The Return: Shadow Souls Chapter 30

Matt watched Mrs. Flowers go over Sheriff Mossberg's badge, holding it lightly in one hand and running her fingers over it with the other. The badge came from Rebecca, Sheriff Mossberg's niece. It had seemed entirely a coincidence when Matt had almost run into her earlier that day. Then he'd noticed that she was wearing a man's shirt as a dress. The shirt had been familiar – a Ridgemont sheriff's shirt. Then he had seen the badge still attached to it. You could say a lot of things about Sheriff Mossberg, but you couldn't imagine him losing his badge. Matt had forgotten all sense of gallantry and snatched at the little metal shield before Rebecca could stop him. He'd had a sick feeling in his stomach then, and it had only gotten worse since. Mrs. Flowers's expression was doing nothing to comfort him. â€Å"It wasn't in direct contact with his skin,† she said softly, â€Å"so the images I get are hazy. But oh, my dear Matt† – she lifted shadowed eyes to his – â€Å"I am afraid.† She shivered, sitting at her kitchen table chair, where two mugs of hot spiced milk sat untouched. Matt had to clear his throat and touch the scalding milk to his lips. â€Å"You think we need to go out to look.† â€Å"We must,† said Mrs. Flowers. She shook her head, with its soft, wispy white curls, sadly. â€Å"Dear Ma ma is most insistent, and I can feel it too; a great disturbance in this artifact.† Matt felt the faintest shade of pride tingeing his fear for having secured the â€Å"artifact† – and then he thought, yeah, robbing badges from the shirts of twelve-year-old girls is really something to be proud of. Mrs. Flowers's voice came from the kitchen. â€Å"You'd best put on several shirts and sweaters as well as a pair of these.† She emerged sideways through the kitchen door, holding several long coats, apparently from the closet in front of the kitchen door, and several pairs of gardening gloves. Matt jumped up to help her with the armfuls of coats and then went into a coughing fit as the smell of mothballs and of – something else, something spicy – surrounded him. â€Å"Why do – I feel – like Christmas?† he said, forced to cough between each few words. â€Å"Oh, now that would be Great-Aunt Morwen's clove preservation recipe,† Mrs. Flowers replied. â€Å"Some of these coats are from Mother's time.† Matt believed her. â€Å"But it's still warm out. Why should we wear coats at all?† â€Å"For protection, dear Matt, for protection! These clothes have spells woven into the material to safeguard us from evil.† â€Å"Even the gardening gloves?† Matt asked doubtfully. â€Å"Even the gloves,† Mrs. Flowers said firmly. She paused and then said in a quiet voice, â€Å"And we'd better gather some flashlights, Matt dear, because this is something we're going to have to do in the darkness.† â€Å"You're kidding!† â€Å"No, sadly, I am not. And we should get some rope to tie ourselves together. Under no circumstances must we enter the thicket of the Old Wood tonight.† An hour later, Matt was still thinking. He hadn't had any appetite for Mrs. Flowers's hearty Braised Eggplant au Fromage dinner, and the wheels in his brain just wouldn't stop turning. I wonder if this is how Elena feels, he thought, when she's putting together Plans A, B, and C. I wonder if she ever feels this stupid doing it. He felt a tightening around his heart, and for the three-hundred-thousandth time since he'd left her and Damon, he wondered if he'd done the right thing. It had to be right, he told himself. It hurt the worst, and that's the proof of it. Things that really, really hurt are the right thing to do. But I just wanted to say good-bye to her†¦. But if you'd said good-bye, you'd never have left. Face it, moron, as far as Elena goes you're the world's biggest loser. Ever since she found a boyfriend she liked better than you, you've been working like you were Meredith and Bonnie to help her keep him and keep away The Bad Guy. Maybe you should get you all little matching T-shirts saying: I am a dog. I serve the Princess Ele – SMACK! Matt leaped up, and landed crouching, which was more painful than it looked in movies. Rattle-Smick! It was the loose shutter on the other side of the room. That first bang had really been a slam, though. The exterior of the boardinghouse was in pretty bad shape, and the wooden shutters there sometimes suddenly came free of their wintertime nails. But was it really just a coincidence? Matt thought, as soon as his heart had stopped galloping. In this boardinghouse where Stefan had spent so much time? Maybe somehow there were still remnants of his spirit around, tuned to what people thought within these halls. If so, Matt had just been given a solid whack to the solar plexus, from the way he felt. Sorry, bud, he thought, almost saying it out loud. I didn't mean to trash your girl. She's under a lot of pressure. Trash his girl? Trash Elena? Hell, he'd be the first person to knock out anybody who trashed Elena. Provided Stefan didn't use vampire tricks to get in front of him! And what was it Elena always said? You can't be too prepared. You can't have too many subplans because, just as sure as God made a pesky shell around a peanut, your major plan was going to have some flaws. That was why Elena also worked with as many people as possible. So what if C and D workers never needed to get involved. They were there if they were needed. Thinking this, and with his head feeling a lot clearer than it had since he had sold the Prius and given Stefan's money to Bonnie and Meredith for plane fare plus, Matt went to work. â€Å"And then we took a walk around the estate, and saw the apple orchard, and the orange orchard, and the cherry orchard,† Bonnie told Elena, who was lying down, looking small and defenseless, in her four-poster bed, which had been hung with dusty-gold sheer panels, right now held back by heavy tassels in various shades of gold. Bonnie was sitting comfortably in a gold upholstered chair that had been drawn to the bed. She had her small bare feet up on the sheets. Elena was not being a good patient. She wanted to get up, she insisted. She wanted to be able to walk around. That would do her more good than all the oatmeal and steak and milk and five-times-a-day visits from Dr. Meggar, who had come to live at the estate. She knew what they were all really afraid of, though. Bonnie had blurted it all out in one long sobbing, keening wail one night when the little redhead had been on duty beside her. â€Å"Y-you screamed and all the v-vampires heard it, and Sage just picked up Meredith and me like two kittens, one under each arm, and he ran to where the screaming was. But b-by then so many people had gotten to you first! You were unconscious but so was Damon, and somebody said, ‘They-they've been attacked and I th-think they're dead!' And every-b-body was s-saying, ‘Call the G-Guardians!' And I fainted, a little.† â€Å"Shhh,† Elena had said kindly – and cannily. â€Å"Have some Black Magic to make it feel better.† Bonnie had had some. And some more. And then she'd gone on with the story. â€Å"But Sage must've known something because he said, ‘Here, I'm a doctor, and I'm going to examine them.' And you would really believe him, the way he said it!† â€Å"And then he looked at both of you, and I guess he knew right away what happened, because he said, ‘Fetch a carriage! I need to take them t-to Dr. Meggar, my colleague.' And the Lady Fazina herself came and said that they could have one of her carriages, and just send it back wh-whenever. She's sooooo rich! And then, we got you two out the back way because there were – were some bastards who said, let them die. They were real demons, white like snow, called Snow Women. And then, then, we were just in the carriage and, oh my God! Elena! Elena, you died! You stopped breathing twice! And Sage and Meredith just kept doing CPR on you. And I – I prayed so h-h-hard.† Elena, fully into the story by now, had cuddled her, but Bonnie's tears kept coming back. â€Å"And we knocked at Dr. Meggar's as if we were going to burst the door in – and – and someone told him – and he examined her and said, ‘She needs a transfusion.' And I said, ‘Take my blood.' Because remember in school when we both gave blood to Jody Wright and we were practically the only ones who could do it because we were the same kind? And then Dr. Meggar got two tables ready like that† – Bonnie had snapped her fingers – â€Å"and I was so scared I could hardly hold still for the needle, but I did. I did, somehow! And they gave you some of my blood. And, meanwhile, you know what Meredith did? She let Damon bite her. She really did. And Dr. Meggar sent the carriage back to the house to ask for servants who ‘wanted a bonus' because th-that's what it's called here – and the carriage came back full. And I don't know how many Damon bit, but it was a lot! Dr. Meggar said it was the best medicine. And Meredith and D amon and all of us talked and we convinced Dr. Meggar to come here, I mean to live, and Lady Ulma is going to turn that whole building he was living in into a hospital for the poor people. And ever after that we've just been trying to get you well. Damon was fine the next morning. And Lady Ulma and Lucen and he – I mean it was their idea but he did it, sent this pearl to Lady Fazina – it was one that her father had never found a client rich enough to buy, because it's so big, like a good handful in size but irregular, that means with twists and turns, and a sheen like silver. They put it on a thick chain and sent it to her.† Bonnie's eyes had filled again. â€Å"Because she saved both you and Damon. Her carriage saved your lives.† Bonnie had leaned forward to whisper, â€Å"And Meredith told me – it's a secret, but not from you – that being bitten isn't that bad. There!† And Bonnie, like the kitten she was, had yawned and stretched. â€Å"I would have been bitten next,† she'd said almost wistfully, and quickly added, â€Å"but you needed my blood. Human blood, but mine especially. I guess they know all about blood types here because they can taste and smell the differences.† Then she gave a little jump and said, â€Å"Do you want to look at the fox key half? We were so sure it was all over and we'd never ever find it, but when Meredith went in the bedroom to get bitten – and I promise that was all they did – Damon gave it to her and asked her to keep it. So she did and she took good care of it and it's in a little chest Lucen made out of something that looks like plastic but it's not.† Elena had admired the little crescent, but other than that there was nothing to do in bed but talk and read classical books or encyclopedias from Earth. They wouldn't even let her and Damon rest in the same room. Elena knew why. They were afraid she wouldn't just talk to Damon. They were afraid that she would get near to him and smell his exotic familiar smell, made up of Italian bergamot, mandarin, and cardamom, and that she would look up into his black eyes that could hold universes inside the pupils, and that her knees would go weak and she'd wake up a vampire. They didn't know anything! She and Damon had been safely exchanging blood for weeks before the crisis. If there was nothing to drive him out of sanity again, the way the pain had before, he would conduct himself like a perfect gentleman. â€Å"Hm,† Bonnie said, upon hearing this protest, pushing a tiny throw pillow around with toenails that had been painted silver. â€Å"I maybe wouldn't tell them that you've been exchanging blood so many times from the beginning. It might make them go ‘Aha!' or something. You know, read something into it.† â€Å"There's nothing to read into. I'm here to collect my beloved Damon and Stefan is just helping me.