Marillion said to Catelyn. â€Å"I meant to do you honor. An homage to your beauty. In truth, I was made to sing for kings and high lords.† â€Å"Oh, I can see that,† Catelyn said. â€Å"Lord Tully is fond of song, I hear. No doubt you've been to Riverrun.† â€Å"A hundred times,† the singer said airily. â€Å"They keep a chamber for me, and the young lord is like a brother.† Catelyn smiled, wondering what Edmure would think of that. Another singer had once bedded a girl her brother fancied; he had hated the breed ever since. â€Å"And Winterfell?† she asked him. â€Å"Have you traveled north?† â€Å"Why would I?' Marillion asked. â€Å"It's all blizzards and bearskins up there, and the Starks know no music but the howling of wolves.† Distantly, she was aware of the door banging open at the far end of the room. â€Å"Innkeep,† a servant's voice called out behind her, â€Å"we have horses that want stabling, and my lord of Lannister requires a room and a hot bath.† â€Å"Oh, gods,† Ser Rodrik said before Catelyn reached out to silence him, her fingers tightening hard around his forearm. Masha Heddle was bowing and smiling her hideous red smile. â€Å"I'm sorry, m'lord, truly, we're full up, every room.† There were four of them, Catelyn saw. An old man in the black of the Night's Watch, two servants . . . and him, standing there small and bold as life. â€Å"My men will steep in your stable, and as for myself, well, I do not require a large room, as you can plainly see.† He flashed a mocking grin. â€Å"So long as the fire's warm and the straw reasonably free of fleas, I am a happy man.† Masha Heddle was beside herself. â€Å"M'lord, there's nothing, it's the tourney, there's no help for it, oh . . . â€Å" Tyrion Lannister pulled a coin from his purse and flicked it up over his head, caught it, tossed it again. Even across the room, where Catelyn sat, the wink of gold was unmistakable. A freerider in a faded blue cloak lurched to his feet. â€Å"You're welcome to my room, m'lord.† â€Å"Now there's a clever man,† Lannister said as he sent the coin spinning across the room. The freerider snatched it from the air. â€Å"And a nimble one to boot.† The dwarf turned back to Masha Heddle. â€Å"You will be able to manage food, I trust?† â€Å"Anything you like, m'lord, anything at all,† the innkeep promised. And may he choke on it, Catelyn thought, but it was Bran she saw choking, drowning on his own blood. Lannister glanced at the nearest tables. â€Å"My men will have whatever you're serving these people. Double portions, we've had a long hard ride. I'll take a roast fowl—chicken, duck, pigeon, it makes no matter. And send up a flagon of your best wine. Yoren, will you sup with me?† â€Å"Aye, m'lord, I will,† the black brother replied. The dwarf had not so much as glanced toward the far end of the room, and Catelyn was thinking how grateful she was for the crowded benches between them when suddenly Marillion bounded to his feet. â€Å"My lord of Lannister!† he called out. â€Å"I would be pleased to entertain you while you eat. Let me sing you the lay of your father's great victory at King's Landing!† â€Å"Nothing would be more likely to ruin my supper,† the dwarf said dryly. His mismatched eyes considered the singer briefly, started to move away . . . and found Catelyn. He looked at her for a moment, puzzled. She turned her face away, but too late. The dwarf was smiling. â€Å"Lady Stark, what an unexpected pleasure,† he said. â€Å"I was sorry to miss you at Winterfell.† Marillion gaped at her, confusion giving way to chagrin as Catelyn rose slowly to her feet. She heard Ser Rodrik curse. If only the man had lingered at the Wall, she thought, if only . . . â€Å"Lady . . . Stark?† Masha Heddle said thickly. â€Å"I was still Catelyn Tully the last time I bedded here,† she told the innkeep. She could hear the muttering, feel the eyes upon her. Catelyn glanced around the room, at the faces of the knights and sworn swords, and took a deep breath to slow the frantic beating of her heart. Did she dare take the risk? There was no time to think it through, only the moment and the sound of her own voice ringing in her ears. â€Å"You in the corner,† she said to an older man she had not noticed until now. â€Å"Is that the black bat of Harrenhal I see embroidered on your surcoat, ser?† The man got to his feet. â€Å"It is, my lady.† â€Å"And is Lady Whent a true and honest friend to my father, Lord Hoster Tully of Riverrun?† â€Å"She is,† the man replied stoutly. Ser Rodrik rose quietly and loosened his sword in its scabbard. The dwarf was blinking at them, blank-faced, with puzzlement in his mismatched eyes. â€Å"The red stallion was ever a welcome sight in Riverrun,† she said to the trio by the fire. â€Å"My father counts Jonos Bracken among his oldest and most loyal bannermen.† The three men-at-arms exchanged uncertain looks. â€Å"Our lord is honored by his trust,† one of them said hesitantly. â€Å"I envy your father all these fine friends,† Lannister quipped, â€Å"but I do not quite see the purpose of this, Lady Stark.