Contracts in Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Contracts in Business - Essay Example Consideration Either of the parties involved in a contract has to receive something valuable for the contract to be sealed. Therefore, in a situation where one promises a friend to give him a car and the giver refuses to eventually give the car to the friend, such a friend cannot go to court and sue him/her for not giving him that car. This is due to the fact that, the receiver of the car was not to give something of value to the giver in return to the favour. Thus, the price that is paid to the promise of the other is simply the consideration. Besides these elements, it is of essence to have a look at one of the most confusing elements of a contract that is often overlooked. That is ‘an invitation to treat’. (Smithies, 2007) Invitation to treat An invitation to treat is usually confused with an offer. This expression, â€Å"invitation to treat†, refers to the invitation or call for other persons to make an offer. Thus, some of what are usually perceived as offers is as a matter of fact, invitations to treat. Take, for instance, an advertisement for the sale of a sofa set. That advertisement is just an invitation to treat and it is upon the willing buyer to make an offer to the seller by requesting to buy the sofa. The advertising seller will in turn accept the request and this forms an acceptance of the offer. The payment for the sofa by the buyer marks his fulfillment of his part of consideration and thus, the advertising seller fulfils his consideration by delivering the sofa to the buyer. (Fuller, 2010 p180) The case to illustrate the issue of invitation to treat is as follows: Case: Fisher versus Bell (1960) Facts: This case is about a shop-keeper who had displayed a flick-knife, which had a ticket placed behind it which read â€Å"Ejector-Knife 4 shillings†. The Act of Offensive Weapons of 1959 was used to charge this shop-keeper for having the flick-knife being offered for sale. The Magistrates Court convicted him (the shop-kee per) and he appealed on a law point. He said that there can be no offer to sell, but buy only. Thus, the one who purchases makes an offer. Held: This was an invitation to treat (the display of the flick-knife for sale) and following this the Act was amended to read to say that it is an offence for a person to be found in possession or expresses intent to sell a flick-knife. (Blond and Petrillo, 2007 p208) The case provided involves HE Ltd which posted (on September 10th) an offer to dispose 10 laptop computers to GCS. The offer for sale included a price tag of ?300/Laptop and was open until September 24th. This offer for sale, as per the facts obtained from the aforementioned elements of a contract, is just an invitation to treat. GCS’s manager, Gemma called HE Ltd for an enquiry whether they would accept a 2-month credit and that signifies an offer to buy. On September 20th Bertie, HE’s manager refused to sell the laptops since the terms of sale stated otherwise and t his signifies a refusal to make an acceptance to GCS’s offer. The sale of the same laptops to Argon Electronics on September 22nd shows a complete contract. Therefore, the September 23rd offer to buy by Gemma would not be valid since the contract had already been carried out. Thus, no contract had existed before between HE Ltd and GCS. Question 2 To:

Nanotechnology Uses to Enhance Computer Performance Essay Example for Free

Nanotechnology Uses to Enhance Computer Performance Essay Although the core concepts of nanotechnology were introduced in the early 1950’s, nanotechnology was not properly introduced to the world until 1974. That was the year a Japanese scientist, named Tanigushi, coined the word â€Å"nanotechnology†. Nanotechnology refers to the constructing and engineering of systems at the atomic level. â€Å"Nanotechnology will be the major technology in development of every machine in coming years. † (Wifinotes, n. d. ) Nanotechnology will greatly improve the functionality and performance of computers. Body  In everyday terms, â€Å"Nanotechnology is based on manipulations of individual atoms and molecules to build complex atomic structures. † (Tarasov, 2009, pg. 1) Working at the atomic level is a very new technology. The size of a nanometer is one-billionth of a meter. For comparison purposes, â€Å"A very fine human hair is about 10,000 nanometers wide, which is the smallest dimension we can see with the naked eye. † (Cook, 2005) Before research could begin, researchers had to first invent a machine that could work with such small particles. Their goal was to manipulate atoms and molecules into a particular configuration – a configuration capable of performing functions similar to a microprocessor. The technology prior to nanotechnology started out rather primitive. It was a major advance in technology when vacuum tubes were invented. They came into existence about the same time Thomas Edison invented the light bulb. Vacuum tubes were first used in computers in 1946 until 1958. By then, vacuum tubes could not be made any smaller, so technology gave us transistors. Transistors were used in computers from 1959 to 1964. One transistor took the place of 40 vacuum tubes. When the limits of the transistor were reached, computer builders used integrated circuits from 1965 to 1970. In 1971, the microprocessor came into computer use. Faster and smaller than anything so far, the microprocessor led to the invention of personal computers. Now that the advancement of microprocessors has nearly reached its limits, it is now time for the next generation of processor, which some researchers say will be engineered on the nanometer scale. But, how will they manipulate particles on such a minute scale? Before manipulating atoms into the desired position, researchers had to see them first. Researchers had to invent a microscope that would allow them to see atoms. In 1981, IBM researchers invented the Scanning Probe Microscope (SPM). (University of Wisconsin, 2008) This microscope allowed researchers to â€Å"see† atoms. As it turns out, in 1989, researchers found they could actually manipulate atoms into the desired position with the SPM. †¦researchers have been able to manipulate and stabilize atomic-size structures in such a way that they can persistently maintain the qualities needed to be classified as viable, though still strictly experimental, computational devices. † (Goth, 2012) Atoms are constantly moving, so catching one to move around was very difficult. The atoms needed to be cooled down to near absolute zero, to -450 degrees Fahrenheit, the temperature where most atoms hardly move. The Scanning Probe Microscope (Nanooze, 2005) After cooling the atoms, researchers were able to use the SPM to move individual atoms to a specific location. One at a time, they moved the atoms into position to spell â€Å"IBM†. It took them nearly an entire day to do it. See image below: Atoms arranged to spell IBM (Nanooze, 2005) Since the first manipulation of atoms had been demonstrated, researchers have continued to move atoms into complicated configurations, as shown in the figure below. Depiction of a nanotechnology produced gear set (Wifinotes, n. d. ) After all the groundwork had been laid, computer researchers turned their attention to using nanotechnology in the computer world. Their first target was the microchip. Current microchip technology limits have nearly been reached and the researchers went to work shrinking the size of the processors . â€Å" etching [lithography] techniques can only take features so far – anything below 22nm is just not feasible. † (European Nanotechnology Gateway, n. d. ) Right now, the newest chipsets using lithographic etching are being produced with 65nm features. Intel has realized a 10-15% improvement in drive current, which means greater performance, through the use of nanotechnology. Meanwhile, at IBM, to aid the shrinking of the processors, â€Å"researchers have developed transistors from carbon nanotubes. †( European Nanotechnology Gateway, n. d. ) Carbon nanotubes show great improvements compared to conventional silicon transistors. â€Å"The carbon nanotubes are long, thin strands of carbon molecules. In the lab, they delivered more than double the amount of electrical current compared to the top-performing transistors currently on the market. †( European Nanotechnology Gateway, n. . ) â€Å"A single strand of carbon atoms (red)†¦contained in a multi-walled carbon nanotube. † (American Institute of Physics, 2003) Lithographic etching is being replaced with a new process called â€Å"block co-polymer lithography†, or BCP. Scientists have found a process to create nano-scale patterns that is expected to be used in the manufacture of microprocessors. Using the new process, silicon wafer features have been developed between five and 20 nanometers thick – much smaller than the current 65 nanometers. In the figure below, you can see an image of a nano-scale microprocessor created by the BCP process: (Nanotechnology, 2011) According to Nanotechnology – Future Technology: †¦with the use [of] nanotechnology, it could be possible to transform desktop computers into computers that are the size of a watch but with more operating capacity and they will also last longer than current computers†¦Computers with the capabilities of current workstations will be the size of a grain of sand and will be able to operate for decades with the equivalent of a single wristwatch battery. This technology advancement will make computers more abundant, cheaper to manufacture, faster, and smaller. (Nanotechnology – Future Technology, 2012) When a processors feature size is reduced, it uses less electricity and produces less heat, thereby becoming more efficient and economical to operate. Being more efficient and economical also means faster, more reliable overall performance of the computer. Conclusion Nanotechnology will provide the world with advancements in electronics along with many other fields, such as biology, chemistry and medicine. In the future, nanotechnology will play a major role in the discovery of new components, such as nano-sized microprocessors, and will enhance many other existing technologies. â€Å"Nanotechnology will be the major technology in [the]development of every machine in coming years. † (Wifinotes, n. d. ) Nanotechnology will greatly improve the functionality and performance of computers.