† Bonnie looked at her with her brows knitted and her mouth pursed, but didn't venture a word. â€Å"Bonnie?† â€Å"Um-hm?† â€Å"Did I just say what I thought I said?† â€Å"Um-hm.† Elena, with one motion, gathered an armful of pillows and deposited them on her face. â€Å"Could you please tell chef that I want another steak and a big glass of milk?† she requested in a muffled voice from under the pillows. â€Å"I'm not well.† Matt had a new junk car. He was always able to get his hands on one when he really needed it. And now he was driving, in fits and starts, to Obaasan's house. Mrs. Saitou's house, he corrected himself hastily. He didn't want to tread on unfamiliar cultural customs, not when he was asking for a favor. The door at the Saitous' was opened by a woman Matt had never seen before. She was an attractive woman, dressed very dramatically in a wide scarlet skirt – or maybe in very wide scarlet pants – she stood with her feet so far apart that it was hard to tell. She wore a white blouse. Her face was striking: two swaths of straight black hair and a smaller, neater swath of bangs that came to her eyebrows. But the most striking thing of all about her was that she was holding a long curved sword, pointed directly at Matt. â€Å"H-hi,† Matt said, when the door swung open to reveal this apparition. â€Å"This is a good house,† the woman replied. â€Å"This is not a house of evil spirits.† â€Å"I never thought it was,† Matt said, retreating as the woman advanced. â€Å"Honest.† The woman shut her eyes, seemed to be searching for something in her own mind. Then, abruptly, she lowered the sword. â€Å"You speak the truth. You mean no harm. Please come in.† â€Å"Thank you,† Matt said. He'd never been so happy to have an older woman accept him. â€Å"Orime,† came a thin, feeble voice from upstairs. â€Å"Is that one of the children?† â€Å"Yes, Hahawe,† called the woman that Matt couldn't help thinking of as â€Å"the woman with the sword.† â€Å"Send him up, why don't you?† â€Å"Of course, Hahawe.† â€Å"Ha ha – I mean ‘Hahawe'?† Matt said, turning a nervous laugh into a desperate sentence as the sword swung by his midriff again. â€Å"Not Obaasan?† The sword-woman smiled for the first time. â€Å"Obaasan means grandmother. Hahawe is one of the ways to say mother. But mother won't mind at all if you call her Obaasan; it's a friendly greeting for a woman of her age.† â€Å"Okay,† Matt said, trying his best to seem like an all-around friendly guy. Mrs. Saitou gestured him up the stairs and he peeped into several rooms before he found one with a large futon in the exact middle of a completely bare floor, and in it a woman who seemed so tiny and doll-like as not to be real. Her hair was just as soft and black as the sword-woman's downstairs. It was put up or arranged somehow so that it lay around her like a halo as she lay on the bed. But the dark lashes on the pale cheeks were shut and Matt wondered if she had fallen into one of the sudden slumbers of the elderly. But then quite abruptly, the doll-like lady opened her eyes and smiled. â€Å"Why, it's Masato-chan!† she said, looking at Matt. Bad beginning. If she didn't even recognize that a blond guy wasn't her Japanese friend from about sixty years ago†¦ But then she was laughing, with her small hands in front of her mouth. â€Å"I know, I know,† she said. â€Å"You're not Masato. He became a banker, very rich. Very thick. Especially in the head and the stomach.† She smiled at him again. â€Å"Sit down, please. You can call me Obaasan if you want, or Orime. My daughter was named for me. But life has been hard for her, as it was for me. Being a shrine maiden – and a samurai†¦it takes discipline and much work. And my Orime did so well†¦until we came here. We were looking for a town that would be peaceful and quiet. Instead, Isobel found†¦Jim. And Jim was†¦untrue.† Matt's throat swelled with the desire to defend his friend, but what defense could there be? Jim had spent one night with Caroline – at Caroline's pressing invitation. And he had become possessed and had brought that possession to his girlfriend Isobel, who had pierced her body grotesquely – among other things. â€Å"We've got to get them,† Matt found himself saying earnestly. â€Å"The kitsune who started it all – who started it with Caroline. Shinichi and his sister Misao.† â€Å"Kitsune.† Obaasan was nodding her head. â€Å"Yes, I said there would be one involved from the very beginning. Let me see; I blessed some charms and amulets for your friends†¦.† â€Å"And some bullets. I just sort of filled my pockets,† Matt said, embarrassed, as he spilled out a jumble of different calibers on the edge of her futon cover. â€Å"I even found some prayers on the Web about getting rid of them.† â€Å"Yes, you've been very thorough. Good.† Obaasan looked at the hard copies he'd printed of the prayers. Matt squirmed, knowing that he had only been running down Meredith's To-Do list, and that the credit really belonged to her. â€Å"I'll bless the bullets first and then I'll write out more amulets,† she said. â€Å"Put the amulets wherever you need protection most. And, well, I suppose you know what to do with the bullets.† â€Å"Yes, ma'am!† Matt fumbled in his pockets for the last few, put them into Obaasan's outstretched hands. Then she chanted a long, elaborate prayer holding her tiny hands out over the bullets. Matt didn't find the incantation frightening, but he knew that as a psychic he was a dud, and that Bonnie had probably seen and heard things he couldn't. â€Å"Should I aim for any particular part of them?† Matt asked, watching the old woman and trying to follow along on his own copy of the prayers. â€Å"No, any part of the body or head will do. If you take out a tail, you'll make it weaker, but you'll enrage it, as well.† Obaasan paused and coughed, a small dry old-lady cough. Before Matt could offer to run downstairs and get her a drink, Mrs. Saitou entered the room with a tray and three cups of tea in little bowls. â€Å"Thank you for waiting,† she said politely as she knelt fluidly to serve them. Matt found with the first sip that the steaming green tea was much better than he'd expected from his few experiences at restaurants. And then there was silence. Mrs. Saitou sat looking at the teacup, Obaasan lay looking white and shrunken under the futon cover, and Matt felt a storm of words building up in his own throat. Finally, even though good sense was counseling him not to speak, he burst out, â€Å"God, I'm so sorry about Isobel, Mrs. Saitou! She doesn't deserve any of this! I just wanted you to know that I – I'm just so sorry, and I'm going to get the kitsune who's at the bottom of it. I promise you, I'll get him!† â€Å"Kitsune?† Mrs. Saitou said sharply, staring at him as if he'd gone mad. Obaasan looked on in pity from her pillow. Then, without waiting to gather up the tea things, Mrs. Saitou jumped up and ran out of the room. Matt was left speechless. â€Å"I – I – â€Å" Obaasan spoke from her pillow. â€Å"Don't be too distressed, young man. My daughter, although a priestess, is very modern in her outlook. She would probably tell you that kitsune don't even exist.† â€Å"Even after – I mean how does she think Isobel – ?† â€Å"She thinks that there are evil influences in this town, but of the ‘ordinary, human' kind. She thinks Isobel did what she did because of the stress she was under, trying to be a good student, a good priestess, a good samurai.† â€Å"You mean, like, Mrs. Saitou feels guilty?† â€Å"She blames Isobel's father for much of it. He is a ‘salaryman' back in Japan.† Obaasan paused. â€Å"I don't know why I have told you all this.† â€Å"I'm sorry,† Matt said hastily. â€Å"I wasn't trying to snoop.† â€Å"No, but you care about other people. I wish Isobel had had a boy like you instead of her daughter.† Matt thought of the pitiful figure he'd seen at the hospital. Most of Isobel's scars would end up invisible under her clothes – presuming she learned to speak again. Bravely, he said, â€Å"Well, I'm still up for grabs.† Obaasan smiled faintly at him, then put her head back down on the pillow – no, it was a wooden headrest, Matt realized. It didn't look very comfortable. â€Å"It's a great pity when there has to be strife between a human family and the kitsune,† she said. â€Å"Because there are rumors that one of our ancestors took a kitsune wife.† â€Å"Say what?† Obaasan laughed, again behind concealing fists. â€Å"Mukashi-mukashi, or as you say, long ago in the times of legend, a great Shogun became angy at all the kitsune on his estate for the mischief they made. For many long years they were up to all sorts of pranks, but when he suspected them of ruining the crops in the fields, that was it. He roused every man and woman in his household, and told them to take sticks and arrows and rocks and hoes and brooms and flush out all the foxes that had dens on his estate, even the ones between the attic and the roof. He was going to have every single fox killed without mercy. But the night before he did this, he had a dream in which a beautiful woman came and said she was responsible for all the foxes on the estate. ‘And,' she said, ‘while it is true that we make mischief, we repay you by eating the rats and mice and insects that really spoil the crops. Won't you agree to take your anger out just on me and execute me alone instead of all the foxes? I will come at dawn to hear your answer.' â€Å"And she kept her word, this most beautiful of kitsune, arriving at dawn with twelve beautiful maidens as attendants, but she outshone all of them just as the moon outshines a star. The Shogun could not bring himself to kill her, and in fact asked for her hand in marriage, and married her twelve attendants to his twelve most loyal retainers as well. And it is said that she was always a faithful wife, and bore him many children as fierce as Amaterasu the sun goddess, and as beautiful as the moon, and that this continued until one day the Shogun was on a journey and he happened to accidentally kill a fox. He hurried home to explain to his wife that it hadn't been intentional, but when he arrived he found his household in mourning, for his wife had already left him, with all his sons and daughters.† â€Å"Oh, too bad,† Matt muttered, trying to be polite, when his brain elbowed him in the ribs. â€Å"Wait. But if they all left†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I see you're an attentive young man,† the delicate old woman laughed. â€Å"All his sons and daughters were gone†¦except the youngest, a girl of peerless beauty, although she was just a child. She said, ‘I love you too much to leave you, dear father, even if I must wear a human shape all my life.' And that is how we are said to be descended from a kitsune.† â€Å"Well, these kitsune aren't just causing mischief or ruining crops,† Matt said. â€Å"They're out to kill. And we have to fight back.† â€Å"Of course, of course. I didn't mean to upset you with my little story,† Obaasan said. â€Å"I'll write out those amulets for you now.† It was as Matt was leaving that Mrs. Saitou appeared at the door. She put something into his hand. He glanced down at it and saw the same calligraphy that Obaasan had given him. Except that it was much smaller and written on†¦ â€Å"A Post-it note?† Matt asked, bewildered. Mrs. Saitou nodded. â€Å"Very useful for slapping on the faces of demons or the limbs of trees or such.† And, as he stared at her in complete amazement, â€Å"My mother doesn't know all there is to know about everything.† She also handed him a sturdy dagger, smaller than the sword she was still carrying, but very serviceable – Matt immediately cut himself on it. â€Å"Put your faith in friends and your instincts,† she said. Slightly dazed, but feeling encouraged, Matt drove to Dr. Alpert's house.

