Artificial Intelligence Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Artificial Intelligence - Research Paper Example The basic aim of this paper is to discuss the use of artificial intelligence in medical devices such as Vinci Surgery Robot. This paper will analyze the da-Vinci Surgery system for the modern AI based medical surgery arrangement. Artificial Intelligence or simply AI is generally defined as the engineering of developing machines carry out various tasks that need intelligence when done by humans (Copeland, 2000). In other words, the artificial intelligence is the analysis of artificial computational machines and systems which can be prepared to take action in a way which we would tend to identify as intelligent. In the beginning, artificial intelligence buzzword was launched as an idea to imitate human brain and look into the real-world complex issues with holistic human capabilities. However, the scholars and scientists from all through the globe are very energized concerning developments in modernization that have emerged from an inborn aspiration to make modern and innovative tools and technologies that help mankind to hang over their own physical ability. The history of AI can be traced back to the early 1950s. However, the artificial intelligence has got a little accomplishment in limited, or basic, fields. Thus, the sixty years from the beginning of artificial intelligence have offered merely very slow development or growth, and untimely brightness regarding the accomplishment of human intelligence has given way to an admiration of the thoughtful solution of the difficulty. Possibly, the publication of a paper entitled "Computing Machinery and Intelligence" was the initial major happening in the history of AI, which was written by the British Mathematician Alan Turing. According to Alan Turing, if a machine is able to pass a definite test (that is now acknowledged as the 'Turing test') then that machine can be acknowledged as intelligent. Additionally, this way of testing a machine engages a person (identified as the reviewer) who is responsible for asking questions using a computer terminal with two other entities, in which one is a human and the other is a computer. However, if the reviewer frequently failed to properly differentiate the machine or computer from the human, then it can be said that the machine has passed the test. Thus, the artificial intelligence is a branch of science which involves developing intelligent machines, particularly intelligent computer applications. Additionally, it is linked to the identical job of utilizing computers to recognize human intelligence; however it is not necessary for the artificial intelligence to bind itself to techniques or rules that are physically visible. Though, sometimes it might be possible but not forever or even frequently. In addition, it can also be learned that how to build machines carrying out human jobs by analyzing our own ways of carrying out tasks or other people (McCarthy, 2001; Berkeley, 1997; Copeland, 2000; Kannan, 2010). AI allows the computers to be trained from skill, be familiar with patterns in huge amounts of complicated data and take difficult decisions derived from human knowledge and problem solving abilities (Hamrita; ThinkQuest, 1997). AI in Medical Industry The artificial intelligence has always been on the scope from practical fields to the thoughts in literature and movies. In this regard, the artificial intelligence mainly develops the capability to collect and perform operations

Analysis and comparison of the presentation of the prologue Essay Example for Free

Analysis and comparison of the presentation of the prologue Essay The prologue is the introduction, which gives an overview of the play. It tells us what happens at the end of the play, in this case in Romeo and Juliet it is told in the introduction, for example the lines, a pair of star-crossd lovers take their life, doth with their death bury their parents strife. These two lines say that Romeo and Juliet both deep in love with each other, die at the end of the play, the reason being that their parents hated each other. It also sets the scene of Fair Verona and it explains the contents of the play, Two households, and break to new mutiny. The prologue is said by the chorus. This means it is an idea of a group of people taken from ancient Greek tradition. The prologue does not introduce the audience to the characters in the play; it just talks briefly about the events within the play. A prologue at the beginning of a play is a style commonly used by Shakespeare to open up a play. It is also common that Shakespeare uses the use of a sonnet to produce the prologues. A sonnet always has fourteen lines in total. It is a very precise piece of poetry. The rhyme scheme is very tight and controlled- a,b,a,b,c,d,c,d,e,f,e,f,g,g. They consist of three quatrains with a final rhyming couplet. It is very controlled, yet very subtle. You would tend to notice the story telling first and then later realise that it is a poem with rhythm. There are ten syllables in each line, a pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables. It is self consciously dramatic. It emphasises its purpose in telling the story, Is now the two hours traffic of our stage. It directly tells the audience to pay attention, The which if you with patient ears attend, what here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend, and the play will develop from what the prologue has been revealing. In Franco Zefirellis production of Romeo and Juliet, the prologue is very brief and short. The film starts off with the details, the opening credits. The font to the credits is in white and in a quite gothic style of writing making it fit in with the traditional theme. While the details are slowly appearing on the screen, around the screen there is a thin border of orange geometric shapes on a yellow background. As the border is so bright and colourful, it is able to immediately catch the audiences eyes and therefore grabs their attention. The border suggests a very sixties styles. You would probably expect a more formal, dark edged kind of border. A soft and slow melody played on a harpsichord plays quietly in the background. The effect that Zefirelli tries to create here is to create a nice calm beginning to the play. In shot one, you can see the camera panning over the city of Fair Verona and slightly out of focus. The light is blue and hazy, gradually brightening up as the camera pans, suggesting that it is dawn. The colour of the light in the sky shining over the city, creates a dreamy and peaceful effect, and adds to the beauty of the city that is being shown. You could only just make out the tops of tall buildings and churches at first, but as it gradually gets lighter, the buildings and other features become more into focus. The rooftops of houses, church spires and a river are seen clearly. You are able to feel the quietness of the city in the early morning, which again gives the effect of the city being very calm and peaceful. The camera pans round the whole city, and then moves up towards the sun and stop with the sun being directly in the middle of the screen shot. The sun suggests the hot foreign climate of a hot foreign country, such as Italy. Shakespeares name appears when the camera has stop panning and focused on the sun. All of this equals one continuos shot. The panning is slow, and the brightening of the day is slow, creating a slow pace to the shot. It gives me the impression of a slow climax to the prologue, getting more and more intense as it goes along, and stopping at the sun gives me the impression that it represents the end, with an either tragic end or a very happy end. I think that it is trying to relate to the whole play itself, with the gradual climax with an intense ending. Throughout shot one, the speaker slowly recites the prologue in a poetic style. He speaks slowly going with the steady flow of the slow motion of the panning of the camera, so that it would not effect the backgrounds creation of peace. The speaker of the prologue is a man whose voice is gentle, soothing and rhythmic as he echoes the prologue. He still speaks when going into the second shot. Shot two is of a medieval courtyard. In front of the courtyard there is the city wall with battlements made of stone and brick, which gives the impression of the setting being in the medieval times. The camera stops moving and shows the shot of the courtyard while the speaker finishes reciting the prologue. As he completes his speech of the prologue, the camera moves slightly round to the left, which shows that where the camera is next to the city wall, it is also one of the ends of a busy marketplace. The suns golden bright morning light shines over the city wall and through the street of the marketplace, representing that it is the start of a new day. The sound of the hustle and bustle of a busy marketplace gradually builds up and the first act of the first scene begins there. This effect is to bring in the play with a more calm start and not rushing into the play with a different shot, bringing the audience into a slow and calm beginning. Zefirelli does not create any huge special effects. The title of the play, Romeo and Juliet appears as the speaker says the words star-crossed lovers. Zefirellis purpose of having the title and the words star-crossed lovers coming up at the same time, is to reinforce visually and aurally the main point of the play that it is a tragic story about the lovers Romeo and Juliet. Baz Luhrmanns version of the prologue is done in much more detail and is emphasised a huge amount more. Luhrmann tries to grab the attention of the audience with very fast moving screen shots and very lively music. The first shot that comes up on the screen is of a TV with a blank screen, and the distance between the camera and the TV is very far, making the TV look very small in the distance. The first sound is the fuzziness of a TV, and then on the screen of the TV, the opening credits are displayed on white tiles with a black background. The contrast between the colours gives a very sharp effect. This gives a very different first effect on the audience compared to Zefirellis opening shot. Luhrmanns first shot of the bold white tiles with a black background, gets the audiences attention straight away. After the credits, a female newsreader appears on the TV screen, and she reads aloud the prologue. She says the prologue like reading aloud a news report rather than in a poetic sonnet way. This makes the prologue subtle and it makes the audience think twice before realising that it is the prologue that she is saying. The subtle speaking of the prologue differs with Zefirellis make of the prologue being obvious to opening up the film. Beside the newsreader in the background, there is a small picture with some text underneath it. As the camera is in the far distance, it makes it hard to see what the picture and text are, which makes the audience wonder what it is. While the newsreader is saying the prologue, the camera subtly zooms in directly towards the screen, and the picture in the corner gradually comes into focus. The picture is of a broken ring with the text underneath it saying Star crossd lovers. The