Miscommunications in the workplace

Miscommunications in the workplace 1Tanner Dewald: Miscommunications in the WorkplaceMiscommunications in the WorkplaceTanner DewaldGB 312 Business CorrespondenceMs. Michelle MacDonaldTexas AM University- Central Texas4/20/13Dear Ms. MacDonald:Recently we have had two of our retailers contact us with problems regarding shipments they have received or have failed to receive. I know this is not the first time this has happened but I would like to minimize the possibilities of it happening again. It seems the root of our problem is miscommunication in the workplace. As a shipping manager that has seen this kind of issue before in past work experiences and I believe I know what we can do to solve our breakdown in communication between the various departments, retailers, and co-workers. As CFO I know you will see this proposal can benefit the company both financially and operationally.First, I propose that the company implement a required form of communication.McGraw-Hill's 1990s logoI believe hand written notes are a thin g of the past and that we should upgrade our communication requirements to electronic mail. If we had an e-mail only policy we could have record of all communication on file without the risk of losing a post-it note. E-mail also includes the option of a read receipt, which allows the user to know when the receiver has opened and read the message or if they have not seen the message yet and another form of communication, such as a phone call, might be required to meet a deadline. The policy might also include that all e-mails must receive a reply no matter how simple the message. I can head a short meeting at the end of the day to cover the implementation of this plan. The idea here is to eliminate hand written notes as well as informal communication...

Overview of Marlinspike Seamanship

Overview of Marlinspike Seamanship Over the past four hundred years, the lines and rigging aboard a vessel were the literal and figurative engines of commerce. Today the lines and wires we use require new techniques and now the term marlinspike seamanship encompasses many more materials. On most vessels lines still, play an important part in everyday operations. Every sailor must be able to tie some simple knots like a Bowline or Hitch and many old salts will tell you that you should be able to tie several knots with one hand in the dark. Thats not a joke; think about it. There is a lot of large gauges twisted line out there and thats the material for many knots and splices. We also need to work with a smaller braided line and cord in housekeeping situations. There can be plenty of downtime on a ship so knotwork can also become a profitable pastime if the work is fine enough for sale. The ability to rework a common base material into useful forms is valuable if it is for commerce or to replace a lost item in short order. Items like fenders can be made that are much more useful and attractive than inflatable fenders. A rope fender will never deflate, pop, or crack like an inflatable. So marlinspike seamanship itself can take many forms. Although many discount quality knotwork as a decorative skill or not useful in the modern industry there are plenty of vessels out there with plenty of durable and cheap knotwork. There are a few basic functions that all seafarers should know. Care of Ropes and Lines This is super basic but not everyone knows how quickly lack of care will destroy rope. The rope should be kept clean and dry at all times and if used in dirty or wet conditions, which is all the time on a ship, it needs to be cleaned before storage. In the time of natural fibers, the enemy was gritty dirt and sand that worked its way deep into the twist where it cut small fibers one by one. Today that is also an issue but add oil and grease to the problem when talking about synthetic ropes. Splices and Ends Making lines shorter and longer is an essential rope working skill. Splices let you join two ends semi-permanently by weaving the fibers back and forth until they intertwine and bind tight. Management of cut ends is also important to minimize loss from unraveling. This can be accomplished with a dip which is like heavy paint or by whipping the rope ends. Whipping consists of winding the waxed thread around a rope end to hold it together. Synthetic ropes can be cut cleanly and sealed at the same time with a heated electric cutting knife. Knots are important too and knowing many knots is valuable knowledge when you arrive on a new vessel. Sailors have exchanged knots since the beginning and an unseen knot is very valuable when only one sailor knows its construction. Learning Knots and Splices There are many ways to learn to knot these days. There are books that will teach you a hundred common knots and you can even get knot-tying lessons on your smartphone. The best book by far on the subject is Ashleys Book of Knots. Mr. Ashely was a young boy on the Northeast coast of the U.S. as whaling was fading and petroleum started to flow. The book was written in the 1940s but it tells a little story and some history with each of its 4000 knots, splices, and other amazing items. The diagrams take some concentration to follow but the somewhat narrative story gives first-hand knowledge of a huge range of historic ship operations and knotwork in the past several hundred years. Many of the knots and other items in the book are still surprisingly useful and every ship library should have at least one copy.