Hamlet Essay

What have you come to understand about the intense human relationships of Hamlet? How has this understanding been affected by the perspectives of others? In you response you should focus on 3 scenes in the play and a range of perspectives. The intense human relationships of Hamlet have been viewed through numerous perspectives yet all have reached the same conclusions. With the exception of just one, the friendship of Hamlet and Horatio, all the relationships are dishonourable, dysfunctional and destined to fail. Being a revenge tragedy it is immediately clear this play is filled with lies, deceit and treachery. The exact time of Hamlet’s composition is unknown, however it is assumed to be between 1599 and 1602. This was a dark, melancholy time in Shakespeare’s life with the death of his father in 1601 and the death of his only son, Hamnet aged 11, in 1596. It is believed that these events had a significant impact on the writing of Hamlet as the play is heavy with death and has a great similarity with this son’s name. Some perspectives that have been adopted to view and understand the intense human relationships of Hamlet are a religious, psychoanalytic and feminist perspective. When Shakespeare first wrote Hamlet he lived in a strongly religious society where people could be fined for not attending church. Therefore, at this time in history many people had a religious attitude and perspective on the play. The psychoanalytical perspective focuses on the unconscious mind and how it dictates behaviour. This perspective became popular when Sigmund Freud, a well-known psychologist, began developing his psychoanalytic theory, The Oedipus Complex, in 1897. The feminist perspective is often centred around strong women and became particularly popular in the 1950’s being a post world war 2 period. Women were involved in many aspects of the war and made ground in their equality with men. However, when the war ended, women were encouraged to return to their household duties and this sparked much controversy. The family relationship between Hamlet and Gertrude is one of the most intense in the entire play. Their relationship reaches a climax in act 3 scene 4 when Hamlet confronts his mother about her relationship with Claudius and her involvement in the murder of King Hamlet, â€Å"mother, you have my father much offended†. Hamlet sees Gertrude as an adulteress for marrying her husband’s brother two months after his death and believes she is aware that Claudius killed King Hamlet, â€Å"Almost as bad, good mother, As kill a king and marry with his brother†. When exploring this scene from a feminist perspective it can be seen that Gertrude cares deeply for her son yet he scorns her for her recent actions, â€Å"You go not till I set you up a glass where you may see the inmost part of you†. Despite there being no evidence that Gertrude is aware of Claudius’s deed, Hamlet does not trust his mother and this consequently results in his inability to trust other women. The Oedipus Complex comes to the fore when the relationship of these two characters is examined with a psychoanalytical perspective. Freud’s complex suggests that every boy from the age of 3-4 years begins to have unconscious sexual desires for his mother and regards his father as his rival. Through studying this scene from a psychoanalytical perspective it is prominent that Hamlet has an obsession with his mothers sexual relationship with Claudius. He claims that she lives â€Å"In the rank sweat of an enseamed bed†. The scene takes place in Gertrude’s bedroom, which is important as its privacy and intimacy allows Hamlet to express himself fully to his mother and being a place where sexual activity occurs, suggests Hamlets repressed sexual desires. The scene ends with Hamlet possessively demanding her â€Å"but go not to my uncle’s bed† and uses multiple sexual references when he tells her to not let Claudius â€Å"Pinch wanton on your cheek, call you his mouse†. Relating this to the Oedipus complex, Hamlet appears to be more like a jealous lover than a concerned son. Examining act 3 scene 4 from different perspectives gives varied insights into Gertrude and Hamlet’s relationship, yet each perspective deduces that it is a dishonourable relationship with no mutual trust or respect. Another dishonourable family relationship in Hamlet is that between Ophelia and her father Polonius. Polonius manipulates Ophelia for his own benefit, treating her like a tool rather than a person. Their relationships becomes pitiful when she receives orders from her father and responds with â€Å"I shall bey, my lord†, implying that she is at the service of her father. Through the analysis of act 4 scene 5 a deeper understanding can be reached about Ophelia’s relationship with her late father. Following the death of Polonius, Ophelia’s mind becomes unhinged as she drifts into insanity, speaking in songs and rhymes. Considering this scene from a feminists perspective it can be thought that Ophelia went mad with guilt having her desire for Hamlet to kill her father so that they can be together fulfilled. This theory strongly supports the idea that the relationship between Ophelia and Polonius was dysfunctional as she felt she’d never be free to make her own choices until her father was dead. The friendship between Hamlet and Horatio is the only admirable one. Horatio is the one character that Hamlet speaks to openly and confides in. He remains loyal and swears himself to secrecy about the ghost and the pretence of Hamlets madness. He conspires with Hamlet to prove Claudius killed King Hamlet and he stands by him through Ophelia’s death. It is the final scene of the play when the true extent of their friendship is confirmed. Act 5 scene 2 begins with Hamlet confiding in Horatio and reciting the fate of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to him. This further validates their friendship and Hamlets trust in his loyal friend. The scene draws to a close with Horatio wishing to join Hamlet in death. This selfless declaration and his final words to Hamlet before he dies â€Å"good night sweet Prince, and flights of Angels sing thee to thy rest† convey his everlasting faithfulness to Hamlet. Through examining the friendship of Hamlet and Horatio from the beginning of the play to the end, it is clear that, unlike all the other relationships, there is never a doubt about the sincerity of their friendship. Through the close and critical analysis of Hamlet, you can come to the understanding that all but one of the intense human relationships within the play are dishonourable, dysfunctional and destined to fail. Considering this interpretation in the light of other perspectives the same conclusion can be drawn about the relationships.

Land Question and Ethnicity in Darjeeling Hills Essay

ABSTRACT Although economic factors are often considered as essential for augmenting ethnic movements, the analytic relationship between economic issues and ethnicity is far from being clear cut. In an attempt to address the problem of ethnicity in a non-Marxist theoretical plane, most of the studies on ethnic problems inadvertently indulge such logical inconsistencies. Such a critical reading led us to conceptualize ethnicity as a lived-in category – much like the concepts of class or caste – where both the material and cultural domain of routine life congregates. With the help of a case study of the Gorkhaland movement in the Darjeeling Hills (India) and the input of a particular field of material predisposition – namely, the issues related with land and agrarian social formation, this paper attempts to argue that ethnic movements are a dynamic podium wherein the encoded meanings of material and/or economic issues/grievances are decoded in cultural idioms. Even if the discussions on ethnicity have an inbuilt tendency to develop a theoretical plane that criticizes Marxian class analysis and demands an autonomous conceptual frame duly encouraged by post-Marxist and poststructuralist/postmodernist theoretical renditions, literatures on ethnicity for the most part have stressed economic factors, in some way or the other. Hence, finding available studies, which have made considerable advances in understanding the problem of Gorkha ethnicity, that have concentrated their focus on economic factors as the root cause of ethnic antagonism and conflict in the Darjeeling Hills (West Bengal, India) is common. ‘Economic stagnation’ (Dasgupta 1988), ‘uneven implementation of development policies’ (Chakrabarty 1988), ‘economic deprivation and negligence’ (Bura Magar 1994; Lama 1988; McHenry Jr. 2007; Nanda 1987), ‘petty-bourgeoisie aggrandisements against the dominance of monopoly capitalists of the Centre and the State’ (Sarkar 1988), ‘economic negligence, exploitation, and unavailability of white-collar jobs’ (Chadha 2005), ‘growing unemployment and step motherly attitude of the state regarding the overall development of the hill areas’ (Timsina 1992), ‘uneven development’ (Dasgupta 1999; Datta 1991), ‘endemic poverty, underdevelopment, and the perception of being â€Å"malgoverned†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (Ganguly 2005), are some such factors many scholars put as the root cause of the Gorkhaland movement in the Darjeeling Hills. However, none of these studies have made it abundantly clear how economic conditions – the domain of the material – are linked to the desires of ethnic separatism, which conceptually remained under the rubric of culture – the non-material. Again, if the economic factors remarkably remained so significant, as the studies show, then why ultimately the cultural warpath (i.e., 81 ethnic conflict) and not an economic one (i.e., class conflict) appeared as a suitable remedial strategy? One obvious question arises thus: how the ‘material’ is transposed into ‘cultural’? The present paper is an attempt to answer such questions by analyzing the case of the Gorkha ethnicity and movement as it emerged out of the people’s grievances experienced through their quotidian life processes cloaked in their relative positions within the structural inequality. In fact, ethnic identity much like the issues of class or caste is a lived-in category that emerges out of the perception of reality and receives constant reformulation, since the reality is itself dynamic. In our treatment ethnic identification – much like all other identifications – is overall rooted in the larger canvas of social experience, which determines the processes of framing contending relationships between and among groups based on their varying capacity of possessing the valued and scarce resources available in the society. Instead of pinpointing the causes of the movement, our analysis attempts to show that the assertion of Gorkha ethnic identity has had payoffs with respect to resource access and utilization and that the protracted struggle of the Gorkhas for separate statehood is that trajectory wherein both the cultural and material aspects of routine life coalesce. Sometimes this happens even without an immediate ethnic ‘other’. This is particularly the case, as the study shows, with the hill agrarian sector. It thus becomes imperative that the problem should be studied in a historical plane putting utmost emphasis on the social formation of the Darjeeling Hills, which would help us focus the pattern of resource distribution on an ethnic plane vis-à  -vis the question of structural inequality. The importance of treating the issue of Gorkhaland movement as a historical phenomenon can hardly be ignored, especially when one finds that the Darjeeling Hills has experienced a century long historicity of protest – sometimes accommodative, sometimes violent – to achieve a separate politico-administrative arrangement for self rule. Moreover, the historical perspective is needed to show the fundamental changes that have taken place within the social formation of the region since the colonial days and had corresponding effects for furthering the cause of the movement in the post-colonial period. Therefore, a proper historical analysis of ethnicity can help us understand how the grievances of the masses were articulated and were translated into the courses of violent action, how new equations came up because of state intervention and how the overall dynamics of the movement kept on rolling, putting ethnicity at the center stage. SOCIAL FORMATION AND SOCIAL MOVEMENTS Indeed, there can never be a single cause of an ethnic movement that stretched over a century.1 However, our concern regarding the causes of Gorkhaland movement is not about degree but of kind, by which we mean that Gorkha ethnicity, or for that matter the Gorkhaland movement, is embedded in the social formation of the Darjeeling Hills. It is neither entirely the product of primordial sentiments nor even the result of elite manipulation, but had been the outcome of a dynamic social formation that reproduced its productive forces, relations of production, as well as the relations of subjugation and exploitation meted out by its incumbents. The onus of social formation in augmenting the cause of social movement has been stressed by most of the major theoretical paradigms in some form or the other. For example, functionalism, though lately emerging from its erstwhile position of bracketing social movements as pathological social behavior, became increasingly concerned with the analysis of social movement as a variety of (normal) collective action and showed the necessity of framing a general hypothesis on the social system while analyzing social movements as a collective phenomenon of some sort. Likewise, symbolic interactionism and resource mobilization theory, in their attempts to analyze social movement, put stress on the relational structures and on the complex processes of interaction mediated by certain networks of belonging, respectively. The Marxist tradition, perhaps, has given utmost emphasis on the necessity to view social movements in relation to structural arrangements available in the social formation. Each social formation is rooted in a particular structure of relationship and movement is not the cause but the outcome of the differentially arranged social order in which privileges and rewards are more in possession of some minority groups compared with the majority others. Even the post-Marxist or for that matter the New Social Movement (NSM) perspective in their zeal to study the identity-based movements as manifestations of post-material claims hardly denied the importance of social formation while understanding the so-called post-material claims of the NSMs. In outlining the principles for the analysis of collective action, Melucci (1996:24) – a prominent figure of NSM school – points out that the analytical field of the NSMs depends on the systems of relationships within which such action takes place and toward which it is directed. The recorded history of the Gorkhaland movement suggests that the first spurt of the movement can be marked out in the year 1907 when the hill people submitted a memorandum – for the first time – to the colonial government urging separation from the then Bengal and the need to formulate a separate administrative arrangement for the Darjeeling Hills. ALTHUSSER, SOCIAL FORMATION, AND THE DYNAMICS OF RURAL DARJEELING Taking a cue from the centrality of social formation in the study of social movement as analyzed above, an attempt has been made to focus on the social formation of the Darjeeling Hills2 and its contribution to the development of a protracted ethnic movement in the region. Our treatment of the concept of social formation is Althusserian in inspiration and is viewed as a complex whole composed of concrete economic, political and ideological relations that provide the pretext upon which the consolidation of selfhood of the individual or the group within a given social space becomes feasible. It is worth mentioning here instead of using such terms like ‘social system’, ‘social order’ or for that matter ‘society,’ Althusser (1997) preferred the use of ‘social formation’. Since he believed while terms like ‘social system’ and ‘social order’ presupposes a structure that reduces the form of all its emanations, ‘society’ as a concept is loaded with pre-Marxist humanist conception that treats social life as ultimately the product of individual human beings. Althusser has used the concept of social formation with some broader theoretical appeal. He problematized the so-called base-superstructure module by bringing together the notions of social system, order, and society closer to his postMarxist formulation of social formation. Social formation, for Althusser, is constituted of a complex of concrete economic, political, and ideological relations, bound together and given their particular character as capitalist, feudal or whatever by the fact that economic relations, is the ‘determinant in the last instance.’ Conceived in this manner the concept of social formation presupposes that under this model social reality is neither determined, nor to be explained by a single causal variable but always by the whole structure (a notion that he labels as ‘overdetermination’), which remains amenable to the economic determinant only in the last instance. The uniqueness in Althusser’s concept of social formation lies in the fact that it problematizes the ‘base-superstructure’ relationship (that remains central, almost invariably, to the whole realm of post-Marxist scholarship) to that extreme of Darjeeling has been one of the prominent hill stations developed by the British i n colonial India.