symbolism of the broken ring is that the lovers end up being torn away from each other. After the newsreader says the twelfth line of the prologue, the camera suddenly picks up speeds and zooms right into the TV screen, through a high street. At the same time the words, Fair Verona constantly flashes up in white with a black background. From the zooming, it has merged from one background into another. This sudden pick up of speed would as if wake up the audience and shocking them as the screen had suddenly gone from one shot to another. This is very unlike Zefirellis presentation of the prologue, as he keeps his prologue simple and calm all the way through, whereas Luhrmann uses the effect of zooming and flashing words up creating a dramatic scene. The reason of flashing the words, Fair Verona while the camera rushes down the high street, is to make the audience understand the comparison and realise exactly how fair Verona really is in his version of the film. It shows a decaying urban landscape contradicting fair Verona. The font style of the writing is bold like Arial, and is in block capitals, making it clear to the audience what it says. In Zefirellis, as the camera pans over the city, you can see that Verona is very pretty and fair, as the prologue says it is. As the camera reaches the end of the street, the camera is suddenly focused on the face of a statue, which was far in the distance from where the zooming into the street began. Very dramatic music starts to be played loudly, which produces a bigger effect on grabbing the audiences attention. The camera then pulls back to view the tops of two corporate buildings with the statue in the middle. The buildings have big signs on the top of them. They are the names of the two households, Capulet and Montague. They are in different colours, Capulet in red and Montague in blue. The differences in the colours emphasise the difference between the two. The effect of having the statue splitting the two buildings up is to make the point clear, that the two households need something or someone to keep them apart to avoid causing major trouble in the city, as they absolutely despise each other. The statue shown actually represents Jesus Christ. It is Jesus Christ who is trying to control the families and bringing some peace to the city. In Zefirellis version, the point that the two families cannot stand each other is not emphasised. As the prologue is said in the same tone and way all the way through and the pictures are just of how fair Verona is, does not give a definite and clear point that the two households are major enemies. Luhrmann makes it visual to the audience, the hate between the two families. The next part of the introduction to Luhrmanns production of Romeo and Juliet, is of a rapid chain of clips from one to the other including clips of police cars with VBPD on the side of them standing for Verona Beach Police Department. This is shown to tell the audience that this is Verona Beach and not fair Verona. The chain of clips also includes clips of helicopters, clips of the disaster from different viewpoints, some far up in the sky, some close up to casualties who were injured, and the damage done to the city by this one disaster brought up because of the hate between the Capulets and the Montagues. The disaster is emphasised in this rapid succession of clips, to stress how much damage can be caused by one incident done by the two families. It also makes the audience think and imagine if this one incident caused so much damage, the amount of damage that they probably had done to the city in the past and what would be done in the future. The prologue is said once again while another variety of images using other media of newspaper articles and magazine covers appear. This time, the prologue is said by a character whom is actually in the play, referring to how the prologue is traditionally said by the chorus. The character who speaks the prologue is Friar Lawrence, and he says it in a poetic way, and this time the rhythm of a sonnet is emphasised. A man with a soft, gentle and low voice speaks the prologue like it is in Zefirellis production. This is one similarity that the two productions have. As he speaks, some words of the prologue is emphasised by magazine headlines appearing, using the effect of spinning one on top of the other. The headlines include New Mutiny and Civil Blood Makes Civil Hands Unclean. These headlines are to tell the audience and remind them the symbolism and reasoning behind each word in the prologue. There is also a faint background of burning flames when these headlines appearing as if showing the damage done. The images however, some are of like modern day newspapers and magazines. The camera slowly pans through a rack of different covers, and the headline of each newspaper and magazine are all referring to the feud caused between the two households, emphasising that they produce big issues in the city. Other images in this group of images include police taking charge of the situation in a live kind of view, showing how fast the police and other services had to respond to reduce the risk of more damage happening. The police and fire departments had to work into the night with the clearing up of the situation. This is known as the images are taken from broad daylight into the dark night. These images give the audience a visual understanding of how bad it is of the two households hating each other, which can cause so many innocent people in the city to be harmed. As the speaking of the prologue comes to an end, with the two lines A pair of star crossd lovers, take their life with the lines shown in white writing on a black background. This effect by now would be recognised by the audience by now as it had been used before to state the words Fair Verona. This effect of repeating jogs the audiences memories reminding them again and again the importance of the lines in the prologue. As the prologue stops being spoken, the same dramatic music becomes loud again. Each of the main characters are shown one by one with a pause on each with the text describing who each of the characters are and how they are either related to Romeo or Juliet or what the purpose of the character is in the film. This presentation of the character echoes the style of how it was done in famous program called Dallas. In Zefirellis version, the characters were not introduced and the film got right into the first scene once the prologue was spoken. A shot of Romeo looking through the narrow gap of a door appears, and then the camera immediately changes its angle to show what he see, which is a church aisle with blue neon crosses and candles. The angles that these two shots were taken were both through a narrow opening of the door. The first shot was taken from the inside of the church looking at Romeo, the man standing outside the door, and the second shot was taken from the outside of the door looking into the church. It emphasises what Romeo had seen, which the audience can assume is Juliet lying on the alter at the end of the aisle, Romeo thinking that she had really died. It also symbolises with that it was the conclusion and the end, viewing Romeo and the crosses, show that they were linked together and producing the idea of death. There was one more series of fast moving clips and a rush of lines as a final wind up to the prologue. There are a variety of different clips of things that happen from the beginning of the play to the end. The repeating of the clips again and again produce permanent images into the minds of the audience. The prologue ends with the words take their life and move onto the first act. The words take their life are stated to tell the audience that the story line would conclude with something relevant to it. I think that it is a new technique Luhrmann has used. He uses the technique of grabbing the attention of the audience and makes them concentrate. The prologue being reinforced by being presented for the third time, does not makes the audience get bored and tire of the clips being seen and seen again, but make them more excited about the film. I think that both Zefirelli and Luhrmann were trying to represent Romeo and Juliet in a different way, with different techniques. The prologue was of course interpreted differently. Zefirelli presented the prologue in his production in a gentle and calm way all the way through giving the audience a good idea of the peace and beauty of Verona. Luhrmann of course presented the prologue in a different way, almost a complete contrast to what Zefirelli did. He changed Fair Verona into urban sprawled Verona. I think that the presentations of the prologue were both appropriate for their interpretations because Zefirelli wanted to keep his production of Romeo and Juliet original and alike Shakespeare. Luhrmann wanted to interpret the play into something slightly more modern and unlike Shakespeares original version. In Luhrmanns production he emphasised the complications between the two households and the alterations he had made to the film, like how he set his production in an urban city and called it Verona Beach instead of setting it in the original city of Verona in Italy.

Career Development Is A Continuous Process Career Education Essay

Career Development Is A Continuous Process Career Education Essay Twenty or so years ago in the old world of work there was emphasis on the following: making a career choice for a long-term career; concern with only one career theme; hierarchical progression (climbing the career ladder); having a career and job for life; loyalty to one company and employer; benefits and a pension in recognition of loyalty. The 21st century world of work is very different. With rapid developments in technology and globalisation of the economy and job markets, there is an increase in competition. The global economy is focused on information generation and delivery of services. There is constant outsourcing of work, downsizing of companies and customising of jobs. More people are in temporary and part-time employment and increasing numbers of people are self- employed. In most occupations there is a trend towards change, unpredictability, spontaneity, innovation and creativity and a demand for people with interpersonal and intrapersonal skills. Many careers today can thus be described in terms of the following: uncertainty, unpredictability, insecurity, reduced likelihood of promotion, work intensification, increased likelihood of mobility out of ones initial occupation, non-standard contracts, part-time work and self-employment In this context one needs to think of oneself as a portfolio of skills (4-8 career changes will probably be made in your lifetime). There is a constant need to invest in maintaining employability, engaging in life-long learning and enhancing ones personal growth. Increasingly, individuals also have to manage their own benefits such as pension schemes and medical aids. To be success in career development, we have to continue to have high adaptation. We should be flexible, adaptable and willing to gain knowledge and learn new skills. Besides, as a key of success, we must be prepared for lifelong learning the ability to access information and develop knowledge and enhance new skills on