† She ignored him, turning to the large party in blue and grey. They were the heart of the matter; there were more than twenty of them. â€Å"I know your sigil as well: the twin towers of Frey. How fares your good lord, sers?† Their captain rose. â€Å"Lord Walder is well, my lady. He plans to take a new wife on his ninetieth name day, and has asked your lord father to honor the wedding with his presence.† Tyrion Lannister sniggered. That was when Catelyn knew he was hers. â€Å"This man came a guest into my house, and there conspired to murder my son, a boy of seven,† she proclaimed to the room at large, pointing. Ser Rodrik moved to her side, his sword in hand. â€Å"In the name of King Robert and the good lords you serve, I call upon you to seize him and help me return him to Winterfell to await the king's justice.† She did not know what was more satisfying: the sound of a dozen swords drawn as one or the look on Tyrion Lannister's face.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Women in the Holocaust Essays

Women in the Holocaust Essays Women in the Holocaust Essay Women in the Holocaust Essay Judaism, Catholic), and Cultures (e. g. Gypsies, Slovakians) were unworthy of existence. The Nazi’s considered themselves a superior race and were guilty of genocide through horrendous acts of human extermination. In this paper I will discuss this heartbreaking period, and the dangerous and frightful times women faced. I will also discuss the constant humiliation and torture which went along with experiments. In addition, I will speak about jobs given to them in and outside the camps such as prostitution. My focus will be on things such as rape, sexual harassment, murder from gas chambers, treatment of people, and on issues women faced with their children in these camps. Finally, I will like to say that although women and men both shared frightening events, each gender encountered unique emotions and experiences. Prior to these concentration camps many women were forced to move into ghettos. For example, a ghetto such as Warsaw was guarded with Polish, German, and Jewish Police. It has been recorded that, â€Å"Conditions in the Warsaw Ghetto were so bad that between 1940 and 1942 an estimated 100,000 Jews died of starvation and disease in the Warsaw Ghetto† (Jewish Ghettos, 2004). We know that this is an understatement for not everyone could be recorded. Women within these ghettos were targets of rape and public humiliation by the Gestapo. It was said that, â€Å"members of the Gestapo would come to the ghetto- alone or with friends- for entertainment. The entertainment consisted of taking potshots at a child, raping a woman, cutting a beard off an old man, humiliating people in the street, and so on† ( Chapnik, 1998). Once women began being deported to concentration camps even more disastrous things they faced. First, the Nazi’s would shear women using rusty razor blades. They shaved their whole body and even their pelvic hair. This was done in order to degrade, humiliate, and annihilate a women’s sense of femininity and determination. Also, after entering a concentration camp, being sheared, and experiencing dumbfounding stress, some women ceased menstruating. Women who did menstruate had to deal with blood coming down their legs because they were not provided with the right hygiene articles. Unfortunately, many of these women faced constant shame, critiques, and assaults by the Nazi soldiers. Although, many of these women experienced these down-grading experiences they felt lucky if they got their menstruation for they knew they were still capable of bearing children. Many women in the concentration camps also faced life changing events such as rape. This injured their self-esteem and injured their physical being. In many of these concentration camps, brothels were set up for soldiers and selected prisoners. These brothels were made for organized rape and were places where women had no control over their bodies. Many women who were thought of as pretty and had strong bodies were inspected for appearance and tried out. Thus, these women were subjugated and raped. To go along with this many women who were raped and were found pregnant were forced to have abortions. Many of these abortions were done by forced sterilization. Forced sterilization was an experiment which many doctors tried on women. This Nazi sterilization law was passed on January 1, 1934. The Nazi’s used two types of sterilization techniques. The first technique consisted of secretly adding toxic chemicals in woman’s food. These chemicals cause much pain and anguish to women. It also caused them to have certain health problems such as hemorrhaging, itching, and cavity problems. The second type of sterilization involved x-rays to burn and destroy woman’s ovaries. Both of these types of sterilization destroyed her feelings and made her feel horrible. Many women in these concentration camps also dealt with other types experiments besides sterilization. Another experiment