The Effects Of The Emasculated Male

The Effects Of The Emasculated Male The purpose of this term paper is to explore the effects that were posed by the World War II and that experienced during post war period. The most important area of study is the traditional gender roles and how they have been altered during the war and after the war. Changes based on jobs, empowerment, independence of women, loss of rugged individual, loss of G1 Joe ethics, Metrosexuals, Hollywood among others will be covered in the research. Factors that contributed to the emasculation of male will be highlighted in the context of this course work. Since the study is all about the emasculation of men, things which should do in order to elude themselves from this problem will be an area of interest in this study. For better expoundation of these effects or impacts, the study will concern itself with definitions of gender roles and emasculation of male. Thesis statement of this study is the changes that were brought about by World War II and post war period had significant impacts on traditional gender role more so those regard to emasculation of the male. The problem is due to persists if men failed to recognize their gender roles meaning that it is very crucial for men to realize their gender roles before it is late. Discussion Emasculation can be defined as the deprivation of mans masculinity, power and his manhood hence making him impotent of both identity and expression. Through emasculation, patriarchy is said to have lost value in men thus demoting male dominance in the family and also the society at large. Masculinity is for male and thus why when male are emasculated, the patriarchy that exists in male is breached hence enabling female to compete with men for existence. It is true that masculinity is a female centered realty in each and every society in the world. Based on this point, male are admired and also measured based on the beauty, loyalty of the wife, submission and the manner in which he controls his wife. This is to mean that the masculinity of the man is determined by the satisfying behavior of her wife. In addition to this, single men or bachelors cant gauge their degree of masculinity since geared by the behavior portrayed by his wife. Masculinity and feminist are differently implicated in the gender roles and therefore they can be used to offer a better understanding of both male and female. Men are known for their ability to fulfill stressful roles that include husband role, the role of breadwinner and that of father. In the traditional and modern societies, women or female are expected to be under the rule of the male. They should adhere to the commands made by male and thus how patriarchy is practiced. Male are said to be ignorant in that they believe that their reality is centered among female without adhering to the fact that female also have their own reality. Male reality is determined externally but not internally because it has been noted that masculinity is measured based on ones wife satisfying behavior in the society. This is to mean that males soul does not play any part in individual reality. The selfishness implicated in the disregard of reality of female has been considered as the major cause of both spiritual and emotional differences between the two types of gender. In the issues of emotions, female are said to be more or too emotional as compared to male. In the matter concerning spiritual backgrounds, female take the majority vote since they are said to be more religious than their men. During the World War II and the period after the war, several changes have been observed to have taken place whereby the power of male became eroded. Women learnt that their freedom had been barred by the patriarchy or the dominance of male in the society. Before then, love was a good indicator of the relationship between the male and female but with the onset of emasculation of male, this was replaced by the economic foundation. In the absence of emasculation, female had a close attachment to their husband. When male came home late they were to be served with hot dinner since it was the responsibility of their wives or females. Real love by then was practiced as opposed to the period after the World War II. Males in most cases are blinded by the privileged that if they works and support their wives, every thing in their castles is expected to be well. Emasculation of males has given females the opportunity to venture into the roles that were made for male. It is not surprising to find that many males cook for themselves or in household there exists a duty Rooter. Meaning that if the wife cooks today tomorrow is the turn for the husband to cook of which this is contrary to the traditional gender roles. Emasculation in most cases is said to germinate into what scientist call bacterium. Male are said to be have been disadvantaged by the emasculation which is said to shed off their powers hence unable to practice patriarchy in the society. For instance most men are not served with hot dinners when they came back at night since their wives believed that they are equal to them and that they should not woke up at the mid of the night and warm meals for their husbands. In other occasions their wives are not available to greet them with sweet names and also charming carelessly hence echoing their males masculinity. According to the masculine logics, this breach in behavior calls for punishment or any other consequences in the society. Males are said to find it difficult to resist the use of what is referred to as physical force and thus why aggression has been considered natural to males reptilian brain. When males are offended by their wives they tend to use their masculine to punish them but according to the recent research based on masculines it has been noted that mas culine prowess are under the counter of emasculation. In the modern society, several couples find it inferior to fasten their hands behind their backs when walking. The research showed that males sat in the back seats of a car while the wife is the drive meaning that masculinity of males has been violated by their wives. They tend to exercise powers above their husbands in the society which is contrary to the traditional gender roles. Females are now taking top positions in the government and are therefore provided with police men as her guards. They use police as their watch dogs and they had powers of summoning them at any mere dial of 911. According to the emasculation of males, both the mans reality and masculine will never at any given time be the same again as it was during the times of traditional society. To cover their emasculations many males have indulged themselves into drinking springs meaning that alcohol has become the only bandage for their masculine wounds. Emasculation is said to be worsening as the time goes on hence developing into a full fledged kind of disease. There was a case whereby a man came home from work only to find a dog with a note tied around its neck the note was left behind by his who claimed that the man had another woman and that she had given him a chance to marry her. This showed how emasculation of males had affected men and their families whereby women had rights to decide when to quit marriage. Men remained attached to the love in their marriage even after the divorce. This has been noted to have changed over the years meaning that the bond between wife and husband has become too weak than it was before the World War II and the period after. From researches that have been conducted in United States of America have showed that males are deprived of the meaning that is said to reflect their masculinity. Males are said to have got no alternative reality that they could rely upon as opposed to females in each and every society in the world. Emasculation of males have made them to result into alcohol taking which has made them to lose consciousness of their males reality in favor of their imaginative realities. These imagination of their reality has been said to have got negative effects to their jobs meaning that they interferes with their jobs to the pint that they cant play their roles as breadwinners in the family. Many males think or consider alcohol as the best solution fo r their emasculation but it has negative effects to males roles since it made them less concerned to what expected of them. Imagination reality and Alcohol are said to collide if and only if they are both applied by the males. Emasculation is said to reach what is called malignancy hence resulting to killing when males lost their jobs because they believe that no life that is worth to living. The process of human evolution has been said to have resulted to a more devastating form of emasculation since it led to feminization process through destruction of patriarchy organization and the old paradigm of expression of the masculine. In the process of human evolving several roles have or features have been made less useful in the society. Things such as suppression, war, aggression, competition and brute muscle force are no long inexistence today. Emasculation is argued to become stronger and stronger as males escape the destruction imposed by nature. As time goes on masculinity of males is viewed to have been transforming into a situation considered by many scholars as a vanguard of femininity in the society. Emasculation of males will be good or bad depending on the side of human evolution one stood after the completion of feminization process. The feminization process is not a simple process in the transformation of human being since it is beyond peoples ability. This is to mean that human transformation is a process controlled by the spirit of God in each and every society in the world. In the early form of Christianity females were said to possess values such as obedience, commitment, innocence, silent suffe rer and faithfulness. According to the transformation of human being and the impact of industrial revolution, it was argued that these values are no longer useful since females have realized their roles after the call for gender equity in the society. Feminization process has brought about rugged individualism in the world where by a man has become a master of his own feta but not the fate of others; men are now responsible to make their beds among others. Rugged individualism has been implicated through several movies and television in the United States. The Hollywood culture is a good indicator of emasculation of males. Most of the American movies are presents a large number of female actors as opposed to males. In these movies female characters are empowered or play a dominant role in acting meaning that they are the most dangerous and armed characters than males. Hollywood culture had portrayed men as having adopted females characteristic. That is men have taken on female characteristics such as trimmed eyebrows, slim, tight abs, attractiveness among others. Several researches have showed that females have embraced males characteristics and thus why they have ventured into roles that traditionally were made for males. On the issues of appearance conscious it has been noted that with the onset or coming of emasculation of males, many men have become more conscious to their appearance than it was before. Some sent a lot of times decollating their bodies through the use of cosmetics and other chemicals or substances that are said to bring about beauty in human being. Traditionally men had a little concern on the issue of beauty but this seems to have ceased with passage of time. Younger men are the major victims of appearance conscious since they are said to adhere to fashion trends more often that in past. Emasculation of males have made women to become independent of themselves meaning that women are able to provide for themselves without depending on their husband who have become ignorant of their role of provider. It has therefore discovered that many women or females are not willing to get married to men since they can take on the role of provider with ease that it was before. This has come as a result of females taking on the roles or jobs of males in the modern society a thing that made men to become emasculated. Professional fields are flooded since career equity has empowered female to compete males in jobs. In past that is before the world war ii, females were not entitled to venture into certain fields such as drivers, engineers, doctors among others because nature prohibits them. The world war empowered women or females to take part in economic activities in each and every nation in the world. This is to mean that females have the right to remain in the task force like any other human being. Traditional gender roles are no longer considered important in the modern society which came a bout as a result of the industrial revolution. This industrial revolution is said to have enlightened females thus ceasing from being victims of male exploitation in the society. This is to mean that females are no longer silent sufferer and thus why they have become increasingly independent than in the past. In conclusion from the study it was noted that emasculation of males has affected males severely in the modern society and this has resulted from the industrial revolution. Females have taken on the roles of males hence boycotting the traditional gender roles in the society. Emasculation of males has been said to grow stronger with the passage of time since men are not a ware of their realty meaning that they are not willing to take their responsibilities. The selfishness implicated in the disregard of reality of female has been considered as the major cause of both spiritual and emotional differences between the two types of gender. In the issues of emotions, female are said to be more or too emotional as compared to male. In the matter concerning spiritual backgrounds, female take the majority vote since they are said to be more religious than their men. From the study it was showed that the patriarchy practice is no longer in existence.

The World Church of the Creator :: Religion Racism White Supremacy Essays

The World Church of the Creator Free speech comes in many forms, some offensive and some non-offensive. One of the more offensive sites on the Internet is the homepage for the World Church of the Creator. This site supports an extreme white supremacist point of view whose followers, from my interpretation of the site, believe that all races, except for the white race, are inferior. The site is also extremely anti-Semitic. In short, according to the site, if someone is not white and Christian, then they are no one. First, this site has an extreme belief in white supremacy. The followers of the World Church of the Creator have an extreme belief in white supremacy. For example, the slogan of the World Church of the Creator is "Let us work together to build a whiter and brighter world!" (World Church of†¦"). Throughout the numerous pages of the site, there are many references to the superiority of the white race. Their monthly publication, "The Struggle," is dedicated to "survival, expansion, and advancement of the white race." (World Church of†¦"). They even try to explain that there is a rather large biological difference between the different races of the world. The Reverend Matt Hale goes into a detailed explanation about the biological differences between races. For example, he says that: There are only two ways people can be equal. One way is to be the same physically; the other is to be the same mentally. Considering the former first, are people the same physically? No. We have tall and short, thin and fat, young and old, White and Black, strong and weak, fast and slow, plus all sorts of mediums and in-betweens. No equality is to be seen among individuals. As to differences among races, there are many differences such as head shape and facial features, physical maturity at birth, brain formation and cranial capacity, visual and auditory acuity, body size and proportions, number of vertebrae, blood types, bone density, length of gestation period, number and distribution of sweat glands, rate of infant development of alpha brain waves, fingerprints, ability to digest milk, hair forms and distribution, odor, colorblindness, genetic diseases (such as sickle cell anemia and Tay Sachs), galvanic skin resistance, pigmentation of the skin and eyes, and susceptibility to inf ectious diseases. If there are this many physical differences, it would be silly to think that there would be no mental differences, and indeed we do find that they not only exist, but are of great significance.

