Port Expanders

There are no certain types of ports for the many different types of computers now days. Port expanders are computer hardware that allows more than one device to be able to connect to a single port on a computer. The two basic types of pot expanders are the internal and the external. I found that there was a girl on this website by the name of â€Å"Cameron head geek†. He is a person that she was able to talk to about the port expanders and at that time he told her that â€Å"Well†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. MAC’s and PC’s have the same ports. FireWire used to be super popular with MAC’s, but a lot of PC’s had it as well.FireWire is pretty much phased out now days though†. Some of the disadvantages to port expanders is a lot of them are external and they can be annoying. They get in the way and could use more power and if your power source is not good enough it could be a real big problem when you add more devices it will take up even more power and then t hat’s not so good. That could cause the computer not to come back on and could also cause you to have to unplug and start all over again. The advantages of using port expanders are that you get more ports more ports to use.SAS expanders take one port and make many out of them. So say you have one 6gbps, and you expand it so you can connect 8 devices. The total throughput on all 8 ports is only 6gbps, or about 80MBPS. Even in regular hard drives can do 80MBPS, so in reality you could see a bottleneck here, but in practice you probably will be fine? In Some cases SAS expanders are cheaper than getting an equal number of â€Å"real† ports. But at the same time it depends on how much you plan on using it and also how much you really want to pay for these items.In this paper I was able to understand the fact that the expander port are not just for using of one type of computer but that they are also able to be used for many different types and that many different types are not just a good thing they have many different types of bad uses also and that sometimes you many think that they are a good thing but at the same time they are a really bad thing. So, all in all they can be good but at the same time they can also be a really bad thing. The information of this paper was found on the website of: www. eugenecomputergeeks. com

Organizational Change Essay

Given the complex nature and competitive environment under which modern organizations operate ,the way forward for organization is to adopt strategies ,methods and practices which enable them to be ahead of their competitors. Recently global ,political and economic events such as liberations of economics,arising cost of productions ,global economic downtown ,the many competing and substitute products in the market and the spill over effects of the terrorist attacks in America, have led many organization to retrench adopt stringent cost cutting measures and to think of appropriate measures of attracting the largest number of consumers and secure a leading market share in a given industry . To remain competitive, modern organization should aim at uniqueness and superiority in all spheres of their operations ;in technology ,work procedures ,good and services ,approaches to the various management function of planning ,organizing,staffing , directing and controlling . These changes are only possible through creative and innovative thinking . The survival and continued relevance of organizations in the market place therefore depends on the strategies and survival tactics evolved by these organizations to respond to changes in the operating environment. One of the greatest challenges facing organizations therefore is the management of change in a manner that encourages pro activity and ensures continued relevance . Organization change can be defined from various perspectives . One commonly used definition of change is alteration of existing activities ,change can also be defined as innovative; the basic sense of introducing something new in the organization. Organizational change in the sense of improvement therefore refers to activities aimed at strengthening organizational performance such as new technology, work policy ,procedure,product,work attitudes and structural design . Creativity is the process through which a change can be introduced in an organization. It refers to the generation of new ideas into a real product ,service or method of production . Organization change ,creativity and innovation through creative ideas most be capable of being implemented. A creative ideas work therefore be useless unless it is innovative . Organizational change may be necessitated by pressure from outside or within the organization Cole G. A. 1996), Management Theory and Practice says that external forces for change are those forces which operate from outside organization,These include ; forces of competition ,for example competitors changing their strategies and other methods of operations; economic forces such as poor economic performance may require new cost cutting measures; political and legal forces such as passage of new laws by the government . Economic liberalization policy which no longer affords protection to local firms may require them to adopt new methods in products strategies in order to remain in competitive in the face of the inflow of foreign goods. Technological forces,for example,new technology of a firm obsolete ;social cultural forces such as change as in societal norms,values and altitudes should be accompanied by corresponding changes in goods and services. For example, a changes in taste require that a company must change quality levels,feature of existing products and services or introduce a completely new product in the market;physical forces like change in weather and climatic patterns,for example,adverse weather effects may require a company to adjust its production program. This may be due to shortage of essential agricultural based raw materials. Other external forces for change may be;creditors changing their lending policies which would mean that companies must work harder than before;trade unions imposing new conditions on matters affecting employees;consumer protection organizations insisting on specific quality standards hence the need to be quality sensitive;consumer insisting on quality and efficient services other than low prices or fees charged. Internal forces for change include;existing procedures which have become irrelevant and the existing structures which are too rigid hence the need for flexible structures;centralized systems of authority which is no longer effective after major organizational growth and expansion ;negative working attitudes by workers which need to be changed through new policies,rules and procedures,existing technology which may be obsolete and the organization has to adopt the new technology for it to improve efficiency and the competitive edge against other competitors;existing products and services which are no longer competitive in the market;existing training program which have become irrelevant in light of changes in work methods and technology;existing compensation policy which is not motivational such as automatic salary increment not based on merit. Anew compensation method for example payment by results may be adopted or introduced in the organization n facing up these internal triggers for change,management have to plan how they will respond to them. Some potential changes will have been announced well before hand and in these cases planning is taken care of pro actively . Koontz and Weirich (1995)Management:A global perspective, defined a change agent as any person or a group of people who may identify and recommend the need for change in an organization . Examples include, a committee set by the management, a task force, board of directors,shareholders,managers or individual employees. An employee for example may identify a difficulty or a weakness in the existing work procedures and suggest change to the management. If the change is rather insignificant and may not affect the final results,an employee may just implement such a change without a further consultations. Organizational change may be introduced in a planned or in reactive manner. A planned change is introduced pro actively when the organization identifies the need based on the benefits believed to come from change without disrupting operational processes. All change will incur some direct costs,for example,equipment costs,relocation costs,recruitment costs and possible redundancy payments. There will be also indirect costs such as communicating the changes to employees ,providing appropriate training and temporarily redeploying key managers and staff on change projects. An organization should also consider what might be the costs of not introducing the proposed changes. The resources required are identified in advance,employees trained or prepared accordingly adequate measures put in place to deal with the effects of change such as resistance to change. A reactive change on the other hand is normally introduced in an abrupt manner through a piecemeal approaches. A company waits until the pressure for change becomes too much and simply reacts through measures which can lead to immediate solution of a problem. For example, when there is ‘cut throat’ price competition , a company may wait until it finds it unavoidable to reduce its prices when it is not able to survive in the market by maintaining its prices. According to Lewin Schein model , a model propounded by Kurt Lewin and Edgar Sshein,German Management theorists ,change can be introduced in an organization through the following steps:unfreezing that is,identifying the need for change and making it clear to employees how the organization will benefit by changing the status quo;change the transition period in the change process when employees abandon the old practices and adopt the new practices or change from the old to new attitudes ;refreezing which are the measures taken by the management which would ensure that employees sustain or continue with the changed attitudes or behavior. Emotional support,encouragement or financial reward may be provided. Through positive reinforcements ,new practices become the accepted ways of doing things in an organization. One of the principal ways in which organization can bring about planned change is by means of organization development. Organization development is a strategy for improving organizational effectiveness by means of behavioral science approaches,involving application of diagnostic and problem solving skills by an external consultant in collaboration with the organizational management. Organization development is an organization wide process,it takes an essentially systems view of the organization;it utilizes the techniques and approaches of the behavioral sciences that is psychology and sociology;it also involves the intervention of an external third party in the shape of a change agent trained and experienced in behavioral science application in the work situation. Organization development is aimed at organization effectiveness that is,it is something more than management development ;it is concerned with changing structures and decision processes as it is with changing people’s behavior. Organization development is about change and this change can be painful especially when it involves peoples attitudes ,beliefs and self image. The organization development is utilized when the senior management of an organization come to recognize that the key components of the organization system are not working harmoniously together. There is no one best way of introducing and designing an organization development program in an organization. It first takes a preliminary stage whereby the senior management team discusses the scope and implications of an a organization development with the change agent. This includes discussion about the aims of a possible program and the means by which it might be achieved. It also includes a consideration of the possible implication for the organization arising from the implementation of a program;it then define the nature of the relation ship between the change agent and the organization’s management that is,whether the change agent is to play the role of an expert , a catalyst for new ideas ,educator or some other agreed role. If the agreement is reached about the idea of commencing an organization development program then it goes to the next stage of analysis and diagnosis where the change agent usually takes the initiative by designing appropriate methods for obtaining relevant information for example,interviews and surveys and by proposing a strategy for putting these into operation with the full backing of the management team. The information obtained should clarify the problems facing the organization,and build up a picture of staff attitude and opinions as well as supplying some important suggestions as to how the problems would be solved. On the basis of information received,the management team and the change agent agree their diagnosis of the situation . The management team in close collaboration with the change agent agree on what are the aims and objectives of the program. These aims could be to improve profitability ,secure a share of new market ,improve staff motivation or other desired improve ment. To these ends,specific objectives would be useful,such as to achieve the restructuring of the company along matrix lines over a period of say , one and a half years and obtain the full commitment of all the management staff to an open and democratic style of leadership or to reduce substantially the number of customer complaints about after sale service. The organization’s problems have been analyzed ,a diagnosis of the overall situation has been made and agreement has been reached about the aims and the objectives of the exercise,it then behooves a moment of planning the content and the sequence of activities designed to achieve the aims of the programs. Much of the tactics in the planning stage will be influenced by the change agent whose skills and expertise knowledge in behavioral matters will be brought to bear on the manner of introducing the various organizational development activities. These activities will be examined more closely in bits noting the progression. Once the plans have been put into action,it is very imperative that they should be monitored at frequent intervals by the management and the change agent. Difficulties and misconceptions are bound to occur and these must be noted as soon as possible and dealt with quickly. If a particular activity is having adverse results,it will have to be amended or even dropped from the programs. From time to time more substantial reviews of the progress towards the aims and objectives of the exercise will be required ,and this often leads to comparing the results against the benchmarks which are the objectives of the whole change process. In light of the major review it is possible that some important revisions of the aims may be important for which further series of plans will be necessary. The success of any organization development concerning change process in an organization depends largely on the part played by the change agent. The change agent is at the core center of the entire organizations development process. If the change agent is not able to build a firm relationship between himself and the management team concerned,or if he fails to establish his credibility with a range of other groups,his chances of obtaining a sense of commitment required in the whole process are so low. Conversely,if the gains trust and respect both as a person and as a skilled adviser, then he stands a better chance of achieving his own contribution to the aims and the objectives of the program. The roles of a change agent are a multiple ones. These roles range from the highly directive,leadership type of roles to a non-directive counseling role. In the first place,he prescribes what is best for his clients and on the other hand ,he will reflect issues and problems back to his clients without offering any judgment to himself. Qualities of intellect and personality are also important with the change agent in particular the ability to listen and to apply rational approaches to problems and situations;also a mature outlook in terms of awareness and acceptance of personal strengths and weakness. Abilities required are not only those associated with behavioral science knowledge but more general skills such as interviewing skills,presentation skills and the ability to establish and maintain comfortable relationship with a wide cross-section of people. This combination of attributes suggests that a change agent will not always be readily available. It takes a certain kind of character to be able to make the contribution to joint problem solving and decision making that is required in the organization development. The most significant benefits of an organization development program obviously depends on the needs of the organization at the commencement of the program. Organization development enables an organization to adapt to change in away that obtains the full commitment of the employees concerned that is,it instills a mind of change in the employees minds where they perceive themselves as apart of the whole process of change ;organization development can also lead to organization structures that will facilitate employee cooperation and the achievement of tasks in that it brings about the issue of critical thought and mind development whenever the employees swaps between the jobs and the ranks unlike when the the employees would on a p[articular job and role until the retirement hence change brings about new challenges to the employee which eventually turns around the status quo and implement the policies of an enterprise into improvement of services;it also release the ;latent energy and creativity in the organization by way of specialization;it provides opportunities for management development in the context of real organization problems and the way to solve them by involving all the parties concerned including employees in the decision making process;it may also stimulate more creative approaches to problem-solving throughout the entire organization. Finally,change increases the ability of the management groups to look as teams and this will eventually lead to the achievement of longterm goals of the company. Resistance to change has been associated with the change and accepted as a major element of any change process. No matter how change may benefit the organization and individual employees,there will always be a tendency to resist it. Stower J.  F (2000) Management,says that change may result from fear of the unknown ,for example,potential difficulties or uncertainties which may come along with a new method or a procedure;fear of losing power,prestige or status that is fear of perceived inferiority complex towards the subordinates;fear of losing job related opportunities such as promotion or lack of care growth;failure to understand why a change is being introduced due to poor communication;perpetual differences between individual employees ,managers or work groups;fear of losing a job or going for further training when computerization program is to be undertaken or a major change are to be introduced through business process re-engineering . The management should device ways of reducing some of the resistance to change in an organization such ways as;conduct an education and communicate effectively with employees on the need and benefits of change;involve employees in planning the change process ;negotiate with employees or departments which are likely to resist changes ;introduce change in piecemeal manner and provide emotional support including time off during the most difficult period of the change process;selectively use information which gives emphasis on positive aspects of change. Employees likely to resist change may also be co-opted or assigned new positions created during the change process. In order to create an environment in which people think creatively and develop suitable ideas for change ,the management of an organization should take the following measures;develop an acceptance for change,employees must think strategically and believe that change is inevitable for the organization survival;provide a clea r objectives and freedom to achieve them. Organization members who are given clear objectives would be stimulated to meet them . Their creativity will have a purpose and direction ;a conducive environment for creativity is enhanced if individual have the opportunities to interact with members of their own and other work groups. Such interaction encourages team spirit ,exchange of useful information,free flow of ideas and fresh perspective on problems,also make it clear in word and deeds that the management welcomes new ideas. Managers who closely supervise every action of subordinates encourage them to follow orders rather than to experiment with new ideas. Because of tough competition ,resource scarcity and high equipment costs,the only way to ensure survival in any industry is change through creativity and innovation. Any idea that leads to more efficient and effective operation should be explored and implemented,hence a new idea may be a boon in an organization.