an ongoing basis. It is essential that you are constantly on the lookout for possibilities to develop yourself and your skills. There is a trend toward multi-skilling: the acquisition of a number of different skills rather than just focusing on the skills in which you were originally trained. Continuous learning process is essential in career development. In career development, building up a valuable network of contacts so that we are able to increase our network coverage in the future. Besides, we have to be prepared to perform tasks that may not be exactly what you want to be doing, but which could pave the way for future development (develop transferable skills). On the other hand, dont expect to stick to the same job for your entire life. It is advisable to move around while you can. Gain fresh experiences. In fact, find yourself a mentor-someone whom you can rely on to give you feedback, encourage you and help you to find opportunities to develop in your career. The last but not the least, learn to work effectively in a team. Right from your first year make a start on your career development. Career development is not about planning exactly what you will do for your career from the time you start studying to the day you leave; its about exploiting every opportunity that you come across to acquire new skills which will enhance your employability. The career development process is aimed at achieving self-knowledge and learning how you can become as marketable as possible in the current world of work. In order to be able to develop your career and make effective career decisions you need to engage in self-reflection and self-assessment from time to time in order to ascertain your current position and progress. If you know yourself and have insight into who you are, you will be better able to know where you could be going. This knowledge will equip you to plan and develop your career path effectively. It is important that you ensure that you have the necessary skills and attributes which are needed in the current job market, especially in the light of the constant changes and developments in the various fields of work. Rapid change in the use of technology itself creates a need for continual updating of ones skills. Your academic qualification alone these days will not guarantee you a job. These are any relevant skills that you have developed in one context that can be transferred to another. The skill of organising, for example, is one such transferable skill that employers look for. Perhaps you gained this skill through organizing a camp for underprivileged children, which involved arranging a venue, transport, a caterer and a programme of events. Although you might not do exactly the same in another work context, the skill of organizing something is one you could transfer. General skills such as public speaking, time management, problem-solving and taking the initiative can be built up during your studies. Speak out in tutorials, hand in assignments on time, go beyond what the lecturers require of you by learning to take the initiative and to solve problems. By participating in activities outside of the lecture room, you will not only develop transferable skills but also learn more about yourself. It is important to get involved as early as possible. Look for organisations such as clubs, societies, teams, church groups, Peer Helping etc. which will give you the opportunity to make a meaningful contribution and learn and practise skills such as communication, leadership and teamwork. By taking on many different roles, you will learn about yourself. You will get to know what you are you good at and what you enjoy. Consider what excites you and what makes you enthusiastic. Make a note of these activities as they may be the very things around which you should build your career. To sum up, the dynamic business environment in this society creates the demand for the employees to continue to learn. Career development is a continuous process to enable employees to excel and sustain themselves in when the business undergoes digitalization, globalisation and differentiation. 2. Compare Hollands approach to career development with Roes. Summarize the similarities and differences.(25 marks) Osipow (1983) classified John Hollands work under the trait approach to career development and Isaacson (1985) classified it under the personality-based theories of career development. Career choice and career adjustment represents an extension of a persons personality. Holland proposed four working assumptions. Hollands assumption on the nature of the personality types includes people develop relatively permanent sets of behaviors or personalities that they seek to express through occupational choices. Besides, Holland assumed that people project their views of themselves and of the work world onto occupational titles. Assessment of these projections serves to identify information about the occupational areas that might be most satisfying for an individual, as well as to illuminate relevant aspects of the individuals personality. Hollands topology based on the several principle theories, first vocational choice is an expression of personality. Vocational choice is not only a reflection of specific aspects of personality. This type of choice expresses who the person is as a whole. For example, it is important to consider their history, their perception of reality and their social context. Second principle is the interest inventories are inventories of personality. Vocational preferences are expressions of personality. Individuals chose an occupation based on their knowledge, their personality and their aptitudes. Therefore, vocational choice is greater than simply using certain abilities within a specific context. It is also a lifestyle, a way of being. Vocational choice is the actualisation of personality as a whole. The next principle is Vocational stereotypes. A number of stereotypes are attached to various professions. Perception of professions differs according to age, experience and social status. Most psychometric assessments do not take into consideration these different perceptions. Individuals could be influenced to stop their vocational choice based on stereotypes that are more or less valid. It is important for a vocational choice to be made based on a realistic perception of various professions. There are a few more principle includes Members of a same profession share personality types and individual stories that are similar, similarities found in a vocational group play a role in the creation of a specific work environment and vocational satisfa ction, its stability and its development are directly attributed to the degree of congruence between the individuals personality and the workplace environment However, there are two major tenets in Ann Roes Theory. First, Freuds psychodynamic preposition that focuses on childhood experience, where what happens in the past affects the present. Second, The Maslows need theory focus on the influences of need to occupational choice, where people look for certain jobs that will help them to fulfil their certain needs. The incorporation of theory in predicting ones occupation will be explained by using Roes Circular Model. In term of findings, Holland found that there are six basic types of work environments in U.S. society; RIASEC. There are six corresponding modal personal orientations; the way the person typically responds to environmental demands; RIASEC. People achieve the most work satisfaction when their work environment matches their modal personal orientation. R / REALISTIC Realistic people are doers. They are independent, stable, persistent, genuine, practical and thrifty. They prefer to deal with things rather than ideas or people. They are no-nonsense, matter-of-fact, down to earth individuals. They excel at tasks that are tactile, motoric, physical, athletic or mechanical. They value things that are natural, concrete and tangible. They like the outdoors, tools, machines, animals and working with their hands. (Farmer, Carpenter, Naturalist, Athlete, Police Officer, Military Personnel, Forester, Landscaper, Mechanic, Sculptor, Veterinarian, Chef, Surgeon, Plumber, Electrician, Pilot, Fire Fighter, Repairer, Animal Breeder, Animal Trainer, Steelworker, Miner) I / INVESTIGATIVE Investigative people are thinkers. They are intellectual, introspective, introverted and inquisitive. They are curious, methodical, rational, analytical and precise. They excel at tasks that are scholarly, abstract, scientific, medical or technical. They enjoy activities that involve thought, observation, investigation, exploration, discovery and exploration. They are avid readers. They like to solve puzzles, perform experiments and engage in research. (Biologist, Chemist, Anthropologist, Sociologist, Historian, Scientist, Medical Doctor, Botanist, Meteorologist, Astronomer, Environmental Analyst, Pharmacist, Optometrist, Dentist, Engineer, Economist, Dietitian, Psychiatrist, Nurse, Coroner, Lab Technician) A / ARTISTIC Artistic people are creators. They are intuitive, sensitive, articulate, expressive and creative. They are unstructured, original and nonconforming. They rely on feelings and imagination. They like to work with abstractions, ideas, concepts and ambiguities. They are emotional, spontaneous and open-minded. They excel at tasks that are literary, verbal, visual and aesthetic. They like art, music, dance, drawing, painting, sculpting, drafting, drama, writing, communications, design and fashion. (Singer, Writer, Dancer, Interior Designer, Painter, Actor, Copy Writer, Playwright, Musician, Composer, Poet, Clothing Designer, Architect, Sketch Artist, Illustrator, Graphic Designer, Printmaker, Cartoonist, Comedian, Choreographer, Photographer) S / SOCIAL Social people are helpers. They are kind, generous, cooperative, patient, caring, helpful, empathetic, tactful and friendly. They excel at socializing, helping others and teaching. They like tasks that involve teamwork, social interaction, building relationships, and the improvement of society. They enjoy activities that are public, humanitarian, developmental, educational, philanthropic, altruistic, interpersonal and service oriented. (Teacher, Counselor, Social Worker, Therapist, Nurse, Care Giver, Psychologist, Minister, Priest, Rabbi, Recruiter, Interviewer, Child Care Worker, Home Economist, Arbitrator, Facilitator, Sociologist, Bartender, Homemaker) E / ENTERPRISING Enterprising people are leaders. They are adventurous, ambitious, assertive, extroverted, energetic, enthusiastic, confident and optimistic. They are dominant, persuasive and motivational. They are promoters. They generally have a contagious or charismatic personality. They excel at business, management, economics, politics, public speaking and salesmanship. Being adventurous and willing to take risks, they possess an entrepreneurial spirit. They like influencing others by guiding, encouraging, directing, preaching, competing or debating. (Politician, Lawyer, Preacher, Coach, Salesperson, Manager, Public Relations Specialist, Promoter, Event Planner, Trainer, Instructor, Consultant, Supervisor, Entertainer, Newscaster, Director, Lobbyist, Buyer, Administrator) C / CONVENTIONAL Conventional people are