Cja 224 Week 1

CJA/224 Monday April 15, 2013 The American Criminal Court Systems The American criminal court systems are made up of Federal and State courts. The State court deals mainly with civil, traffic, and family issues. The Federal court handles more serious violations which include federal and government violations and issues between actual states. If the case is either federal or state trial courts determine guilt and convictions. Our court systems are very complex, but recently Community courts have been added and that is used for less offense, and mostly used for mediation.The Federal court consists are military courts, international courts and trading, and also includes ninety four district courts. The district courts are used for trials and convictions. The Federal court systems also deal with all tax situations. The Federal courts have twelve circuits in the appellate courts. The appellate courts are used for appealing cases that were once heard in trial. If you want to appeal your co nviction, the appellate court is where you should have your case heard. The Supreme Court is the highest possible court.It has nine justices with one chief justice. The Supreme Court only hears about two hundred cases a year, so it is very rare for the justices to accept to hear your case if you chose to try and appeal within the Supreme Court. The dual court system explains that both the Federal and State courts work separately under one judicial government. As I had stated above, the Federal court deals with national law and the State courts deal with state and civil. They both rarely work together, both courts work under one government but work almost completely separate from one another.The constitution of the United States is based off Federal laws which do apply to the country as a whole, which includes all the states. Federal laws are universal all over the country, as the state laws vary from state to state. Each state has the opportunity to create its own laws for that stat e, which is why you notice laws are different in one state to another. Our nation follows either common or civil law. Common law was first established in England in the Middle Ages, as civil law first was established in continental Europe around the same time and was also applied o Spain and Portugal. Common law isn’t based on statues as civil law is which can be confusing for most. Civil law is codified, which has shaped our court systems. This allows appropriate punishment for each offense brought to the court room. The Judge has a role to bring all the evidence out in a civil law system and the applicable code is applied to each case. This has shaped our court systems because the American court systems is strongly common law based which was brought from England in the Middle Ages.Civil law is practiced in America, just in a small amount, mostly in state courts. Louisiana is a great example of the civil law system. Louisiana has a strong French and Spanish influence, and th e civil system did once start in England and Spain. The Criminal justice system serves three main purposes in the United States. The three main purposes are to investigate, to prosecute, and to punish crimes. The most basic role in the criminal justice system is to investigate crimes and allegations.If the law enforcement feels as if the investigation is complete and needs further investigation the cases are sent to the correct attorneys. Prosecuting offenders is another purpose in the criminal justice system. If the alleged crime violated is deserving of prosecution then the cases is taken to court (state court) and is handled by the prosecuting attorney. The criminal justice systems doesn’t only investigate and prosecute, it also punishes offenders for their crimes. There are many different types of punishment which include fines, probation and jail time.Not only does the criminal justices system punish but it also has programs for prisoners to take once they are released f rom jail or taken off probation to help them from repeating the crime they were already punished for in the beginning. This is what the criminal justice systems call rehabilitation programs. References: 1. Walker, Samuel (1992). â€Å"Origins of the Contemporary Criminal Justice Paradigm: The American Bar Foundation Survey, 1953-1969†. Justice Quarterly  9  (1). 2. Neocleous, Mark (2004). Fabricating Social Order: A Critical History of Police Power. London: Pluto Press. pp. 93–94. ISBN

Characters in ‘Two Kinds’ Essay

Both, Madame Loisel and the daughter from two kinds, find themselves in similar situations. The situations seem different but in reality they aren’t, as both of them are expected to do certain things, the only different is that the daughter from to kinds in forced to do thing and Madame Loisel just feel like she had to do or to have a certain thing. The difference in the expectations between the two characters, is made by making one character want a certain thing, and the other to be forces to do something. So in other words one of the characters is wants to have certain thing and feels like the society expects the character to have these things. And the other one is made or forces by on other person or character from the story to do certain things, and is expected of certain things. The daughter is the forces character this is because the mother makes her do what she doesn’t want to. Her mother tries to make he a wonder kid and to change the way the daughter is. The mother tries to make her daughter a wonder kid and the daughter starts to respond in a way that she just doesn’t care. Then in some time the daughter be really tiered of the testes that the mother is making her that and the fact that the mother is trying to change her. And so, she starts to take short cut, and with the only intention to stay the way sh e it, the stops listening to her mother, doesn’t pay intention at the piano lessens. On the other hand there is Madame Loisel, which is a character that just feels that it is her duty to be what the society expects of all women. She feels that she has to be in the high class, that she is worth a lot and that all because of her beauty should adore her. She also had an opinion that if she wants something she has to get it or it is the end of the world. In addition, her believe is that her just deserve, also for whom she is, expensive cloths, and expensive necklace. Both of the characters respond very similar to their pressures and expectation that they are faced in the story line. The daughter responds by not agreeing to her mother and by trying to do the opposite of what she is told to do and in addition, she doesn’t listen nor try her best at the test that her mother makes her face. and a bit similar, Madame Loisel responds to  the expectations of society in a way that she just wants something and if she doesn’t get it it’s the end of the world, as if she just is the centre of the world and that she deserves all. So in other words she believes that she is worthy of having the best of the best. Then furthermore, both of the characters change in the end of their own stories. Madame Loisel becomes more realistic about life and gets a true self-esteem for what she had actually achieved. And in addition she loses her opinion that everything that she gets or receives is granted. Then, the daughter listens to her mother in the end of the story and starts playing the piano. As a conclusion both of the characters result in the same position in other words both of the characters are dramatic characters. This is because their view and their characteristics change and became completely different in the end of the story. Madame Loisel changes in a way that she becomes more aver of life and stops taking everything for granted. The daughter also changes to the positive site as she in the end of the story starts playing the piano and in other words listens.

Black Reconstruction by Debois essays

Black Reconstruction by Debois essays "BLACK RECONSTRUCTION" BY W.E.B DUBOIS Black Reconstruction was written by William Edward Burghardt DuBois and first published in New York: Harcourt, Brace in 1935,and later in New York : Atheneum ; Toronto : Maxwell Macmillan Canada ; New York : Maxwell Macmillan International, 1992 W.E.B.DuBois was born on 23rd February, 1868 in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, just five years after slavery was officially abolished in the United States. Great Barrington had at that time had only about 25-50 blacks among the 5000 or so population. Although there were little signs of overt racism, its venom was nevertheless present in the form of vindicative attitudes of its residents. This constant barrage of innuendos, combined with the discriminatory behavior caused the nature of young DeBois to change from good natured and outgoing to sullen and withdrawn, elements which haunted him all his life. DeBois died in August 27,1963, on the eve of the March On Washington, in Accra, Ghana. The Black Reconstruction by DeBois is a book written on the subject of discrimination of the black society by the whites in the American society. The period of setting of this book is the immediate decade preceding the abolition of slavery in 1868. Although the author, DeBois was born after about five years into this announcement, the effects, the venom, the prejudiced attitudes of the whites against the black citizens was very strong present and these coupled with his own upbringing into his hometown where no more 50 blacks resided, changed and brought out one of the greatest authors of Civil Rights movements. The book centers on the theme of black people who although had found freedom from slavery, but their actual beings were yet to freed as the new society of white supremacy now treated the blacks as inferior beings and normal acts performed by whites were considered a crime ...

Information Security Privacy in Healthcare Discussing the HIPAA Standards Requirements