Bite Me: A Love Story Chapter 13

13.Being the Chronicles of Abby Normal, Who, Befouled by the Wicked Taint of Rat Suck, Must Find Her Own Murderer How could I have known that my own tragic failure karma would reach out its slimy tentacles and engeeken my heroic Foo beyond the limits of our white-hot romance? ‘Kayso, I was major freaked about the cops almost getting the Countess and I needed to unburden on Foo, which I didn't have a chance, 'cause, as soon as I returned to the love lair, I ran into the comfort of Foo's arms, and rode him gently to the floor where I French-kissed him until he kinda gagged in ecstasy. Then he just threw me off him, like I was a gob of Bubblicious with all the licious chewed out of it. So he's like, â€Å"Not now, Abby. We have a crisis.† â€Å"You 'bout to have a crisis, nerdslice†-I go in my most authentic hip-hop ‘hood-ho accent-â€Å"crisis of my boot heel in your man marbles.† And he totally ignores my hurt feelings and is like, â€Å"Jared, get the door! She left the door open!† So Jared goes all stumbling across the loft to the door, and I'm all, â€Å"You're stretching out my boots.† And Jared is all, â€Å"Rat fog! Rat fog! Rat fog!† And I'm all, â€Å"Don't call me rat fog, bitch. Who held your hair when you drank that whole bottle of crme de menthe and hurled green for an hour?† And Foo's like, â€Å"Abby, look.† All pointing to the little plastic cages on the coffee table, which are kind of empty, then at this steam that's running around the outside of the room and blowing out from under the fridge in the kitchen and whatnot. And I'm, â€Å"‘Splain, s'il vous pla;t.† And Foo's all, â€Å"The rats came awake as vampyres at dusk. And Jared and I were feeding them with the blood that Jody left, by filling their little water bottles. But then when we turned around, the ones we were about to feed were out of their cages. And then we saw some of the cages were still streaming fog out, and the fog was going for the blood bags.† â€Å"And they bite,† goes Jared. â€Å"Yeah, they bite,† goes Foo. And he pulls up his pant leg and shows me where he's been bitten like a dozen times. And I'm like, â€Å"You can't go vamp without me.† And he's all, â€Å"No, I'd have to have some of their blood in me, and I was careful not to even get any on me.† Then all of a sudden there's a stream of mist coming up my boot (I was wearing my red Docs) and a little head starts to appear out of it. Then Foo snags a tennis racket from, like, out of nowhere and smacks the rat head, which goes flying across the room and hits the wall, trailing like a comet tail of mist. I know! A tennis racket. WTF? So I'm all, â€Å"Where did you get a tennis racket? Is that a secret thing with you?† â€Å"Missing the point,† sings Jared, like I'm totally missing the point. â€Å"Hello? We need to be freaked out that they're going to eat us, Nurse Oblivious.† And right then the mist starts taking form again and coming at me, and Foo bats another half-mist rat across the room. So I'm all, â€Å"Okay, good point. What are we going to do?† And I, like, gesture at the button on my sun jacket, because Foo has replaced the battery, which is out of a laptop, and I'm ready to toast some rodents. And Foo's all, â€Å"No, not yet. We have to figure out a way to study them. I need to turn them back to rats. And I have to figure out how this mist is manifesting. I mean, technically, it's not possible.† And I'm like, â€Å"You mean it's magic?† â€Å"I mean I've never even heard of anything like it in nature.† â€Å"Like magic.† He's like, â€Å"There's no such thing as magic.† I'm like, â€Å"The Countess said it was magic.† He's like, â€Å"My grandmother thinks the microwave is magic.† So I'm all, â€Å"It's not?† And Foo's all, â€Å"Magic is just science we don't understand yet.† So I'm all, â€Å"Told you.† And he like sighs all heavy and does his exasperated science face at me, and he's like, â€Å"We have to get them back in their cages. They can't feed when they are in mist form, so we just need to get them feeding and then we can catch them and put them in the cages.† And I'm like, â€Å"Can you believe that Tommy couldn't learn to turn to mist in five weeks and your rats did it, like, overnight? He must be a total tard.† â€Å"Or we have genius rats,† goes Jared, just as Foo is tennis racketing another rat head off his leg. So I'm all, â€Å"Nope, I don't think that's it. Why don't you just put out a little dish of blood and when they turn solid to drink it you can just tennis racket them into a box?† â€Å"We tried that. They figured it out,† goes Foo. And Jared's all, â€Å"See. Genius rats.† Then, to Foo, I'm all, â€Å"He has a thing for rats.† Foo's like, â€Å"Yeah. I got that. They turn back to solid when exposed to UV light, too, but then they start burning.† Then Jared's like, â€Å"Once, when Lucifer 2 got stuck in a drain pipe in our garage, we sucked him out with my dad's Shop Vac.† And Foo's like, â€Å"That's it. We can suck them up with a Shop Vac.† So I'm like, â€Å"That will just blow the mist out the other side?† â€Å"I can put a really weak UV LED in the barrel of the Shop Vac. Maybe that will be enough to turn them solid without burning them. I'll experiment a little while you're gone.† And I'm all, â€Å"Foo, you know it makes me hot when you talk all nerdy, but what do you mean, while I'm gone?† And he's all, â€Å"To get the Shop Vac. We don't have a Shop Vac.† So I look at Jared, all wobbly-assed on my Skankenstein ® boots, so he's useless, and I'm like, â€Å"Well, I'm not dragging a Shop Vac back on the bus or the F car. Give me your car keys.† And Foo's, like, big â€Å"OH NOEZ† mouth and anime eyes, like, â€Å"Whaaaaa?† And I'm like, â€Å"Unless you really do love your car more than me.† And he's like, â€Å"‘Kay.† And hands them over. Which, as it turns out, was really poor judgment on his part. More L8z. Gotta jet. The tow truck is here. ‘Kayso, it turns out that driving an actual car is way harder than it is in Grand Theft Auto: Zombie Hooker Smackdown. Even though there was only, like, minor damage, it could have been totally avoided if you didn't have to shift so much. Everything was good going to get the Shop Vac, because I only used first and second gear. It was coming home, when I started feeling confident and decided to see if there was a third gear, that it went kind of wrong. Still, all the screaming and crying on Foo's part was kind of over-emo, considering that after the tow truck lowered the Honda, you couldn't even see any damage if you didn't crawl under and look at where the fire hydrant had sort of rearranged a couple of wiry-looking things. And Hondas are totally waterproof for the most part, so no biggie, right? So, it was like this- I drive totally ninja all the way to the Ace Hardware in the Castro, but I didn't park because it involves backing up, which is not in my skill set. So I'm, like, double-parked, and I run in and this crusty guy behind the counter is all, â€Å"You can't park there.† And I'm like, â€Å"Fuck off, butt-munch, I have a guy.† ‘Kayso, I find my gay Builder Bob guy, and he's all, â€Å"Darling, how are you? Fab boots!† And I'm like, â€Å"Thanks, I like your apron. I need a Shop Vac.† And he's all, â€Å"What size?† And I'm like, â€Å"It needs to hold about a hundred rats.† And he's all, â€Å"Girlfriend, we need to party or go shopping and dish.† And I'm, like, totally flattered, because shopping is a sacred thing to gay guys, but I stay on mission, and I'm all, â€Å"In red, if you have it.† Because red is the new black and because it will match my Docs. And so we're going to the Shop Vac section, Bob is like, â€Å"So, how's the dark lord?† And I'm all, â€Å"Oh, he's gone. He tried to tear out my jugular vein, so the Countess threw him out the window and it hurt his feelings.† So Bob pats my shoulder and goes, â€Å"Men. What are you gonna do? He'll be back. The drill worked okay, though?† And I'm like, â€Å"Oh yeah. We got him out, but he broke both his legs because he was kind of eager.† Then Bob gets all protective Daddy-voice on me and is like, â€Å"Safety word, sweetheart. Everyone needs a safety word.† So I'm all, â€Å"‘Kay.† Then Builder Bob helps me get my Shop Vac into the car, because it turns out that it takes a vacuum big enough to sleep inside to suck up a hundred rats. ‘Kayso, then I drove and that thing happened with the car and the cops came and they were all, â€Å"You don't have a license and you're not allowed to drive on the sidewalk, blah, blah, oh my God my insipid cop life is so boring I should just eat my gun, bluster, blah, blah.† And I'm all, â€Å"Chill, cops. Call my cop minions Rivera and Cavuto, s'il vous plaà ®t. They will confirm that I am on a secret cop mission and should not be fucked with by pathetic day dwellers like yourselves.† Then I presented them with Rivera's card, which I whipped out of my messenger bag like it was my badge of badassness. So cop one, who is in charge because he has the car keys, is all, â€Å"I'll check this out, wait here while I go make radio noises in the car like a humongous loser while my wife is home boning some huge stud-muffin.† I'm paraphrasing. And in like two minutes, up pulls Rivera and Cavuto, and they have a dog now. His name is Marvin, and he's trs cute. He's all red, and like a Doberman or something badass, but he totally likes me and his little stubby tail was wagging and I let him drink some of the hydrant water out of my hand, and he did, even though there was plenty of water everywhere, but I guess it tasted like street and whatnot. So I'm like, â€Å"Hey, Rivera, tell these douche waffles that you and the ass bear are my bitches.† And Rivera is all concerned quiet cop voice, â€Å"She has mental problems.† â€Å"Head injury caused Tourette's syndrome,† goes Cavuto. â€Å"We'll handle this from here,† goes Rivera. So I got to ride in the back of the cop car with Marvin and the Shop Vac. It was really crowded and Marvin was all doggie licky love face, so my makeup was trs fucked up by the time we got to the loft. So I'm all, â€Å"Marvin loves me good long time, cops.† And Cavuto's all, â€Å"Figures, he's a cadaver dog.† And I'm all, â€Å"Sure, just make up things to make yourself sound cooler.† And Rivera's like, â€Å"Out. Tell your boyfriend we need our jackets ASAP. And after you deliver the message, go home. You're supposed to be at your mother's house.† ‘Kayso, they abandoned me on the sidewalk with my Shop Vac and drove off. I could see little tears of doggie despair in Marvin's eyes. So I text Foo that I need help getting the Shop Vac up the stairs and he comes down just as the tow truck pulls up, so all the crying and the screaming happens, and Foo is totally inconsolable, even when I offered him a hand job, which is really the best I could do on the sidewalk with people going by and whatnot, but I was rejected, proving, I think, that he really does love his car more than me. So it's like, Oh noez! And an inky-colored despair of rejection enveloped me like the black tortilla of depression around a pain burrito. I needed to mope and grieve for my lost innocence, but no. We had to fix the vacuum so it would suck vampy rat fog and turn it into vampy rat chunks. So while Foo wired science stuff into the Shop Vac, I had to get Jared down off the kitchen counter, where he had decided to stand and chuck a major spaz because he hit his rat fog tolerance level. And Jared's all, â€Å"Get them off me! Get them off me!