Apple Company Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Apple Company - Research Paper Example (Philip Kotler et al. 4). Apple has continued to provide high quality goods and it keeps attracting more people especially the younger generation. Historical background: Apple computers Inc. was started by Steve Jobs,  Steve Wozniak, and  Ronald Wayne. The Apple 1 computer kit was its first product which was designed and built by Steve Wozniak. In the years between1983 and 1996, Apple manufactured products like portable CD players and TV appliances but they were not able to capture the interest of the targeted consumers. In the 1990`s, Apple made an important decision by choosing not to license its technology and as a result Microsoft captured the market and Apple`s share of the worldwide market for personal computers declined to its lowest level. In 2007, Steve Jobbs changed the company`s name to Apple Inc. With the introduction of the iPod, in 2001, Apple started becoming popular. Its innovative and advanced products resulted in rapid growth and high sales. Apple spent a large amount on marketing campaigns in order to promote its products. In 2011, however, Apple suffered a great loss with the death of its co-founder and chief executive officer Steve Jobs Nature of the firm: The company started as Apple Computers which designed and built customer electronics, computer softwares and personal computers only. Then, Steve Jobs transformed it into Apple Inc. and its non-Pc devices started gaining popularity. The company has retail outlets in Japan, Europe, Asia, US etc. Its headquarters is in Cupertino, California. It is a company with competes with a large number of firms throughout the different industries it has entered till now. The target market for Apple includes home users, creative individuals from the younger generation, small and medium sized business etc. Its major competitors include IBM, Dell, Microsoft Windows, Samsung, Nokia etc. Apple`s marketing approach is one which focuses entirely on its customers. It focuses on emerging stronger and presen ting the global market with high-technology products. Products: IPod: This product of apple provided the customers to listen to digital music in a different way and it comes with a unique look. In 2003, Apple also opened the ITunes store. With its features like more storage, high sound quality, elegant design and moving large quantity data very quickly all these specifications made this product competitive in the market. Product’s different color like white makes this Apple device special. Ipad: Another apple product Ipad is the one product that brings you close to the things you love to do like reading a book, playing piano, listening to music or looking at your photos. It’s a new experience, one you have never imagined. Its elements like camera, wireless connection and display are even better Mac: Macbook is a full sized laptop with extremely low weight and uses SSD storage and Intel CPUs. It was the first subcompact laptop offered by Apple. Its updated model was rel eased in June`2012. Its major competitor is ultrabook by Intel. Most recently, Macbook Pro has been released by Apple Inc. Iphone: It includes a line of smartphones which was first released by Steve Jobs in 2007. The entire industry of smartphones was revolutionized through its introduction. The first ever iPhone was released in 2006 in 22 countries which could function as a portable media player, a video camera with

Strategic Management and Strategic Competitiveness Essay - 3

Strategic Management and Strategic Competitiveness - Essay Example Internet and telecommunications infrastructure are the major contributors of globalization as people from different can easily connect and interact. This global interconnection increases job opportunities, ideas and competitiveness in equal measure. In its expansion process, Disney targeted those countries whereby people were greatly aware of the company and the services it offered. Another strategic consideration was the stability of the economy and the disposable income, which the citizens of that country used on leisure. Trade policies, political and microeconomics stability also played a huge role in determining whether Disney opened a branch in that country. Globalization has led to the increase of the companies’ market and this has forced it to open many branches to cater for the high demand of its services. The company has opened up branches in UK, Spain, Italy, France, Japan and US. This new branches have led to the increase of the total revenue generated. In 2004, the company made a gross income of $2.5 billion (Krasniewicz & Disney, 2010). The emergence of new technology has led to the introduction of video editing software and 3D, which has led to the efficient production of the films. Global recession negatively affected the company. The Disney parks and resorts would suffer during winter as the rate of people going there reduced significantly. This led to the falling of its revenue resulting in a financial crisis. The company has been forced to increase its entrance ticket fee to counter with the reduced number of visitors. Industrial organization and resource based model impact on above-average returns The corporation needs to come up with measure that would help it get returns, which are above average. This would help ensure that it is not operating at a loss and that it can be able to sustain its operations. The resource-based model deals with how the corporation could use its internal resources to its advantage and avoid extra costs (Mon tgomery, 1995). The resources include the capital invested, the corporation’s workers, brand name and the patents. Once the corporation has identified its resources, the next step to take is to compare it with its competitors. This would help in identifying the area that the corporation is lagging behind and needs to improve on. The study would also help enable the company identify its unique resources as this gave them a competitive edge over their competitors. This competitive edge would make them reduce certain costs and thus maintain above average returns. The industrial organization approach is the examining of the relation of the boundary of the firm and the market it is operating on. It is hard to examine the market by mere observation and the corporation creates a situation that is similar to a perfect competition market. This makes the firm operate on limited information and assumes that there are many barriers hindering entry into the market. This would make the fir m gather information about the market as new entrant and in the process of doing this it identifies the measures it can take to enter the market. The research helps the firm identify its strengths and weaknesses and in the process, it can avoid overhead costs and losses. This overview is

Environmental Impacts of Bottled Water Research Proposal

Environmental Impacts of Bottled Water - Research Proposal Example From this discussion it is clear that there are concerns on its implications for the environment, such as the effects on water resources, pollution, energy supplies, and health. For example, the plastic bottle waste is disposable to the open environment and involves the use of fossil fuels that pollute the environment. The research paper aims to determine the negative implications of bottled water for the environment to encourage the development of appropriate and adequate interventions to preserve the environment. It will explore several areas including implications for water resources, health, waste disposal,pollution, energy security, and interventions applied. The research findingswould be relevant to environmental conservation agencies, governments and other stakeholders all over the world.  The research objectives will be achieved by developing questions that will guide in execution, data collections, and other parts of the study. The questions will help in determining the kind of data collected for the purposes of analysis and discussion findings.  Several negative consequences for the bottled water industry are expected out of the research. The data collected using the research question would show an alarming increasing trend of bottle water in the U.S and the whole world.Secondly, the bottled water is sourced from natural resources and involves wastages that lead to over-exploitation. Thirdly, plastic bottles are made from fossil fuels and increased use leads to a huge carbon footprint.

Rhode Island v. Innis, 446 U.S. 291, Stewart J Case Assignment

Rhode Island v. Innis, 446 U.S. 291, Stewart J Case - Assignment Example Miranda safeguards are there when â€Å"a person in custody is subjected to either express questioning or its functional equivalent†. The respondent Innis was arrested with the accusation of robbing a taxi driver. Five days ago, a taxi driver was robbed and found dead because of being fired in the head with a shotgun. This was the second robbery that led to respondent’s arrest. When he was arrested, he was repeatedly informed about his Miranda rights and allowance to contact a lawyer. After listening multiple times about his Miranda rights, the respondent informed that he would require the assistance of a lawyer. Three officers took him in the patrol car and they were forbidden by Captain Leyden to ‘question the respondent or intimidate or coerce him in any way’. While discussing handicapped children in the area who could use the handgun, officers showed their concern. They did not invite the respondent to the discussion, but he interrupted their conversation and informed them that he could show them the location of the gun. He was again informed about his Miranda rights, but he said that he kn ew about his Miranda rights, but he â€Å"wanted to get the gun out of the way because of the kids in the area in the school†. The Court found the respondent guilty without violation of his Miranda Rights. The case applicable here is Miranda v. Arizona that informed the respondent about his constitutional rights. The Supreme Court of Rhode Island decided that Innis was repeatedly informed about his Miranda rights and allowance of consultation to his lawyer, but he willfully confessed about his crime. He was not interrogated by the police officers in any way.

Article Review - Chapter 1 Leadership Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Review - Chapter 1 Leadership - Article Example In this respect, the article provides important information about how leaders can build trust among the employees. In my opinion, this information should be treated very seriously in view of the nature of its impact upon workforce motivation. Unless the organizational workforce can trust the leadership, it will not be motivated enough to boost productivity to the maximum and the business will lose its competitiveness in a dynamic environment. In my opinion, the topic of trusted leadership is more important than ever because of the fast changing external environment. In this environment, organizations have to be dynamic to be competitive. The important components are a compelling vision, rock-solid strategy, excellent communication skills, innovative insight and a skilled team. They are the important components of a competitive organizational culture the basis of which is trusted leadership. This underscores the importance of building trust in leadership. This is a long-term process success in which leads to an organizational culture which creates competitive dynamism in a business environment which is changing constantly. Therefore trust in leadership is vital when it comes to maintaining the profit margin because it has a direct impact upon employee motivation. By emphasizing upon clarity, compassion, character, contribution, competency, connection, commitment and consistency, a leader can inspire trust the importance o f which is underscored by its impact upon both individual and business performance. Horsager, D. (2012). You can’t be a great leader without trust. Here’s how you build it. Forbes. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesleadershipforum/2012/10/2

Direct marketing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Direct marketing - Assignment Example mail marketing also has a high return on investment potential due to its extreme targeting and, as a result, businesses are able to market to those consumers that they think are more likely to make a purchase, instead of using mass marketing campaigns through digital media. Direct mail also gives the business a more personal way to reach existing and potential customers, while also enabling businesses to form relationships with consumers and measure feedback on campaigns (Thomas & Housden 35). The first case involves marketing at Guinness with the most important insight from this case being the importance of brand marketing, which has been shown to enhance brand awareness and subsequent sales. This case, however, is historical in nature as Guinness seems not to have adopted the use of interactive social media groups as a way of direct marketing. The second case is LendingTree, which uses the internet for direct marketing. One lesson from this case was that direct online marketing leads to an increase in the number of leads, while it also allows for high volume distribution and targeting. Moreover, direct online marketing was also seen to provide immediate analytics that enhance testing and optimizing performance. Finally, the case on TreadMoves provides insights into the importance of direct internet marketing, especially in the manner that using web analytics helps in making marketing more effective. Another insight involved the manner in which TreadMoves can sue their d atabase in order to directly interact with prospects and customers. Despite the increasing popularity of digital mediums in marketing, several companies continue to use direct mail marketing. The latter is an especially attractive choice for small enterprises since it allows these enterprises to communicate to the consumer complete information on a service or product, while also enabling them to reach any potential target group for relatively low costs (Bird 23). In this case, direct mail may

Hypericum Perforatum in the Treatment of ADHD Essay

Hypericum Perforatum in the Treatment of ADHD - Essay Example This study was to understand why parents seek alternative therapies and medication when stimulant medications are found to be effective in the treatment of ADHD Most of the herbal medicines in the US that may help in the ADHD treatment are from St John’s wort. Hypericum perforatum is a botanical name of an extract from St John’s Wort. It has been analyzed widely and alleged to treat depression in adults but the results brought out some mixed feeling. The same analysis was carried out on children with depression and the results showed that Hypericum perforatum plays a role in inhibiting reuptake of substances like norepinephrine, serotonin, and dopamine. This led to conduction of a test, which was a placebo-controlled test that was aimed at determining if the Hypericum perforatum was an effective alternative stimulant in reducing the severity of ADHD symptoms in children and adolescent by measuring it on an ADHD Rating Scale. The Office of Scientific and Ethical Review Board of Bastyr University approved the study placebo-controlled that was to be carried out on Hypericum perforatum for the treatment of ADHD. All equipment’s and facilities required for the trial was set in the Clinical research of the university. Patients were referred to the Bastyr University, Kenmore where the trial was to be done. The trial was scheduled between March 2005 and August 2006 and the participants that were eligible to be examined the trial was to be carried on children and adolescents of the age between 6-17 years old. They were to undergo a diagnostic and statistical test of mental disorders. The consents and assessment forms were served to the participants and their parents. Both the parents and participants were supposed to attend all the study visits and the participants were supposed to swallow pills.

