Thorn Queen Chapter Twenty

Tim surfaced the next morning after some liaison or another, and I decided not to mention that our wards had been broken. He handled my array of paranormal activities fairly good-naturedly, but that was largely because they usually didn't follow me home. So, I called the witch who'd originally laid the wards and asked her to come back and discreetly redo them, scheduling a time when I knew Tim would be out. After that it was off to the first shamanic job I'd had in a while, fighting a nixie who'd taken up residence in some poor family's swimming pool. The ease with which I dispatched her was a bit alarming. Earlier in the year, Dorian and I had fought off a group of them that Jasmine had sent. Dorian had done the fighting, and at the time, they'd seemed overwhelming. Now, with my magic becoming more and more instinctual, fighting a water creature like this was ridiculously simple. Admittedly, I still banished her the old-fashioned way, not wanting to rely on magic more than I had to. I didn't agree with Roland about its use-though my fight with him still stung-but it was exhilarating recalling how easily I'd fought the water elemental. If I could only summon water creatures like Jasmine could, my life would be easier still. And speaking of Jasmine, I summoned Volusian away from her later that evening. I was going to the Thorn Land shortly and felt confident that she wouldn't get knocked up before then. Well, I hoped so, at least. Volusian appeared in the darkest corner of my bedroom, scaring off one of the cats that had been sleeping on my bed. â€Å"My mistress calls,† he said in his monotone. â€Å"I have a job for you.† â€Å"Of course.† â€Å"I need you to go to Yellow River and check out the house of a shaman there. Do not let him see you-or sense you, if you can help it.† My vibe from Art was that while he could fight Otherworldly creatures, he didn't possess the same sensitivity I did. â€Å"And what would my mistress like me to do once I am there?† â€Å"Look around. Tell me if there's anything suspicious going on-particularly in regard to any gentry girls. Make sense?† Volusian's look was scathing. â€Å"Certainly it makes sense. Do not confuse me with the other underlings who serve you.† Once he had the address, he disappeared in that way of his, and I sighed. It might be worth enslaving another minion destined for the Underworld. It was easy enough for me, particularly if I got one who wasn't too strong. I didn't have a huge amount of respect for Volusian, but he'd been right about one thing. He was so powerful that his skills were better suited to protection and battle. A lesser spirit would suffice for all these errands I seemed to be sending him on lately. That was a thought for another day. For now, it was back to the Thorn Land. I planned on spending the night there since I wanted to get an early start on our demon hunting. Kiyo had said he'd come at sunrise, and I didn't want to miss a moment of being with him. When I arrived at my castle, I was a bit surprised to see a party going on. Well, not a true party, but Shaya, Rurik, and a few of the other head servants were hanging out in one of the parlors, drinking wine and laughing. Girard was still around and had joined them. Even Ysabel was there, looking happy for a change. None of them seemed to have expected me that night and most leapt up like naughty children. Shaya started to stammer something like an apology, but I silenced her with a gesture. â€Å"No, no. Keep having fun.† I somehow always thought of them as utilitarian fixtures around here, but of course, they were only human-well, figuratively speaking-and entitled to their downtime. After a few uneasy moments, they settled back down, and Rurik offered me a glass of wine. I shook my head. â€Å"You know,† he said, â€Å"that your minion disappeared.† â€Å"Yeah, I know. I sent him on a task.† â€Å"I doubled the guards on her when I heard.† â€Å"Good. Let's hope she's managed to keep her clothes on in this short of time.† â€Å"You should have killed her,† Ysabel noted darkly. I ignored that and turned away, leaving them to their party. â€Å"I'm going to check on her myself.† The bedroom Shaya had assigned Jasmine was one floor up and very cleverly chosen-not that I'd expect any less from Shaya. It was spacious and furnished but not so large that the guards within couldn't see her most of the time-the bathroom excluded. The room's one window was only a tiny slit, too small for anyone to get out of. Four guards stood on duty outside and four within. To my relief, Jasmine simply lay on her bed, reading one of the books I'd sent. Girard's new cuffs had a longer, thinner chain that gave her much more range of motion but was packed with iron. Those blue-gray eyes looked up at my approach, but the rest of her didn't move. â€Å"Oh. You.