† And he's swinging the tennis racket around like a friggin' windmill, when the rat fog isn't anywhere near him, but running around the edges of the room like a steamy baseboard. And I'm all, â€Å"You must chill, Spunk Monkey, my boots are scratching the counters.† Which Jared takes as his cue to start screaming like a little girl. (When Lily and I were going through our Gothic Lolita fashion phase, which we both abandoned later, me because I'd just gotten my lip ring and I kept dribbling lattes on my lacy parts, and Lily because ruffles made her ass look huge, we used to go to Washington Square Park and practice our horrified little-girl screams, but even without practice, Jared was way better than either of us ever was. I think maybe it's his asthma. Me and Lily could pown him at creepy staring, though.) Anyway, I was just glad that Jody took his dagger away from him, because someone could have lost an eye if he was still holding on to it when I swept his feet out from under him with the same stainless-steel torchiere lamp that the Countess had used on Tommy. (Although it was kind of bent now.) And he's all, â€Å"Ow, ow, ow.† And I'm all, â€Å"Your cross-dressing sissy-man kung-fu is no match for my superior household lighting kung-fu.† And he whines like, â€Å"I'm going home. You hurt me. You suck. This sucks. I have to go have family dinner-with my family-and I'm going to school tomorrow so you can just fuck off and die, Abby Normal.† And I'm like, â€Å"Fine, give me my boots.† And he's like, â€Å"Fine.† And I'm like, â€Å"Fine.† And it would have been way better if he could have just stormed out right then, but it took us about a half hour to get my boots off of him, with me sitting in the sink and him on the counter, guarding me with the tennis racket, because it turned out that I have a pretty low tolerance for rat fog trying to bite me, too. ‘Kayso, we got my boots off of Jared and he decided to stay and help because it turns out that even a stream of biting rat fog is more fun than family dinner. So Foo had the Shop Vac all scienced up with sunlight LEDs and whatnot and he turns it on and starts sucking in the mist with most awesome suckage. (Gay Builder Bob rocks hardware!) And it's so cool, because we can see the fog go in-then we can hear the thump as the sun LED turns the rats to solid again and they hit the inside of the plastic drum. And Foo is all yelling over the motor, â€Å"We may have to unload and put them in their boxes before we get too many. We don't want to open this and try to deal with a hundred rats.† And I'm all, â€Å"Why don't we just leave them in there until sunup and then they'll all be asleep?† And Foo looks at me, all surprised, and I'm like, â€Å"Shut up. I can be smart and hawt.† And he's all, â€Å"‘Kay,† which I don't know whether he meant sarcastically, or that I couldn't be smart, or that I wasn't hawt. But I never found out, because right then the Shop Vac starts making this, foof-thoop splat noise, and Jared lets loose with his little-girl scream. And it turns out that the exhaust of the Shop Vac is blowing vampy rats out the back side, which is the foof-thoop noise, and splattering them against the wall, which is the splat. And with every one, Jared is eeking. So it's like, Foof-thoopsplat-eek! Foof-thoop-splat-eek! Foof-thoop-splat-eek! I know! It would make a totally cool industrial beat for a dance groove. But I didn't sample it because there was stuff happening. And Foo is all, â€Å"Pick them up and put them in their boxes. Seal them with duct tape.† ‘Cause it turns out that vampy rats are pretty durable, and after they splat and slide down the wall, they are starting to pull themselves together again and sort of limp away, but slow enough to catch. But they're still all squishy and whatnot. So Jared and I just turn to Foo and give him our best, â€Å"Bitch, please,† look. So Foo's all, â€Å"Okay, then, you work the hose.† And I'm all, â€Å"Sure, now you want me to work your hose-â€Å" And he's all, â€Å"Abby, please!† Up until then I thought Foo was the most chill love ninja in the Bay Area, but it turns out that if his science gets a little sideways he goes to pieces. So I take the hose and start doing the rat suck, while Foo finds some rubber gloves and a spatula to scrape up the splatter pets. Then Jared gets the idea of shooting the rats right into their little plastic cages, which, as it turns out, kind of works after we blast a couple of them through the plastic and he starts holding the boxes against a pillow he tapes on the wall. And Foo starts duct taping on the lids before the vamp rats can pull themselves together. Then I'm all, â€Å"You know, if we could use this to shoot tiny dogs at the vamp kitties, we'd be finished with this nonsense in a day or two.† And Foo and Jared both roll their eyes at me like I'm high or something, when they are the ones sealing in mashed rats for freshness. ‘Kayso, by, like, midnight, we have all the rats boxed again, and most of them are kind of fixed, but some of them are still pretty fucked up from the flight, and Jared is all, â€Å"I'm going home. I have issues.† Which I know probably means that he is going to go home and break the news to Lucifer 2 that they are no longer BFFs because Jared has lost his rodent wood forever due to our night of rat carnage, which is a good thing, I guess. Then Foo is like, â€Å"I have to go, too. I have to meet with my academic advisor in the morning, and I have to prepare, then I have work in the afternoon.† And I'm all, â€Å"You can prepare here.† And Foo's like, â€Å"I don't think I can.† And he looks away. I was going to tell him that I had decided to become a creature of the night, but they were bailing on me, so I was all, â€Å"Fine. You two run along. I'll stay here.† And Foo was like, â€Å"Wait until dawn, then give each of them a water bottle of blood. They'll heal. But make sure you tape their cages back up so they can't escape. Blah, blah, biology, science, behavior, science word, science word, blah, blah.† So I kissed him like it was the last time, and went into the bedroom to lie down and wait until dawn, but there was like this huge maze made out of wood on our bed, so I went back out into the living room and chilled with the rats on the futon until dawn. I couldn't sleep anyway, because I was thinking of all the people I was totally going to get revenge on when I was nosferatu, after I found Jody and Tommy and rescued them, of course. ‘Kayso, like the Terminator (the liquid one, not the one that was governor), I will rise from the wreckage of my own metallic spooge to conquer all who oppose me. I know what I have to do. When Foo is at work, and Jared is at school, I shall use the blood that is blessed with the dark gift and become nosferatu. So suck it, bitches! ‘Kayso, at dawn, when all the rats stopped scrambling around in their little cages, I found one of the syringes that Tommy had gotten from the needle exchange program when he was pretending to be a junky, and I drew blood from the most healthy vamp rat we had. Then I had to decide to drink it or inject it, and after a while, I decided to inject it, which it turns out works just like in the movies and hurts way less than getting your eyebrow pierced. So then I lay down and waited for the vamping to come on. I thought about Foo, riding the BART all the way back to his parents' house in the Sunset instead of staying with me, and how that was kind of an assbag move on his part. And I thought of our time together, over six weeks, and how it would be hard on him when I was a superior creature of unspeakable evil and supernatural beauty. And I thought that maybe the Countess and Flood and I might have to live together in a mnage trois, and Foo and Jared might have to be our bug-eating minions, like Renfield in Dracula, except Foo would still have his fly manga hair and I would do him occasionally out of pity. And I cried a little, over the loss of my humanity and whatnot, because I realized that as soon as I was done saving Tommy and Jody, and enslaving Foo and Jared, I was going to sneak into Mr. Snavely's living room one night-come in as mist under the door-then form into my most awesome alabaster naked badassness and freak him completely the fuck out for failing me in Biology, and that it would be kind of an inhuman thing to do. And as I grieved, I fell into the deep sleep of the undead. I know. Trs awesome. But no! Now I'm awake, and it's still light out, and the vamp rats are still out and I don't have super powers and my evil is still totally speakable. Fucksocks! I forgot, I have to die before I change. I looked all over for that potassium chloride stuff that Foo said they killed the rats with, but all I found was the hammer, and I was all, â€Å"I don't think so.† So I went up to Market Street and thought I'd throw myself in front of a bus, but then, what if they left my body out in the sun and I burned up? So that was out. So then I was like, â€Å"Oh, duh, cut your wrists?† But it hurt like holy fuck, so I only kind of cut one wrist a little bit, and I bled for like a half hour and I wasn't even light-headed, so I was all, â€Å"Fuck this fun-free circus, I need an accomplice.† So I called the suicide hotline. And I'm all, â€Å"I need help.† And the guy is all, â€Å"What's your name?† And I'm all, â€Å"You don't have caller ID? What kind of lame hotline is this?† And he's all, â€Å"It says here that your name is Allison. Are you okay, Allison?† And I'm all, â€Å"No, I'm not okay. I'm calling the suicide hotline.† And he's all, â€Å"You don't want to commit suicide, Allison.† And I'm all, â€Å"Exactly, doofasaurus, I need someone to take me out. I need it to be quick, private, painless, and it shouldn't fuck up my hair too much.† And he's like, â€Å"But there's so much to live for.† So I'm like, â€Å"You're burning my minutes, fuckstick. I need a number for a hit man or one of those Kevorkian doctors.† And he's all, â€Å"I can't help you with that.† So I'm all, â€Å"Loser!† And I offed my phone. I can't believe it, but it turns out that the Motherbot was right. Sometimes, the only people you can trust are family. (â€Å"‘Scuse me, I barely suppressed a rainbow yawn when I typed that.) So here I am, waiting for my little sister, Ronnie, to get home from school so she can murder me, then hide my body under the bed until I return as the true Mistress of the Greater Bay Area Dark. This will be my last entry as a mortal. I have to go pick out an ensem for my death. I wonder how she'll do it? It better be painless or the first thing on my undead to-do list will be to open a bottle of Whoop-Ass P.M. on little sister.