Appeal letter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Appeal letter - Essay Example This is because the philosophy that is taught is not the same as the one which I have been raised knowing and I attribute this failure to understand to the cultural and philosophical differences between Canada and my home country. My failure to understand most of the concepts in the philosophy curses has been very frustrating for me because it has led to a situation where I feel that despite all of my studying, I am not making any significant progress. My problems with the philosophy course came to be coupled by my illness which persisted from May to December 2014. During this period, I developed a nasal sinus cyst as well as having my right eyeball aching most of the time; making it difficult for me to conduct my studies as effectively as I would have liked to. Furthermore, as a result of the severity of my illness, I was forced to abandon the summer 2014 semester and this is a circumstance which was not only frustrating for me, but it also led to my poor performance. I went to see a doctor concerning my illness and despite his recommending that I undergo surgery, I was not able to because it is an expensive procedure and the insurance that I have in Canada cannot wholly cover. The lack of enough funds to ensure that I underwent surgery in Canada meant that I was forced to continue with the following semester the best way that I could since I had not only been left behind in my studies, but also because I had no other option. In December 2014, I went back to my home country the day after completing my final exam for the 2014 fall semester. While in my home country, I was able to receive some treatment and as a result, I felt better than I had for months. When I returned to Canada in early January 2015, I brought some drugs that had been prescribed for me by my doctor and these were intended to not only keep me healthy, but also to reduce the size of the nasal sinus cyst. The doctor further recommended that I only undergo surgery after completing my

URBAN GEOGRAPHY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

URBAN GEOGRAPHY - Essay Example According to Massey and Denton (1998) Geographical segregation can be described as spatial concentration of particular groups of population in separate areas. In simple terms, segregation means that certain groups of population get limited to different pockets of geographical areas. It can also be said that segregation is the level or extent to which particular groups reside separately from one another within the confines of a particular geographic area such as a city or state (Low, 2004). Segregation, in itself, is a complex phenomenon, where the groups are segregated in a number of ways. So, the spatial restriction of populations is based on a number of variables such as culture, income, ethnic origin, immigrant status or sexual orientation (Massey and Denton, 1998; Jackson, 1985). For example, people from a minority community are often overrepresented in some particular areas and underrepresented in some others (Yinger, 2001). In addition, a community may geographically restrict itself in way that its exposure to the other groups is minimized (Yinger, 2001). Johnston and Poulson add to Yingers theory by postulating that there are particular reasons because of which segregation takes place. These may range from legal restrictions as in the case of South Africa where Apartheid was in practice; to the social or economic status as in the case of rich people residing in the suburbs and the relatively poor residing in the downtown areas. However, the most prominent cause of segregation is found to be ethnicity or cultural background. This type of segregation can result from the emigrants’ need to find security in numbers which makes people from the same cultural or ethnic backgrounds to cluster together and segregate themselves from the rest of the society. Voluntary segregation is therefore where immigrants prefer to live in a

Who Killed the Electric Car Essay Example for Free

Who Killed the Electric Car Essay Who Killed the Electric Car? is presented as a whodone- it mystery. Staying true to this genre, the film opens with necessary background information, describes the crime committed, answering all of the what, where, and when questions, and then in the style of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle gathers the suspects for close scrutiny, coming to a conclusion on the guilt or innocence of each. Opening with a bit of automotive history that establishes the electric car as a competitive alternative to the internal combustion engine, Who Killed the Electric Car? takes the viewer back to the beginning of the twentieth century and the dawn of the automotive age. A straightforward explanation of why gasoline beats out electricity as the fuel of choice and how the internal combustion engine wins dominance concludes the broad overview. The film then moves to the recent past with the introduction of the California Air Resources Board and their 1990 decision to require that ten percent of all cars sold in California by each car manufacturer be zero-emission vehicles by the year 2003. The Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde response of automotive companies is revealed; production and marketing of zero-emission cars is detailed, a period during which the legal and political teams of the same manufacturers work to defeat the law that gave birth to modern electric vehicles. While several manufacturers are included, the General Motors electric vehicle is featured. As this segment concludes, the success of the industry’s legal strategy is symbolized by a celebrity-studded funeral for the electric car. This segment is filled with factual analysis that examines conflicting claims about emissions, practicality, costs of various fuels, and consumer demand. The second half of Who Killed the Electric Car? is Sherlock Holmes at his best. The seven suspects identified in the first half of the film are scrutinized. One by one, consumers, batteries, oil companies, auto manufacturers, the U. S. government, the California Air Resources Board, and the newest villain, the hydrogen car, pass under the bare bulb in the inspector’s interrogation room in an attempt to answer the question asked in the film’s title: Who Killed the Electric Car? At the end of each segment the featured suspect is judged as guilty or innocent. The film ends on a positive note, recognizing a grassroots movement that envisions.