† I sat down on a narrow wicker bench and sent the guards outside with a curt nod. â€Å"I came to check on you.† â€Å"Right. Because you care so much.† â€Å"I do. Well, kind of.† â€Å"The only things you care about are having the heir yourself and forcing me to get rid of your monsters.† â€Å"Demons,† I corrected. â€Å"And believe me, the last thing I want is to have the heir.† â€Å"I heard the guards talking. They said you've been hanging out with Dorian a lot. Why else would you do that? No one else would rather have our father's grandson. Well, except Aeson.† A grimace fell over her face at the mention of her old lover. â€Å"Dorian's just my friend, something you'll understand when you're older.† Oh, Eugenie, you are such a hypocrite. â€Å"And you're better off without Aeson.† Her eyes returned to her book. â€Å"I loved Aeson. You have no idea what love is.† â€Å"Oh, I do. I know that it's the best high and the worst hurt all at the same time-not to mention confusing as hell.† Jasmine looked back at me, still sullen but with a new sort of consideration. â€Å"What do you want? Are you just here to babysit me until that fucking imp comes back? God, I hate him.† I started to tell her to watch her language and then decided there was no point. â€Å"I came to tell you we're going to take out those demons tomorrow.† â€Å"At gunpoint.† â€Å"I don't have a choice. They're terrorizing people. How can you not understand how serious that is?† She shrugged with her typical apathy and pushed some of that long blond hair out of her face. â€Å"Your problem. Not mine.† Self-centered brat. She frowned for a moment, though. â€Å"Are they still taking girls?† She sounded almost concerned. Almost. â€Å"I don't know,† I admitted. â€Å"I don't know if this group's connected or not. I actually think there are humans involved.† The book slipped to her lap, forgotten. â€Å"Why would they do that? That doesn't make any sense.† â€Å"I'll tell you when you're older,† I said dryly, which was silly considering all that she'd been through. â€Å"And you're certain†¦you're certain the group chasing you wasn't human?† â€Å"Yes, for like the hundredth time. They were shining ones.† â€Å"You said they were soldiers†¦.† A startling thought came to me. â€Å"Leather armor? Red shirts?† â€Å"That's how soldiers dress, isn't it? Well, maybe not the red shirt. Depends on who they work for, I guess. I don't remember the color.† â€Å"Does it happen a lot?† I asked, recalling past thoughts about the similarities between the two of us. â€Å"Are guys coming after you a lot to†¦you know†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Get me pregnant? Yeah, sometimes.† There was a sad look in her eyes, a very vulnerable one. â€Å"But†¦you don't always give in†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Jesus Christ, Eugenie. I won't sleep with anyone. What kind of a slut do you think I am?† A considerable one, actually. But I didn't say so, and I wondered if she'd ever been raped. â€Å"Sorry. You just seem so anxious to have that baby.† â€Å"Yeah, well, not with just anyone. And certainly not through rape.† She held her head up, a fierce look in her eyes. â€Å"No one does that to Storm King's daughter. It's an insult to our father's awesomeness.† Try as she might to deny her heritage, only the human part of her could have pulled up â€Å"awesomeness† to refer to a tyrannical fairy warlord. â€Å"You know I don't quite share the same regard for him that you do.† â€Å"I know,† she said. â€Å"Which is why you have such bad taste in men. You wouldn't catch me sleeping with a kitsune. I need someone worthy†¦like Aeson.† I started to argue again that Aeson had been a despotic asshole but knew logic and love rarely worked together-particularly if my own life was any indication. I was saved from further commentary when a coldness settled into the room and Volusian appeared. â€Å"Fuck,† said Jasmine. Man, did she have a mouth on her. I stood up, crossing my arms and trying to look imposing. It was a common attitude I kept around Volusian so there would be no question of my control. â€Å"Did you go to Art's house?† â€Å"Yes, mistress.† â€Å"And? Did you find anything?† â€Å"No, mistress. I could not enter.† â€Å"What do you mean? Did he invite you out back for beer too?† Volusian didn't blink. â€Å"The house was warded.