Mass human rights violations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Mass human rights violations - Essay Example The concept of human rights and its application has seen tremendous expansion at the end of the 20th century1. The Universal Declaration of Human rights is an existing phenomenon in the global forefront for almost 50 years2. Majority of the people in almost all the countries in the world conceive that human rights are associated with the attributes of optimal protection and respect. Thinking in a most elementary dimension, human right can be regarded as the right of each individual for staying in the surroundings where he or she finds every opportunity in developing, living, working, relaxing, finding out various things for themselves and also be with other people, marry people of any ethnicities, rear their children and so on3. International laws have been formulated as well as implemented on an all round and global basis so that the human rights do not get violated 4and that all the individuals are treated on an unbiased yardstick of judgment in accordance with the international la w of human rights made by the International Courts. Despite that, it has been found that even after formulation of the human rights convention there has been a wide scale violation of human rights in an around many nations of the world5. It has also been argued that individual state policies of human right violation in various countries overshadow the application of international law and thus the weaknesses of international law in providing fruitful remedies is questioned to quite a robust extent6. In this paper, the discussion will be centered on the explanation of human rights laws provided by the international courts and they will be discussed in accordance with the case studies from different countries and the analysis will be directed towards the notion that whether the international law offer effective remedy in areas where the government of a state chooses in committing mass human rights violation within their own borders. Now, the subsequent section will discuss the notion o f human rights and provision of human rights within the international legal dimension. II. Human Rights 1. Basic facts In a nutshell, the definition of human rights can be stated as â€Å"the rights of human beings to live according to their nature and with other human beings†7. In the second half of the twentieth century various international standards were formulated and they became accepted on a wide basis over various nations of the world. 2. Human rights in international law During 1993, the United Nations World conference confirmed their commitment in association with established norms of human rights8. There have been various initiatives undertaken at international, regional as well as national levels for the protection of human rights. Individuals possess the rights to bring various human rights complaints before the regional courts for addressing their issues. The victims may have their cases heard before international governmental organizations but the national cour ts are in the current scenario are applying regional as well as international human rights standards. But unfortunately, it can be stated that practices of the states throughout the second half of the 20th century have shown many several evidences of violation of human rights on a wide scale basis. The violations which have occurred has taken a massive scale and they have been brutal in nature with infringement on â€Å"the right of life, physical and mental integrity and individual freedom† 9 In 1967, the United Nations classified the violations as gross human right violations of human rights. The phenomenon of gross violation of human rights is not a recent phenomenon. Since the period of 1945, estimations state that more people have perished as a consequence of gross human violation. Empirical evidences also reveal that the phenomenon of g