some women were forced to do was the warming of the body heat practice. This experiment was thought of by Heinrich Himmler who recommended it to Dr. Rascher that he try to use women to warm the frozen men. He suggested that the victim and a woman copulate. This experiment occurred with some success; however it was not as successful as the Warm Bath. The Warm bath was when the victim was placed in warm water and the temperature was slowly increased. This method proved to be the best. Many victims died do to shock if they were warmed up to quickly. Another experiment some women faced with was artificial insemination. This experiment happened to About 300 women at Auschwitz. The artificial insemination was done by Dr. Clauberg. He reportedly taunted victims strapped down before him by informing them that he had just inseminated them with animal sperm and that monsters were now growing in their wombs. As if the experiments mentioned weren’t enough some women had to have experiments done on them which consisted of taking parts of their body and so on. One experiment in particular was made to benefit soldiers who suffered from gas gangrene. The studies tested the effectiveness of sulfanilamide and other drugs in curbing such infections some women were infected with gas gangrene or bacterial inflammations, while others were forced to receive bone transplants and bone amputations. Unfortunately, many of these had to deal with having such experiments done on them because if they refused to be experimented on they had to deal with threats of being beaten or had to fear with possibilities of being sent to death. One way many people from the concentration camps died from was the Gas chambers. These chambers were used by Nazis on all types of prisoners. The Camp Ravensbruck which was the largest concentration camp for women in all of German Reich had over 100,000 women from 20 countries imprisoned, and where 5-6,000 perished as a result of gas chambers. Many people described the gas chambers similar to showers. Sadly, many victims were told that they were going through a process of disinfection and they believed perhaps they were going to get some clean water to take a bath but the truth was that their lives were going to be taken away from them without approval. Many women in the concentration camps in order to survive had to not only allow themselves for experimentation but had to be physically be in shape and fit the age range in order to be considered strong and age appropriate to work. Women that worked were forced into hard labor, either at SS Textile factories or more physical work. All had to deal with terrible living conditions, made to stand outside for hours in freezing conditions during roll-call and were frequently beaten for the slightest violation of camp rules. Those that weren’t were normally shot. Then years later they were then sent to a nearby sanatorium which already had a gas chamber built for the  T4. In addition other women worked outside doing things such as farm work and many of the women who worked had long days that stretched up to 15 hours. Many Women in the camps also prostituted in order to survive. Many women in the camps prostituted themselves while asking for favors in return. For example, in exchange for sexual favors women would plea for food or to live another day. Many women also prostituted themselves with hopes that their children be taken care of with food and for their lives not to be taken away from them. Many women also prostituted themselves with false promises of liberation after a few months. Women in order to survive and keep their jobs had to try and keep themselves healthy. Sadly, many women in the concentration camps got diseases particularly typhus. They pretended that they were still healthy enough to work. They knew that being sick would lead them to being killed by the Nazi soldiers. To these women survival was the most important. Too many even escape meant death, for if any one escaped, all the other prisoners in that bunk or group were immediately shot. The only resistance possible for most people was the effort simply to stay alive. To help them survive, the prisoners looked for ways of remaining human, of not descending to the level of â€Å"animals†. They began to live an inner life, a life that the guards and the camp could not reach to destroy. For many women and men it was a life of religion. To many it had been their strength on the outside, before the camps; and now it became their strength in the camps. Also, many people to survive got a chance to do some of the work they had done before. For example, if they were doctors, they could help the sick as best they were able. If they were scientists they watched and memorized what they saw. If they were historians and writers they kept notes in their minds. One example of this although not a woman was Viktor Frankl, a psychiatrist, who wrote on his efforts to help his other prisoners: â€Å"The thought of suicide was entertained by nearly