organizers. They are conscientious and conservative. They are logical, efficient, orderly and organized. They are thorough and detail oriented. They are reliable. They enjoy practical tasks, quantitative measurements, conventional environments and structured situations. They like to work with data and numbers. They like process, procedures, regulations, standards, and rules. They excel at accounting, computer abilities, and clerical skills. They like mathematics, office settings and statistical tasks. (Accountant, Secretary, Banker, Teller, Collector, Bookkeeper, Computer Programmer, Inspector, Auditor, Mathematician, Statistician, Financial Analyst, Data Processor, Scheduler, Filer, Typist, Tax Preparer, Account Analyst, Budget Clerk) However, in term of Ann Roes Theory, Anne Roe suggested that there are 6 occupational level within the 8 fields of occupation. Level 1: Professional and managerial (higher) Have independent responsibility in important aspect, they are involve in the making of pilicy in an organauzation Possessed masters degree or doctor of philisophy Level 2: Professional and managerial (regular) Have medium level responsibility, for self and others; e.g. policy interpretation Possessed bachelors degree Level 3:Semi-professional Have low level responsibility for others; application of policy, or determination for self only Possessed diploma Level 4: Skilled Responsibilities are less autonomy and less initiative permitted Possessed a certificates Level 5: Semi-skilled Responsibilities are less autonomy and less initiative permitted Need informal practices Level 6: Unskilled Responsibilities are less autonomy and less initiative are permitted Do not need specific academic qualification The 6 levels of performance in Roes occupational classification system are based on: Responsibility in the label of work Capacity and skills required for the level of work Complexity of decision making in the level of work The higher the level, the more responsibility, more skills are required, complexity of decision making will increase (Roe Klos, 1972) Figure 1: Basic Comparison of Ann Roes Model and Holland Model Holland Theory Model Another difference between the models was demonstrated on the basic principle. According to Ann Roes work can satisfy needs in different ways. The Occupational groups includes: Service (something for another person); Business contact (selling and supplying services); Organisation (management in business, industry and government); Technology (product maintenance, transportation of commodities utilities); Outdoors (cultivating, preserving gathering natural resources); Science (scientific theory and its application); General culture (preserving and transmitting cultural heritage) Arts and Entertainment (creative art and entertainment). However, Holland focuses on four key concepts: Congruence: compatibility between personality type environment Consistency: similarity among types/ environments Differentiation: degree to which a person/ environment is clearly defined Identity: extent to which a person has a clear self perception of his/her characteristics and gaols, and to the degree of stability which an occupational environment provides. 3. Each student will select one professional article on career development to critique. Your critique should contain four sections: a) title, b) short summary of the content, c)your opinion/critique of the article, including strengths and weaknesses, d) your recommendations for further study by researchers in the field. (25 marks) a) Title A Systemic Approach to Career Development at McDonalds b) Short summary of the content High-engagement approach is applied by Mc Donalds in USA to improve both their operations leadership pipeline and employee satisfaction with their career growth. This approach is initiated by the top management. However, the strategies are supported by middle-management employees. In this article, the authors has identified the approach used embodies McDonalds cultural values of partnership, collaboration, and openness, and effectively ensured that a critical mass of over 100 field officers and 3,000 middle managers embraced the change. c) Your opinion/critique of the article, including strengths and weaknesses d) Your recommendations for further study by researchers in the field This research article is based on qualitative research method. Case study methodology is used in the research is a single case approach. Case studies can be either a single-case design or a multiple-case design. According to Yin (1994), a single-case design is ideal for studying unique or extreme cases, to confirm or challenge a theory or for cases where the researcher did not have access to before. However, the researcher should be careful not to misrepresent what was observed. The following are some types of data collection techniques employed in this case studies (Stake, 1995 and Yin, 1994). The interview is applied in this research. Researcher has interview the top management and middle management at McDonald. The interview is an important technique for data collection and there are two forms of interview are applied in the research, closed or structured Interviews and open-ended Interviews. Open-ended interviews allow subjects to express themselves more freely and insight into events. Besides, observations techniques are used to study the attitude and behaviour of the management and their employees. This direct observation of the employees on satisfaction towards leadership was applied. The researcher used letters, memos, agendas, administrative documents, newspaper articles and any other relevant documents to analyse the operation leadership pipeline. Documents are useful for making inferences about events. Documents are communications between persons in the study. The author has successfully identity the research gap in the journal. The first reason was there are no other studies that have used systemic approach in career development especially in fast food industry. Besides, the objective of this research is rather direct that to study how high-engagement approach to improve both operation leadership pipeline and employee satisfaction. To enhance the writing up for this journal, author can consider providing a small paragraph to indicate the construct or operation definition for culture short and social support. Reader would have a clearer picture how the construct does by providing the operational definition. The author has given a clear and depth discussion in the approach used by McDonald to career development. The area of discussion includes talent management imperative, task force chartered, open, meaningful dialogue across solos, getting broader leadership input and support, the content of the change: a systemic approach. The author supported the discussion with the various previous researches. In the last session of this journal, the author has identified the limitation of the studies and future directions. I feel the discussion on the limitation is not thoroughly considered. Even the research design of cohort studies was mentioned, however the various types of bias was ignored. The limitation of specifying and selecting study sample, non-response, volunteer bias, bogus control bias should be discussed. Besides, the author should take care of limitation in measuring exposure and outcome. Obsequiousness bias, expectation bias and errors that could occur during recording the transcribing data should be fully discuss in the last session. However, the author has given a very clear future direction for other researcher to follow so that they can contribute to the knowledge gap. More researches should be conducted in the area of career development in systemic approach so that a strong fundamental will be provided to support the theory in this area. In my opinion, a quantitative study should be used to study the relationship between leadership and the employees satisfaction. Besides, the cross sectional studies should be conducted to look at various area in career development of the staffs including talent management, training, career planning and others. As conclusion, this journal article provides a good fundamental background for the reader to understand the concept of systemic approach and career development. By understand the concept of systemic approach and career development, intervention program can be done to help to employees to develop a secure career planning in the organisation. 4. Apply a career development theory to your own career development. Using Supers developmental stages, identify your current stage of development and the ages at which you accomplished other stages.(25 marks) I would apply Holand approach in my career development. This approach gives explicit attention to behavioral style or personality types as the major influence in career choice development. This is described as structurally interactive. Family influences, to a certain degree, the development of personality types. For example, my parents promotes investigative abilities, could favour the development of an investigative type personality. Parents pass on some hereditary characteristics that can influence the development of certain personality types. Since my parents are from medical field, I was strongly influenced by them. Also, the family unit is a member of a certain social context. This social context can also participate in the development of certain personality traits According to Holand, there are 6 types of personality traits. Realistic work with hands, machines, tools, active, practical, adventurous Vocational preferences Prefer concrete occupations (e.g.: carpentry) that are relatively solitary and do require a lot of interaction with people Their range of interests is relatively restricted. They limit their relations and seek people who share the same values, interests and beliefs as they do Values and career objectives Possess traditional values and prefer to work within an institutional setting Have many ambitions and see the practical side of things Rather close minded when it comes to changing their belief system or their values Investigative thought, analytical approaches, explore, knowledge, ideas, not social Vocational preference Prefer activities that require observation, systematic investigation of natural, biological, cultural, medical or technical phenomenons They seek to understand and control what is happening This type does not invest much in social or interpersonal activities Values and career objectives Their values influence them to seek academic activities where they can feel a sense of autonomy and personal independence They are intellectuals who like logic and can be ambitious. Their belief system is open However, family, security and friendship are values that are less important to them Artistic literary, musical, artistic activities, emotional, creative, open Vocational preference Prefer artistic activities and avoid conventional type activities Like to socialise with people who have similar values and belief systems as they do, and avoid people who do not Values and career objectives Believe aesthetics are very important. They have an expressive, courageous and imaginative personality Avoid conformity and servility Belief system is very open open to