Travelogue - Tour of New Delhi Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Travelogue - Tour of New Delhi - Essay Example They would tell me how large India is, the unique architectural designs in the cities, the festivities, the trains, the monsoons, the ethnic diversity of the people and many other fascinating stories about India. As a lover of traveling, I started to think of India as an ultimate travel destination from a very tender age in my life. Since our marriage a year and a half ago, my spouse and I had always planned to have an enthralling tour as a celebration of our personal and mutual achievements as a young couple. When the time finally came; when we had gathered all the required resources for the journey, my spouse wanted me to suggest a destination. There would be no better destination than India. I already had done a lot of research about India and the typical stories foreigners tell after visiting New Delhi. Most of them were good, but some few others were bad including chaos in the city, cunning taxi drivers, fake ‘government’ tourists’ offices and many others. Th e good thing was that I knew the facts and the hearsay. That information was enough armor to protect us in our six days and five nights in New Delhi. The Cosmopolitan City We landed in the Indira Gandhi International Airport at 8 is on a Thursday at the onset of summer. We had already arranged for a tour guide and we were glad to recognize him easily. He introduced himself again (we already knew he was Kizito), but to our amazement, he was not an Indian. He saw the astonishment and explained with a smile that he came all the way from Uganda in search for greener pastures since five years ago. Nevertheless, he seemed to be enjoying himself. He slowly walked us into one of the restaurants at the airport for a late breakfast. Here in India, they call it ‘Nashta’. Nashta diet varied from region to region. We were each served with a plate of aloo  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ a delicious meal made mainly from potatoes, curry leaves, peanuts, and chilies. Kizito was fluent in English. He was a ble to answer most of the questions we asked about our new city. He described the cosmopolitanism nature that the city boasts. The people here are from different races, nationalities, ethnicities, religions, and even different political orientations. In addition, he explained that as we shall soon find out, the city has many people from all over the world. Some, like him, live here while others come and go in large numbers for purposes of business, tourism, education, or even to attend religious events. Other than cosmopolitanism, the vibrant economy of New Delhi can be attributed to its virtue of being the capital city of India and its residents practicing neoliberalism in whereby they focus on economic growth. The breakfast session lasted about an hour. Kizito headed us to Kario Guest House about a thirty minutes’ drive from the airport. This will be our new home for the next six days. We were to rest till 2 pm when we begin visiting the many attractions in the metropolis. In the afternoon, we begin with a tour to the Old Delhi. The Old and the New Delhi Talking of New Delhi, one may wonder whether there exists an Old Delhi. The answer is ‘YES’. Old Delhi indeed exists. According to David (2008), Delhi was originally on the western banks of River Jumna. Ancient Hindu traditions and beliefs dictated that cities and towns should only be constructed on the right bank of the flow of the river. The left bank was to be left wild.  Ã‚  

Research philosophies and approaches Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Research philosophies and approaches - Essay Example Aesthetics pertain to what man considers beautiful or appealing. As art, architecture is also a form of expression executed in a manner considered appealing or beautiful. In constructing a structure, however, man uses inputs as well as produces waste. The use of inputs and wastes both affect man’s existence and in sustaining his way of life. Thus, the professional architect has to be responsible not only for his final product but also with the way he or she is able to produce his own product. It follows that the relevant philosophies that a professional architect should study must cover the following: man’s philosophies for existence and living that are basic for architectural designs the philosophies related to aesthetics and art as the bases for architectural designs that can be considered as aesthetically beautiful or artistic the relevant philosophies or ethics that the professional architect can adopt, and the philosophies relevant for professional architectural pr actice. Hence, the foregoing are some of the general areas in philosophy research that are most relevant for a professional architect or someone who seeks to become a professional architect. In developing research methods for any research, some of the more relevant philosophical perspectives are logical positivism, verstehen, and hermeutics. II. Man’s Philosophy for Living Man’s philosophy for living is varied. For example, a man’s philosophy for living may be simply to enjoy life and get the best pleasures from life. The situation of his or her fellow human being does not disturb him because the world is a jungle where the fittest rule and survives. He or she does not care for his or her fellow human being because he or she does not feel any sense of responsibility for another person. The need for architectural designs from this type of a person is simple: what appeals to him or her without regard to the possible effects of a design may have on resource use and wastes. On other hand, another philosophy of living can be altruistic or oriented to be of service to others. This can be reflected in how basic architectural decisions are made. For instance, an altruistic design may call for ensuring that architectural designs are useable by the disabled like the limping or lame, the blind, the aged, or those who are weak. The architectural designs of buildings, streets, and houses may be such that spaces are created for the disabled or for an aging and younger population. Another philosophy of living, however, may call for the use of more obviously expensive materials associated with wealth and power. This type of architectural clients may require, for example, floors or walls that are lined with gold or precious stones. They may require a Jacuzzi right in their rooms or a pool in many parts of their house with a specification that they are installed in an obvious way and that neighbors are made aware that they have these. The need for architect ural designs is not only for the sake of living and comfort but, more importantly, for conspicuous consumption. Conspicuous consumption may or may not be psychological but probably it is not only philosophical. As a philosophy for living, conspicuous consumption may result from a need to have a better standing in society. The standing can lead to better social influence, power, and esteem by the other members of society. Finally, another philosop

Final ASSIGNMENT Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Final - Assignment Example ccuracy1 believes that the possible low bids from the competition, if there is any competition, and the associated probabilities and associated payoffs are those shown in the attached table (file â€Å"Exam2 Tables.xlsx†, sheet â€Å"Exam2-Q1-2†). In addition, Accuracy1 believes there is a 30% chance that there will be no competing bids. What should Accuracy1 bid to maximize its EMV? The optimal choice is $120 Q2. The following is for Problems 1-2. Accuracy1 Incorporated, a company that specializes in scientific instruments, has been invited to make a bid on a government contract. The contract calls for a specific number of these instruments to be delivered during the coming year. The bids must be sealed, so that no company knows what the others are bidding, and the low bid wins the contract. Accuracy1 estimates that it will cost $5000 to prepare a bid and $95,000 to supply the instruments if it wins the contract. On the basis of past contracts of this type, Accuracy1 believes that the possible low bids from the competition, if there is any competition, and the associated probabilities and associated payoffs are those shown in the attached table (file â€Å"Exam2 Tables.xlsx†, sheet â€Å"Exam2-Q1-2†). In addition, Accuracy1 believes there is a 30% chance that there will be no competing bids. What should Accuracy1 bid to maximize its EMV? The EMV for this optimal choice is $ ____K (please keep 2 decimal place, e.g. in the format of 12.34). Q3. The following is for Problems 3-5. A local energy provider offers a landowner $180,000 for the exploration rights to natural gas on a certain site and the option for future development. This option, if exercised, is worth an additional $1,800,000 to the landowner, but this will occur only if natural gas is discovered during the exploration phase. The landowner, believing that the energy companys interest in the site is a good indication that gas is present, is tempted to develop the field herself. To do so, she must contract

Japanese Spirit, Western Thinks Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Japanese Spirit, Western Thinks - Essay Example According to the essay "Japanese Spirit, Western Thinks" findings, Japan has been an expert in taking an idea and transforming it into something sensational. In manufacturing, for example, Japanese practice has greatly advanced by creating a hybrid based on the material and technologies from the West, while maintaining the traditional processes that have proven their worth for centuries. Since practically the most difficult part of ensuring an ideology’s success is to come up with the ideology in the first place, Japan was able to bypass this step and leaped forward to the modification and implementation part, thus keeping their efforts to a minimum while producing the most optimal results at the same time. Furthermore, their selective adaptation allowed Japan to just pick out the aspects of Western culture and ideologies that would apply to their own local flavor. Thus, the result was most often better by leaps and bounds compared to the original. Thus, it may be quite unfair for the author to claim that â€Å"Japan's leaders continue to use these cultural excuses, as they have for 150 years, to mask their own efforts to cling to power and prestige. The ugly, undemocratic and illiberal aspects of Japanese traditionalism continue to lurk behind its admirable elements.† In fact, as the author himself pointed out almost bitterly, Japan has applied this methodology many years before the coming of the Westerners. As an illustration, the religion and language has remained quite intact despite the surge of Western ideologies towards their direction.