Information Security Privacy in Healthcare Discussing the HIPAA Standards Requirements Introduction Today, more than ever before, it has become increasingly apparent that the daily functioning of a healthcare institution fundamentally depends on the integrity, availability and dependability of its information systems. Patient health information, research, operations, and finance all depend on highly accessible, reliable, and robust software applications, data, and information technology infrastructure (Glaser Aske, 2010).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Information Security Privacy in Healthcare: Discussing the HIPAA Standards Requirements specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Consequently, healthcare providers are required by law to strictly observe a complexity of standards as outlined in the privacy provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). This paper reviews some underlying issues related to organizational policies, procedures and documentation requirements govern ing health entities for HIPAA compliance. Issues in Information Technology Reporting Data One of the underlying issues covered in the document is the need for covered entities to tighten internal and external compliance procedures by ensuring that their business associates subscribes to a set of standards and requirements aimed at ensuring the integrity and reliability of the electronic protected health information (EPHI). This objective is achieved by ensuring that the covered entity obtains signed privacy agreements with the business associates, particularly on the use and disclosure of EPHI (HIPAA, 2007). The second issue concerns the need for the covered entity and its associates to conduct regular audits on EPHI not only to ensure compliance with the requirements and standards outlined in the Act, but also to guarantee that EPHI is used for the intended purposes. Business associates, such as software developers, must therefore develop and implement record-level security aimed at restricting access to EPHI sorely to those who are allowed by the Act (Sarrico Hauenstein, 2011). The variables of EPHI that requires safeguarding as outlined in rules and regulations of HIPAA also comes out strongly in this document. Indeed, the Act requires all stakeholders – covered entities, sponsors, business associates, and subcontractors – to always ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of EPHI (HIPAA, 2007). For example, a sub-agent contracted by a business associate of a covered entity to create a component of the electronic health register (EHR) must not only ensure the confidentiality, integrity and availability of EPHI under its possession, but must agree to sign compliance agreements that appropriate the task of implementing reasonable and appropriate safeguards to the subcontractor (HIPAA, 2007; Cannoy Salam, 2010).Advertising Looking for essay on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Fourth, the article has comprehensively discussed how breaches to the security of patient health information should be addressed either by the covered entity or by the business associates, sponsors, or subcontractors. Lastly, the document has outlined how policies and procedures required by the Security Rule should be incorporated with the organization’s mission and culture to enable effective implementation. Here, the covered entities are given a leeway to modify the rules and procedures of the Security Rule to fit their current business practices for policy development and implementation, as long as the modifications are documented and implemented in accordance with the requirements of the Act (HIPAA, 2007). Security Breaches The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) defines a breach as the â€Å"†¦acquisition, access, use, or disclosure of protected health information in a manner not permitted under [th e HIPAA privacy rule] which compromises the security or privacy of the protected health information† (Brown, 2009, p. 27). As such, any use, disclosure of, or access to, electronic patient health information that is not expressly permitted by the HIPAA privacy rule constitutes a security breach. For example, improperly disclosing patient health information that contains the name of the patient and dates of his/her appointments to a third party who is not allowed by the HIPAA security rule to have access to such information constitutes a violation of the privacy rule but not a substantial risk; however, the improper use or disclosure of sensitive patient information, such as the type of services received by the patient, constitutes a breach since such disclosure could result in harm to the patient (Brown, 2009) Technologists working in the covered entity should report the breaches to the individuals who could be harmed as a direct consequence of the breach. Serious breaches, su ch as those involving more than 500 patients in a given state or jurisdiction, must be reported to the media and the Secretary to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). For breaches involving less than 500 patients, however, the technologists need to report to the administration of the covered entity, who then maintain a log of the reported breaches with the aim to notify the HHS not late than 60 days after the expiry of the calendar year (Brown, 2009).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Information Security Privacy in Healthcare: Discussing the HIPAA Standards Requirements specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Requirements The requirements noted in the document include: organizational requirements; requirements for group health plans, and; policies, procedures and documentation requirements. Under the organizational requirements, the covered entity is required to enter into binding contracts or other arrangem ents with business associates who will have direct access to the covered entity’s EPHI with a view to ensure the effective implementation of administrative, physical, and technical safeguards that realistically and correctly protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of EPHI. This requirement also outlines ways through which the business associates should report breaches to the security and privacy of patient data, and the consequences for non-compliance (HIPAA, 2007). The standard on the requirements for group health plans obliges the â€Å"†¦group health plan to ensure that its plan documents require the plan sponsor to reasonably and appropriately safeguard EPHI that it creates, receives, maintains or transmits on behalf of the group health plan† (HIPAA, 2007, p. 5). This implies that the plan sponsor of the group health plan who has access to sensitive electronic patient health data is required by the Security Rule to plan documents using a langu age which is similar to that already required by the Privacy Rule. Consequently, the sponsor must not only ensure reasonable and appropriate safeguards to the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of EPHI under its disposal, but must also ensure that any agent, including a subcontractor, to whom it avails this data is obliged to implement rational and appropriate security directives to safeguard the information (HIPAA, 2007). Lastly, the requirements deal with issues of how a covered entity may modify its policies and procedures to fit its mission and organizational culture, provided that the modifications are documented and implemented in accordance with the Security Rule (HIPAA, 2007).Advertising Looking for essay on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More According to Withrow (2010), these requirements provide the covered entities with the flexibility they need to implement the policies and procedures of the Security Rule according to their standard business practices, but they must take caution not to circumvent the requirements as enshrined in the Security Rule. In documentation standard, covered entities are not only required to retain documentation for a specified number of years (6 years) from the date of its creation or up to the date when the document was last in effect, but they are also supposed to make the documentation available to the individuals responsible for implementing the procedures to which the documentation pertains (HIPAA, 2007). Reviewing and updating the documentation as needed is also a requirement. IT Workers To ensure adherence to the requirements discussed above, the covered entities must embrace extensive and regular training of all employees, but with particular emphasis to employees in their information technology departments (Sarrico Hauenstein, 2011). The rules, standards, and requirements contained in the HIPAA are complex, thus the need for IT workers to undertake comprehensive training aimed at enlightening them on scenarios that may compromise the security and privacy of EPHI to a level that may make the entities non-compliant. Indeed, the extensive training and education should be extended to the employees of the business associates. Non-Compliance of the Requirements Organizations are often found to be non-compliant to the standards and requirements discussed in this paper due to a number of reasons, with the major one being the lack of proper understanding of what may be considered as a breach to the security and privacy of EPHI (Withrow, 2010). For example, healthcare organizations may not know that some simple acts such as a nurse giving a hospital discharge sheet to the wrong patient may constitute a breach if the health information (e.g., treatment for drug abuse) of the rightful owner is included in the discharge sheet. Varied interpretations of the standards have also been cited as a major cause of non-compliance (Sarrico Hauenstein, 2011). Lastly, failure on the part of the covered entity to implement policies and strategies that lead to reasonable and appropriate protection of the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of EPHI occasions non-compliance. Conclusion The legal liability for non-compliance of HIPAA may be a turning point for any healthcare organization – from a profit-making entity to sudden demise (Sarrico Hauenstein, 2011). Equally, EPHI is sensitive in nature and all efforts should be made to protect and safeguard this information with a wider scope of safeguarding the character and reputation of individuals. It is therefore imperative for health institutions to follow the standards and requirements contained in HIPAA to the latter if they are to kill the two birds with one stone. Reference List Brown, B. (2009 ). Notification requirements for breaches of protected health information. Journal of Health Care Compliance, 11(6), 27-30. Cannoy, S.D., Salam, A.F. (2010). A framework for healthcare information assurance policy and compliance. Communications of the ACM, 53(3), 126-131. Glaser, J., Ake, J. (2010). Healthcare IT trends raise bar for information security. Healthcare Financial Management, 64(7), 40-44. HIPAA. (2007). Security standards: Organizational, policies and procedures and documentation requirements. Web. Sarrico, C., Hauenstein, J. (2011). Can EHRs and HIEs get along with HIPAA security requirements? Healthcare Financial Management, 65(2), 86-90. Withrow, S.C. (2010). How to avoid a HIPAA horror story. Healthcare Financial Management, 64(8), 82-88.

Business Communication Essay Example for Free (#11)