new ideas and to the feelings of others Social train, inform, educate, help, supportive, avoid technical skills, empathy, relationships Vocational preference Prefer occupations with social requirements Avoid more realistic type activities Associate with people who share similar values and beliefs as they do Values and career objectives Like to serve others in a medical, institutional or community setting Want to help and believe in equal opportunities Are not attracted to the world of ideas or logic Find spiritual values important Enterprising verbally skilled, persuasive, direct, leader, dominant Vocational preference Prefer activities that put their business skills to work Like to develop in the business world Avoid activities that require research or investigative work. Prefer to be with people who share similar values and beliefs as they do Values and career objectives They have a traditional belief and value system Strive to become leaders and manage others They are very ambitious They take pride in their physical appearance and aim to climb the social ladder Conventional rules and routines, provide order or direct structure, great self control, respect power and status, punctual, orderly Vocational preference Prefer conventional type activities like accounting, finances or administration Avoid artistic type activities Like to be with people who are similar to them and avoid people who are different The diagram summarises the characteristics of the Holland type of expression. Holland Types are usually expressed in 3 letters- Ex: RIA Realistic R C I E A S E A S SS Conventional Investigative Enterprising Artistic Social Most Masculine Types R E Most Prestigious Types I E Most Feminine Types A S Least Prestigious Types R C From my profile, I found that I belong to IRS. Hence, it represents the career I am doing now as a medical specialist. Super Developmental Stage Vocational development is the process of developing and implementing a self-concept. As the self-concept becomes more realistic and stable, so does vocational choice and behavior. People choose occupations that permit them to express their self-concepts. Work satisfaction is related to the degree that theyve been able to implement their self-concepts.Career maturity includes readiness to cope with developmental tasks at a given stage. It is both affective and cognitive. Most career education programs have been affected by Supers ideas. They provide gradual exposure to self-concepts and work concepts in curriculum that represents Supers ideas of career development/vocational maturity. (National Career Development Guideline Standards) I am currently at establishment stage. (25 40 year old). In this age, the major tasks are to find secure niche in ones field and advance within it. I have found my permanent and appropriate field of work when working and establishing my work in the field of medical. Besides, I have expanded my field of working in the area of business, consultancy and training. These years are considered to be the most productive and creative years of the life span. I am able to work for more than 24 hours without sleep to complete a task. The energetic during this stage motivates us to work under stress and pressure. Not only that, in this trial and stabilization stage, I have undergone the process of settling down, if unsatisfactory may make 1-2 more changes before the right job is found. I have been trying to work in various environment including private and government sectors. After trying various working environment, I learn a few concept and decided not to work for any organisation and work for my own. I believe a concept that, if working in an organisation, the maximum they are able to pay me is RM 10 000. However, if I work for several organisation, I am very sure it would be more than working singularly in one organisatiom. It is proven now that I have multiple income. During this stage I begin to support myself and my family. I have to start to buy my own belongings like properties, car and investment in share markets. I start to understand the tangible assets and intangible assets. All these development enable me to appreciate the real concept of self dependency. Besides, I begin to develop a lifestyle, make use of their abilities and past training. I also begin to become involved in meaningful interests. It further to advancement where the efforts directed at securing ones position, acquiring seniority, developing skills, demonstrating superior performance, resume building actions. I have tried to development myself by attending various conferences, writing various journals articles to be published in order to establish myself in my career. Besides, I start to write in various magazines and books to create my personal branding in the organisation. After several years of hard work, my name can be googled and it is popular among bloggers internationally. In addition, I begin to become more focused on my place in their occupation. Job title, remuneration has become my main focus on all tasks in my career. Not only that, I start to become interested in my work security and advancement. I create my own company and ensure the company has the fix income and passive income to support my expenses. Besides, before investing further, I would ensure my budgeting is done completely so that I would run into financial crisis. Hence, I also have the expectation that they will become financially stable and move towards challenging levels of responsibility and independence. Sometimes, this stage may become very frustrating if advancement is not forth coming In short, in this stage I realise that I become s

A Case Of Needing: Serious Revisions :: essays research papers

A Case of Needing: Serious Revisions   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Michael Crichton has penned some of the most engaging, timely, and thoroughly accessible tales to be published in the last twenty-five years. What his novels lack in literary merit and distinctive style they make up for in crisp plotting and edge-of-your-seat suspense. From alien viruses to regenerated dinosaurs, from evil Japanese monoliths to the insidious maneuverings of the modern corporation, Crichton latches onto the scientific and political controversies of the day, and squeezes out of them every last ounce of shock value. At least, that's usually what he does.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A Case Of Need could have used quite a bit more shock value. The problem is largely a matter of timing; when the book came out in 1969, the moral dilemma surrounding illegal abortions was still a hot enough topic to seem ripped from the headlines. Though abortion certainly remains a hot-button issue, the debate has shifted. For the time being, at least, the argument centers on whether or not the act should be legal, not on whether or not doctors are currently breaking the law by performing them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The antiquated plot line is not the story's main flaw. The biggest drawback here is a one-two punch of highly technical prose employed to relate a thoroughly dull story. Karen Randall, the daughter of an eminent physician, dies as the result of a botched abortion. Art Lee, a Chinese obstetrician, is accused of performing the D & C that has resulted in her death. Though Lee is known to be an abortionist, he vehemently denies any involvement in the case. Lee calls upon his friend, forensic pathologist John Berry, to clear his name.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  John Berry careens back and forth from one Boston hospital to another, trying to figure out who actually performed Randall's abortion, and why it killed her. The investigation is complicated by the fact that Randall was not even pregnant. Slowly, a picture emerges of Randall as a freewheeling, loose woman with several abortions in her past, and connections to some shadowy underworld characters. Berry ultimately discovers that a drug-dealing musician was actually at fault for Randall's death.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Why did Michael Crichton write this book? The answer seems fairly obvious. Still fairly immersed in his medical school learnings, Crichton must have seen it as a chance to demonstrate just how much knowledge he had gained during his time at Harvard. Numerous medical procedures are described in detail, supplemented by footnotes and appendices for readers not in the know.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  All of this technical gobbledygook turns out to be almost totally superfluous. Berry clears Lee's name largely through old-fashioned detective

Appendix H

Associate Level Material American Rangelands and Forests Part 1 Choose either a rangeland or a forest of the United States and describe current federal management strategies. Explain federal efforts to manage these lands sustainably by completing the chart below. |Rangeland or Forest Location |Brief History of | | | |Rangeland or | | | |Forest | |Research and identify the effects of |Review environmental websites and journals. |Month 1–3 | |air pollution. | | | |Document the sources of air pollution and both environmental and health| | | |effects of air pollution. | | | | | | | |Document video interviews of environmental researchers and | | | |facilitators. | |Develop an education program about |Develop a presentation about why this program is needed and include air|Month 1–3 | |air pollution effects. |pollution’s ill effects, the lifestyle changes that will be required, | | | |and the benefits and challenges of change. | | |Schedule a presentation day and time. |Attend a monthly HOA meeting to present the benefits of the program. |Month 4 | | | | | |Request that the HOA board add the presentation to the following | | | |month’s agenda. | | | | | | | |Document the audio and visual equipment needed for presentation and | | | |layout of the room. | |Identify and invite community |Tally the number of homes in the community. |Month 4–5 | |participants. | | | | |Create and distribute flyers to homes announcing the next HOA meeting | | | |and the educational program that will be introduced. | | Blank Sample Action Plan Action Items |Action Steps |Timeline | |(in order) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |Add more rows if needed | | | References Corporation for National & Community Service. (n. d. ). Sample sustainability plan. In Toolkit for program sustainability, capacity building, and volunteer recruitment/management (Section 4). Retrieved from http://www. nationalserviceresources. org/filemanager/download/online/sustainabilit y_plan. pdf.

Chapter 8 The Quidditch World Cup