Leadrship Development and business Ethics Coursework

Leadrship Development and business Ethics - Coursework Example dren as they are required to wear specific school shoes for attending schools.  Also children have to walk long distances  in order to  access educational, medical and clean drinking water  facilities.  Shoes  are the focus of special attention  because children deprived of shoes are vulnerable to numerous soil-based diseases like jiggers, hookworm, tetanus and podoconiosis. Hookworm is a universal disease that affects around 576 to 740 million people around the globe. It is a major cause of protein loss and blood loss (anemia) in children. Similarly podoconiosis develops in individuals from being bare feet resulting in a disease known as big foot. It begins in children in teenage and causes severe leg and foot pain. Children with bare feet are also prone to jiggers that cause inflammation and ulcers in the feet. Tetanus is another disease causing acute infection if a bacterium enters through an open wound or injury in the foot. The One for One program operates by acquiring  global partnerships of  humanitarian organizations to identify deprived communities  evaluated on grounds of health, educational and economic conditions. Moreover TOMS shoes make sure that its  involvement does not affect the  local shoe making  businesses  adversely. TOMS also provides supplementary support to cater health and educational issues in children. Children of developing countries are the  main target of TOMS  One for One program. TOMS shoes does not provide a single kind of shoes but a variety of shoes tailor made to meet the size  requirements of children of different ages as well  as fulfill their  diverse cultural needs. In 2012 TOMS,  in collaboration with its sight-giving partner Seva Foundation, also  brought eyewear within the ambit of its product-line. It works on the same line  as  One for One program for shoes and donates a pair of glasses for every pair sold out. It also  encompasses medical treatments, eye examinations and sight saving surgeries for children in

Effective Research Essay Example for Free

Effective Research Essay Research is a structured and systematic approach of looking for answer to questions and producing intended results. The methods used to research a particular topic should directly relate to the aims described in the topic. One should develop a clear, thoughtful, and organized study plan that tests the vital hypothesis. Describe any work concept, tools, and approaches for the anticipated studies. Discuss the possible limitations and difficulties of the anticipated procedures and alternative advances to achieve the aims. Tim Ireland (2008) adds that a tentative sequence for the project ought to be given. An overview of the conceptual framework and proposed design should be included. Study goals ought to relate to the projected hypothesis. Required statistical techniques, proposed timeline, and work plan should be included. Finally, one should be clear about the methods and investigation design used and should avoid correlative experiments. The ways of assessing and evaluating ones research is by checking for correct spelling, general neatness, parts in a reasonable and correct order with nothing missing, proper citation of borrowed material and the support of any arguments or thesis materials with evidence. One can also use rubric; it allows one to see what excellent, acceptable, good, and poor work looks like. Information from research is included in writing by putting all your gathered information together in a presentable format. One should put all his/her notes together according to the order they will come into view in their project (Albert and Podgy 1984). Another is strategy is the use of paraphrasing where one only uses the most important words, synonyms, and highlights and crosses out words (Ireland, 2008). Paraphrase: A good university should focus on equipping students with critical and analytical skills which form an integral part of what is expected of higher learning (Zein 2008).