Building A Computer :: essays research papers

Building a computer   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Building a computer can be a useful skill in today's world. It allows you to help yourself get what you want and save some money. It's also becoming a good skill to have for work. You can help businesses build computers.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first thing to do is to research what kind of computer you want. If you just want to write documents, you will probably need a less powerful computer. If you play games and/or design art you will want a more high-end computer. Once you have decided what kind of computer you want, you should look up prices on the Internet, ads, and local stores. A high-end will cost about $1200. You will save about $800 if you bought it from a company.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The next step is buying the computer parts. You will need a CPU (processor), ram, a video card, a sound card, a modem, a floppy disk drive, a cd- rom, a monitor, a motherboard, a keyboard, a mouse, and a case(outside shell). You can purchase these items from the Internet, ads, and stores. The better products normally come from stores, but if you want a more low-end computer you can buy the parts from other places. It is important that you look at the compatibility of the parts in the computer.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The next step is putting the computer together. First you will need to put the mother board in it's proper places. Then you should put the floppy disk drive and the cd-rom in their designated area. You should then put the other parts on their proper place on the motherboard. You will then have to connect all the cords from the motherboard to the cd-rom, disk drive, and all other cords. After that you should turn your computer on and install your cd-rom from the software you got

Research on Primates at the Zoo

[pic] A Zoo for a Primate Observation 11/15/2012 For this paper I decided to visit Zoo Atlanta to observe lowland gorillas. I got to the zoo at around eleven in the morning and found out the feeding times for the gorillas. Once I found them, after watching them for a little while I selected the most active group to go watch during feeding. The point of this trip was to make me feel as if I was doing a field laboratory observation of primate social behavior and it definitely did.As you read my paper I will include what I saw, my feelings towards it, and also any questions or facts I received during my visit from volunteers or signs throughout the exhibit. To put this paper into perspective with this anthropology class I will be using five terms that are from chapter seven to relate the field observation. I hope you enjoy my paper, cause I sure enjoyed writing it. At Zoo Atlanta there are four troops of Lowland Gorillas although only three are located on the yards right now.The three d ifferent groups are Taz's group, Ozzie's group, and the Bachelor males. While observing the different groups Taz's was the most active and therefore I decided to observe them especially during feeding. Feeding was at two fifteen in the afternoon and the feeder stood on top of the building that had a huge glass window to watch out. A volunteer gave the following information to me or I observed it for myself during my visit. Every group eats about six times a day including snacks.The most important meal being breakfast just like anatomically modern humans is served right before or right as the park opens. This meal is cute up in small pieces and scattered throughout the park so that they must forage for the food since this is what they would have to do in the wild. Before this meal they are served pre-breakfast which is considered a primate chow very similar to what dogs eat made my pedigree. They also get snacks throughout the day, mainly fruits. One thing that really shocked me is t hat they are ALL vegetarian.They are all so big and by first glance you would never imagine that. The thing that shocked me the most was during the feeding when every single gorilla got into a certain spot and that’s where he or she was fed this is mainly because they are not good at sharing, especially mothers. This process of them learning that they must get into their own spot is a great example of enculturation. Enculturation is the process of learning culture and transmitting it throughout generations. The last thing with feeding is that they do a process called RNR if they are still hungry.This act is known as regurgitation and re-eating. As nasty as that sounds they do it over and over until they are finally full. One crazy interesting fact is that on an average day a male gorilla consumes sixty-six pounds of vegetation a day. Other than food, other interesting things I found were the similarities of the lowland gorillas compared to humans. Can you believe they take th e same medications as us? Well they do! They take heart medications due to genetic heart problems and see cardiologist just like us.Another similarity is when females are pregnant, there pregnancy last just about the same length of time, eight to nine months and they have only one at a time. One of their females actually had twins within the last couple years and the lady I spoke with kept repeating herself at how rare twins are between gorillas. She made a joke and I thought it was kind of funny, she said â€Å"she gave birth on Halloween so I think that was her way of saying â€Å"trick or treat†. The Atlanta Zoo is actually the only zoo with mother-reared twins, isn’t that awesome?Another thing is when the little gorillas were playing they were pretty rough just like little kids are when they are playing around. This is more of a comparison than a similarity but a sign in the zoo in the area that the gorillas were in, said â€Å"Gorilla’s have distinct nose prints like humans have distinct fingerprints. † Just like when the police are trying to identify someone they use fingerprints, well when people are trying to identify the gorilla they can use the different nose prints. I am now going to tell you what I learned while at the zoo and