Clutching their purchases, Mr. Weasley in the lead, they all hurried into the wood, following the lantern-lit trail. They could hear the sounds of thousands of people moving around them, shouts and laughter, snatches of singing. The atmosphere of feverish excitement was highly infectious; Harry couldn't stop grinning. They walked through the wood for twenty minutes, talking and joking loudly, until at last they emerged on the other side and found themselves in the shadow of a gigantic stadium. Though Harry could see only a fraction of the immense gold walls surrounding the field, he could tell that ten cathedrals would fit comfortably inside it. â€Å"Seats a hundred thousand,† said Mr. Weasley, spotting the awestruck look on Harry's face. â€Å"Ministry task force of five hundred have been working on it all year. Muggle Repelling Charms on every inch of it. Every time Muggles have got anywhere near here all year, they've suddenly remembered urgent appointments and had to dash away again†¦bless them,† he added fondly, leading the way toward the nearest entrance, which was already surrounded by a swarm of shouting witches and wizards. â€Å"Prime seats!† said the Ministry witch at the entrance when she checked their tickets. â€Å"Top Box! Straight upstairs, Arthur, and as high as you can go.† The stairs into the stadium were carpeted in rich purple. They clambered upward with the rest of the crowd, which slowly filtered away through doors into the stands to their left and right. Mr. Weasley's party kept climbing, and at last they reached the top of the staircase and found themselves in a small box, set at the highest point of the stadium and situated exactly halfway between the golden goal posts. About twenty purple-and-gilt chairs stood in two rows here, and Harry, filing into the front seats with the Weasleys, looked down upon a scene the likes of which he could never have imagined. A hundred thousand witches and wizards were taking their places in the seats, which rose in levels around the long oval field. Everything was suffused with a mysterious golden light, which seemed to come from the stadium itself. The field looked smooth as velvet from their lofty position. At either end of the field stood three goal hoops, fifty feet high; right opposite them, almost at Harry's eye level, was a gigantic blackboard. Gold writing kept dashing across it as though an invisible giant's hand were scrawling upon the blackboard and then wiping it off again; watching it, Harry saw that it was flashing advertisements across the field. The Bluebottle: A Broom for All the Family – safe, reliable, and with Built-in Anti-Burgler Buzzer†¦Mrs. Shower's All Purpose Magical Mess Remover: No Pain, No Stain!†¦Gladrags Wizardwear – London, Paris, Hogsmeade†¦ Harry tore his eyes away from the sign and looked over his shoulder to see who else was sharing the box with them. So far it was empty, except for a tiny creature sitting in the second from last seat at the end of the row behind them. The creature, whose legs were so short they stuck out in front of it on the chair, was wearing a tea towel draped like a toga, and it had its face hidden in its hands. Yet those long, batlike ears were oddly familiar†¦. â€Å"Dobby?† said Harry incredulously. The tiny creature looked up and stretched its fingers, revealing enormous brown eyes and a nose the exact size and shape of a large tomato. It wasn't Dobby – it was, however, unmistakably a house-elf, as Harry's friend Dobby had been. Harry had set Dobby free from his old owners, the Malfoy family. â€Å"Did sir just call me Dobby?† squeaked the elf curiously from between its fingers. Its voice was higher even than Dobby's had been, a teeny, quivering squeak of a voice, and Harry suspected though it was very hard to tell with a house-elf – that this one might just be female. Ron and Hermione spun around in their seats to look. Though they had heard a lot about Dobby from Harry, they had never actually met him. Even Mr. Weasley looked around in interest. â€Å"Sorry,† Harry told the elf, â€Å"I just thought you were someone I knew.† â€Å"But I knows Dobby too, sir!† squeaked the elf. She was shielding her face, as though blinded by light, though the Top Box was not brightly lit. â€Å"My name is Winky, sir – and you, sir -† Her dark brown eyes widened to the size of side plates as they rested upon Harry's scar. â€Å"You is surely Harry Potter!† â€Å"Yeah, I am,† said Harry. â€Å"But Dobby talks of you all the time, sir!† she said, lowering her hands very slightly and looking awestruck. â€Å"How is he?† said Harry. â€Å"How's freedom suiting him?† â€Å"Ah, sir,† said Winky, shaking her head, â€Å"ah sir, meaning no disrespect, sir, but I is not sure you did Dobby a favor, sir, when you is setting him free.† â€Å"Why?† said Harry, taken aback. â€Å"What's wrong with him?† â€Å"Freedom is going to Dobby's head, sir, † said Winky sadly. â€Å"Ideas above his station, sir. Can't get another position, sir.† â€Å"Why not?† said Harry. Winky lowered her voice by a half-octave and whispered, â€Å"He is wanting paying for his work, sir.† â€Å"Paying?† said Harry blankly. â€Å"Well – why shouldn't he be paid?† Winky looked quite horrified at the idea and closed her fingers slightly so that her face was half-hidden again. â€Å"House-elves is not paid, sir!† she said in a muffled squeak. â€Å"No, no, no. I says to Dobby, I says, go find yourself a nice family and settle down, Dobby. He is getting up to all sorts of high jinks, sir, what is unbecoming to a house-elf. You goes racketing around like this, Dobby, I says, and next thing I hear you's up in front of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, like some common goblin.† â€Å"Well, it's about time he had a bit of fun,† said Harry. â€Å"House-elves is not supposed to have fun, Harry Potter,† said Winky firmly, from behind her hands. â€Å"House-elves does what they is told. I is not liking heights at all, Harry Potter† – she glanced toward the edge of the box and gulped – â€Å"but my master sends me to the Top Box and I comes, sir.† â€Å"Why's he sent you up here, if he knows you don't like heights?† said Harry, frowning. â€Å"Master – master wants me to save him a seat, Harry Potter. He is very busy,† said Winky, tilting her head toward the empty space beside her. â€Å"Winky is wishing she is back in master's tent, Harry Potter, but Winky does what she is told. Winky is a good house-elf.† She gave the edge of the box another frightened look and hid her eyes completely again. Harry turned back to the others. â€Å"So that's a house-elf?† Ron muttered. â€Å"Weird things, aren't they?† â€Å"Dobby was weirder,† said Harry fervently. Ron pulled out his Omnioculars and started testing them, staring down into the crowd on the other side of the stadium. â€Å"Wild!† he said, twiddling the replay knob on the side. I can make that old bloke down there pick his nose again†¦and again†¦and again†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Hermione, meanwhile, was skimming eagerly through her velvetcovered, tasseled program. â€Å"‘A display from the team mascots will precede the match,†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ she read aloud. â€Å"Oh that's always worth watching,† said Mr. Weasley. â€Å"National teams bring creatures from their native land, you know, to put on a bit of a show.† The box filled gradually around them over the next half hour. Mr. Weasley kept shaking hands with people who were obviously very important wizards. Percy jumped to his feet so often that he looked as though he were trying to sit on a hedgehog. When Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic himself, arrived, Percy bowed so low that his glasses fell off and shattered. Highly embarrassed, he repaired them with his wand and thereafter remained in his seat, throwing jealous looks at Harry, whom Cornelius Fudge had greeted like an old friend. They had met before, and Fudge shook Harry's hand in a fatherly fashion, asked how he was, and introduced him to the wizards on either side of him. â€Å"Harry Potter, you know,† he told the Bulgarian minister loudly, who was wearing splendid robes of black velvet trimmed with gold and didn't seem to understand a word of English. â€Å"Harry Potter†¦oh come on now, you know who he is†¦the boy who survived You-Know-Who†¦you do know who he is -â€Å" The Bulgarian wizard suddenly spotted Harry's scar and started gabbling loudly and excitedly, pointing at it. â€Å"Knew we'd get there in the end,† said Fudge wearily to Harry. â€Å"I'm no great shakes at languages; I need Barty Crouch for this sort of thing. Ah, I see his house-elf's saving him a seat†¦.Good job too, these Bulgarian blighters have been trying to cadge all the best places†¦ah, and here's Lucius!† Harry, Ron, and Hermione turned quickly. Edging along the second row to three still-empty seats right behind Mr. Weasley were none other than Dobby the house-elf's former owners: Lucius Malfoy; his son, Draco; and a woman Harry supposed must be Draco's mother. Harry and Draco Malfoy had been enemies ever since their very first journey to Hogwarts. A pale boy with a pointed face and white-blond hair, Draco greatly resembled his father. His mother was blonde too; tall and slim, she would have been nice-looking if she hadn't been wearing a look that suggested there was a nasty smell under her nose. â€Å"Ah, Fudge,† said Mr. Malfoy, holding out his hand as he reached the Minister of Magic. â€Å"How are you? I don't think you've met my wife, Narcissa? Or our son, Draco?† â€Å"How do you do, how do you do?† said Fudge, smiling and bowing to Mrs. Malfoy. â€Å"And allow me to introduce you to Mr. Oblansk – Obalonsk – Mr. – well, he's the Bulgarian Minister of Magic, and he can't understand a word I'm saying anyway, so never mind. And let's see who else – you know Arthur Weasley, I daresay?† It was a tense moment. Mr. Weasley and Mr. Malfoy looked at each other and Harry vividly recalled the last time they had come face-to-face: It had been in Flourish and Blotts' bookshop, and they had had a fight. Mr. Malfoy's cold gray eyes swept over Mr. Weasley, and then up and down the row. â€Å"Good lord, Arthur,† he said softly. â€Å"What did you have to sell to get seats in the Top Box? Surely your house wouldn't have fetched this much?† Fudge, who wasn't listening, said, â€Å"Lucius has just given a very generous contribution to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, Arthur. He's here as my guest.† â€Å"How – how nice,† said Mr. Weasley, with a very strained smile. Mr. Malfoy's eyes had returned to Hermione, who went slightly pink, but stared determinedly back at him. Harry knew exactly what was making Mr. Malfoy's lip curl like that. The Malfoys prided themselves on being purebloods; in other words, they considered anyone of Muggle descent, like Hermione, second-class. However, under the gaze of the Minister of Magic, Mr. Malfoy didn't dare say anything. He nodded sneeringly to Mr. Weasley and continued down the line to his seats. Draco shot Harry, Ron, and Hermione one contemptuous look, then settled himself between his mother and father. â€Å"Slimy gits,† Ron muttered as he, Harry, and Hermione turned to face the field again. Next moment, Ludo Bagman charged into the box. â€Å"Everyone ready?† he said, his round face gleaming like a great, excited Edam. â€Å"Minister – ready to go?† â€Å"Ready when you are, Ludo,† said Fudge comfortably. Ludo whipped out his wand, directed it at his own throat, and said â€Å"Sonorus!† and then spoke over the roar of sound that was now filling the packed stadium; his voice echoed over them, booming into every corner of the stands. â€Å"Ladies and gentlemen†¦welcome! Welcome to the final of the four hundred and twenty-second Quidditch World Cup!