Music Essays- Rave Culture Music

Music Essays- Rave Culture Music Rave Culture Music Since its emergence in the late 1980s, the subculture referred to as â€Å"rave† has become a significant global youth phenomenon. Postmodern scholars tend to treat the rave subculture as one of disappearance and pleasure. The â€Å"armchair† approach of postmodernists is inherently flawed because it fails to acknowledge the meaningful spiritual experiences of those attending raves. Scott R. Hutson’s â€Å"The Rave: Spiritual Healing in Modern Western Subcultures†introduces an opposing theory that raving is a spiritual practice wherein the symbolic processes embedded in culture create appropriate frameworks for healing. Gilbert Rouget’s conceptualization of trance and how it is managed in the ritual context provide the analytical foundations for this spiritual practice. This paper will analyze the role of the DJ as a leader of a possession trance ritual who â€Å"aided by key symbols, guides the ravers on an ecstatic journey to paradise- a pre-soci al state of non-differentiation and communitas† (Hutson 1999:54). Raves have increasingly become the focus of books, movies, and media coverage, and the culture has been the undercurrent behind some of the latest music and fashion trends. Described by Merchant and McDonald as â€Å"the most vibrant, popular and visible cultural expression of young people† (Merchant and McDonald 1994:16), rave culture has had such an enormous impact on the mainstream youth and popular culture that it is now often considered part of the mainstream. The electronic and rhythmically repetitive nature of the music, the long hours of dancing, the semi-legal secret location, and the ingestion of psychoactive substances, differentiate raves from other youth parties. When combined, these features are specifically designed to promote feelings of connectedness, spirituality, and a state of â€Å"ecstasy† among contemporary youth. At the heart of these proceedings one encounters the individual responsible for the success or failure of the event: the Disc-Jockey or DJ. Using equipment to manipulate the rhythm, sound, and lighting, the DJ guides individuals through a psychological journey of what some have described as healing, identity transformation, and spiritual growth. Get help with your essay from our expert essay writers A small body of recent publications on raves reflects the growing recognition that the rave scene provides a spiritual outlet for many contemporary youth. The DJ’s position within this culture as a spiritual leader and guide has also been noted. What is uncertain, however, is the specific nature of this role. Poschardt contends that the DJ’s tendency toward â€Å"laconic autism† has made him a difficult object of study that has â€Å"remained untouched by academic study† (Poschardt 1995:17). Similarly, Fikentscher observes that â€Å"his gradual rise in the hierarchy of the music industry has not been accompanied by a corresponding growth in academic literature† (Fikentscher 2000:33). Although similarities have been noted between the function of the DJ in the rave culture, and that of the shaman in traditional cultures, a precise and in-depth academic analysis of the DJ’s work is lacking. It is often assumed that what ravers experience during raves is â€Å"ecstasy,† but a definition or thorough investigation of this state of consciousness is lacking. Similarly, references to â€Å"trance† or hypnotic states are also presented as fact but explanations and interpretations of these states and how they are elicited are usually glossed over. Some authors appear to be completely baffled by the altered states of consciousness (ASC’s) encountered at raves, their position clearly illustrates a poor understanding of ASC phenomena. One author explains that â€Å"ravers move in a hypnotic delirium which has been described as a ‘trance dance.’ It is as if some sort of spell has been cast over them causing the throng to lose themselves in their own thoughts while the pounding of the music remains starkly unobtrusive† (MacDonald et al. 1998:243). Postmodern scholars seem to avoid the subject of ASC’s altogether, while acknowledging the ineffable quality of the experience as grounds for its exclusion from academic inquiry. Additionally, the DJ’s expertise and the symbiotic relationship he develops with the dancers has also been neglected, perhaps due to the embodied, performative, and intuitive elements under which these processes are informed. In an attempt to explain this neglect, Gerard states that â€Å"while the dance music press, insider accounts and testimonials from DJs and dancers suggested a fertile ground for investigation, scholars tended to avoid the dialectical possibilities inherent in performance analyses or phenomenologically inspired investigations by simply treating such interactions as somehow ineffable† (Gerard 2004:170). Another embodied element so central to raving is body movement, that is the dance experience, and as Malbon remarks â€Å"I note the reticence and/or inability of both clubbers and academics to discuss dancing† (Malbon 1999:71). It is probable that this reticence is partially rooted in the limitations of an â€Å"armchair† approach. It is obvious that many scholars of rave and club culture have never physically participated in the contexts they are writing about. This armchair methodology is addressed by Gerard and Sidnell who call for an approach that is instead framed in the â€Å"immediate:† Rather than attempting to extricate symbolic meanings or covert subcultural agendas, future studies of contemporary dance music would be best served from the dance floor and not the armchair. If as a number of authors have suggested, these music and dance spaces can be likened to ritual events, we should approach them as such-not by serving enactment from text, as Bruce Kapferer has cautioned, but by framing analysis in the immediate and locally organized contexts of performance (Gerard and Sidnell 2000:36). This paper is an investigation the precise function of the DJ within the rave culture. This involves an investigation of the DJ’s training, of his techniques of the mechanisms involved in inducing altered states of consciousness (ASC’s) in the rave context, of the experience of the participants with these states, and of the relationship between the DJ and rave participants. Much of the DJ’s elevated status and recent success has to do with the artistic license and technological innovations in music production that afford today’s DJs with seemingly limitless opportunities for creative development. This forces the DJ into a role as a paradoxical artist, a meta-musician whose performance is based on prerecorded music. The profession thus questions the traditional notion of live performance and as Poschardt states, â€Å"questions the traditional concept of the artist, blows it apart and re-establishes it in overhauled form† (Poschardt 1995:15-16). An emblematic figure of the postmodern era, the DJ has been likened to a writer, an editor, and even a weaver of mosaics and tapestries. This is largely due to the techniques of mixing, remixing, and sampling, procedures that make each performance spontaneous, unique, unexpected, and thus â€Å"live† as opposed to prerecorded. Combining two records is referred to as mixing, remixing in volves altering and therefore reinterpreting and existing song, and sampling consists of inserting any sound, musical passage, or rhythm into an existing track at any desired point. This is where the creative element and metaphor of the DJ as writer is relevant: I love the idea of continuous sampling: like remixing everything as you go so writing is like that. Just like you’re probably going to do edits, cuts and splice when you’re editing this tape, I mean you do that with language, even when you’re speaking, you’re always picking and choosing what words you’re using, the way you’re going to describe something so everything is a mix. I’m mainly a writer, DJ’ing to me†¦ every DJ is a writer, you’re using the urban landscape as your book, as your novel, as your text, so everything is writing (‘DJ Spooky’ in Reiss 1999). The ability to create new sounds and sample virtually anything also emphasizes the freedom of the artist. While there are â€Å"DJ schools,† information resources on the internet, and technical manuals available to those entering the DJ profession, most DJs are self-taught and the process of learning and refining skills for oneself seems to be the ultimate rite of passage into the trade. For the most part, DJs seem to frown upon professional schools that offer courses in DJ’ing, feeling that these schools are no more than the product of a recent fad. Most seemed to agree that experience and intuition are the greatest tools for learning available to an amateur, and these cannot be acquired in an academic institution. The notion of being self taught still allows DJs to be influenced by others or to have their careers assisted along the way. Fikentscher characterizes DJ’ing as an oral tradition where knowledge is passed down to new artists from the DJs that come before them (Fikentscher 2000:44). Like raves, DJs on the rise develop a following through word of mouth and the circulation of their music. At clubs and raves, the local and unknown DJs are given the opportunity to spin in the peripheral rooms while the headliner DJs spin in the main room. Through this kind of exposure, a DJ can develop a following and eventually graduate to the central room which houses the best lighting and sound equipment. DJs have also been known to collaborate with other musicians in producing records, and even tour with other DJs thus picking up techniques along the way. A DJ must have an extensive knowledge of music tracks and remember such details as the rhythm, the vocals, and key structure, so that the current song will be complementary to the track that it is being combined or sampled with. Just as many ravers note an alteration in the way they perceive Techno music through continued participation in the subculture, DJs also identified a change in their musical perception that is oriented toward the more technical aspects of the music. Evidence for this kind of neural entertainment is supported by the finding that the analytic left brain tends to dominate musical processing in trained musicians, whereas for the untrained it is the right hemisphere that dominates (Wilkinson 2000:1). While there has been considerable discussion surrounding MDMA or Ecstasy use as a prerequisite for fully understanding and appreciating electronic music, in contrast to the majority of rave-goers who advocate drug use to â€Å"get into† the music, all of the DJs interviewed in a study by Dr. Melanie L. Takahashi disagreed with this view. Although a majority had tried MDMA or other dance related drugs, the sentiment that the music combined with the skill of the DJ in its own right were enough to elicit an ASC appeared to dominate. The DJ’s adeptness for musical perception and producing musical triggers for trance states could explain the incongruity between DJs’ and participants’ views concerning drug use. All subjects interviewed performed their sets without taking drugs, the reason given being that these substances would negatively affect the concentration required to perform a live show. Instrumentalists of possession rituals are reported to not ingest psychoactives or enter into trance during performances for similar reasons. According to Rouget, â€Å"to do so would be incompatible with their function, which is to provide for hours on end and sometimes on several consecutive days, music whose execution must continuously adapt itself to the circumstances† (Rouget 1985:103-104). Rouget argues that these musicians must therefore be external to the cult, such that they are not vulnerable to the music, or they must be experienced adepts who are able to withstand the effects of the music (Rouget 1985:104). As the DJ is given the power to introduce the participants to an experience, it becomes increasingly important for the DJ to sustain the integrity of that experience. In Gerard’s 2004 article â€Å"Selecting Ritual: DJs, Dancers and Liminality in Underground Dance Music,† Gerard describes the importance of flow by framing the dance experience, and the process of mixing, as conduits for â€Å"liminality† as defined by Victor Turner (Turner 2003:176). The DJ employs what Gerard coins as â€Å"techniques of liminality† which create periods of uncertainty for the dancers following the resolution. When the flow is interrupted by poor mixing â€Å"the flash of spontaneous communitas is potentially threatened; dancers are often drawn out of their ecstatic state; they return to an increased awareness of both setting and self, and sometimes abandon the dance floor† (Gerard 2004: 176). In order to avoid losing experiential integrity, DJs function in a manner similar to instrumentalists in possession rituals by developing an intimate and symbiotic relationship with the dancers. The dancers’ ability to achieve an â€Å"ecstatic† state is dependent on the DJ’s stage presence, his proficiency in intuitively â€Å"reading† and responding to the crowd, and his ability to form a temporary bond with the dancers. Without these skills, the techniques of trance induction on their own right are generally inadequate for eliciting what participants call an â€Å"ecstatic† state. In ceremonial possession, the notion of performance is a central element to the ritual. Instrumentalists perform for an audience, and irrespective of an individual’s familiarity with the music, the trance state is only induced within the ritual context in the presence of others. Furthermore, additional aspects of raves that are paired with the music (i.e. lighting, psychoactives) are generally absent at home even though they play an important role in trance induction. Also absent outside of the rave context is the interpersonal relationship between the DJ and the participants. Similarly on the subject of possession rituals, Rouget emphasizes the importance of the connection between the instrumentalists and the dancers, stating â€Å"in order to induce trance in a particular person the priests and musicians establish a special relationship with him, make him an object of their ‘solicitude,’ address themselves to him in an exclusive way, and become at the same time very attentive to what he himself is feeling† (Rouget 1985:112). At raves, participants recognize that a DJ must be selfless in order to establish this special bond. Although most DJs have a general idea of the style of music and the songs that they will play, it is accepted that flexibility is more important, and this is particularly relevant for touring DJs who must also adapt to regional differences in music taste: I know the records that are good to start the evening, but I don’t prepare my set in advance. I watch and I react. I try to adapt. Every city is influenced by the people who initially created the scene. You have to adapt and still be true to yourself. In Germany, I play techno. In Belgium and Switzerland, it’s more funky tech house. In Spain, it’s predominantly techno, except in Barcelona and Ibiza where it’s house (‘Jack de Marseille’ in Huegli 2002:69). The active role of the crowd in shaping the mood and atmosphere of the party also favors a more spontaneous approach. It is believed that DJs who prioritize the tastes of the crowd over their own, are humble DJs and that this quality is a precondition to a â€Å"people’s DJ† (Brewster and Broughton 1999:11-12). Cues indicating a DJ’s humbleness that were remarked upon, are gestures suggesting appreciation and gratitude toward the crowd such as bowing, clapping, eye-contact, and smiling. These gestures also play an important role in breaking the artist/spectator barrier and this strengthens, and reifies the connection between the DJ and the dancers. Breaking the barrier between the artist and participant is another reason why DJ booths are centrally located at raves. It is important that the DJ see the dancers so that he can respond to them, and it is equally important for the participants to be in close physical proximity to the DJ, so that his personality and presence are able to come through: I don’t feel like I have to hide and say, â€Å"No one should see me when I DJ. It’s all about the music.