I will start that with the gorilla’s social behaviors.First off the gorillas were in the back of the park in the Ford African Rain Forest. Ford Company sponsors this area and they actually named one of the gorillas, Henry Ford. The first group I observed was the Bachelor’s and only two were out that you could see but three is apart of the yard. Their names are Stadi, Kekla, and Charlie. The two that were showing any social interest was Kekla and Charlie according to the volunteer but all they did was either sit down or move from branch to branch and sit again. I decided to move on after about ten minutes and that is when I saw Taz’s group.This group was constantly moving aroun d, playing, â€Å"being rough†, climbing on rock figures set up for them in the exhibit, eating leaves, or relaxing in the sunshine. Henry Ford is also apart of Taz’s group. Gorillas live in families of two to twenty members, with usually one being male and the rest female and offspring. This is exactly the case with Taz’s group. There is nine altogether and I will list them from oldest to youngest: Kuchi, Taz, Kudzoo, Sukari, Lulu, Kazi, Macy B, Henry, and Merry Leigh (Willie B’s granddaughter).Within that group Taz is the only male other than Henry who is his offspring. Since these gorillas were actively on the move I did get the chance to hear and see a couple noises they make. The first was when Henry started running it sounded almost like drums, but vocally I did not hear anything and I asked the attendant and she said that all you really ever hear is them running around. The other thing that caught my attention that I thought was so cute was when Me rry Leigh came up to the glass and thumped her chest.I thought that only happened it movies but it was the cutest thing. The volunteer said that this is her way of showing that she is the cutest one out there but can also be a sign to intimidate. Before Taz’s group was fed I observed their behavior for a couple hours. They were active especially compared to the Bachelor’s. The first thing I noticed was that Taz was sitting to the left of everyone at the back close to the fence/window. This brought me to question why and I was assured it was due to him being the â€Å"silverback† of the group.That means he is the protector, which is the father’s place. He sits there just about all day watching to make sure everything is going smoothly and that no one is acting up or is unsafe. He makes sure everyone is cooperating or using cooperative behavior. Just like in human families how the dad’s are the protectors it is the same scenario here. The children or â€Å"baby† gorillas played with each other throwing their arms around on each other while the mothers sat and watched. When they were done playing they would go climb on things or just be active.During my visit there was no conflict but at any point it could arise but the father, in this case Taz would take care of it. Some really interesting facts I found are that they do not have to drink water because they receive enough in their diet, although they are the largest primates. The average male gorilla weighs about three to four hundred pounds and can end up being six foot tall. Gorilla’s love sleep and an important thing to them is making a new nest to sleep in every night. As long as they stay healthy, especially ones in captivity can live to their late forties to early fifties.Overall, these little, well should I say big fellows are becoming endangered and unfortunately there is only about one hundred thousand left running around in the wild. One thing that really stuck out to me was that they have opposing thumbs, which is used for grasping and climbing. The full definition for opposing thumb is a thumb that can touch all the other fingers. Also, they see in color and in three-dimensional. Not only are they unique but also smart. At this point, they are undergoing cultural transmission along with the orangutans, which is a transmission through learning, basic to language.Overall, I must say they are very interesting mammals. In this paper I went over the socialization of lowland gorillas, along with their eating habits, similarities to humans, and also included some random facts in that I thought were very interesting. This trip to the zoo was enjoyed to the fullest and I hope this paper reflects that. Lowland Gorilla’s are actually very interesting and there is a lot more to them than I ever expected. Learning all this stuff about the gorillas makes me wonder what all I am really missing out there and what else there is to know abou t everything.Gorillas, lowland in particular live in troops usually with one head male and the rest females with offspring. They usually reach three hundred to four hundred pounds and have only one baby at a time. Their pregnancies last for nine months or just about, just like humans. They eat their vegetarian meals about six times a day, and do not have to drink water to survive because they receive enough in their meal. Some seem very active, especially younger ones while the bachelor troop seemed very laid back but that may be because they are older.On average, gorillas range from two to twenty per troop but the biggest I saw on my trip was nine. They can take prescription medications just like you and me! Even have some of the same problems such as cardiovascular problems and arthritis. Overall, we are very much alike although the chimpanzees are the closest versions of mammal to us. They have their own forms of communication, birth is very similar, we eat some of the same thing s, take some of the same medication, can reach the same heights, and we all have bodies with hair.This has definitely opened my eyes to things I have never seen or thought of before but learning new things is great so I believe this experience was well worth the price. My impressions of the zoo was that it was very well maintained and clean, yet kind of pricy but I understand that they need to make money to feed those beautiful animals. I enjoyed this assignment a lot, and I am glad I had the opportunity to do this. ———————– One of my favorite pictures I took at Zoo Atlanta while observing Taz’s group.