Enviromental problems in Haiti Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Enviromental problems in Haiti - Essay Example e, flooding in Mapou and Fond-Verettes caused the death of over 2,000 Haitians in May 2004 and only 4 months later, in September 2004, 3,000 people died after Tropical Storm Jeanne / Forum on the Environmental Crisis in Haiti, 2004 /. Haiti is an island, which constitutes 1/3 of Hispaniola, and occupies 1,770 km of coastline. Due to the climate and geographical situation the island had extremely rich flora and fauna, but in the last century great climate changes occurred, which caused the change of the whole general view of the island. One of the greatest problems of Haiti is deforestation of major territory of the island. Over 98% of all forests covering the island were destroyed, which entailed serious consequences like massive land erosion and sedimentation, which in its turn had the gravest possible effect on marine resources / Haiti and San Andrà ©s Join COSALC, 2006 /. Now when we look at the natural picture of the Haiti island we would see a grave picture: of previously rich forests only 1.5 % survived, 15,000 hectares of arable land become unsuitable every year, almost all water sources are seriously contaminated, rich biodiversity of Haiti was greatly influenced and destroyed /Paryski, 1996 /. The worse is that that the biological problems of Haiti go beyond the problems of the single island but threatens the environment of neighboring islands. For example, the same environmental problems are now also experienced in the Dominican Republic. The whole Hispaniola felt that the population of wintering and breeding birds reduced sharply and coral reefs disappear sharply /Paryski, 1996 /. Now let us dwell in more detail on the problems of the environment of Haiti. It should be also remembered that these problems are for the most part common with the other small island developing states. The first problem concerns land resources, which decrease considerably due to the bad-considered land use policy, great number and density of the population and the influence

Consider the significance of the Edict of Nantes 1598 Essay Example for Free

Consider the significance of the Edict of Nantes 1598 Essay The Edict of Nantes immediately followed the Wars of Religion, which further divided France in terms of religion. The Edict of Nantes could be described as a significant development in policies regarding religion in France in the 17th century. The policies were implemented by a monarch who sat on the fence when it came to religion, having devotions to both Catholicism and Protestantism, in the shape of Henry IV. The Edict of Nantes itself was very significant as its policy was the first of its kind in French politics. Never before had a French monarch tolerated both Catholicism and Protestantism and allowed them both to flourish in the same country. Whatever Henrys beliefs and motives in implementing such a policy, it was certainly an original policy and a significant development in sixteenth and seventeenth century France. Toleration existed and although it can be argued that Protestants didnt have very much power and the Catholics remained in near total control of the majority of areas in the country but the Protestants certainly had more power than they had under previous more anti-Protestant monarchs. The Edict could also be described as a turning point. Indeed, it could be described as a very significant turning point. Legislation was put in place in an attempt to avoid discrimination against the Protestants. Discrimination was not evident by the Edict itself; it was more of a case of trying to give the Protestants more rights. Henry couldnt go as far as giving the Protestants equal legal, religious and political rights because he would lose the support of the Catholics. However, there can be no denying the significance of the legislation. It was the attempt to be pragmatic where religion is concerned which resulted in his death. The significance of Henrys reign lies in the difference and the pragmatism of his reign. The actual legislation could be described as ground breaking. The rights that the Edict of Nantes gave the Protestants included full liberty of conscience and private worship; liberty of public worship wherever it had previously been granted and its extension to numerous other localities and to estates of Protestant nobles; full civil rights including the right to hold public office; royal subsidies for Protestant schools; special courts, composed of Roman Catholic and Protestant judges, to judge cases involving Protestants; retention of the organization of the Protestant church in France; and Protestant control of some 200 cities then held by the Huguenots, including such strongholds as La Rochelle, with the king contributing to the maintenance of their garrisons and fortifications. In practice, things were slightly different for the Protestants who were oppressed by the Catholics and still werent allowed anywhere near Paris. It is clear that full, equal rights for the Protestants were not given by Henry for example, Roman Catholic judges had more power in the courts than the Protestant judges did and often Roman Catholic bias came through in a number of cases but there was some attempt to give the Protestants some rights and freedoms which was in itself significant. The Edict of Nantes was also very significant in terms of Henrys foreign policy. He wanted to protect the southern border of France from the Spanish and Austrian Hapsburgs. Henry was more patriotic than the French kings before him and his policies show this as he placed the Protestants in the south of France, using the Protestants to protect France from Spain. All of this means that in terms of French foreign policy the Edict of Nantes carries further significance for a number of reasons The removal of the Protestants away from Paris and further towards the south means that Henry IV embarked on a policy of centralisation. There is no doubt that Henry converted to Catholicism and tried to maintain as much power as possible for his Catholic friends in the establishment. Policies were made more in a centralised way i.e. from Paris and the Protestants were freezed out in positions of power by the Catholics. This is significant because of the reign of Louis XIII who furthered the centralisation policy, and shows that there was a trend towards centralisation before Louis XIII came onto the throne. This also shows that Henrys domestic and foreign policy can easily be linked, which is also significant. All of this emphasises how significant the Edict of Nantes was. Henrys patriotism was also on show in the implementation of the Edict of Nantes. He didnt want any foreign influence in his affairs and he wanted to appease the Protestants. The best way to appease them was giving them an important role whilst getting what he wanted in his foreign policy by getting the Protestants to protect the borders of France. This is highly significant as never before had a French monarch been as patriotic as Henry and it is also significant because it indicates that Henry didnt actually want the Catholics to have power in all areas of France which probably indicates that he still had allegiances to the Protestant beliefs despite his conversion to Catholicism. Henrys tactical manoeuvres were also significant in another way. Basically, he prevented the Wars of Religion from continuing and restarting again. The irony is that his tendency to sit on the fence on the issue of religion in the end cost him his life. This is why some historians place emphasis on the significance of this aspect of the Edict of Nantes. Henrys early life as a Protestant and his subsequent conversion to Catholicism make the Edict of Nantes interesting as well as significant. To consider the significance of the Edict of Nantes, we have to consider the situation in France before Henry IV came to the throne and even beyond the Wars of Religion. The Wars of Religion were where the Calvinist Huguenots (Protestants) and the Catholics did battle for control of the monarchy. The Catholics won and maintained control of the monarchy; however, it is clear that something needed to be done to prevent another War of Religion from happening. Henry IV was the man with the job of preventing another War of Religion and he turned out to be the perfect man for the job. Unlike most French monarchs in this period, Henry was pragmatic when it came to religion although he had developed a slight preference for Catholicism. Henry felt that they were more important things than religion his patriotism as opposed to his religious beliefs but ultimately it was this that caused his downfall and eventual death. However, the very fact that the Wars of Religion didnt happen again throughout Henry IVs reign is very significant considering the huge division between the two religions. Another War of Religion could have shaped French history differently, especially if the Protestants/Calvinists came out on top. Todays France could also have been completely different if a war wasnt avoided. This makes Henrys reign and of course the Edict of Nantes take on further significance. The Edict of Nantes certainly cannot be described as revolutionary but it was almost a complete reform of the laws regarding religion. In reality, there was little reform because there was major exploitation of flaws in the law by the Catholics. However, this shouldnt take anything away from the significance of the Edict of Nantes because the laws created Protestant strangleholds in the south of France. Despite all this, the Edict of Nantes takes on an apparent lack of significance because of what happened to Henry and what happened under the reigns of subsequent monarchs. The Edict was indeed revoked in 1685 and steadily the Catholics moved towards a position of total power over the Protestants. So this means that the Edict of Nantes loses some of its significance because the policies of Henry had no impact on future monarchs. During Henrys reign, however, significance can be attached to the Edict.