† The spectators screamed and clapped. Thousands of flags waved, adding their discordant national anthems to the racket. The huge blackboard opposite them was wiped clear of its last message (Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans – A Risk With Every Mouthful!) and now showed BULGARIA: 0, IRELAND: 0. â€Å"And now, without further ado, allow me to introduce†¦the Bulgarian National Team Mascots!† The right-hand side of the stands, which was a solid block of scarlet, roared its approval. â€Å"I wonder what they've brought,† said Mr. Weasley, leaning forward in his seat. â€Å"Aaah!† He suddenly whipped off his glasses and polished them hurriedly on his robes. â€Å"Veela!† â€Å"What are veel -?† But a hundred veela were now gliding out onto the field, and Harry's question was answered for him. Veela were women†¦the most beautiful women Harry had ever seen†¦except that they weren't – they couldn't be – human. This puzzled Harry for a moment while he tried to guess what exactly they could be; what could make their skin shine moon-bright like that, or their white-gold hair fan out behind them without wind†¦but then the music started, and Harry stopped worrying about them not being human – in fact, he stopped worrying about anything at all. The veela had started to dance, and Harry's mind had gone completely and blissfully blank. All that mattered in the world was that he kept watching the veela, because if they stopped dancing, terrible things would happen. And as the veela danced faster and faster, wild, half-formed thoughts started chasing through Harry's dazed mind. He wanted to do something very impressive, right now. Jumping from the box into the stadium seemed a good idea†¦but would it be good enough? â€Å"Harry, what are you doing?† said Hermione's voice from a long way off. The music stopped. Harry blinked. He was standing up, and one of his legs was resting on the wall of the box. Next to him, Ron was frozen in an attitude that looked as though he were about to dive from a springboard. Angry yells were filling the stadium. The crowd didn't want the veela to go. Harry was with them; he would, of course, be supporting Bulgaria, and he wondered vaguely why he had a large green shamrock pinned to his chest. Ron, meanwhile, was absentmindedly shredding the shamrocks on his hat. Mr. Weasley, smiling slightly, leaned over to Ron and tugged the hat out of his hands. â€Å"You'll be wanting that,† he said, â€Å"once Ireland have had their say.† â€Å"Huh?† said Ron, staring openmouthed at the veela, who had now lined up along one side of the field. Hermione made a loud tutting noise. She reached up and pulled Harry back into his seat. â€Å"Honestly!† she said. â€Å"And now,† roared Ludo Bagman's voice, â€Å"kindly put your wands in the air†¦for the Irish National Team Mascots!† Next moment, what seemed to be a great green-and-gold comet came zooming into the stadium. It did one circuit of the stadium, then split into two smaller comets, each hurtling toward the goal posts. A rainbow arced suddenly across the field, connecting the two balls of light. The crowd oooohed and aaaaahed, as though at a fireworks display. Now the rainbow faded and the balls of light reunited and merged; they had formed a great shimmering shamrock, which rose up into the sky and began to soar over the stands. Something like golden rain seemed to be falling from it – â€Å"Excellent!† yelled Ron as the shamrock soared over them, and heavy gold coins rained from it, bouncing off their heads and seats. Squinting up at the shamrock, Harry realized that it was actually comprised of thousands of tiny little bearded men with red vests, each carrying a minute lamp of gold or green. â€Å"Leprechauns!† said Mr. Weasley over the tumultuous applause of the crowd, many of whom were still fighting and rummaging around under their chairs to retrieve the gold. â€Å"There you go,† Ron yelled happily, stuffing a fistful of gold coins into Harry's hand, â€Å"for the Omnioculars! Now you've got to buy me a Christmas present, ha!† The great shamrock dissolved, the leprechauns drifted down onto the field on the opposite side from the veela, and settled themselves cross-legged to watch the match. â€Å"And now, ladies and gentlemen, kindly welcome – the Bulgarian National Quidditch Team! I give you – Dimitrov!† A scarlet-clad figure on a broomstick, moving so fast it was blurred, shot out onto the field from an entrance far below, to wild applause from the Bulgarian supporters. â€Å"Ivanova!† A second scarlet-robed player zoomed out. â€Å"Zograf! Levski! Vulchanov! Volkov! Aaaaaaand – Krum!† â€Å"That's him, that's him!† yelled Ron, following Krum with his Omnioculars. Harry quickly focused his own. Viktor Krum was thin, dark, and sallow-skinned, with a large curved nose and thick black eyebrows. He looked like an overgrown bird of prey. It was hard to believe he was only eighteen. â€Å"And now, please greet – the Irish National Quidditch Team!† yelled Bagman. â€Å"Presenting – Connolly! Ryan! Troy! Mullet! Moran! Quigley! Aaaaaand – Lynch!† Seven green blurs swept onto the field; Harry spun a small dial on the side of his Omnioculars and slowed the players down enough to read the word â€Å"Firebolt† on each of their brooms and see their names, embroidered in silver, upon their backs. â€Å"And here, all the way from Egypt, our referee, acclaimed Chairwizard of the International Association of Quidditch, Hassan Mostafa!† A small and skinny wizard, completely bald but with a mustache to rival Uncle Vernon's, wearing robes of pure gold to match the stadium, strode out onto the field. A silver whistle was protruding from under the mustache, and he was carrying a large wooden crate under one arm, his broomstick under the other. Harry spun the speed dial on his Omnioculars back to normal, watching closely as Mostafa mounted his broomstick and kicked the crate open – four balls burst into the air: the scarlet Quaffle, the two black Bludgers, and (Harry saw it for the briefest moment, before it sped out of sight) the minuscule, winged Golden Snitch. With a sharp blast on his whistle, Mostafa shot into the air after the balls. â€Å"Theeeeeeeey're OFF!† screamed Bagman. â€Å"And it's Mullet! Troy! Moran! Dimitrov! Back to Mullet! Troy! Levski! Moran!† It was Quidditch as Harry had never seen it played before. He was pressing his Omnioculars so hard to his glasses that they were cutting into the bridge of his nose. The speed of the players was incredible – the Chasers were throwing the Quaffle to one another so fast that Bagman only had time to say their names. Harry spun the slow dial on the right of his Omnioculars again, pressed the play-by-play button on the top, and he was immediately watching in slow motion, while glittering purple lettering flashed across the lenses and the noise of the crowd pounded against his eardrums. HAWKSHEAD ATTACKING FORMATION, he read as he watched the three Irish Chasers zoom closely together, Troy in the center, slightly ahead of Mullet and Moran, bearing down upon the Bulgarians. PORSKOFF PLOY flashed up next, as Troy made as though to dart upward with the Quaffle, drawing away the Bulgarian Chaser Ivanova and dropping the Quaffle to Moran. One of the Bulgarian Beaters, Volkov, swung hard at a passing Bludger with his small club, knocking it into Moran's path; Moran ducked to avoid the Bludger and dropped the Quaffle; and Levski, soaring beneath, caught it – â€Å"TROY SCORES!† roared Bagman, and the stadium shuddered with a roar of applause and cheers. â€Å"Ten zero to Ireland!† â€Å"What?† Harry yelled, looking wildly around through his Omnioculars. â€Å"But Levski's got the Quaffle!† â€Å"Harry, if you're not going to watch at normal speed, you're going to miss things!† shouted Hermione, who was dancing up and down, waving her arms in the air while Troy did a lap of honor around the field. Harry looked quickly over the top of his Omnioculars and saw that the leprechauns watching from the sidelines had all risen into the air again and formed the great, glittering shamrock. Across the field, the veela were watching them sulkily. Furious with himself, Harry spun his speed dial back to normal as play resumed. Harry knew enough about Quidditch to see that the Irish Chasers were superb. They worked as a seamless team, their movements so well coordinated that they appeared to be reading one another's minds as they positioned themselves, and the rosette on Harry's chest kept squeaking their names: â€Å"Troy – Mullet – Moran!† And within ten minutes, Ireland had scored twice more, bringing their lead to thirty-zero and causing a thunderous tide of roars and applause from the green-clad supporters. The match became still faster, but more brutal. Volkov and Vulchanov, the Bulgarian Beaters, were whacking the Bludgers as fiercely as possible at the Irish Chasers, and were starting to prevent them from using some of their best moves; twice they were forced to scatter, and then, finally, Ivanova managed to break through their ranks; dodge the Keeper, Ryan; and score Bulgaria's first goal. â€Å"Fingers in your ears!† bellowed Mr. Weasley as the veela started to dance in celebration. Harry screwed up his eyes too; he wanted to keep his mind on the game. After a few seconds, he chanced a glance at the field. The veela had stopped dancing, and Bulgaria was again in possession of the Quaffle. â€Å"Dimitrov! Levski! Dimitrov! Ivanova – oh I say!† roared Bagman. One hundred thousand wizards gasped as the two Seekers, Krum and Lynch, plummeted through the center of the Chasers, so fast that it looked as though they had just jumped from airplanes without parachutes. Harry followed their descent through his Omnioculars, squinting to see where the Snitch was – â€Å"They're going to crash!† screamed Hermione next to Harry. She was half right – at the very last second, Viktor Krum pulled out of the dive and spiraled off. Lynch, however, hit the ground with a dull thud that could be heard throughout the stadium. A huge groan rose from the Irish seats. â€Å"Fool!† moaned Mr. Weasley. â€Å"Krum was feinting!† â€Å"It's time-out!† yelled Bagman's voice, â€Å"as trained mediwizards hurry onto the field to examine Aidan Lynch!† â€Å"He'll be okay, he only got ploughed!† Charlie said reassuringly to Ginny, who was hanging over the side of the box, looking horror-struck. â€Å"Which is what Krum was after, of course†¦.† Harry hastily pressed the replay and play-by-play buttons on his Omnioculars, twiddled the speed dial, and put them back up to his eyes. He watched as Krum and Lynch dived again in slow motion. WRONSKI DEFENSIVE FEINT – DANGEROUS SEEKER DIVERSION read the shining purple lettering across his lenses. He saw Krum's face contorted with concentration as he pulled out of the dive just in time, while Lynch was flattened, and he understood – Krum hadn't seen the Snitch at all, he was just making Lynch copy him. Harry had never seen anyone fly like that; Krum hardly looked as though he was using a broomstick at all; he moved so easily through the air that he looked unsupported and weightless. Harry turned his Omnioculars back to normal and focused them on Krum. He was now circling high above Lynch, who was being revived by mediwizards with cups of potion. Harry, focusing still more closely upon Krum's face, saw his dark eyes darting all over the ground a hundred feet below. He was using the time while Lynch was revived to look for the Snitch without interference. Lynch got to his feet at last, to loud cheers from the green-clad supporters, mounted his Firebolt, and kicked back off into the air. His revival seemed to give Ireland new heart. When Mostafa blew his whistle again, the Chasers moved into action with a skill unrivaled by anything Harry had seen so far. After fifteen more fast and furious minutes, Ireland had pulled ahead by ten more goals. They were now leading by one hundred and thirty points to ten, and the game was starting to get dirtier. As Mullet shot toward the goal posts yet again, clutching the Quaffle tightly under her arm, the Bulgarian Keeper, Zograf, flew out to meet her. Whatever happened was over so quickly Harry didn't catch it, but a scream of rage from the Irish crowd, and Mostafa's long, shrill whistle blast, told him it had been a foul. â€Å"And Mostafa takes the Bulgarian Keeper to task for cobbing – excessive use of elbows!