The Return: Shadow Souls Chapter 3

Time stopped. Elena found that she was instinctively groping for the mind of the one who was kissing her so sweetly. She had never really appreciated a kiss until she had died, become a spirit, and then been returned to earth with an aura that revealed the hidden meaning of other people's thoughts, words, and even their minds and souls. It was as if she had gained a beautiful new sense. When two auras mingled as deeply as this, two souls were laid bare to each other. Semi-consciously, Elena let her aura expand, and met a mind almost at once. To her surprise, it recoiled from her. That wasn't right. She managed to snag it before it could retreat behind a great hard stone, like a boulder. The only things left outside the boulder – which reminded her of a picture of a meteorite she had seen, with a pocked, charred surface – were rudimentary brain functions, and a little boy, chained to the rock by both wrists and both ankles. Elena was shocked. Whatever she was seeing, she knew it was a metaphor only, and that she should not judge too quickly what the metaphor meant. The images before her were really the symbols of Damon's naked soul, but in a form that her own mind could understand and interpret, if only she looked at it from the right perspective. Instinctively, though, she knew that she was seeing something important. She had come through the breathless delight and dizzying sweetness of joining her soul to another's. And now, her inherent love and concern drove her to try to communicate. â€Å"Are you cold?† she asked the child, whose chains were long enough to allow him to wrap his arms tightly about his drawn-up legs. He was clothed in ragged black. He nodded silently. His huge dark eyes seemed to swallow up his face. â€Å"Where do you belong?† Elena said doubtfully, thinking of ways to get the child warm. â€Å"Not inside that?† She made a gesture toward the giant stone boulder. The child nodded again. â€Å"It's warmer in there, but he won't let me inside anymore.† â€Å"He?† Elena was always on the lookout for signs of Shinichi, that malicious fox spirit. â€Å"Which ‘he,' darling?† She had already knelt and taken the child in her arms, and he was cold, ice cold, and the iron was freezing. â€Å"Damon,† the little ragamuffin boy whispered. For the first time the boy's eyes left her face, to glance fearfully around him. â€Å"Damon did this?† Elena's voice started loud and ended up as soft as the boy's whisper, as he turned pleading eyes on her and desperately patted at her lips, like a velvet-clawed kitten. This is all just symbols, Elena reminded herself. It's Damon's mind – his soul – that you're looking at. But are you? an analytical part of her asked suddenly. Wasn't there – a time before, when you did this with someone – and you saw a world inside them, entire landscapes full of love and moonlit beauty, all of it symbolizing the normal, healthy workings of an ordinary, extraordinary mind. Elena couldn't remember the name of the person now, but she remembered the beauty. She knew that her own mind would use such symbols to present itself to another person. No, she realized abruptly and definitively: she was not seeing Damon's soul. Damon's soul was somewhere inside that huge, heavy ball of rock. He lived cramped inside that hideous thing, and he wanted it that way. All that was left outside was some ancient memory from his childhood, a boy who had been banished from the rest of his soul. â€Å"If Damon put you here, then who are you?† Elena asked slowly, testing her theory, while taking in the black-on-black eyes of the child, and the dark hair and the features she knew even if they were so young. â€Å"I'm – Damon,† the little boy whispered, white around the lips. Maybe even revealing that much was painful, Elena thought. She didn't want to hurt this symbol of Damon's childhood. She wanted him to feel the sweetness and comfort that she was feeling. If Damon's mind had been like a house, she would have wanted to tidy it up, and fill every room with flowers and starlight. If it had been a landscape she would have put a halo around the full white moon, or rainbows amongst the clouds. But instead it presented itself as a starving child chained to a ball that no one could breach, and she wanted to comfort and soothe the child. She cradled the little boy, rubbing his arms and legs hard and nestling him against her spirit body. At first he felt tense and wary in her arms. But after a little time, when nothing terrible happened as a result of their contact, he relaxed and she felt his small body go warm and drowsy and heavy in her arms. She herself felt a crushingly sweet protectiveness about the little creature. In just a few minutes, the child in her arms was asleep, and Elena thought that there was the faintest ghost of a smile on his lips. She cuddled his little body, rocking him gently, smiling herself. She was thinking of someone who had held her when she'd cried. Someone who was – was not forgotten, never forgotten – but who made her throat ache with sadness. Someone so important – it was desperately important that she remember him now, now – and that she†¦she had to†¦to find†¦ And then suddenly the peaceful night of Damon's mind was split open – by sound, by light, and by energies that even Elena, young as she was in the ways of Power, knew had been kindled by the memory of a single name. Stefan. Oh, God, she had forgotten him – she had actually, for a few minutes allowed herself to be drawn into something that meant forgetting him. The anguish of all those lonely late-night hours, sitting and pouring out her grief and fear to her diary – and then the peace and comfort that Damon had offered had actually made her forget Stefan – to forget what he might be suffering at this very moment. â€Å"No – no!† Elena was struggling alone in darkness. â€Å"Let go – I have to find – I can't believe that I forgot – â€Å" â€Å"Elena.† Damon's voice was calm and gentle – or at least unemotional. â€Å"If you keep jerking around like that you're going to get free – and it's a long way to the ground.† Elena opened her eyes, all her memories of rocks and little children flying away, scattering like white dandelion silk in every direction. She looked at Damon accusingly. â€Å"You – you – â€Å" â€Å"Yes,† Damon said composedly. â€Å"Blame it on me. Why not? But I did not Influence you, and I did not bite you. I merely kissed you. Your Powers did the rest; they may be uncontrollable, but they're extremely compelling all the same. Frankly, I never intended to get sucked in so deeply – if you'll forgive a pun.† His voice was light, but Elena had a sudden inner vision of a weeping child, and she wondered if he were really as indifferent as he seemed. But that's his speciality, isn't it? she thought, suddenly bitter. He gives out dreams, fancies, pleasure that stays in the minds of his†¦donors. Elena knew that the girls and young women that Damon†¦preyed on†¦adored him, their only complaint being that he didn't visit them often enough. â€Å"I understand,† Elena said to him as they drifted closer to the ground. â€Å"But this can't happen again. There's only one person that I can kiss, and that's Stefan.† Damon opened his mouth, but just then there was the sound of a voice that was as furious and accusing as Elena had been, and which didn't care about the consequences. Elena remembered the other person she'd forgotten. â€Å"DAMON, YOU BASTARD, BRING HER DOWN!