The Benefits Of Robotic Assisted Surgery Information Technology Essay

The Benefits Of Robotic Assisted Surgery Information Technology Essay Approaches to prostatecetomy include traditional open surgery, conventional laparoscopic surgery or robot-assisted laparoscopic surgery. With traditional prostate cancer surgery, the incision is between eight to ten inches long and patients usually remain in the hospital up to five days after surgery. In addition, patients are catheterized for two to three weeks, and there is a risk of side effects. Minimally invasive, robotic-assisted prostate cancer surgery allows for small incisions, less blood loss and reduced recovery time. Preservation of the nerves necessary for erections can be an extremely important goal for patients. These nerves run alongside the prostate and are often damaged when removing the prostate. A nerve-sparing, robotic prostatectomy attempts to preserve these nerves so that the patient may be able to return to his prior erectile function. How does robotic prostatectomy work? The da Vinci Surgical System is a state-of-the-art surgical robot that gives surgeons more precise views of the prostate and surrounding tissue, as well as greater dexterity. The system uses miniature instruments to perform the procedure. A surgeon controls the robot from a remote console that precisely translates his hand, wrist and finger movements to the robotic arms inside the patient while providing a three-dimensional view of those movements. With the robot, the surgeon makes five keyhole openings rather than the single large incision made during a traditional open prostatectomy. These small openings result in less pain, and a shorter hospital stay. Patients who undergo robotic assisted surgery usually leave the hospital within two days, and some are able to return to normal activities within two weeks after the procedure. Using the robot, the surgeon removes the prostate and surrounding pelvic lymph nodes (if indicated) through the small openings. Patient benefits may include: Smaller surgical incisions of one inch or less Less intraoperative blood loss and need for blood transfusion Reduced postoperative pain and discomfort Shorter hospital stay (two days) Shorter catheter duration (seven to 10 days) Faster overall recovery Robots surgery advantages B: http://library.thinkquest.org/03oct/00760/Advantages%20of%20Robotic%20Surgery.htm Robots in the field of surgery have dramatically changed the procedures for the better. The most significant advantage to Robotic Surgery to the patient is the decrease in pain and scaring. By using cameras and enhanced visual effects, doctors can make the tinniest of incisions. The da Vinci and Zeus system each use arms to operate. In order for these arms to get inside the body and operate, they only need a few centimeters for an incision. In fact The San Matteo Hospital in Pavia, Italy performed a Cardiac Bypass surgery that included three incisions, each about one centimeter in length. Typically in that type of surgery the incision is about 30 centimeters in length. The smallness of the incisions also causes many other advantages that make Robotic Surgery worth the risk. Due to the small and precise cuttings, the patents hospital stay is greatly reduced. A person needs far less recovery time when they have 3-centimeter scars then when they have a scar almost 10 times as large. Also, the risk of infection or complications decreases as the incision size does. The patient mentioned earlier with the Closed Heart Bypass surgery is a terrific example. After his surgery, he was cleared by his surgeon Dr. Mauro Rinaldi and released from the hospital after only 12 hours of recovery. The next week he was actually able to join his family on a vacation.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Besides the obvious rewards to the patient, Robotic Surgery is also very advantageous to the surgeon and hospital. In the ZEUS Surgical System, an arm on the machine is dedicated to the Automated Endoscopic System for Optimal Positioning (AESOP). AESOP is a 3D camera used in robotic surgery. It can be zoomed in by either voice activation or pedals located at the surgeons foot. Doctors who have used this actually argue that AESOP gives a better image than in real life. This is particularly true with surgeons that have poor vision or in microscopic surgerys that deal with nerves. Also, by using the hand controls the surgeons can reach places in the body that are normally unreachable by the human hand. Finally, the clearest advantage to using robots in surgery is in long operations, particularly ones that deal with nerve or tissue reconstruction. Surgeons often tire easily after performing microscopic surgerys that last hours. However, by having the ability to be seated and have less strain on the eyes, doctors can control their natural flinching or nerves more efficiently. Robots surgery disadvantages C: http://biomed.brown.edu/Courses/BI108/BI108_2004_Groups/Group02/Group%2002%20Website/robodisadvan.htm Robotic surgery is a new technology, so its uses and efficacy have not been fully determined. Consequently, there are not many extensive long-term studies on the procedure to confirm or deny its effectiveness. There are, however, prominent disadvantages to robotics, including time, cost, efficiency, and compatibility with current systems. Time Robotic assisted heart surgery can take nearly twice the amount of time that a typical heart surgery takes, but this is variable depending on the surgeons expertise and practice with the equipment. In a longer surgery, the patient is under anesthesia for longer and it costs more to staff the procedure. Cost At this early stage in the technology, the robotic systems are very expensive. It is possible that with improvements in technology and more experience gained by surgeons the cost will fall. Others believe that with these improvements in technology the systems will become more complicated and the costs will rise. Another issue with costs is the problem with upgrading the systems as they improve. Only when these systems gain more widespread multidisciplinary use the costs will become more justified. Efficiency and Compatibility Another disadvantage is the large size of the system in an overcrowded-operating room. The robotic arms are awkward and bulky and there are many instruments needed in the small space. For robotic-assisted beating heart surgery, the space is even smaller because stabilizers are needed. For surgeons, this cramped area can interfere with their dexterity. There are two possible suggestions for improving this problem, however both are costly. Some suggest miniaturizing the robotic arms and instruments while others believe that larger operating rooms are needed. With either solution, robotics is an especially expensive new technology. Another disadvantage is that current operating room instruments and equipment are not necessarily compatible with the new robotic systems. Without the correct equipment, tableside assistance is needed to perform part of the surgery. There are also concerns about using a static model for beating heart surgery and concerns about technical glitches that might occur during the surgery. In Comparison to Standard Techniques Dr. Michael Argenziano at New York Presbyterian Hospital said that on average, the robotic-assisted heart surgeries costs $2,000 more per operation, but in the end, the costs come out even because the patients recover sooner with the robotic procedure. He also noted that money was saved on nursing care and pain medications. With time and improvements in technology, these disadvantages will hopefully be remedied. If not, then it is possible that the advantages of these systems will not justify their cost. D: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Videoconferencing Whats video conferencing? A videoconference or video conference (also known as a videoteleconference) is a set of interactive telecommunication technologies which allow two or more locations to interact via two-way video and audio transmissions simultaneously. It has also been called visual collaboration and is a type of groupware. Videoconferencing differs from videophone calls in that its designed to serve a conference rather than individuals. It is an intermediate form of video telephony, first deployed commercially by ATT during the early 1970s using their Picture phone technology. E: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Website Whats a website? A website (also spelled Web site; officially styled website by the AP Stylebook) is a collection of related web pages, images, videos or other digital assets that are addressed relative to a common Uniform Resource Locator (URL), often consisting of only the domain name, or the IP address, and the root path (/) in an Internet Protocol-based network. A web site is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network. F: http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Top-Advantages-Of-Video-Conferencingid=282728 Video conferencing advantages Videoconferencing is rapidly gaining in popularity, and its hardly surprising. Basically, videoconferencing allows people to communicate in real time, no matter where they are located. It can be as few as two people, or it can be thousands. The participants can hold a meeting or conference, compare charts and generally do everything they could do if they were all in the same room together. This is all done via audio and video transmission through the wonders of the internet. The list of advantages gained from using videoconferencing is long, but here are a few of the main advantages. The most obvious advantage is the enormous savings involved when people dont need to travel. An average business trip usually involves at least one night spent in another place, and costs incurred include flights, transport, meals, accommodation, entertainment, and the list goes on. If you need ten people at a meeting, and add together all the costs involved, the total is staggering. Remember, too, that not only is travel costly, it takes time. So those ten executives have to take two days out of their busy schedule, for example, to attend a half-day meeting at head office. With videoconferencing, they can allocate the half-day, and spend the other day and a half doing productive work in their office. Using videoconferencing provides big savings in both money and time. G: http://www.tkoworks.com/video-conferencing/outsourcing.html Video conferencing disadvantages Months may be required to enable video conferencing capability within a large organization; this is including time required for designing the network and installing video conferencing equipment. Initial cost of equipment is higher than if an outside service organization were used. Using conference rooms for video conferences makes sense from a facilities perspective but this can cause video systems to be underutilized. Normally, in an organization, most meetings and conference room use are for local business without a need to communicate with other facilities or locations. Therefore, video equipment investment can be stranded during every day normal use of conference rooms for local meetings. Many organizations assign a central staff to run a video conference network without considering the needs of each remote site. Video conferencing requires at least two locations, each with its own system, network, conference or meeting room and operating instructions. Each location, therefore, normally should have a skilled operator of video systems to assist users in getting a conference started and keeping it running. Few organizations are willing to expend the funds to ensure each endpoint is staffed with a skilled technician and so this skill deficit can cause conference failures in some locations, particularly those that turn systems off daily or reboot frequently. Industry manufacturers understand this common problem and are providing software tools and remote management capability with the latest video conference equipment to allow for remote management of systems. Therefore, a well-run network requires either skilled personnel at each endpoint or some form of remote management in order to ensure systems operate well. Some combination of both is usually required to attain high levels of video network up time. H: Whats internet? The Internet, sometimes called simply the Net, is a worldwide system of computer networks a network of networks in which users at any one computer can, if they have permission, get information from any other computer and sometimes talk directly to users at other computers. It was conceived by the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) of the US government in 1969 and was first known as the ARPANET. AO2 USE RESOURCES: CHOSEN RESOURCES I chose NO RESOURCE REASON A The Benefits of Robotic Assisted Surgery I chose this information from the website because it explain clearly How does robotic prostatectomy work? B C Is technology good or bad? Introduction In this project Ill be talking about, whats technology and if technology is good or bad? The main question that I have chosen for my project is: Is technology good or bad? I will carry out my research using the three research method. I will explore internet, study different books and watch videos to discover more information on different peoples opinions on my questions. In this project Ill be concentrating on the good of using technology and the bad of using it. What is technology? Technology is a human innovation that has been developing from generation to generation, however technology is used to solve problems and make life easier to live such as computers, robots, airplanes, cars and phones etcà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. My objective in the end of this project is to understand and give a clear description of technology, why the people argue technology is good and the ethers argue technology is bad, what the good side of technology is and what the bad side of technology is. Is technology good? I think that technology is good and helps a lot in the daily life. Its used to discover and make life easier such as cars, airplanes, trains they help to travel from long distance and in short time, phones helps to communicate at any time and with the people around the world. Computers are used in education, creations, designing and also used in health sector all this technology helps to go forward in our life. Robots are used in the heath sector Whats robot surgery? Robot surgery is one of the advanced technologies available in this time been, it has been designed for operations. The (da Vinci) robotic system allows the precision, dexterity and control of traditional open surgery but requires only 1-2 cm incisions, decreased healing time, robots are used for hearts surgery with out opening patients chest. The benefits of this robot for patients are less complication, less pain, save time and faster recovery. The advantages of robots surgery Robots have change and helped a lot in the field of surgery. The most advantage of robots surgery for patients is pain, scaring and faster recovery by using cameras and enhanced visual effects, doctors can make the tinniest of incisions. The (da Vinci) and Zeus system each use three arms to operate. In order for these arms to get inside the body and operate, they only need a few centimetres for an incision. These robots have more advantages and benefits for users (doctors) and patients for example: Lower risk infection Shorter hospital stay Less blood loss and fewer transfusions Can zoom with camera and gives better image then in real life by using the hand controls the surgeons can reach places in the body that are normally unreachable by the human hand Faster recovery and return to normal daily activities Robots surgery disadvantages They are several disadvantages of these Robots surgeries such as cost; cost is one of the biggest disadvantages of these robots with the price of one million dollars. Some believe with the improvement in technology and as more experience is gained with robotic systems the price will fall. Another disadvantage of these robots systems is their size. Both systems have relatively large footprints and relatively cumbersome robotic arms. This is an important an important disadvantage because operating rooms are already crowded with the surgical team. It may be difficult for surgical and robots to fit in the operating room. And another disadvantage is the time. Robotic assisted heart surgery can take nearly twice the amount of time that a typical heart surgery takes, but this is variable depending on the surgeons expertise and practice with the equipment. How technology helps in business Technology is increasing and developing to make life easier to live it helped and still helping our daily life for example business. In business people used to travel to go for meetings and now most of businesses use video conferencing, in terms of airfares for staff. It saves time spent in travelling and money. Video conferencing Whats video conferencing? Video conferencing allows people to communicate in real time, no matter where they are located. It can be as few as two people, or it can be thousands. Its basically integrates users as if they were in the same room. Each user needs a web cam, computer, microphone, and internet broadband connection. Its usually used in businesses, healthcare, education ECT. Advantages of video conferencing Meet with people in remote locations without incurring travel expenses or other expenses associated with face to face communication Save time and money especially in business in terms of airfares for staff, night spent in another place, and costs incurred include flights, transport, meals, accommodation, entertainment ect.. Connect and see more than 11, 12 or even a thousand in the same time. Video conferencing disadvantages Takes time to design the network and install video conferencing equipment Expensive equipments Can cause video systems to be underutilized Skilled technician to keep video conferencing running. Turn the system daily can cause conference failures in some locations. Internet Whats internet? Internet is basically an electronic communication network that enables computers of all kinds to share information with permission and communicates directly. Internet advantages Studying ( make researches) Online banking Online shopping Publish information on your own website Have a conversations in chat rooms Send an email Apply for job Read a news papers Watch movies Make airplane reservation Get a direction and draw a map Socialising with the people around the world Internet disadvantages Personal information (your personal information such as your name, address, etc.) Pornography (especially for young children they are thousands of pornography websites that can be easily to get access into it) Internet addiction Hacking, get viruses Isolation from family and freinds

Progeria Report Essay -- essays research papers fc

Genetics determine the traits an individual will inherit from their parents. In society today, the role of genetics is crucial; they decide ones physical appearance as well as their personality. However, if there is a mutation located in one of the genes that a child receives it is very likely a deformity will be present. A rare yet fatal defect from a gene mutation such as this is Progeria. This disorder is an unfortunate one that may occur in two forms, either Hutchison-Gilford Progeria or Werner syndrome. Not only do they affect the bone structure and appearance of the child, but they substantially shorten their life spans. Hutchison-Gilford disorder was first discovered and described by John Hutchison in 1886. However, in 1904 Hastings Gilford named the disorder Progeria after doing some of his own research on it (Malady). Approximately a year after Gilford presented his Progeria research, Otto Werner discovered a disorder by which he called "inaugural-dissertation". It was not until about 1935 that Oppenheimer and Kugel named â€Å"innaugaral dissertation† Werner Syndrome (Werner). Progeria is a very rare disorder, affecting one out of eight million children in the Hutchison-Gilford form. Werner Syndrome is more common yet still infrequent, affecting one out of one million children. Both types of Progeria affect specific ethnicities; Hutchison-Gilford occurs most frequently in Caucasians, while Werner Syndrome affects mostly children of the Japanese and Sardinian background. This disorder is fatal in both cases, although the life span of one with Werner Syndrome, living to the age of approximately 46, is significantly longer then one with Hutchison-Gilford who will only live to the age of 13 (Werner). Progeria is commonly referred to as "early aging disease"; however, this disorder has nothing to do with a child aging rapidly. The symptoms of Progeria in both Hutchison-Gilford and Werner are very similar and they do appear to speed the aging process. A child with Hutchison-Gilford has an entirely bald head and face. Their scalp, veins and eyes are clearly more prominent then a child without this disorder. The child's jaw will appear small and many times, he will be toothless, for Progeria causes delayed tooth formation. In addition, a child will ... ... Werner is more common, but much less well known (Kugler). Progeria is a fatal, unfortunate disease. The fact that deformed children are completely mentally fit, and know they are different is terrible. It must be hard to handle stares, smirks, pointing fingers, and still have to cope with the fact that you will probably not live past fifteen years old. The public needs to be more educated on this disease, and not treat it as so much of a sick deformation. Infected children may look different, but they are the same as anyone else. There are many organizations around that are collecting money for the furthering of research, and to educate the public. I could never imagine being the parent who has to make a choice of having a possibly mutated baby. Even with the odds in your favor, imagine choosing to have a baby, than discovering he will be born infected and you will outlive your son. Making that choice must be incomprehensivly difficult for both parents involved. Progeria is a mutation that needs to be dealt with very soon. Works Cited Malady of the Month-Progeria. Kugler, Mary. Progeria Syndroms. Werner Syndrome.