everyone, if only for a brief time. It was born of the hopelessness of the situation, the constant danger of death looming over us daily and hourly, and the closeness of the deaths suffered by many of the others. I spoke of the many opportunities of giving life a meaning. I told my comrades that human life, under any circumstances, never ceases to have a meaning   They must not lose hope but should keep up their courage in the certainty that the hopelessness of our struggle did not detract from its dignity and meaning. I said that someone looks down on each of us in difficult hours a friend, a wife, somebody alive or dead, or a God and he would not expect us to disappoint him. He would hope to find us suffering proudly † (Rittner, 1993). Many women in the camp of Ravensbruck also were to secretly hide anything that dealt with learning or writing. The soldiers did not want the women teaching each other things that may be of any use to them. Although it was a danger many women still took the chance and they secretly taught each other languages such as German and English. Some women hid little pieces of paper whether it was toilet paper and would write things such as poems, and birthday cards to give to one another. Tiny handbooks and dictionaries small enough to be hidden were secretly copied and passed to each other. For example, â€Å"One Polish inmate, Eugenia Kocwa, wrote her own English textbook on 80 sheets of stolen toilet paper. It was copied by dozens of other women† ( Aktion R. Camp, 2004). To many of these women it was important to get distracted and try and keep their spirits up. For this reason many women took learning important. Many women also took recipes of food and copied it and gave it to one another. They spoke to each other about different foods they made and they told each other family traditions. Some women went as far as giving up some of the little food they got in order to â€Å"buy† paper or pencil to write such things as recipe books. Food dominated the conscience of the women and for these reasons writing recipes was a way of them to alleviate their hunger. As one can see many women during the holocaust dealt with tragic events and their lives were marked for ever if they happen to survive. They had horrific things happen to them from rape, murder, humiliation, and so on. Many died from starvation, disease, or suffering. Many suffered knowing it was a possibility that they would never see their families again. These people lived a life of misery in these camps. They were used as guinea pigs for ridiculous experimentations. They felt hopeless not being able to protect their children as they wanted to. Some gave up their dignity and sold their body for false promises. All this suffering was due to the idea that not all people were equal and that it was important to go forth with hatred, discrimination, and violation. This Holocaust is something that should teach people throughout the world that decimation is not something people should teach others for the only thing it does is destroy people and nations. Aktion Reinhard Camps. (2004, March). Retrieved December 2, 2010, from eathcamps. org/occupation/ghettos. html Bauer, Yeduda. 2001. A History of the Holocaust. New York: Franklin Watts/Scholastic Chapnik, L. (1998). The Grodno ghetto and it’s underground: A personal narrative. In Ofer, D. and Weitzman, L. (Eds. ) (pp. 109-119). Women in the holocaust. New Haven; Yale University Press Merriam Webster Dictionary. Retrieved 2010. m-w. com Rittner, C. , Roth, J. (1993). Different Voices: Women of the Holocaust. Paragon House: New York. Ofer, D. , Weitzman, L. (Eds) (1998). Women of the Holocaust. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

5 Tips on Self-Publishing an Ebook

5 Tips on Self-Publishing an Ebook 5 Tips on Self-Publishing an Ebook While we’re still fond of the old-fashioned papery versions, no one can deny that digital self-publishing has made it much easier for authors to find an audience for their writing. But how does self-publishing an ebook work? And what do you need to do? We have a few tips to share. A library in tablet form! 1. Edit, Edit, and Edit Some More! If you want to impress readers, typos and bad formatting have to be avoided. But many ebooks fall into this trap due to a lack of editing and proofreading. Make sure your manuscript is ready before you even think about publishing. This means seeking feedback and redrafting until it is perfect, as well as formatting it correctly. Getting the final draft proofread is essential, too, so get in touch with us when you’re ready! 2. Cover Art We’re told not to judge a book by its cover, but not everyone listens to this advice. As such, you’ll want to think about how you present your ebook. Your cover art should look professional and work as a thumbnail. And remember to write a short, catchy blurb to use on the back cover. 