† Matt. Elena and Damon came to a twirling, elegant stop, right beside the Jaguar. Matt immediately ran to Elena and snatched her away, examining her as if she had been in an accident, with particular attention to her neck. Once again Elena was uncomfortably aware of being dressed in a lacy white nightgown in the presence of two boys. â€Å"I'm fine, honestly,† she said to Matt. â€Å"I'm just a little bit dizzy. I'll be better in a few minutes.† Matt let out a breath of relief. He might not still be in love with her as he once had been, but Elena knew he cared deeply about her and always would. He cared about her as his friend Stefan's girlfriend, and also on her own merits. She knew he would never forget the time they had been together. More, he believed in her. So right now, when she promised that she was all right, he believed that. He was even willing to give Damon a look that wasn't completely hostile. And then both of the boys headed for the driver's side door of the Jag. â€Å"Oh, no,† Matt said. â€Å"You drove yesterday – and look what happened! You said it yourself – there are vampires trailing us!† â€Å"You're saying it's my fault? Vampires are tracing this fire-engine-red-paint-job giant and it's somehow my doing?† Matt simply looked stubborn: his jaw clenched, his tanned skin flushed. â€Å"I'm saying we should take turns. You've had your turn.† â€Å"I don't recall anything ever being said about ‘taking turns.'† Damon managed to give the word an inflection that made it sound like some rather wicked activity. â€Å"And if I go in a car, I drive the car.† Elena cleared her throat. Neither of them even noticed her. â€Å"I'm not getting into a car if you're driving!† Matt said furiously. â€Å"I'm not getting into a car if you're driving!† Damon said laconically. Elena cleared her throat more loudly, and Matt finally remembered her existence. â€Å"Well, Elena can't be expected to drive us all the way to wherever we're going,† he said, before she could even suggest the possibility. â€Å"Unless we're going to get there today,† he added, looking at Damon sharply. Damon shook his dark head. â€Å"No. I'm taking the scenic route. And the fewer people who know where we're going the safer we're going to be. You can't tell if you don't know.† Elena felt as if someone had just lightly touched the hairs on the back of her neck with an ice cube. The way Damon said those words†¦ â€Å"But they'll already know where we're going, won't they?† she asked, shaking herself back to practicality. â€Å"They know we want to rescue Stefan, and they know where Stefan is.† â€Å"Oh, yes. They'll know we're trying to get into the Dark Dimension. But by what gate? And when? If we can lose them the only thing we need to worry about is Stefan and the prison guards.† Matt looked around. â€Å"How many gates are there?† â€Å"Thousands. Wherever three ley lines cross, there's the potential for a gate. But since the Europeans drove the Native Americans out of their homes, most of the gates aren't used or maintained as they were in the old days.† Damon shrugged. But Elena was tingling all over with excitement, with anxiety. â€Å"Why don't we just find the nearest gate and go through it, then?† â€Å"Travel all the way to the prison underground? Look, you don't understand at all. First of all, you need me with you to get you into a gate – and even then it isn't going to be pleasant.† â€Å"Not pleasant for who? Us or you?† Matt asked grimly. Damon gave him a long, blank look. â€Å"If you tried on your own it would be briefly and terminally unpleasant for you. With me, it should be uncomfortable but a matter of routine. And as for what it's like traveling for even a few days down there – well, you'll see for yourselves, eventually,† Damon said, with an odd smile. â€Å"And it would take much, much longer than going by a main gate.† â€Å"Why?† Matt demanded – always ready to ask questions that Elena really, really didn't want to know the answers to. â€Å"Because it's either jungle, where five-foot leeches dropping from the trees are going to be the least of your worries, or wasteland, where any enemy can spot you – and everyone is your enemy.† There was a pause while Elena thought hard. Damon looked serious. Clearly, he really didn't want to do it – and not many things bothered Damon. He liked fighting. More, if it would only waste time†¦ â€Å"All right,† Elena said slowly. â€Å"We'll go on with your plan.† Immediately, both boys reached for the driver's side door handle again. â€Å"Listen,† Elena said without looking at either of them. † I am going to drive my Jaguar down to the next town. But first I am going to get in it and get changed into real clothes and maybe even catch a few minutes of sleep. Matt will want to find a brook or something where he can clean up. And then I'm going to whatever town is closest for some brunch. After that – â€Å" † – the bickering can begin anew,† Damon finished for her. â€Å"You do that, darling. I'll meet you at whatever greasy spoon you've selected.† Elena nodded. â€Å"You're sure you'll be able to find us? I am trying to hold my aura down, really.† â€Å"Listen, a fire-engine-red Jaguar in whatever flyspeck of a town you find down this road is going to be as conspicuous as a UFO,† Damon said. â€Å"Why doesn't he just come with†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Matt's voice trailed off. Somehow, although it was his deepest grievance against Damon, he often managed to forget that Damon was a vampire. â€Å"So you're going to go down there first and find some young girl walking to summer school,† Matt said, his blue eyes seeming to darken. â€Å"And you're going to swoop down on her and take her away where no one can hear her screaming and then you're going to pull her head back and you're going to sink your teeth into her throat.† There was a fairly long pause. Then Damon said in a slightly injured tone, â€Å"Am not.† â€Å"That's what you – people – do. You did it to me.† Elena saw the need for really drastic intervention: the truth. â€Å"Matt, Matt, it wasn't Damon who did that. It was Shinichi. You know that.† She gently took Matt by the forearms and turned him until he was facing her. For a long moment Matt wouldn't look at her. Time stretched and Elena began to fear that he was beyond her reach. But then at last he lifted his head so that she could look into his eyes. â€Å"All right,† he said softly. â€Å"I'll go along with it. But you know that he's going off to drink human blood.† â€Å"From a willing donor!† Damon, who had very good hearing, shouted. Matt exploded again. â€Å"Because you make them willing! You hypnotize them – â€Å" â€Å"No, I don't.† † – or ‘Influence' them, or whatever. How would you like it – â€Å" Behind Matt's back, Elena was now making furious go-away motions at Damon, as if she were shooing a flock of chickens. At first Damon just raised an eyebrow at her, but then he shrugged elegantly and obeyed, his form blurring as he took the shape of a crow and rapidly became a dot in the rising sun. â€Å"Do you think,† Elena said quietly, â€Å"that you could get rid of your stake? It's just going to make Damon completely paranoid.† Matt looked everywhere but at her and then finally he nodded. â€Å"I'll dump it when I go downhill to wash,† he said, looking at his muddy legs grimly. â€Å"Anyway,† he added, â€Å"you get in the car and try to get some sleep. You look like you need it.† â€Å"Wake me up in a couple hours,† Elena said – without the first idea that in a couple hours she was going to regret this more than she could say.