Business Communication Essay His vision to give young, fashion forward men and women a unique way to express their individuality through style resulted in millions of customers worldwide and propelled his designs to the forefront of the fashion industry. It all started in 1990, with a mere $1,100 in his bank account, Madden started crafting shoe designs from his Queens-based factory and the  Steve Madden  brand was born. With a lot of courage, years of experience in the footwear industry, and unique creative designs,  Steve Madden  formed his own successful enterprise. A year later, Madden introduced a redefined version of platform shoes, resulting in one of the most spectacular success stories in the early 1990’s. Inspired by his favorite rock and roll stars of the 1970s, the thick, chunky heel became  Steve Madden’s  signature and a phenomenon in women’s shoes. Madden’s footwear vision is continuously evolving. Steve once said, â€Å"What inspires me is what I see people wearing on the streets of the world from New York to London and beyond. I get my ideas and inspiration from pounding the pavement all over the world. Today, fashion is dictated by individual style. To me, the fashion of the future is anything that a young guy or girl feels good wearing as long as  it’s put together in the right way. † (www. stevemadden . com) Today, the  Steve Madden  brand represents a lifestyle. It is about embracing fashion while still maintaining that funky independence that first defined the brand 20 years ago. Expanding now into apparel and other accessories such as dresses, handbags, belts, sunwear, cold weather, outerwear and hosiery,  Steve Madden  is always looking toward to the future. As 2013 begins, more exciting opportunities are on the horizon including re-packaging, new store design rollout and expansion in global markets. The days when the future did not seem so bright In April 2002, Mr. Madden found that neither his investors nor federal judges take too kindly to stock manipulation and securities fraud. Steve Madden’s talents as a shoe designer helped him build a 240 million dollar empire in his own name. But by his own admission, that wasn’t enough — he was greedy for more. His greed cost him about eight million dollars and control of the very company that brought him such riches. Madden was sentenced in 2002 to 41 months in prison for his role in a stock swindle scheme coordinated by the now-closed brokerage, Stratton Oakmont. His wrongdoings include conspiring to manipulate the stock prices of more than 20 companies, including his own. And, he did it at the expense not only of the public but his own investors who lost more than 100 million. Besides paying restitution, Madden had to resign as CEO of Steve Madden Ltd and leave the board of directors. He is also barred from holding a position as officer for seven years. However, he did retain a creative position until his prison sentence began that fall and will likely fill that capacity upon release later this spring. Meanwhile, those left to keep the company going in his absence quickly started their damage control efforts. A new board of directors was quickly assembled. Among those elected were Madden’s brother and a corporate accounting guru. Once their former leader began repaying his debt to society, company heads began cleaning Steve Madden Limited’s financial house; making sure stock prices accurately reflected the health of the business. The company fully cooperated with the SEC’s investigation and hired an independent auditing company to keep watch over the process. Those days and even today, the company’s financial practices are an open and well-kept book. Anyone could get the latest financial news from the same site by loging on to for the latest shoe designs. After heading off anymore potential legal woes, management began to focus on keeping the business itself walking tall. If the company’s sales reports were any indication, not having â€Å"Steve† hasn’t really hurt Steve Madden Limited. While the founder has been in a Florida prison, the company’s management built on his vision by expanding into other areas. â€Å"Steve† by Steve Madden moved the company from the trendy 16 to 24 year old demographic into upscale footwear for a more mature crowd. The company licensed Candie’s and Unionbay footwear for men. Rather than try and replace or substitute Madden’s design eye, they took what they had and introduced it to new markets. It worked. According to company reports, nearly all of the brands have increased profit margins and inventory levels. In a press release, management expressed hope that their profits would have increased in 2005 as compared 2004 (which actually happened). 2. Corporate Communication after the Bad Publicity But prison didn’t break Steve Madden—or his company. Like so many of today’s celebrity convicts, from Martha Stewart to Paris Hilton, Madden says he emerged a changed person. He served out his sentence, doing yardwork, teaching business classes to other inmates, reading four books a week (from â€Å"The Devil Wears Prada† to David McCullough’s â€Å"Truman†) and pumping iron obsessively. I used to wear this tank top in prison,† he says. â€Å"And I’d stare at myself and flex. I never did that before. † He even got married, to a Madden employee who came for regular visits. And when he was released in April 2005, Madden says, he was â€Å"stronger physically, mentally, spiritually† than he’d ever been. After the return of Ste ve Madden from prison, he decided not to shy away from the imminent release of its namesake founder from prison. The company was promoting the return of its creative leader in a series of eye-catching posters and print advertisements, and is having some fun with it in the process. While the ads do not say where Madden has been, one suggests, in a wink-wink kind of way, that Mr. Madden has not been on a sabbatical, a secret mission or up the  Amazon  collecting snakes: â€Å"A new meaning for the word spring time. Steve returns. Spring 2005. † The company had launched a rather interesting press campaign celebrating Steve Madden’s upcoming release from prison. One features a girl wearing an ankle bracelet and another features an empty pair of shoes with the words, â€Å"There’s one pair of shoes that’s been impossible to fill. Steve returns Spring 2005. Others allude to Madden getting â€Å"sprung† in Spring 2005. Financial Dynamics, the shoe retailer’s investor relations agency, says the campaign is a positive way of dealing with the prison sentence. It makes light of the company’s troubles, sending a message that the board is over it and customers should feel the same way. It’s also a sure fire way t o get people talking about the brand. When it comes to sales, the only bad publicity is no publicity. Once upon a time, a company, particularly one that sold products to the public, would shun publicity if it possibly could when a senior executive encountered legal woes. The idea that a company – especially one like Steve Madden, which sells shoes mostly to teenage girls and women in their 20’s – would actually run ads calling attention to its leader’s prison past would have flabbergasted experts in fields like brand identity, advertising and public relations. â€Å"I love controversy; I love pushing the envelope, but when you have a younger customer you have a responsibility to take the law and authority seriously,† said James LaForce, partner at LaForce & Stevens in New York, a marketing communications agency specializing in fashion and entertainment clients. That was of course before Martha Stewart, whose public image has, by initial measures, seemingly gained in stature after her release from federal prison. A colorful paper flap decorated with a photograph of her cradling a chicken, declaring â€Å"Welcome home, Martha,† was attached to the cover of April’s Martha Stewart Living magazine, published by  Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. Companies like Mr. Madden’s and Ms. Stewart’s may also be more likely to embrace their convicted executives, since those executives have plenty of influence in the boardroom. Reticence about an executive’s past also predates a world in which rappers can find the sales of their music increasing in seeming lock step with the severity of their scrapes with the law. â€Å"It’s in now to be out, out of prison, that is,† said Paul Cappelli, chief executive at the Ad Store in New York, an advertising agency that creates campaigns for brands like  JetBlue. â€Å"I could see myself suggesting something like this to a client,† Cappelli said, â€Å"that instead of ignoring the 5,000-pound elephant in the corner, you might as well bring it out into the open and make hay of it. Robert Passikoff, who has been tracking consumer response to the Martha Stewart brand as president of Brand Keys in New York, a brand and customer-loyalty consultant, said that his index of its value had recently risen. The index has climbed to 96, Mr. Passikoff said, compared with a bottom of 62 – â€Å"lower than  Enron,† he said – before she entered prison. (The peak was 122 in May 2002. ) Is the new badge of honor, I served my time? We are not sure it doesn’t ultimately hurt, even if the American public is largely forgiving when people serve their time. The campaign is trying to make him the face of the brand but who wants the face with numbers under it? † Steve Madden is different from Martha Stewart, because unlike her, he was never the brand. He was the label, so a lot of people don’t know who the guy was and didn’t know he went to jail. That has worked to Steve Madden’s advantage so far,, citing the history of the Madden brand index: It was 110 before Madden went to prison and fell only slightly, to 106. However, it is worth mentioning that consumers seem to be more forgiving about men than women. Brian Russak, a senior editor at Footwear News in New York who covers Madden, said: â€Å"It seems like an obvious play to Martha Stewart, but I have to wonder whether that resonates with Madden’s consumers. We often say here the target consumer doesn’t know there is a Steve Madden. † Trey Laird, president and executive creative director at Laird & Partners in New York, an advertising age ncy that creates campaigns for fashion and apparel brands like DKNY and Gap, also drew distinctions between Madden and Stewart. The Madden ads â€Å"are kind of cute and clever, but this is not a Martha Stewart situation, when the whole country is watching because she’s a cultural icon. † â€Å"I don’t feel most consumers know about† Steve Madden’s sentence, he added, â€Å"or if they knew, they forgot about it. † The Madden campaign can be perceived as a parody of Ms. Stewart’s story meant â€Å"to get people talking about the brand,† Laird said, particularly because â€Å"the Madden brand has never been a brand that has taken itself seriously. † For instance, a recent Madden campaign featured caricatures of its customers with comically oversized heads. A statement by Financial Dynamics read: â€Å"Steven Madden Ltd. looks forward to the much anticipated return of the unique talent and creative design expertise of Steve Madden in the spring of 2005. Further, the company believes the current advertising campaign embodies and enhances the Steve Madden brand. † If the rise in Martha Stewart stock is any indication, getting out of prison seems to be â€Å"in. † The publicity generated by Madden’s return could translate into increased exposure and, in turn, increase sales in the future. Plus, having him back at the head of the creative team will bring his company something it hasn’t had in a while†¦ his ability to give the millions of women who buy his shoes what they want. So, If there’s one thing Americans enjoy more than watching the mighty fall, it’s granting them forgiveness. â€Å"You have to go through a process. You made your mistake, you did your time,† Madden says. â€Å"You have to be a little contrite to get redemption. † To judge from the recent performance of his company, Madden’s been forgiven—at least by that segment of the population that favors shoes with animal prints, polka dots and four-inch heels. Sales were $475. 2 million in 2006, up from $375. 8 million the year he was released, while net income more than doubled to $46. 3 million. Madden is quick to admit that he’s made mistakes. But he says he wouldn’t change a thing about his life. â€Å"Everything I’ve done has gotten me to where I am today,† he says. His prison experience has clearly had an impact on his designs. The next offering from the prison groom: wedding shoes, called I Do. â€Å"It’s a huge market,† he says. â€Å"Marriage is sort of back on track. † And so is Steve Madden. . The Crisis 3. 1. Chain of events In summer 2004, Madden’s luck turned when he was indicted for stock fraud and money laundering in both the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York. According to the charges, Madden secretly purchased stock on behalf of the principals of two corrupt penny-stock brokerage firms — Stratton Oakmont Securities of Lake Success, Long Island, and Mon roe Parker, of Purchase, Westchester — helping them manipulate 29 initial public offerings, including that of his own company. That same day, the Securities and Exchange Commission came after him with a civil suit alleging Madden had employed â€Å"devices, schemes, and artifices to defraud. † If convicted in either of the criminal cases, Madden would face up to more than twenty years in prison and several million dollars in fines. If he were to lose the SEC case, which was put on hold until the criminal cases were completed, he could be forced to pay millions more. Even worse, he ran the risk of being barred from serving as an officer or director of any public company, including his own. On the day of his arrest, while Madden was busy pleading not guilty to all charges and pledging his East Hampton country house and the Long Island homes of two friends in order to make bail, shares of Steve Madden Limited fell almost 15 percent to $11. 85 before nasdaq halted trading. Two days later, when the stock (which trades under the ticker SHOO) reopened, it fell to $6. 88. Though the stock has traded up as high as $13. 