† â€Å"The house was warded,† I repeatedly flatly. â€Å"And you couldn't cross it?† â€Å"They'd have to be some serious wards if he couldn't,† said Jasmine. â€Å"Thanks, Little Miss Stating the Obvious.† I racked my brain, thinking of the local witch network. I didn't know them well enough, not like I knew the shamans. â€Å"Where the hell would he find someone that strong?† â€Å"The wards were not the usual type found in the human world. They were laced with magic from this world as well,† continued Volusian. â€Å"What? How would Art get gentry help to lay wards-especially if he's abducting them?† â€Å"Maybe he put a gun to their head,† said Jasmine, in a fair imitation of my own dry tone. Another family trait, perhaps. â€Å"I've got to get into that house,† I muttered. â€Å"I guess that's gotta wait like everything else, though. Well, thanks for trying, Volusian.† â€Å"I neither require nor desire your gratitude, mistress. I want nothing in these worlds save your death.† Jasmine laughed. â€Å"Well, I'm sure you guys'll have a great time together.† I opened the door and beckoned the guards back in. With Volusian back, only two needed to be inside. â€Å"I'll see you both in the morning for demon hunting.† After that, I considered joining the others for their impromptu party but decided that would be the same as a boss crashing her employees' happy hour. Instead, I made my way to my own room but was intercepted by Girard. â€Å"Your majesty.† He swept me a bow in that flourish-filled way of his, making his cloak flare out dramatically. â€Å"I've made considerable progress on the project you requested.† â€Å"Already?† I knew he had magic for this kind of thing, but still. He smiled. â€Å"The queen asks, and I obey.† From within the folds of his cloak, he produced a rolled-up piece of parchment, which he opened up for me. On it was a detailed diagram of a sword, and scrawled all around it were assorted technical notes about weight and composition. Those meant little to me. Mostly I noticed the sword's beauty, particularly its hilt. â€Å"This is lovely,† I said. â€Å"I should hope so. Fit for a king.† In spite of myself, I smiled back. Dorian had left me in a miasma of emotions, but I'd been trying hard not to let that interfere with the honest favors he'd done me. And when he'd mentioned needing a new sword, I'd gotten the idea yesterday to have Girard make one. By all accounts, there were few more skilled, and his ability to touch iron made him particularly gifted. Girard traced the line of the sword's blade and tapped the end. â€Å"I can work iron into the tip here, and it shouldn't harm the Oak King so long as he's holding the hilt. It also shouldn't affect his ability to control the rest of the blade.† As a master of the earth and its contents, Dorian could infuse copper and sometimes bronze blades with magical heat. â€Å"But the tip will be deadly to his enemies,† I said. The idea to work iron into it had been mine. â€Å"Considerably. I can begin production right away, but I'll need to get an understanding of his current sword's balance before I can finalize this one.† â€Å"He'll be here tomorrow. You can talk to him then.† Dorian too had offered to help oust my demons. â€Å"Excellent. And Mistress Shaya tells me you have the materials here that I could use, if I have your permission to do so. Otherwise, I can return to my workshop in the Rowan Land.† I shook my head. â€Å"No, no. Use whatever you need here.† His lips twitched in a wry smile. â€Å"That's probably just as well. Were I to return home†¦well, I suspect my lord prince would spend days asking me about you.† I sighed. â€Å"Is he still upset about that?† â€Å"He was, forgive me, quite heartbroken over your rejection of the gift and of him.† â€Å"I didn't want that. I liked him-still do. I just wanted us to be friends.† â€Å"In my experience, your majesty, men and women often have difficulty with that. It's not impossible-but not always easy.† I thought about Dorian. â€Å"That's for damned sure. Well, thank you for this, and let me know if there's anything I can do to help with it. But seriously-don't go work on it now. Go back to that party. Drink up. Flirt with Shaya. She could use a good guy.† Girard erupted into laughter. It was a rich, honey-filled sound. â€Å"I treasure my neck too much to risk the captain of your guards wringing it.† It took me a moment to catch on. â€Å"Who, Rurik? He doesn't like Shaya†¦not that way, at least. She's too, I don't know, refined. He only goes after trashy kitchen girls.† Girard merely shrugged. â€Å"I'm serious!