Profile of Switzerland

Profile of Switzerland Population: 7,623,438 (July 2010 estimate) Capital: Bern Land Area: 15,937 square miles (41,277 sq km) Bordering Countries: Austria, France, Italy, Liechtenstein, and Germany Highest Point: Dufourspitze at 15,203 feet (4,634 m) Lowest Point: Lake Maggiore at 639 feet (195 m) Switzerland is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is one of the richest countries in the world and it has consistently ranked high for its quality of life. Switzerland is known for its history of being neutral during wartimes. Switzerland is the home of many international organizations like the World Trade Organization but it is not a member of the European Union. History of Switzerland Switzerland was originally inhabited by the Helvetians and the area that makes up todays country became a part of the Roman Empire in the 1st century B.C.E. When the Roman Empire began to decline, Switzerland was invaded by several German tribes. In 800, Switzerland became a part of Charlemagnes Empire. Shortly thereafter control of the country was passed through the Holy Roman emperors. In the 13th century, new trade routes across the Alps opened and Switzerlands mountain valleys became important and were given some independence as cantons. In 1291, the Holy Roman Emperor died and according to the U.S. Department of State, the ruling families of several mountain communities signed a charter to keep peace and keep independent rule. From 1315 to 1388, Swiss Confederates were involved in several conflicts with the Habsburgs and their borders expanded. In 1499, the Swiss Confederates gained independence from the Holy Roman Empire. Following its independence and a defeat by the French and Venetians in 1515, Switzerland ended its policies of expansion. Throughout the 1600s, there were several European conflicts but the Swiss remained neutral. From 1797 to 1798, Napoleon annexed part of the Swiss Confederation and a centrally governed state was established. In 1815 the Congress of Vienna preserved the countrys status as a permanently armed neutral state. In 1848 a short civil war between Protestant and Catholic led to the formation of a Federal State modeled after the United States. A Swiss Constitution was then drafted and was amended in 1874 to ensure cantonal independence and democracy. In the 19th century, Switzerland underwent industrialization and it remained neutral during World War I. During World War II, Switzerland also remained neutral despite pressure from surrounding countries. After WWII, Switzerland began to grow its economy. It did not join the Council of Europe until 1963 and it is still not a part of the European Union. In 2002 it joined the United Nations. Government of Switzerland Today Switzerlands government is formally a confederation but it is more similar in structure to a federal republic. It has an executive branch with a chief of state, a head of government that is filled by the President, a bicameral Federal Assembly with the Council of States, and the National Council for its legislative branch. Switzerlands judicial branch is made up of a Federal Supreme Court. The country is divided into 26 cantons for local administration and each has a high degree of independence and each is equal in status. People of Switzerland Switzerland is unique in its demography because it is made up of three linguistic and cultural regions. These are German, French, and Italian. As a result, Switzerland is not a nation based on one ethnic identity; instead it is based on its common historical background and shared governmental values. The official languages of Switzerland are German, French, Italian, and Romansh. Economics and Land Use in Switzerland Switzerland is one of the wealthiest nations in the world and it has a very strong market economy. Unemployment is low and its labor force is also very highly skilled. Agriculture makes up a small part of its economy and the main products include grains, fruit, vegetables, meat, and eggs. The largest industries in Switzerland are machinery, chemicals, banking, and insurance. In addition, expensive goods such as watches and precision instruments are also produced in Switzerland. Tourism is also a very large industry in the country due to its natural setting in the Alps. Geography and Climate of Switzerland Switzerland is located in Western Europe, to the east of France and to the north of Italy. It is known for its mountain landscapes and small mountain villages. The topography of Switzerland is varied but it is mainly mountainous with the Alps in the south and the Jura in the northwest. There is also a central plateau with rolling hills and plains and there are many large lakes throughout the country. Dufourspitze at 15,203 feet (4,634 m) is Switzerlands highest point but there are many other peaks that are at very high elevations as well- the Matterhorn near the town of Zermatt in Valais is the most famous. The climate of Switzerland is temperate but it varies with altitude. Most of the country has cold and rainy to snowy winters and cool to warm and sometimes humid summers. Bern, Switzerlands capital, has an average January low temperature of 25.3 degrees F (-3.7 degrees C) and an average July high of 74.3 degrees F (23.5 degrees C). References Central Intelligence Agency. (9 November 2010). CIA - The World Factbook - Switzerland. Retrieved from: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/sz.html Infoplease.com. (n.d.). Switzerland: History, Geography, Government, and Culture- Infoplease.com. Retrieved from: infoplease.com/ipa/A0108012.html United States Department of State. (31 March 2010). Switzerland. Retrieved from: state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3431.htm Wikipedia.com. (16 November 2010). Switzerland - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Switzerland