88 due to a recent rally in the footwear sector, it has yet to regain its pre-indictment momentum. â€Å"The story’s sad. It’s a great story. It’s a real American story. My old friends took me public, they turned out to be crooks, and I’m innocent†, Madden has been quoted to say. While the indictment has severely damaged Steve Madden Limited’s standing on Wall Street – there was a consolidated class-action shareholder lawsuit pending against the company, and it has hired Bear Stearns to explore â€Å"all possible strategic options,† including an outright sale — it hasn’t tarnished Steve Madden’s reputation as a design and marketing genius. â€Å"He has some special knack at figuring out what teen girls want to wear,† says Sanford Bernstein analyst Faye Landes. According to teen-market consultant Irma Zandl, who ranks Madden with Nike and Adidas in the top five brands that girls favor, his shoes are popular because they are fabulously over-the-top. â€Å"Steve Maddens are not for the conservative girl,† she says. â€Å"If he’s going to add leopard skin, he’ll do it ten times more outrageously than anybody else. It’s for people who think less is less. † Every week following his indictment, Madden used to get more than a thousand e-mails from his customers, only a handful of which referred to his legal predicament. In fact, the company not only refused to retrench, instead it was aggressively expanding. At that year’s Grammy Awards, the company made a bid for high-profile customers by giving out fluffy leopard-print slippers to special guests. Three days later, at the Western Shoe Association show in Las Vegas, Madden introduced his newest product line at the time: Steve Madden Mens. 3. 2. The players While Madden was working his way up in the shoe industry, his best friend, Danny Porush, was stuck in a rut. After five years at Boston University, he left without getting a degree and bounced from job to job, working for, and starting up, a variety of small businesses, including an ambulance company called SureRide Ambulette. In 1988, while watching his son in the playground of his Bayside, Queens, apartment complex, he met an unlikely mentor: a dental-school dropout and former door-to-door meat and seafood salesman named Jordan Belfort. A short, brash, young Jewish guy, Belfort boasted he was making $50,000 a month selling penny stocks out of a boiler room in Great Neck. As Porush would later testify, Belfort confided the business was â€Å"half a scam,† but the chance to increase his income tenfold was a siren call Porush couldn’t resist. Two days after they met, he closed down SureRide and joined the firm. Using fanciful scripts, the brokers — Belfort’s childhood friends from Queens, Porush’s golf buddies, money-crazed kids recruited from Long Island college campuses — sold and manipulated tiny, high-risk IPOs, according to testimony, by grossly exaggerating their prospects, boasting that they had inside information, and generally saying whatever was necessary to make a sale. Their underwritings encompassed a vast array of low-rent businesses and all had the same trading pattern — the stocks would soar when they touted them but then come crashing down when the brokers unloaded their stakes. In 1992, Steve Madden made a decision that at the time seemed natural enough: He hired his best friend’s firm to be his banker. While Madden knew that the SEC had already accused Stratton of engaging in price manipulation and employing high-pressure sales tactics, he considered it a legitimate company. â€Å"They cleared through Bear Stearns,† Madden recalls, pointing out that Stratton’s link to the giant firm gave it an aura of respectability. Besides, Stratton was not only willing to raise capital for Steve Madden Limited in the private markets, it wanted to take the tiny, unproven company public. Like his friend Porush, Madden was going to enter the big leagues. On December 13, 1993, only seven months after the first (and, at that time, only) Steve Madden shoe store had opened on Broadway in SoHo, Stratton Oakmont took the company public at $4 a share. The most active stock on the nasdaq on the day of its offering, SHOO closed at $8 a share, a huge gain in the pre-Internet era. Just a few months later, it sunk to $3. With only $5. 3 million in sales, a net loss of $900,000, and a boom-bust trading history, the company simply seemed to be nother one of Stratton’s overhyped IPOs. But it wasn’t. In 1994, Madden surprised his critics. With hardly any advertising, Madden increased sales by almost 40 percent. The next year, sales tripled to $39 million, prompting Madden to hire Rhonda Brown, the former merchandise president of Macy’s East, to become his chief of operations. Soon, Madden had celebrity customers — Carmen Electra, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Nev e Campbell, Alyssa Milano, Mary J. Blige. By 1997, the company was generating $59 million in total sales, operating seventeen stores, and introducing a clothing line designed for â€Å"a customer who doesn’t break the law — but does break the rules. † That spring, in a lengthy profile in  Footwear News,  Madden compared his company to â€Å"an underground rock-and-roll band that gets its first hit single. † Meanwhile, over in lake success, Porush and Belfort were struggling to stave off failure. While they were still raking in tens of millions a year from stock manipulations, regulators were working to put Stratton out of business. In March 1994, they nearly did: As part of a settlement with the SEC, Belfort was barred from the securities industry for life. But Porush managed to garner a lighter sanction, barred for just one year from supervising other brokers. In the wake of the ruling, Belfort continued to control the firm through Porush. Inevitably, though, the relationship between the partners soured. In January 1997, the company eventually filed for bankruptcy. By that time, Gregory Coleman, an agent in the FBI’s securities-fraud squad at 26 Federal Plaza, had been investigating Stratton for several years. In 1995, under instructions from federal prosecutors, Coleman sent out a flurry of subpoenas to some of Stratton’s clients, including Madden, in an effort to create a panic that would culminate in a race to the government’s door. One year later, U. S. Customs officers in Miami arrested a young French private banker who worked for Union Banquaire Privee in Switzerland. The arrest was made as part of an unrelated money-laundering sting operation, but hoping to win a lighter sentence, the banker began to talk. By sheer coincidence, he had two clients who were of particular interest to the government: Jordan Belfort and Danny Porush. On September 2, 1998, just a few minutes after pulling out of the driveway of his Old Brookville mansion to take his 5-year-old daughter to the video store, 36-year-old Jordan Ross Belfort was arrested for conspiracy to commit money laundering and securities fraud. The next day, 41-year-old Daniel Mark Porush was nabbed down in Boca Raton. Faced with maximum sentences of twenty years in prison, both men came to the same conclusion: After only a week in jail, they decided to flip. â€Å"It was like taking down the heads of a major crime family,† says former assistant U. S. ttorney Joel Cohen, the prosecutor in the indictment. â€Å"But in this case, the organized crime was the brokerage business. † Porush and Belfort secretly wore wires to record their friends and dragged down dozens in their wake: lawyers and accountants, bankers and brokers. 3. 3. Effects For the government, Steve Madden was one of the biggest catches in the dragnet. The shoe mogul had been a focus of the investigation for some time; the SEC had cited his company’s IPO as one of those that had been manipulated, and believed that Madden was routinely getting, and flipping, stock in other Stratton deals. Although some of Stratton’s IPOs had grown into profitable businesses, only Madden’s company had become a significant success. But according to Belfort, the celebrity CEO was also a â€Å"rat hole,† a place to hide stock. Porush, his P. S. 1 buddy, didn’t hesitate to give him up either. Madden, as he recently testified at the trial of Stratton’s former auditor, was â€Å"deep into the fraud with us. † According to the Madden indictments, the designer’s personal connection to Stratton began in 1991, when Madden agreed to secretly buy and sell stock in Stratton deals on Porush’s behalf with â€Å"the understanding that he would incur no risk. (Porush, as a principal of the firm, was restricted in his ability to trade stock in these companies. ) The deal was that Madden would earn a â€Å"predetermined profit on each transaction,† then kick back to Porush a significant portion of the proceeds, either in cash or by purchasin g stock from Stratton that was deliberately overpriced. Once Belfort was barred from the securities industry in 1994, Madden allegedly entered a similar agreement with him regarding the Stratton spinoff Monroe Parker. But according to the SEC, Madden wasn’t only ripping off the general investing public, he was ripping off his own shareholders as well. In early 1993, the SEC alleges, Madden agreed that the IPO of his company would â€Å"be a manipulation similar to previous Stratton IPO manipulations . . . such as Master Glazier’s Karate International. † In exchange for his agreement to â€Å"follow Porush and Belfort’s instructions,† they allegedly promised â€Å"that even if SHOO . . . went bankrupt, Madden would make money on the SHOO IPO. † In addition, as Belfort recently testified at the Stratton auditor’s trial, Belfort â€Å"had a secret deal with Steve Madden to maintain control of his company after it went public. Because Belfort and his partners had financed Steve Madden Limited’s early development, they owned a majority stake in the company before it went public. But the National Association of Securities Dealers refused to list SHOO unless Belfort — then under investigation for securities fraud — dramatically reduced his stake. As Belfort testified, he agr eed to sell his shares to a corporation controlled by Madden to placate the NASD, but it was a bogus transaction. â€Å"Under the secret deal which we had written down and legally signed,† says Belfort, he was the true owner. Belfort exerted an extraordinary influence over the company. Stratton’s auditor, who was a friend of Belfort’s, also became Madden’s auditor. In 1994, after Belfort was kicked out of the securities industry, he even joined SHOO as a consultant. In addition, according to Porush’s testimony, key Madden employees were given stock in Stratton IPOs as part of their compensation. (A Madden spokesperson denies such an arrangement existed. ) As Porush explained, â€Å"Part of the package when we recruited people for Steve Madden was . . . because you’re in with us, you’ll make money on every new issue. In 1997, the Belfort-Madden friendship ended abruptly around the time Belfort asked Madden to sell some of the SHOO stock he secretly owned. Madden refused, and the dispute quickly turned into a bitter lawsuit, during which Belfort produced the deal they had signed. Madden admitted the signature was his but insisted he had been â€Å"manipulated† and â€Å"tricked† into signing by someone he had â€Å"trusted as my friend, business associate, underwriter, and confidant. † According to Madden, the demise of the friendship actually preceded the lawsuit, â€Å"when Belfort started showing up stoned for work. â€Å"I have no intention of allowing Jordan Belfort to ruin SML’s bright future by threatening me or by tarnishing the company’s reputation,† Madden vowed at the time. Ultimately, he settled the suit for $4. 3 million in cash, an outcome that favored his adversary. In the fall of 1999, around the time the government went public with the news that Porush and Belfort had been secretly cooperating, the U. S. Attorney’s Office approached Madden’s personal attorney, Joel Winograd, to discuss its case against his client. Soon, rumors that Madden might be indicted began wending their way around Wall Street. . Assessment As many people saw it, the fact that Madden had an account at Stratton doesn’t mean he knew what Porush and Belfort were doing, let alone that he was in any way involved. Madden â€Å"was buying stock and making money, buying stock and losing money. He made more than he lost, but he didn’t know what improprieties they were involved in. † As Madden himself put it in the course of his lawsuit with Jordan Belfort: â€Å"My strengths as a businessman lie in the design and sale of women’s shoes, and I have never been comfortable with complicated or technical legal or business documents . . . I have always relied on the people around me. † When asked why Madden employed Belfort as a consultant at Steve Madden Limited in 1994, after he was barred from the securities industry, his lawyer replies, â€Å"Steve Madden is a loyal friend and a devoted human being. He didn’t turn his back on Jordan Belfort in his time of need. † And what about the $80,000 cash kickback Madden allegedly gave to a Stratton golf buddy in the locker room of the Engineers Country Club in Roslyn, Long Island? â€Å"It’s totally ridiculous,† says Winograd. â€Å"Cash? The government can explain from here to kingdom come. There is no way Steve would have had that amount of cash, and he wouldn’t have had that in a bag walking around a country club. I think these fellows have watched too many spy thrillers. â€Å"Let’s say Steve was fooled,† Mr. Madden’s lawyer summarizes. â€Å"You can be savvy in business, but you may not be savvy in love and friendship. † In any case, â€Å"Steve will overcome,† he vows. â€Å"His company will continue to have record quarters of sales and earnings, and this will have a fairy-tale ending. † Perhaps. But even if Madden was acquitted in both of his criminal trials, he still lost the civil case and, control of his company. For Steve Madden Limited, such an outcome might be manageable. â€Å"Mr. Madden is extremely talented and a tremendous business partner, and he’s wonderful,† says the company’s president, Rhonda Brown. â€Å"But we could continue to grow our business profitably . . . whether he’s on the golf course, or whatever. † For Steve Madden the man, it could be devastating. â€Å"My life,† he says, â€Å"is my company. † 5. Conclusions Throughout the paper, we have researched and debated both sides of the issue and conversely presented both approaches by those involved or ever taking interest in the matter. Some say that the fashion mogul got what he deserved, bashing him for being a fraud under a publicly endearing persona, while others, close friends and devoted customers alike, stood behind him and helped if not the man, the company itself from disaster. Should a great visionary not content himself with being the image upfront and the genius behind the empire he built and instead take charge of other key areas that make a business successful rather than trusting others, trusted friends or proven experts with managing them? That may be true and perhaps this was where Mr. Madden made the biggest mistake of all. While the case was and still is controversial, the company succeeded in overcoming the crisis and continues to be among the most profitable and booming shoe fashion business in the States. Business Communication. (2018, Oct 18).