† Bullshit! People always need someone they can connect to and they can identify with. I always felt that I could bring the music across in a more convincing way by using my personality. Because I give people an honest feeling. The most important thing is to see people standing happily on the dance floor in the end (Sven Vath in Huegli 2002:18). All of these factors are conducive to breaking the barrier between the DJ and the dancers. The communication that occurs between the two is much more than music, lyrics, and the dance movements, or what Rouget refers to as the â€Å"level of the code† (Rouget 1985:113). In reference to possession rituals, communication is established â€Å"at the personal level, the emotional level of direct person-to-person relationships† (Rouget 1985:113). The active role of the dancers also reinforces the dismantling of the barrier between the performer and audience, and this is where the concept of the feedback loop between the DJ and participants is relevant. As DJ Spooky puts it, â€Å"the DJ/audience relationship is like a symbiosis you know, it’s like a biological structure you know, I mean it’s like you are sending out information and pulses that the crowd in a way then sends back to you, and like you’re like a focal point of the energy of these gathered people† (Reiss 1999). There is also an emotional element involved in this symbiotic relationship which targets the DJ with responsibility for the emotions of the crowd of dancers. The DJ’s emotional state can be transmitted to the crowd through his music and consequently impacts the condition of the dancers. A DJ’s seeming lack of enthusiasm, his failure to make eye-contact, smile, or dance are indicators suggesting that he isn’t having a good time, and this has consequences on the crowd. While the crowd is sensitive to these nonverbal indicators of the DJ’s affective state, the DJ’s mental state can influence his choice of music, and this too will impact the experience of the dancers. While electronic music has been accused by some of being repetitive, bland, and even minimal, there is a strong correlation between the genres of Techno music and affect. For example, Terrorcore, Industrial Hardcore, Jungle, and Drum n’ Bass, are noted for bringing out aggressive and negative emotional states in some individuals. Bold, militant rhythmic patterns, sounds of machinery, people screaming, and vocals with coarse language, are the kinds of sounds attributed to some of these music styles. It is generally felt that the people who are looking to experience negativ e and aggressive states seek out these types of events. In contrast, Trance, House, and Happy Hardcore, are generally characterized by warm melodic styles and positive lyrics that are noted for engendering such feelings as love, a sense of well-being, connectedness, and spirituality among participants. Depending on his mood, the DJ can choose tracks with vocals and melodies that accentuate positive themes, or tracks with sounds and lyrics that concentrate on the darker aspects of life. This is why a participant’s sense of trust in the DJ is so important. It becomes evident that there is a shared feeling of uncertainty arising from the inability to pinpoint the DJ’s intentions: I realized that the DJ had POWER over me. I was basically prostituting for the DJ: I was a slave to what he had (the promise of the climax) and he was flexing his power and tweaking with me to see how much I could stretch myself out for it. It really scared me†¦ I think some DJs definitely hold the power of a cult in their turntables and in their speakers, and it’s really not something that I want to get down on my knees for. Just a thought, I’m not bagging here. I still think rave is one of the best things the 20th century has to offer, but I think that if left unchecked, it could turn on us (cited in Takahashi and Olaveson 2003:86). At raves, the trance state is very much dependent on the individual’s willingness to let go and trust the DJ in allowing him to guide the nature of his or her experience. One DJ regards the dancers as having a responsibility to meet him half way, â€Å"As long as they are open for a while and let themselves go, they have the opportunity to feel things the way I intended them to† (Heiko Laux, in Huegli 2002). Here again, the similarities between possession rituals and raves are apparent. Rouget characterizes the relation of the possessee to the musicians as â€Å"the submission of the former to the latter† (Rouget 1985:112). The following description of the ndop ceremony highlights many of these striking resemblances including the instrumentalist’s ability to observe and respond to the dancers’ movements, and the bond established between the two: In fact, a close interpersonal relationship develops at this point between drummer and possessee. The drummer takes charge of her, so to speak. Keeping very close to her, never leaving her side, concentrating on her slightest movements, incessantly observing her behavior in order to: speed up the tempo, or, on the contrary, relax it; select the necessary types of beat; and adjust the intensity of the stroke. Communicating the rhythm of the dance to her, he holds the possessed woman in his sway and leads her into the ever more violent whirlwind of his music. But if he is able to lead her in this way, and finally guide her where he wishes, it is because he has been able to establish a close understanding with her. It is because he can follow her that he is able to dominate her and impose his will upon her. He is the master of the game, but within a dialogue. He speaks music and she replies dance (Rouget 1985:112). The theme of submission is also apparent in possession ceremonies in relation to the spirit beings that possess cult members. In the case of Haitian Vodou, for example, Bourguignon highlights extreme passivity as one of the prerequisites for trance induction: However, one aspect of submission-dominance seems of importance in relation to possession trance: in person, as we have seen, is said to be â€Å"mounted† by the spirit, to be his â€Å"horse.† The personality of the individual, one of his souls called â€Å"gros bon ange,† is displaced and the body is taken over by the spirit. In other words, there is total subjection to the spirit and total submission to him (or her). The spirit, as a powerful superhuman entity, can do as he pleases, both with the horse he has mounted and with other human beings present. We thus have an expression of extreme passivity in this interpretation of possession trance (Bourguignon 1976:40). At raves, references to the power of music in directing the body are reminiscent of possession’s horse and rider metaphor. According to Sylvan, these accounts of submitting to the music â€Å"suggest a trance state very similar to possession, in which music becomes the rider and the body becomes the horse, but without reference to any specific possessing spirit† (Sylvan 2002:129). In the rave locale, the DJ is equally influenced by the emotions of the crowd, where participant feedback is transmitted at the visceral level. While it is not unusual for participants to demonstrate their admiration for a DJ by whistling or chanting his name, for the most part, crowd feedback is nonverbal. Occurring as sets of coordinated body techniques that all ravers seem to intuitively know and all DJs can follow, these moves are acquired at the corporal level and most ravers seem to be unconscious or unaware of these movements. The responses to the DJ are well coordinated from an observer’s point of view. Fikentscher calls the sum of individual dancing bodies the â€Å"collective performance† wherein the bodies of the dancers can potentially unite to form â€Å"one musical instrument† (Fikentscher 2000:58-59). As McCall suggests, this process is mediated by dancers’ observation of subconscious cues. These cues create a system where â€Å"people are helping each other dance without knowing it, feeding off the collective anticipation for that moment of synergy where it feels like utter madness: cheers, claps, whistles, hands in the air. Suddenly everyone is dancing in unison† (McCall 2001:93). When the dancers are in sync with one another, the boundaries between individuals seem to vanish as the crowd appears to function as one organism (McCall 2001:95). This process of synchronization also encompasses the entry into a collective psychic space. In Music and Trance: A Theory of the Relations Between Music and Possession, Rouget emphasizes that rituals of possession are embedded within rich cultural traditions wherein trance is a learned and culturally patterned process. In these traditions, the musical motifs, instruments, and dance steps are localized to specific gods and myths, and thus the music operates as â€Å"the principal means of socializing trance† (Rouget 1985:323). Rouget argues that it is the possessee’s ability to identify emotionally with the music and dancing as signifiers of cultural knowledge, that enables him to enter the trance state. This is where electronic music departs from possession music. Although raves are emotionally charged events, the music and dance movements are not rooted in a specific cultural tradition other than rave. Nevertheless, there is an inherent power in the music to evoke extraordinary states of consciousness and this is where the universal agents involved in trigger ing trance are paramount. DJs have not only utilized these mechanisms to induce trance among participants, but the available technology in sound and music production has given artists the means to refine these practices into a science of precision. To a certain extent, these technological advancements compensate for the lack of cultural signifiers, as DJs have access to a range of equipment that is clearly absent in ceremonial possession. Electronic music producers are creating works that are intended to elicit specific states in the brain, and advancements in sound and visual effects at raves create the optimal listening environment for these tracks. Even though the sophisticated scripted process of initiation as observed in ceremonial possession is lacking at raves, these features when combined with the DJ’s proficiency in track selection and crowd interaction, and the learning on the part of participants in recognizing and responding to the DJ’s cues, account for the ASC’s that people are reporting at raves. Many DJs as well as experienced rave participants have developed their senses in such a way that they perceive Techno music differently than those who have never been exposed to it. This shift in musical perception is a learned by-product of repeatedly exposing the auditory system to new stimuli, and this transition is a key part of the scripted process as well as a prerequisite to ASC induction. For DJs and their fans, listening entertainment is only a small part of the electronic music scene. Specifically, the tones, frequencies and beats of electronic music are designed by producers and further refined by DJs to target the body in precise ways. Electronic music is intended to be physically experienced and this is evinced by the fact that many veterans of the rave scene describe the music as having a three-dimensional vibrational quality that transcends the traditional way music is perceived. The body-centered quality of the music is deeply intrinsic to electronic music culture and this is the common thread that links the numerous classifications of rave music. Computer technology has provided the DJ with the power to totally control the means of perception at raves. Whereas â€Å"the tonalities and structures of traditional music are limited by the parameters of the instruments on which they are played† electronic music â€Å"sets tonality loose releasing creativity from the discipline-and exclusivity-of musicianship† (Hemment 1997:29). As Gauthier remarks, â€Å"Techno becomes a presence that cannot be ignored-more, it is a shock whose intensity is only matched by the body’s urge to give in to it, an aggression made positive through the festive context† (Gauthier 2004:75). The dominance of the music is also supported by the high volume of the music. According to Fikentscher, this ensures the authority of the DJ as the music establishes â€Å"absolute priority over other acoustic phenomena: conversation, handclapping, foot stomping, yelling, whistling† (Fikentscher 2003:85). Some electronic musicians are even experimenting with sounds that go beyond the human auditory range. Fritz argues that sounds that vibrate through the body without being heard â€Å"may be partly responsible for the powerful emotional response people have when listening to rave music† (Fritz 1999:78). While the majority of DJs are not necessarily versed in the scientific literature on trance states, or use scientific language to describe what they do, there is an underlying intuitive knowledge of what works with the crowd at raves. Rouget observes that an interruption in the music’s flow is used cross-culturally to induce trance. Such catalysts as the acceleration of tempo, the crescendo in volume, the use of polyrhythm, rhythmic changes such as syncopation, and even a brief cessation of the music, are techniques that interrupt the music’s flow, triggering trance (Rouget 1985:80-84). Rouget notes that most possession ceremonies begin slowly, gradually intensifying throughout the evening with the onset of possession being the climax of the event (ibid 1985:80-84). The methods implemented by instrumentalists in interrupting the music’s flow function to intensify the sound and atmosphere of possession rituals. With electronic music, the idea of tension and releas e is a built-in characteristic of all classifications of rave music. Thus while Trance, Jungle, and House may differ with regard to tempo, meter, instrumentation, and use of lyrics, the same techniques of building tension are employed by DJs in all three genres. As Reynolds notes â€Å"rave music has always been structured around the delay of climax† and the anticipation of a â€Å"plateau of bliss that can be neither exceeded nor released† (Reynolds 1994:56). This paper examined the role of the electronic music DJ, and how DJ’ing has evolved into an art-from as well as a science. Technology has played a pivotal role in shaping the development of rave culture. At its core, the music that binds this global culture together is created, exchanged, performed, and experienced through computer-mediated technology. According to Wilson, â€Å"a reverence to and celebration of technology, and an implicit and explicit belief in ‘progress through technology,’† is one of the underlying doctrines of rave culture (Wilson 2003:386). As Gauthier remarks in reference to rave culture, â€Å"technology is synonymous with possibility, and stands as a prerequisite for creation, gathering and effervescence† (Gauthier 2004:71). Raves would be crippled without technology and this reinforces Reynolds’ point that rave music is not about â€Å"what the music ‘means’ but how it works† (Reynolds 1998:9). The DJ is the expert in knowing how electronic music works. His expansive knowledge of repertoire, aptitude for musical memory, technical prowess at the turntable, charismatic presence on stage, and ability to interact with, read, and manipulate the crowd, have awarded him the power to take his dancers on what participants have described as an â€Å"ecstatic† journey.