† I wasn't sure why this astounded me so much. â€Å"They might seem close, but it's because they work together. They're just friends.† Girard flashed another grin. â€Å"Didn't you just hear what I said about men and women being friends?† He dared a wink and bowed again. â€Å"Until tomorrow, your majesty.† I watched him go, that flamboyant red cape swirling around him. I was still in disbelief. Shaya and Rurik? No, it was ridiculous. I was certain she had no interest in him, and if he did want her, it was only for the same cheap reasons he wanted any woman. She was too smart for that. â€Å"You give my lord gifts yet still claim no interest.† I turned and saw Ysabel standing near a corner in the hall. She'd apparently overheard my conversation with Girard. Did this woman have nothing to do except lurk in halls and wait for me? â€Å"He's done a lot of favors for me lately. It's the only way I can really repay him.† â€Å"No doubt there are other ways you could repay him,† she said snidely. I started to give the â€Å"friends† line but had already had enough of that with Girard. â€Å"Please, I don't want to go through this same old song and dance. And you know, we both fulfilled our side of the deal with Dorian. I let you teach me. You're free. He's coming here tomorrow to help with the demon problem. Go home with him afterward.† Those big blue eyes widened in surprise. â€Å"Why?† â€Å"Why what?† â€Å"Why would you let me go?† â€Å"Because you don't want to be here. You gave me the foundation of what I need to know, and I've been building on it pretty quickly.† With a shiver, I recalled how I'd nearly suffocated that gentry in my yard. That had been intentional. I had no accident excuses as I'd had with her. It was probably something I shouldn't mention to her quite yet. As it was, she looked troubled enough. â€Å"Yes†¦you have learned quickly. The magic burns so strongly in you, I don't think it needs much of an excuse to burst out. You really are like Storm King.† â€Å"Did you know him?† I asked curiously. I was always conflicted on hearing about him. Part of me wanted nothing to do with him, yet the other part longed to know more. â€Å"I wouldn't say ‘know,'† she mused. â€Å"My father was one of his bodyguards, so I saw Storm King a few times. He was†¦terrifying. Terrifying and awe-inspiring.† She tried to hide her fear but shuddered anyway. â€Å"From what I hear, that's the reaction most people have.† Kiyo too had seen Storm King in his youth, and I'd once had a flashback of my own brief meeting with my father. â€Å"The power you try to summon†¦he was able to bring it about in a heartbeat. He had only to think about a storm and the world would tremble with its force.† â€Å"Well, I guess everyone can rest easy. I'm a long ways from that.† â€Å"Do you know why?† she asked. â€Å"Practice?† She shook her head and pursed her lips. â€Å"Because for all your titles and regard and impressive use of magic so far†¦you are still human in your heart.† Human, by her tone, was a very ugly thing to be. â€Å"Not according to my stepfather.† It didn't seem like I'd ever fit anyone's expectations. â€Å"You think like one. You want to divide everything up logically. The way you approach magic, it's very†¦scientific.† Not a word gentry used very often. â€Å"You treat it coldly. You parcel up each fragment of air and categorize it. Magic requires control, yes, but at its heart, it is tied to your emotions. You said you'd summoned lightning accidentally. What was going on?† â€Å"I was scared.† It had also happened, I realized, when I was aroused. â€Å"And, um, excited.† â€Å"You were lost in your emotions, and the power seized you. But you'll never be able to do that regularly, never by choice. You repress your emotions. You don't give in to them.† Her smile turned triumphant. â€Å"And that is why my lord will never love you like he does me.† Of course. I should have known there was a barb waiting at the end of this lesson. I wondered what she'd think if she knew her lord had been pretty willing to love me up yesterday. â€Å"Well, thanks for the pep talk, but I'm going to my room now. I meant what I said. Go with Dorian tomorrow and love him as much as you want. I'll carry on without you somehow.† No point in hiding the sarcasm I felt. Ysabel gave me a sickeningly sweet smile. â€Å"You're presuming you'll come back.† I jerked around and gave her a sharp look. â€Å"Are you threatening me?† â€Å"Certainly not. I have nothing to do with your adventure tomorrow. But you're going to face demons. Anything can happen. And if you don't return, I won't weep.† Great. Nothing like a good omen to go into battle with.