Persuasion paper on the church. Set forth your opion regarding the Essay

Persuasion paper on the church. Set forth your opion regarding the church idenentity(what the church isshouldbe)and purpose(what the church rolefinctionissho - Essay Example Based on principles like love and sacrifice, the Church is an institution that deals with the transcendent and the concept of salvation - salvation of the human soul, which can only be achieved by believing and growing spiritually. Church, as the only institution whose fundamental preoccupation is man's relationship with God, should constitute itself in a center of spirituality. The task of the church becomes, thus, very important. It has to get man close to God and make him aware of the fact that there is also another way of life besides the material one. In a continuously changing society, a society that develops in various directions, the individual has a large number of choices and is subject to a wide range of influences. And this makes it difficult for him to find the right path and to make the correct choice. Duality raises tensions in man. He is a god-like but also finite being, composed of eternal but also ephemeral elements. And in order to find equilibrium, he has to balance the antitheses within himself, to make peace and to find peace. It's here that the church should show its presence, in helping the individual find the source of the tensions within himself and in guiding him in their understanding. Church cannot show man what exactly he must do with or in his li... It's not by imposing that church can help man but by trying to explain and by opening man's mind. Church should be central to man's life but only as long as it is, indeed, a means of connecting man with the universal mystery, with God. Involving in man's life, establishing a connection with people, opening towards people, this is how Church will accomplish its mission, that of connecting man to the divine. Unfortunately, it's not always that the church accomplishes the goal of helping people have the revelation of the transcendental truth -because it doesn't have or use the proper methods. And man finds himself alone in a world of confusing alternatives. It's much harder to conceive or imagine a world you cannot see. The physical world is right here- you can perceive it - visually, auditory, you can feel it and smell it. But the beyond surpasses the laws that we follow here. You cannot really describe it and for a lot of people it's even difficult to believe in its existence. So we can realize how different and difficult the task of the Church is as compared to the task of other institutions. Church is more than a common institution. It doesn't have a perceivable object and it doesn't address man's mind or reason, it addresses the soul. It prepares man for the passage to a new life and teaches him about the essence which he won't be able to find in the material. Henri de Lubac expresses, in his book Catholicism: a Study of dogma in Relation to the Corporate Destiny of Mankind, the fact that the Church's mission is "to reveal to men that pristine unity that they have lost, to restore it and complete it."(19) It's a divine unity, all men, all souls, are one, are the Whole. The same author analyses other conceptions connected to the Church's

MGM625-0903A-01 Applied Finance for Decision-Making - Phase 3 Essay - 1

MGM625-0903A-01 Applied Finance for Decision-Making - Phase 3 Discussion Board 2 - Essay Example It has been noted that in most cases the debt carries costs which are much lower (Morgan, Redman Smith and Cooper, 2001). The main reasons behind this include, the ownership of the equity holders is not diluted, and higher rates of interest needed due to the higher levels of risk taken, and also the interest paid on the debts do qualify as business expenses. In theory it is good to use debt as a financing source for businesses. This is mainly because of the fact that the interest paid is generally tax deductible and it can be included as business expenses unlike the cost of equity. This ratio reveals the solvency and the capital structure of the company. It is used as an indicator for the leveraging in terms of the debt and also provides for a better understanding of the amount owned and the amount owed. This gives a view of the amount the company can use for borrowing. There are also a few benefits of debt which include the tax benefits, and also inclusion of higher levels of discipline to the management. However, considering the cost of debt, it is seen that it includes, loss of future flexibility cost, agency cost and bankruptcy costs that can be levied on the companies (Samuels, Wilkes and Brayshaw, 2000). The normal reaction would involve an increase in the Long term debts, which would also lead to an increase in the cash on the assets side of the book. This would in turn have a strong affect on the above mentioned ratios. Also the changes might not be appreciated by the creditors. Also the company might also face issues in terms of receiving loans from the banks as well. Use of higher levels of debt financing when compared to the equity financing means the company would have higher financial leverage. It is noted that the interest payments to debtors is normally tax deductible unlike the dividend which is payable to the shareholders. Thus if the company has higher levels of debt

Intoducing my self to the class Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Intoducing my self to the class - Essay Example We arrived with the impression that we would be brainstorming about getting industrial hemp more widely used as a renewable resource. Even the government knew that it doesn't make people high, it doesn't have enough THC in it.1 But faced with the reality that the major powers that be are against renewable resources in this way, from a lawyer who was supposed to be working on our side, was like a slap in the face. I thought about all of the hours I'd devoted to the cause of renewable resources, seeing the need, the desperate need of our planet for our help. I thought of all the times I had enjoyed the splendor of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the sheer force of Nature with a tenuous balance that is being tipped out of kilter. I have fought for what I have thought is right; but what do I know, I'm just another 20 year old! And now, here is Lance, needing his diaper changed as I think about this meeting gone wrong and what it could implicate. I reach for a fresh cloth diaper, feeling its softness in my hands as I look at my little son. His eyes meet mine and I wonder what he will be like when he is my age.

Human Rights Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Human Rights - Essay Example In addition to these, the power possessed by people of any nation determines whether the people exercise their rights, or not. Simplifying and reducing the number of human rights would not work to the advantage of humanity. The human rights as they are can be easily understood by any human being, hence no need for further simplification. On the other hand, reducing the number of human rights would omit important issues, which stand central to the dignity of man. Therefore, adjustments to the human rights would lead to greater harm than good. In my opinion, female genital mutilation accounts for the biggest human rights challenge of our time. Girls and women are denied their rights through the violence involved in the practice. The act also denies them their physical, as well as mental integrity. This follows the fact that people still practice it in the secrecy of their homes. The various cultures, especially in Africa and the Middle East that advocate for this practice do it without raising an alarm to the outside communities. The girls and women involved in the act take an oath of secrecy; hence, most people do not report the vice. The secrecy emanates from the fight against the many non-governmental organizations, and governments that seek to abolish the act (Snarr & Snarr, slide 8). Consequent to these, efforts aimed at eradicating such abuse of human rights continues to fail, which makes female genital mutilation the biggest human rights challenge of our