The Diver :: essays research papers

â€Å"The Diver† Robert Currie’s â€Å"The Diver†, on the surface, recounts a diver’s descent and ascent into a river as onlookers eagerly anticipate his fate. Beneath the surface, this poem is actually very spiritual. The diver’s descent into the water, and his arising from the water, can be compared to the crucifixion of Jesus. Through the masterful use of imagery and Biblical comparisons, Currie depicts the message that rebirth and hope can captivate and revitalize our spirits. An essential key to the theme of â€Å"The Diver† is through the subtle yet prevailing use of Biblical references. From the very beginning of Currie’s poem, a simile is used when describing the â€Å"bridge like a Roman fort†. This helps to set the tone that something important is about to happen and also provides a Biblical base to the structure of the poem. Lines four to six describe the man’s journey up towards the bridge. This journey can be compared to Jesus’ struggle towards the top of the hill where he was crucified. Perhaps this man was also carrying a â€Å"load on his shoulders†, so to speak. The poem becomes even more Biblical as â€Å"others bet upon his chance†, much like Jesus’ own fate. As the diver prepares for the inevitable, his situation has Biblical meaning. â€Å"At the summit of the span he rose/ his arms outstretched/ flung a cross against the sun†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢, are perhaps three of the most powerful lin es in the poem. These lines are followed by much anticipation from the crowd below. The dive symbolizes the end of something, which is also supported when â€Å"The river circling away/ grew silent as held breath/ still as death†. These lines make is seem as though everything, and everyone, even the river, are â€Å"holding their breath† in anticipation of the outcome of the dive. Then, starting at line twenty-one, the rebirth begins, as, â€Å"from unknown depths/ his head broke the water/ shook out a crown of sunlit spray. There is a strong Biblical presence in the comparisons used in this poem, which help to support the theme of hope and rebirth, while providing powerful imagery. A vital element of Currie’s â€Å"The Diver† is the strong presence of imagery, which helps to sustain the theme of captivating hope. The image of â€Å"the solitary figure† provokes a strong sense of despair, followed by his painful struggle â€Å"up the arch†. The images give the impression that the events are unfolding in a captivating slow-motion means.

American Legion :: Essays Papers

American Legion The American Legion: A Right To Membership Introduction The United States Congress chartered the American Legion in 1919. Its purpose was to benefit veterans and their families, promote Americanism and serve the greater good of communities nationwide. First welcomed to membership were veterans returning home from the battlefields of Europe. But over the years, Congress amended the Legion’s charter so as to include those who had served in World War II, Korea and more recent conflicts. Ineligible for American Legion membership, however, remain the many men and women who had answered our nation’s call while American military forces were not actively engaging an enemy of the United States. Serving with valor and distinction, these members of the armed forces have guarded America’s shores and protected the nation’s strategic assets at U.S. military bases across the world. They have been on the front lines of American efforts to mediate conflicts between warring factions in Europe, Asia and Africa. And they, too, have been prime targets for armed aggressors, terrorist attacks and saboteurs. The question is: have these veterans not earned the right to membership in the American Legion as well? This essay seeks to explore whether the American Legion’s charter should be amended so as to better reflect our nation’s appreciation for those who serve in times of war and peace. Indeed, it is an issue made all the more cogent today: With increasing numbers of young Americans rejecting the armed forces as a career option, recruitment goals are not being met and the military is being forced to lower its entrance requirements. If this trend is not soon reversed, the U.S. military could be perceived as incapable of implementing our nation’s strategic policies abroad -- a perception that can only encourage the most aggressive ambitions of other nations. A Resource for Veterans In seeking to determine whether the American Legion should open its doors to non-wartime veterans, we must begin with a look at the organization itself: its mission, its outreach programs and, above all, the benefits today’s Legion is able to provide for a worldwide membership now approaching three million men and women. Meeting in Paris some five months after the armistice of November 1918, delegates from combat and service units of the American Expeditionary Force resolved to found an organization that would protect the interests of veterans through the years that followed.