Why Workplace Sarcasm is a Great Thing

Why Workplace Sarcasm is a Great Thing Workplace Sarcasm is so often hilarious- and just as often annoying and borderline insulting. But new research on sarcasm actually seems to show that finding a healthy balance between humor and alienation can bring employees together and make them more productive. It Challenges the BrainThe first benefit of sarcasm, of course, is that it’s an effective mental workout. Both the sarcastic speaker and the listener have to very quickly interpret the comment and divine the truth between the literal and the actual meaning of the utterance. It requires abstract thinking and fuels creativity by keeping people mentally acute.It Creates BondsThere’s evidence that employees actually perform better under sarcastic conditions than in an environment of total sincerity or even a neutral environment. The sarcastic comments are both team-building, humor-inducing, and can make the whole team perform better and more productively.Of course, none of this is to suggest that sarcasm should be undertaken as the dominant office norm. And it should not give anyone carte blanche to be as sarcastic as they care to be at any time in their professional life. Sarcasm, wielded effectively, requires trust and a solid existing basis for effective communication. It’s not to be undertaken lightly, or between parties who don’t like or trust one another- but for everyone else, it’s not totally off the table.

Emotional Intelligence and Global Leadership Essay - 1

Emotional Intelligence and Global Leadership - Essay Example Leaders now have to deal with different cultures in achieving business strategies and goals. Emotional intelligence is a concept developed by Peter Salovey and John Mayer. They talked about a politician who is both smart and dumb (Goleman, 1998 cited in Robertson, 2007, p.15). They argued that IQ is not enough to make a person truly â€Å"smart,† and they coined emotional intelligence or EQ (Robertson, 2007, p.15). For the next fifteen years, from being a virtually non-studied concept, EQ has received significant academic attention and applications in the development of numerous fields, such as leadership, communication, self-improvement, child raising, education, health care, and corporate development (e.g., Caruso & Salovey, 2004 cited in Robertson, 2007, p.15). EQ has become critical to developing effective leaders. Even with development in literature, there is no single definition of EQ, particularly since it is still a budding concept with different measures and with dive rse validity test results (Pat & Groves, 2006; Matthews, Roberts, & Zeidner, 2004). Many scholars agree that EQ pertains to the ability to distinguish, understand, and control one’s emotions and the emotions of others, and to use these emotions in successfully managing interpersonal relationships (Salovey & Sluyter, 1990, cited in Robertson, 2007, p.15). Emotional intelligence is also emphasized as vital in understanding the tacit messages that are decisive to interpreting the entire message of the speaker and will also advance how the listener will react to the communication process. Emotional intelligence affects global leadership  through enhancing soft skills in strategic management (Marques et al., 2008). In the article â€Å"Linking quality management and emotional intelligence to workplace spirituality,† Marques et al. (2008) linked the concepts of quality management, emotional intelligence, and workplace spirituality.