The different between prophet Moses in the Quran and in the Bible Essay

The different between prophet Moses in the Quran and in the Bible - Essay Example In spite of the similarity in terms of citing Moses in the two texts, the Qur’an and the Bible have still varied narrations concerning the prophet-messenger’s life and miracles. This paper discusses the differences in picturing out Moses between the Qur’an text and the Bible text. It examines their variations with respect to the prophet’s (1) birth, (2) encountering the burning bush, (3) facing the Pharaoh, (4) dividing the Red Sea, (5) striking the rock, and (6) reaction to Israelite’s idolatry. First, the Qur’an and the Bible have different detailed narratives concerning the birth of Moses. In the Qur’an, for instance, the text informs its readers that it was Allah who instructed the mother of Musa (Islam’s name for Moses) to cast him onto the river water. In the Bible, however, the text suggests that it was the mother of the said prophet who decided to hide Moses for three months since she â€Å"saw him that he was a goodly child† (Ben-Chanan 103). Here, the main difference between the two texts under discussion is the decision-maker who opted on what to do with the prophet-child. It must be remembered that the historical circumstance in which the baby Moses was born was that every Hebrew male child must be put to death by the order of the Egyptian pharaoh himself. Both the Qur’an and the Bible appear to support, although implied, this historical account. In the former (i.e., in Sura), the words of Firon’s wife -- Islam’s Firon is equivalent to Christian’s Pharaoh -- are strongly indicative: â€Å"[D]o not slay him [i.e., Musa]† (qtd. in Ben-Chanan 100). And in the latter (i.e., in Exodus), the words of Moses’ mother is clearly suggestive: â€Å"hid him three months† (qtd. in Ben-Chanan 101). The term â€Å"hid† implies danger for someone’s life, otherwise, there is no need for hiding that person from the sight of the enemy. Further, the Qur’an and the Bible significantly differ from the account pertaining to the woman who adopted baby Moses. In the Qur’an text, the woman who took Moses as her own child was the wife of Firon. In the Bible, on the other hand, the woman who adopted the prophet-child was the daughter of the Pharaoh. Moreover, the Qur’an narrates Firon’s wife as uttering the line â€Å"do not slay him† while the Bible speaks of the Pharaoh’s daughter saying â€Å"she had compassion on him.† That is to say, the two texts also vary on the impression made by the woman who adopted the prophet-child. Second, the two texts in question have varied narratives concerning Moses’ experienced with the burning bush. In the Qur’an, for example, the text speaks of Musa being with his family at the time when he saw the fire. According to the Bible, however, Moses was alone by himself when he sighted the burning bush (Ben-Chanan 114). Thence, the differe nce between the two texts is the company or solitude that the said prophet was with or without. Also, the Qur’an names the place in which Musa was standing on the sacred ground with the burning bush as Tuva Valley while the Bible names the location as Horeb (Ben-Chanan 114). It appears that the two place-names are far from similar, thus, the two texts vary from their accounts of the terrain wherein the prophet was standing on the holy ground: one is in the valley while the other is on the mountain. Moreover, the Qur’an and the Bible have different stories pertaining to the role of Aaron in Moses’

Intoducing my self to the class Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Intoducing my self to the class - Essay Example We arrived with the impression that we would be brainstorming about getting industrial hemp more widely used as a renewable resource. Even the government knew that it doesn't make people high, it doesn't have enough THC in it.1 But faced with the reality that the major powers that be are against renewable resources in this way, from a lawyer who was supposed to be working on our side, was like a slap in the face. I thought about all of the hours I'd devoted to the cause of renewable resources, seeing the need, the desperate need of our planet for our help. I thought of all the times I had enjoyed the splendor of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the sheer force of Nature with a tenuous balance that is being tipped out of kilter. I have fought for what I have thought is right; but what do I know, I'm just another 20 year old! And now, here is Lance, needing his diaper changed as I think about this meeting gone wrong and what it could implicate. I reach for a fresh cloth diaper, feeling its softness in my hands as I look at my little son. His eyes meet mine and I wonder what he will be like when he is my age.

The different between prophet Moses in the Quran and in the Bible Essay

The different between prophet Moses in the Quran and in the Bible - Essay Example In spite of the similarity in terms of citing Moses in the two texts, the Qur’an and the Bible have still varied narrations concerning the prophet-messenger’s life and miracles. This paper discusses the differences in picturing out Moses between the Qur’an text and the Bible text. It examines their variations with respect to the prophet’s (1) birth, (2) encountering the burning bush, (3) facing the Pharaoh, (4) dividing the Red Sea, (5) striking the rock, and (6) reaction to Israelite’s idolatry. First, the Qur’an and the Bible have different detailed narratives concerning the birth of Moses. In the Qur’an, for instance, the text informs its readers that it was Allah who instructed the mother of Musa (Islam’s name for Moses) to cast him onto the river water. In the Bible, however, the text suggests that it was the mother of the said prophet who decided to hide Moses for three months since she â€Å"saw him that he was a goodly child† (Ben-Chanan 103). Here, the main difference between the two texts under discussion is the decision-maker who opted on what to do with the prophet-child. It must be remembered that the historical circumstance in which the baby Moses was born was that every Hebrew male child must be put to death by the order of the Egyptian pharaoh himself. Both the Qur’an and the Bible appear to support, although implied, this historical account. In the former (i.e., in Sura), the words of Firon’s wife -- Islam’s Firon is equivalent to Christian’s Pharaoh -- are strongly indicative: â€Å"[D]o not slay him [i.e., Musa]† (qtd. in Ben-Chanan 100). And in the latter (i.e., in Exodus), the words of Moses’ mother is clearly suggestive: â€Å"hid him three months† (qtd. in Ben-Chanan 101). The term â€Å"hid† implies danger for someone’s life, otherwise, there is no need for hiding that person from the sight of the enemy. Further, the Qur’an and the Bible significantly differ from the account pertaining to the woman who adopted baby Moses. In the Qur’an text, the woman who took Moses as her own child was the wife of Firon. In the Bible, on the other hand, the woman who adopted the prophet-child was the daughter of the Pharaoh. Moreover, the Qur’an narrates Firon’s wife as uttering the line â€Å"do not slay him† while the Bible speaks of the Pharaoh’s daughter saying â€Å"she had compassion on him.† That is to say, the two texts also vary on the impression made by the woman who adopted the prophet-child. Second, the two texts in question have varied narratives concerning Moses’ experienced with the burning bush. In the Qur’an, for example, the text speaks of Musa being with his family at the time when he saw the fire. According to the Bible, however, Moses was alone by himself when he sighted the burning bush (Ben-Chanan 114). Thence, the differe nce between the two texts is the company or solitude that the said prophet was with or without. Also, the Qur’an names the place in which Musa was standing on the sacred ground with the burning bush as Tuva Valley while the Bible names the location as Horeb (Ben-Chanan 114). It appears that the two place-names are far from similar, thus, the two texts vary from their accounts of the terrain wherein the prophet was standing on the holy ground: one is in the valley while the other is on the mountain. Moreover, the Qur’an and the Bible have different stories pertaining to the role of Aaron in Moses’

Albert Camus Essay Example for Free

Albert Camus Essay How Aschenbach and Meursault in Death in Venice and The Stranger respectively, are driven by mind initially then change to being driven by the heart as the result of a key event In both The Stranger and Death in Venice, the characters change as the book progresses. There is mainly one action that sparks this drastic change. In The Stranger, this action is the murder of Raymonds mistress brother, and in Death in Venice this critical moment occurs when Aschenbach has the sudden urge to travel. Aschenbach and Meursault are both characters that move from one extreme to the other. They begin as characters who make decisions based solely on what their mind tells them. As the novel develops, these characters move to the other extreme, which is making decisions based solely on what their heart tells them. This transition from extreme logical thinking to extreme emotional thinking is what leads to the downfall of both Aschenbach and Meursault. As the novel begins, Thomas Mann introduces Aschenbach as a fairly likable German writer. Initially the reader sees Aschenbach as a normal character anyone can relate to. He lives a very stable life, and has never traveled before. Aschenbach is a character who is extremely involved in his work and one who organizes his entire life based on how he can best achieve quality in his work. At this point in the novel Aschenbach makes all his decisions using his mind rather than his heart. While taking a stroll, Aschenbach sees a man with red hair as well as long teeth. It is this man that pushes his mind in to traveling. Aschenbach begins to change as soon as he sets his mind to travel. In his daydream regarding his adventure he envisions a landscape, a tropical swampy region under a vapor-laden sky, damp, luxuriant and uncanny; it was like the portrait of a primitive world of islands morasses and slit-laden rivers (pg 3, Mann). The symbol of Aschenbachs departure on this journey is the sign of the beginning of his decline. It is from this point on that Aschenbach transforms from being a normal man who makes logical decisions with is brain, to one that makes decisions with his heart. As Aschenbachs journey progresses, he notices many men with red hair and long white teeth like the one that inspired him to travel. This shows the constant rapid declining of Aschenbach. His first sight of Tadzio in the hotel marks the beginning of the extreme heart-driven Aschenbach. His description of Tadzio clearly portrays his obsession. With astonishment Aschenbach observed that the boy was perfectly beautiful. His face, pale and charmingly secretive with the honey-colored hair curling around it, with its straight-sloping nose, its lovely mouth and its expression of sweet and divine earnestness recalled Greek statues of the noblest period, and, along with its extremely pure perfection of form, it was of such unique personal charm that the onlooker thought he had never come across anything so felicitous either in nature or in art (pg 20, Mann). Once Aschenbach begins to follow Tadzios every step, the reader notices that Aschenbach is becoming more and more indulged in Tadzios life rather than his own. His head and his heart were drunk, and his steps followed the dictates of that dark god whose pleasure it is to trample mans reason and dignity underfoot. Even when Aschenbach learns of an epidemic, he realizes that if he dies along with Tadzio, they will be able to meet in heaven. Aschenbach loses total control of his mind and gives in to Venice, a city, half fairy tale and half tourist trap, in whose insalubrious air the arts once rankly and voluptuously blossomed, where composers have been inspired to lulling tones of somniferous eroticism. Even when given the opportunity to leave Venice and escape cholera, his love for Tadzio weighs him down. Aschenbach then has fantasies about everyone else dying, and him being left alone with Tadzio. Now it can be clearly seen that Aschenbachs passion is coming directly from the heart, and no thinking is being done on his part. This extreme obsession from Aschenbachs heart immediately leads to his downfall. He dies in his chair, and it is hours before anyone notices. Albert Camus introduces Meursault as a character people are quite taken aback by.