The Fortune at the Bottom of Pyramid

Lessons from the Field: Sales at the Bottom of the Pyramid By Heidi Krauel and Joel Montgomery, 2009 Acumen Fund Fellows April 2010 Summary Enterprises serving bottom of the pyramid (BoP) markets have tremendous opportunity to create commercial and social impact, but are often illequipped to do so. A particular question that needs to be studied is: how can we sell more effectively to BoP consumers? In this piece, Acumen Fund Fellows Heidi Krauel and Joel Montgomery draw on their field experiences and research to explain how we can build more effective sales organizations to serve the BoP.Contents Summary Introduction The Survey + Profile of Companies + Overview of Findings + Performance Rating Methodology Step One: Recruit Ambassadors Step Two: Realize Potential Step Three: Reinforce Training + Data Collection + Compensation Conclusion References About the Authors 1 1 2 2 2 3 4 5 6 7 7 8 8 9 Introduction The business world has heard about â€Å"The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyram id† for some time.In his seminal work, CK Prahalad asserts that multinational corporations (MNCs) can stimulate commerce at the bottom of the economic pyramid to improve the lives of the four billion people in the world living in poverty and turn a healthy profit along the way. i This assertion is supported by various case studies, suggesting that the bottom of the pyramid (BoP) is a source of untapped profits for corporations that target local people as both producers and consumers and inspire innovation for new technologies and commercial activities. i A 2008 empirical study by Rodrigo Guesalaga and Pablo Marshall compares the buying power index (BPI) of the BoP market relative to the BPI of middle and high-income market segments and finds that â€Å"relative to the total market, the BoP sector accounts, on average, for more than 50 percent of the purchasing power in developing countries. iii† Large groups of poor consumers have the power to reject or accept what an M NC wants to sell, thereby forcing MNCs to overcome BoP market constraints and revise antiquated business models. v Since the BoP term was first coined, several MNCs and start-ups have introduced new products and services to the world’s poorest customers with mixed success. One leader in this movement is Acumen Fund, which invests in start-up social enterprises that employ market-based solutions to providing the poor with basic goods and services—water, healthcare, energy, agriculture, and housing. An underlying principle of Acumen’s work is that when poor consumers are given the dignity of choice, they are transformed from passive recipients of aid into customers with powerful voices that the business community cannot afford to ignore.Addressing this voice in a sustainable, scalable way is no easy matter, especially for resource-constrained young businesses. Krauel & Montgomery, April 2010  · Copyright  © 2010 Acumen Fund 1 Lessons from the Field: Sales at t he Bottom of the Pyramid The tools that traditional companies in more affluent markets utilize to understand and reach customers–studies, mailing lists, online campaigns, chambers of commerce, YellowPages, mass media channels— don’t exist or can’t easily be applied in developing countries.BoP-facing companies grapple with language and cultural barriers, infrastructure challenges, and capital constraints, regardless of whether they are an established multi-national corporation or a start-up trying to build a brand from scratch. While literature detailing the benefits of social enterprises is widespread, little attention is paid to the personnel management and organization building of small- and mediumsized enterprises trying to operate in these markets.After a ten-month field placement with two sales-focused Acumen Fund investees in India and Pakistan, Heidi Krauel and Joel Montgomery (2009 Acumen Fellows) were interested in exploring and uncovering common practices among small-and medium-sized enterprises that are successfully building sales organizations to serve the BoP. This executive summary presents the findings from a survey that Krauel and Montgomery conducted with organizations that target the poor through a variety of sales models.Forty-two different organizations in Latin America, Africa, and Asia participated in the survey and contributed to the BoP Salesforce Lifecycle – a framework which identifies specific steps that social enterprises can take to accelerate their growth and development. Krauel and Montgomery suggest that this three-pronged model – Recruit, Realize, and Reinforce –may help BoP companies break through the barriers they face in building high-performing sales organizations to serve the poor. BOP SALESFORCE LIFECYCLE A three-pronged framework that identifies steps social enterprises can take to build an effective sales forceRECRuIt â€Å"ambassadors† with strong soft skills by l everaging low-cost company assets REALIzE potential using ongoing, experience-based training built upon â€Å"on-the-ground† realities REInFORCE by linking smart data collection to performance-based pay and perks The Survey Profile of Companies An online survey was conducted in July 2009 with the CEOs or Heads of Sales at small- and medium-sized enterprises serving low-income customers in developing countries. The majority of respondents (31 of 42) have fewer than 100 employees and 69% percent have less than $1 million in annual revenues.The age distribution of survey responders is fairly even with 21% of companies in their first year of operations, 31% with two to five years operating history, 29% with six to ten years, and 19% with ten or more years. The survey set is dominated by for-profit companies (71%) and one-third of all respondents (36%) have received venture capital investment. Consumer Goods is the most common industry focus (33% of companies), followed by Busines s Services (24%), Consumer Services (17%), Agricultural or Industrial Products (12%), and Other products or services (14%).The majority of companies target primarily low-income and/ or rural consumers: 81% of companies target low-income, 64%, rural. Fewer companies target the urban (36%) or middleincome (26%) consumer. Overview of Findings Challenges: Survey responders report common challenges in finding salespeople with the requisite skills and then extracting top performance in terms of meeting sales targets, effective Krauel & Montgomery, April 2010  · Copyright  © 2010 Acumen Fund 2 Lessons from the Field: Sales at the Bottom of the PyramidSalesforce's Performance Ratings Based on End Customer type 100% % of companies surveyed 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% 36% 44% 33% Primarily Low-Income Primarily Rural Primarily Urban 26% ;gt;10% Primarily Mid-Income 81% 64% % of Companies (n=42) % High Perfomers 44% Performance Rating Methodology Companies were rated based on self-reported data on p erformance against company sales targets. Companies reporting meeting or beating at least 75% of their sales targets are High Performers, while companies whose sales teams meet or beat 50%-74% of targets are Medium Performers.Low Performers tend to miss more than 50% of their sales targets. Having venture capital (VC) investors does not necessarily correlate with high performance, with 47% of VC-backed companies rated as High Performers compared to 48% of companies without VC backing. Similarly, non-profit or for-profit status has little impact on performance ratings, with 58% of all non-profits and 43% of all forprofit companies being High Performers. Nearly half of companies that target low-income customers are High Performers. †¦This is a promising finding for entrepreneurs aspiring to build successful companies aimed at eradicating the â€Å"poverty penalty. † Company Performance Based on Years in Operation Companies of all ages are High performers, but an inflection point emerges at five or more years of operating history. 20 Years in Operation: ;gt;15 (n=3) 10 to 15 (n=5) 6 to 10 (n=12) 12 10 2 to 5 (n=13) 0 to 2 (n=9) High Medium Low time management, and thoughtful prioritization of markets and customers. Advantages: Participating companies also report unique advantages that can be leveraged to break through these barriers.Social missions act as powerful magnets to new salespeople and relatively high retention rates make investing in sales force development a viable option. Promising practices around soft-skills-based sales force recruitment and assessment, experiential and ongoing sales force training programs, and low-tech but rigorous data collection linked to appropriate compensation schemes emerged and are discussed in the sections below. Some of these practices also corresponded with existing best practices and research in the field of Sales Force Development in small and medium enterprises (SMEs).Interestingly, companies primarily foc used on notoriously challenging rural and low-income markets do not seem to be paying a penalty when it comes to performance. Forty-four percent of companies focused on rural markets are High Performers, compared to 33% of companies focused on urban markets. Similarly, nearly half (15 of 34) of companies that target low-income customers are High Performers compared to less than 10% of companies that include middle-income consumers in their target market.This is a promising finding for entrepreneurs aspiring to build successful companies aimed at eradicating the â€Å"poverty penalty. † An inflection point in company size and stage emerges from the survey responses, after which performance against targets significantly improves. Of the companies rated as High Performers, 80% have more than 20 employees and 65% have more than $250,000 in annual revenue. This report hopes to highlight tangible steps that companies can take to not only improve performance in the near term, but al so accelerate progress towards this inflection point and down the path towards size and scale.Krauel ; Montgomery, April 2010  · Copyright  © 2010 Acumen Fund 3 Lessons from the Field: Sales at the Bottom of the Pyramid Step One: Recruit Ambassadors Barrier Hiring skilled sales staff Breakthrough Recruit ambassadors with strong soft skills by leveraging low cost assets top Hiring Barriers by Percent of Companies (n=42) *Note: respondents could choose more than one category Lack of necessary skills — Lack of necessary work experience — Poor cultural fit — Ability to offer competitive wages — Unknown company brand — 19% 24% 36% 43% 40%Nearly all companies (93%) report Other — 10% that hiring salespeople is somewhat challenging (45%), if not extremely Company location — 10% challenging (48%). Lack of core skills, Ability to offer competitive benefits — 10% direct experience, and cultural fit (with formalized and/or fast-paced startup environments) are consistently reported as the top hiring barriers, regardless of company size Candidates with significant, direct experience are hard to find v or stage. Yet, only 10% of companies note retention as a serious in large numbers; survey findings suggest that BoP managers challenge.This may be driven by the heavy use of personal should also target individuals that possess strong soft skills relationships in recruiting, but dedication to the social mission assets (local relationships, personal confidence, verbal is also reported as a top reason for why salespeople are joining communication, and community influence), and then test these these companies. Still, companies report that obtaining good skills in action as part of the interview process. performance from these committed sales teams is problematic.The survey suggests ways that BoP managers can more High Performers consistently report integrating active effectively hire in uncertain environments and then us e high demonstrations into their hiring processes. Sales force retention rates and mission alignment as rationale for investing interviewees are potential ambassadors for the company who – in the development of incoming sales staff. vi when given basic product information – should be able to shine REASOnS SALES PEOPLE JOIn (â€Å"ASSEtS†), SuCCESSFuL RECRuItIng StRAtEgIES (â€Å"tOOLS†) (n=42) StARt-uP ;gt;20 employees; n=14) SMALL EntERPRISE (20–100 employees; n=17) MED—LARgE EntERPRISE (101–500+ employees; n=11) Assets + Social Mission (n=X, 93%) + Start-up Energy (n=X, 36%) + Social Mission (n=X, 67%) + Competitive + Professional Wages (n=X, 53%) + Social Mission (n=X, 80%) + Competitive Wages (n=X, 53%) Development (47%) + Brand (n=X, 40%) tools + Word-of-Mouth Referrals (n=X, 86%) + Word-of-Mouth Referrals (n=X, 86%) + Word-of-Mouth Referrals (n=X, 62%) + Recruiting Agency (n=X, 52%) Krauel ; Montgomery, April 2010  · Copyright  © 2010 Acumen Fund Lessons from the Field: Sales at the Bottom of the Pyramid in role-playing scenarios, trial product demonstrationsvii, or sales contests with potential customers. Post-hire, companies can invest in comprehensive, hard skills training reinforced by thoughtful performance assessment and compensation schemes. This emphasis on recruiting first for soft skills, and then augmenting with training, corresponds with research of Mayer and Greenberg, who advocate for the hiring of employees with real sales ability and talent, instead of mere experience. iii During the recruiting process, BoP managers should keep in mind the unique assets that attract sales people to the particular stage of their company. Start-ups (classified as fewer than 20 employees) can boast of the energy of a new venture and also tout their social mission. Small Enterprises (20-100 employees), on the other hand, can boast of more competitive wages and professional development opportunities. With Me dium – Large Organizations (101-500+ employees), brand recognition becomes more important, though social missionRecruit for â€Å"soft skills† not just years of experiencesalesperson interviewees should be able to shine in roleplaying scenarios and trial product demonstrations. and competitive wages also play an integral part in attracting sales people. Across the board, using word-of-mouth referrals is one of the most important recruiting tools. For Medium – Large Organizations, use of recruitment agencies becomes more common. Newspaper advertisements are another popular recruiting strategy, while little use is made of recruiting or company websites in the hiring process.Lastly, companies of all sizes report keeping senior managers directly involved in hiring sales staff, with 79% overall indicating that the CEO or similar person is directly involved in sales force recruitment. RECRuIt: Innovations from the Field—Quotes from survey responses â€Å"We co mmunicate this activity as a entrepreneurial opportunity†¦which would eventually help them in learning business practices in addition to serving their community. † Indian consumer products company â€Å"We try to rope in satisfied customers [as sales people]. Indian energy product company â€Å"We identify [sales] people by analyzing if they have visited family in the countryside recently†¦ because that is where they will work with us. † Latin American energy products company â€Å"Motivating staff to the social impact of our products†¦. Since the message is out and understood, our staff will go the extra mile. † African food products company Step Two: Realize Potential Barrier Effectively training sales people in a way that is consistent with ompany strategy and priorities Breakthrough Realize potential using ongoing, experiential training based on ground realities As a manager from a Large European Consumer Goods Company states, â€Å"Training is the key, it takes time to develop [a] BoP sales force. † The value of sales training programs depends on the actual number of training hours along with the quality of the curriculum and instructors. Sixty-five percent of High performing companies conduct at least 10 hours of initial training during the first month of employment compared to only 30% of Medium and 33% of Low Performers. For most HighKrauel ; Montgomery, April 2010  · Copyright  © 2010 Acumen Fund 5 Lessons from the Field: Sales at the Bottom of the Pyramid tRAInIng PRACtICES BY COMPAnY PERFORMAnCE RAtIng (n=42) HIgH (n=20) Specialized sales training 10+ hours initial sales training Ongoing sales training Experiential sales training 85% 65% 85% 85% MEDIuM (n=10) 60% 30% 70% 80% LOW (n=12) 58% 33% 42% 62% Performers, the initial training is complemented by periodic refreshers. Eighty-five percent of High performing companies conduct ongoing training compared to 70% of Medium performing companies and 42% of Low performing companies.Not surprisingly, High performing companies dedicate more time to training sales staff, but quantity alone is not sufficient. Many companies indicate that experiential training is the most effective method of training sales people. At least 80% of High and Medium Performers focus on experiential training (role plays, shadowing, etc. ) as opposed to pure lecture form, compared to just 62% of Low Performers. This finding corresponds with the research of Galloix and Robinson x, which cites the importance of role-playing in training good salesmen.Survey findings show a disconnect between the challenges sales staff face in the field and the sales training programs that companies offer. Market prioritization and time management are consistently rated as the top challenges managers face with salespeople, but fewer than half of participating companies provide training in these areas. While High Performers are generally more pleased with the quality of their training programs, only 40% indicate that sales staff have actually acquired the knowledge and skills necessary to be effective in the field, compared to just 20% of Medium performing companies and 0% of Low performing companies.Recent research from the developed world suggests that highperforming SMEs successfully integrate R;D into customer outreach (sales and marketing). xi Perhaps, organizations selling to the BoP can benefit from making training a priority and ensuring that training programs are ongoing, consistent with company priorities, and relevant to the on-the-ground realities that sales people face. xii REALIzE: Innovations from the Field â€Å"We gave a one-day training that included a morning full of lecture. The second half of the day, we dropped sales people off in random villages and asked them to sell a product in one hour. Pakistani agricultural product company â€Å"We blend classroom training and demonstration camps.This provides participants an opportunity to learn, apply theoretical learning in live camps and again come back to classroom for clarification about doubts/feedback. † Indian consumer goods company â€Å"We do our operational training in the field with a new customer in as public a place as possible to create a buzz while doing the training. † African consumer services company Step Three: Reinforce Training Barrier Poor performance of sales staff Breakthrough Reinforce training and ompany strategy by linking smart data collection with perks and performance-based compensation Krauel ; Montgomery, April 2010  · Copyright  © 2010 Acumen Fund 6 Lessons from the Field: Sales at the Bottom of the Pyramid High Performers use rigorous data collection and innovative compensation schemes to reinforce company sales strategy and boost performance. xiii Data collection Nearly all companies (95%) collect basic sales data on a regular basis, and many High and Medium Performers collect sales data on a weekly or if not daily basis ( 63% vs. 33% of Low Performers).This is striking given how challenging data collection can be in developing countries that lack robust IT and communication infrastructure. This challenge is compounded for companies with sales staff that live and work in the underserved communities they are trying to reach (mainly low-income, rural). Companies are breaking through these infrastructure barriers by using a blend of SMS, verbal, email and paper-based methods to capture results from the field. These â€Å"IT-light† practices don’t necessarily change as companies get larger, with 55% of companies with 100 or more employees reporting continued use of verbal reporting.However, older companies (five or more years of operation) report increased use of email and mobile phones in data collection along with decreased use of paper and verbal methods. High Performers also report limited use of verbal reporting (only 30% compared to 60% of Medium and Low Performers). These findings sug gest that BoP companies may be able to avoid investment in expensive ERP or CRM systems, but that there is significant value in adopting rigorous low-tech solutions that are easy to follow, consistently used, relatively scalable, and that limit errors. iv High performing companies are also much more likely to dedicate training time specifically to data reporting. With â€Å"compliance with company policies† consistently ranked among the top two or three sales force priorities, frequent data collection integrated into training and compensation schemes may be a underutilized but promising practice.xv REInFORCE—DAtA: Innovations from the Field â€Å"Ensure data collection is seen as a specific skill. † Indian healthcare service provider â€Å"We give minor incentives to the top performers in each week's data metric. † African equipment company We issue discount coupons [in order to] capture data from customers. † India financial services company Compen sation Surprisingly, survey responders did not report the inability to offer competitive wages as a significant barrier to growth. Fewer than one-in-four companies note wages as one of the top two challenges in hiring salespeople. However, what these BoPfacing companies might be gaining in sales force affordability, they may be losing in productivity and performance. Company responders are using creative compensation schemes to breakthrough the performance barrier.High performing companies are less likely than Medium and Low Performers to offer variable compensation (35% vs. 70% and 50%, respectively), but those High Performers that offer bonuses and/or commissions, do so aggressively. For High Performers, variable compensation constitutes 46% of total compensation compared to 21% at Low Performers. High Performers are also more likely to complement pay packages with attractive perks and benefits, with 75% offering perks compared to 42% of Low Performers. This raises the point as to how companies think about allocating employee-related expenditures.Targeting rural, low-income clients often translates into long hours, extensive travel, and limited creature comforts for sales staff. BoP companies may benefit from capping overall sales wages at market-rates and investing remaining funds towards employee health insurance, Companies have other levers to pull when it comes to data collection. Forty-five percent of High Performers tie data reporting to compensation, compared to 33% of Low Performers. High performing companies are also much more likely to dedicate training time specifically to data reporting (71% compared to just 50% of Low and Medium Performers).Krauel & Montgomery, April 2010  · Copyright  © 2010 Acumen Fund 7 Lessons from the Field: Sales at the Bottom of the Pyramid transportation, lodging, meals, mobile phones, or retirement plans – perks that can improve a salesperson’s quality of life while also directly supporting sales-relat ed activities. REInFORCE—COMPEnSAtIOn: Innovations from the Field + Eco-friendly paper salesmen are eligible for profit-sharing. + Rural energy salesman receive bonuses on a sliding scale, based on company performance. ConclusionAfter 50 or more years of somewhat ineffectual international development efforts, there is a new awakening among practitioners and business leaders around a different way to approach the problems of poverty: through market-based approaches. At the heart of every market-based approach, there is a customer and a company. And, at the heart of every customer relationship, there is a sales force. In many ways, the success or failure of the BoP movement will hinge upon companies’ and organizations’ abilities to build and maintain high performing sales organizations.Interestingly, our findings resonate with existing academic research on how to construct effective sales organizations, and perhaps BoP businesses can also learn from the best pract ices in sales force development for SMEs. The first step BoP-facing social enterprises can take to confront challenges with less developed labor markets is to clearly articulate their unique company assets (based on company stage) as they actively Recruit sales staff with strong soft skills who can become true ambassadors and champions of the company.Next, companies can Realize sales force potential with ongoing and experience-based training programs, designed with on-the-ground realities in mind. Lastly, linking training topics to targeted data collection and compensation schemes can help to Reinforce and institutionalize company priorities and sales strategies. + African salespeople receive live chickens as rewards during sales meetings. + Latin American rural logistics company provides funds for vacation travel. + Rural energy company follows â€Å"open book management† so sales team sees how their performance fits in. + Community water system company provides salesmen ith equity shares.