3. Picking a Platform There are plenty of services self-published authors can use, including major industry players such as Kobo, Amazon KDP, and Smashwords. Amazon KDP also has a â€Å"Select† service, which offers extra benefits in return for publishing exclusively on Kindle. This can be great for new authors, but once you are more established, you may want to publish on multiple platforms to reach as wide an audience as possible. 4. Creating an Ebook File Some self-publishing services automatically create an ebook file when you upload a Microsoft Word document. However, for extra control over the process, you may want to do this yourself! The biggest decision here is which file format to use. A PDF is fine if your ebook will be read on computers, but for mobile devices you’ll need a dedicated ebook format. Your options here are ePub and MOBI (Amazon KDP only accepts MOBI files, so keep this in mind if using this service). You cannot create ePub or MOBI files in MS Word, but there is software available to do this. 5. Selling Your Ebook Once your ebook file is ready, you need to find an audience and promote your book! Part of this will be done on the publishing platform (e.g., writing a blurb, picking keywords, setting a price). The rest will come once your book is available for purchase. Think about setting up a blog and social media accounts, sending a free copy to reviewers, or limited giveaway and discount promotions. The point of all this is to get people talking, as word of mouth and positive reviews will help more than anything else!

Sunday, November 3, 2019

In the light of the global financial crisis, discuss how the Essay - 1

In the light of the global financial crisis, discuss how the remuneration of chief executives of banks should be determined - Essay Example There are also macroeconomic factors for the occurrence of the crisis that include practices in accounting and lack of transparency among others. It has also been observed that major risks or weaknesses related to financial crisis lay in the fact that financial crisis occurred due to certain pre-crisis situations which arrived in relation the supervision and regulation of various activities. A few of the micro prudential regulations were poorly structured that contributed in systematic risks. Most of the banks became solvent due to the Basel capital rules (World Bank, 2012). Moreover, the global financial crisis has enabled to underline a critical agency problem which occurred due to excessive rise in the chief executives remunerations especially during the period of 2004 to 2007 in countries such as Australia and the United States (Ariff & et. al., 2012). With this consideration, the paper intends to discuss how the remuneration of chief executives of banks should be determined in o rder to ensue that the ill-effects of the crisis can be mitigated. Discussion The global financial crisis had brought about a greater concern regarding the usage and structure of remuneration which was based on the incentive systems. The executives of the banks were observed to be yielding their benefits on the short-term visions which became apparent upon the value and stability of the organization in the long term basis. It has been observed that banks with large and small amount of compensations had undertaken risks which resulted in significant losses during the crisis situation. It has further been observed that there were various variations relating to the structure of remunerations paid to the chief executives in banks in different countries. According to a study, in around six investment banks in the US the remuneration subscribed to the executives was nearly 2% of the total compensation on an annual basis, which was much lower from the remuneration provided to executives in the European countries which was ranging from 20 to 35%. Consequently, most of the European countries were in support and adapted the framework of corporate governance relating to the concern of remuneration aspect. The concept of surpassing payment of executives has also been paid greater attention to. . In this regard, it can be observed that the issues relating to financial crisis are specified to the corporate governance relating to the separation of position of Chairman along with the CEO, as the requirements of both the personnel are quite similar in issues relating to remuneration (The World Bank Group, 2011). With regard to the remuneration of the chief executives of banks, the remuneration committee should ensure by taking the responsibility that the organizations are selecting comprehensible policies of remuneration with respect to every employee in the organization. In response to the financial crisis which occurred in 2008, it can be observed that the payment of bonuses to the executives during and after the period of global financial crisis played a pivotal role in the remuneration aspect. The executives were paid their remunerations according to their performances in most of the banks. The rescheduling or rearrangement of incentives can be paid to the employees for showing greater sustainable performances.