† Bagman informed the roaring spectators. â€Å"And – yes, it's a penalty to Ireland!† The leprechauns, who had risen angrily into the air like a swarm of glittering hornets when Mullet had been fouled, now darted together to form the words â€Å"HA, HA, HA!† The veela on the other side of the field leapt to their feet, tossed their hair angrily, and started to dance again. As one, the Weasley boys and Harry stuffed their fingers into their ears, but Hermione, who hadn't bothered, was soon tugging on Harry's arm. He turned to look at her, and she pulled his fingers impatiently out of his ears. â€Å"Look at the referee!† she said, giggling. Harry looked down at the field. Hassan Mostafa had landed right in front of the dancing veela, and was acting very oddly indeed. He was flexing his muscles and smoothing his mustache excitedly. â€Å"Now, we can't have that!† said Ludo Bagman, though he sounded highly amused. â€Å"Somebody slap the referee!† A mediwizard came tearing across the field, his fingers stuffed into his own ears, and kicked Mostafa hard in the shins. Mostafa seemed to come to himself; Harry, watching through the Omnioculars again, saw that he looked exceptionally embarrassed and had started shouting at the veela, who had stopped dancing and were looking mutinous. â€Å"And unless I'm much mistaken, Mostafa is actually attempting to send off the Bulgarian team mascots!† said Bagman's voice. â€Å"Now there's something we haven't seen before†¦Oh this could turn nasty†¦ It did: The Bulgarian Beaters, Volkov and Vulchanov, landed on either side of Mostafa and began arguing furiously with him, gesticulating toward the leprechauns, who had now gleefully formed the words â€Å"HEE, HEE, HEE.† Mostafa was not impressed by the Bulgarians' arguments, however; he was jabbing his finger into the air, clearly telling them to get flying again, and when they refused, he gave two short blasts on his whistle. â€Å"Two penalties for Ireland!† shouted Bagman, and the Bulgarian crowd howled with anger. â€Å"And Volkov and Vulchanov had better get back on those brooms†¦yes†¦there they go†¦and Troy takes the Quaffle†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Play now reached a level of ferocity beyond anything they had yet seen. The Beaters on both sides were acting without mercy: Volkov and Vulchanov in particular seemed not to care whether their clubs made contact with Bludger or human as they swung them violently through the air. Dimitrov shot straight at Moran, who had the Quaffle, nearly knocking her off her broom. â€Å"Foul!† roared the Irish supporters as one, all standing up in a great wave of green. â€Å"Foul!† echoed Ludo Bagman's magically magnified voice. â€Å"Dimitrov skins Moran – deliberately flying to collide there – and it's got to be another penalty – yes, there's the whistle!† The leprechauns had risen into the air again, and this time, they formed a giant hand, which was making a very rude sign indeed at the veela across the field. At this, the veela lost control. Instead of dancing, they launched themselves across the field and began throwing what seemed to be handfuls of fire at the leprechauns. Watching through his Omnioculars, Harry saw that they didn't look remotely beautiful now. On the contrary, their faces were elongating into sharp, cruel-beaked bird heads, and long, scaly wings were bursting from their shoulders – â€Å"And that, boys,† yelled Mr. Weasley over the tumult of the crowd below, â€Å"is why you should never go for looks alone!† Ministry wizards were flooding onto the field to separate the veela and the leprechauns, but with little success; meanwhile, the pitched battle below was nothing to the one taking place above. Harry turned this way and that, staring through his Omnioculars, as the Quaffie changed hands with the speed of a bullet. â€Å"Levski – Dimitrov – Moran – Troy – Mullet – Ivanova – Moran again – Moran – MORAN SCORES!† But the cheers of the Irish supporters were barely heard over the shrieks of the veela, the blasts now issuing from the Ministry members' wands, and the furious roars of the Bulgarians. The game recommenced immediately; now Levski had the Quaffle, now Dimitrov – The Irish Beater Quigley swung heavily at a passing Bludger, and hit it as hard as possible toward Krum, who did not duck quickly enough. It hit him full in the face. There was a deafening groan from the crowd; Krum's nose looked broken, there was blood everywhere, but Hassan Mostafa didn't blow his whistle. He had become distracted, and Harry couldn't blame him; one of the veela had thrown a handful of fire and set his broom tail alight. Harry wanted someone to realize that Krum was injured; even though he was supporting Ireland, Krum was the most exciting player on the field. Ron obviously felt the same. â€Å"Time-out! Ah, come on, he can't play like that, look at him -â€Å" â€Å"Look at Lynch!† Harry yelled. For the Irish Seeker had suddenly gone into a dive, and Harry was quite sure that this was no Wronski Feint; this was the real thing†¦ â€Å"He's seen the Snitch!† Harry shouted. â€Å"He's seen it! Look at him go!† Half the crowd seemed to have realized what was happening; the Irish supporters rose in another great wave of green, screaming their Seeker on†¦but Krum was on his tail. How he could see where he was going, Harry had no idea; there were flecks of blood flying through the air behind him, but he was drawing level with Lynch now as the pair of them hurtled toward the ground again – â€Å"They're going to crash!† shrieked Hermione. â€Å"They're not!† roared Ron. â€Å"Lynch is!† yelled Harry. And he was right – for the second time, Lynch hit the ground with tremendous force and was immediately stampeded by a horde of angry veela. â€Å"The Snitch, where's the Snitch?† bellowed Charlie, along the row. â€Å"He's got it – Krum's got it – it's all over!† shouted Harry. Krum, his red robes shining with blood from his nose, was rising gently into the air, his fist held high, a glint of gold in his hand. The scoreboard was flashing BULGARIA: 160, IRELAND: 170 across the crowd, who didn't seem to have realized what had happened. Then, slowly, as though a great jumbo jet were revving up, the rumbling from the Ireland supporters grew louder and louder and erupted into screams of delight. â€Å"IRELAND WINS!† Bagman shouted, who like the Irish, seemed to be taken aback by the sudden end of the match. â€Å"KRUM GETS THE SNITCH – BUT IRELAND WINS – good lord, I don't think any of us were expecting that!† â€Å"What did he catch the Snitch for?† Ron bellowed, even as he jumped up and down, applauding with his hands over his head. â€Å"He ended it when Ireland were a hundred and sixty points ahead, the idiot!† â€Å"He knew they were never going to catch up!† Harry shouted back over all the noise, also applauding loudly. â€Å"The Irish Chasers were too good†¦He wanted to end it on his terms, that's all†¦. â€Å"He was very brave, wasn't he?† Hermione said, leaning forward to watch Krum land as a swarm of mediwizards blasted a path through the battling leprechauns and veela to get to him. â€Å"He looks a terrible mess†¦.† Harry put his Omnioculars to his eyes again. It was hard to see what was happening below, because leprechauns were zooming delightedly all over the field, but he could just make out Krum, surrounded by mediwizards. He looked surlier than ever and refused to let them mop him up. His team members were around him, shaking their heads and looking dejected; a short way away, the Irish players were dancing gleefully in a shower of gold descending from their mascots. Flags were waving all over the stadium, the Irish national anthem blared from all sides; the veela were shrinking back into their usual, beautiful selves now, though looking dispirited and forlorn. â€Å"Vell, ve fought bravely,† said a gloomy voice behind Harry. He looked around; it was the Bulgarian Minister of Magic. â€Å"You can speak English!† said Fudge, sounding outraged. â€Å"And you've been letting me mime everything all day!† â€Å"Veil, it vos very funny,† said the Bulgarian minister, shrugging. â€Å"And as the Irish team performs a lap of honor, flanked by their mascots, the Quidditch World Cup itself is brought into the Top Box!† roared Bagman. Harry's eyes were suddenly dazzled by a blinding white light, as the Top Box was magically illuminated so that everyone in the stands could see the inside. Squinting toward the entrance, he saw two panting wizards carrying a vast golden cup into the box, which they handed to Cornelius Fudge, who was still looking very disgruntled that he'd been using sign language all day for nothing. â€Å"Let's have a really loud hand for the gallant losers – Bulgaria!† Bagman shouted. And up the stairs into the box came the seven defeated Bulgarian players. The crowd below was applauding appreciatively; Harry could see thousands and thousands of Omniocular lenses flashing and winking in their direction. One by one, the Bulgarians filed between the rows of seats in the box, and Bagman called out the name of each as they shook hands with their own minister and then with Fudge. Krum, who was last in line, looked a real mess. Two black eyes were blooming spectacularly on his bloody face. He was still holding the Snitch. Harry noticed that he seemed much less coordinated on the ground. He was slightly duck-footed and distinctly round-shouldered. But when Krum's name was announced, the whole stadium gave him a resounding, earsplitting roar. And then came the Irish team. Aidan Lynch was being supported by Moran and Connolly; the second crash seemed to have dazed him and his eyes looked strangely unfocused. But he grinned happily as Troy and Quigley lifted the Cup into the air and the crowd below thundered its approval. Harry's hands were numb with clapping. At last, when the Irish team had left the box to perform another lap of honor on their brooms (Aidan Lynch on the back of Confolly's, clutching hard around his waist and still grinning in a bemused sort of way), Bagman pointed his wand at his throat and muttered, â€Å"Quietus.† â€Å"They'll be talking about this one for years,† he said hoarsely, â€Å"a really unexpected twist, that†¦.shame it couldn't have lasted longer†¦.Ah yes†¦yes, I owe you†¦.how much?† For Fred and George had just scrambled over the backs of their seats and were standing in front of Ludo Bagman with broad grins on their faces, their hands outstretched.