Eco Assignment Essays - Costs, Public Economics, Microeconomics

Eco Assignment Essays - Costs, Public Economics, Microeconomics 6) From economic point of view, what are the main causes of market failure ? From economic point of view, the main causes of market failure are Incomplete markets, Indivisibilities, Common property resources, Imperfect markets, Asymmetric Information, Externalities, Positive Externalities of Production, Negative externalities of production, Public Goods and Public Bads. In this present reality, there is non-achievement of Pareto optimality because of various requirements in the working of immaculate rivalry. A vital reason for ecological corruption is business sector disappointment. It implies poor working of business sectors for ecological merchandise and administrations. It reflects disappointment of government arrangement in uprooting business sector twists made by value controls and endowments. Based on Incomplete markets statement, Markets for certain things are incomplete or missing under perfect competition. The absence of markets for such things as public goods and common property resources is a cause of market failure. There is no way to equate their social and private benefits and costs either in the present or in the future because their markets are incomplete or missing. Based on Indivisibilities statement, the Paretian optimality is based on the assumption of complete divisibility of products and factors used in consumption and production. In reality, goods and factors are not infinitely divisible. Rather, they are indivisible. The problem of divisibility arises in the production of those goods and services that are used jointly by more than one person. An important example is of road in a locality. It is used by a number of persons in the locality. But the problem is how to share the costs of repairs and maintenance of the road. In fact, very few persons will be interested in its maintenance. Thus marginal social costs and marginal social benefits will diverge from each other and Pareto optimality will not be achieved. Based on Common property resources, Another cause of market failure is a common property resource. Common ownership when coupled with open access, would also lead to wasteful exploitation in which a user ignores the effects of his action on others. Open access to the commonly owned resources is a crucial ingredient of waste and inefficiency. Its most common example is fish in a lake. Anyone can catch and eat it but no one has an exclusive property right over it. It means that a common property resource is non-excludable (anyone can use it) and non-rivalrous (no one has an exclusive right over it). The lake is a common property for all fishermen. When a fisherman catches more fish, he reduces the catch of other fishermen. But he does count this as a cost, yet it is a cost to society. Because the lake is a common property resource where there is no mechanism to restrict entry and to catch fish. The fisherman who catches more fish imposes a negative externality on other fishermen so tha t the lake is overexploited. This is called the tragedy of the commons which leads to the elimination of social gains due to the overuse of common property. Thus when property rights are common, indefinite or non-existent, social costs will be more than private costs and there will not be Pareto Optimality. Based on imperfect markets statement, Pareto efficiency increases under perfect competition. But it declines under market distortions or imperfections. Let us consider a case of monopoly. Initially, monopoly equilibrium is at point E where the private marginal cost curve, PMC, cuts the marginal revenue curve, MR, from below. The monopolist produces OQ1 output at OP1 price. But the production process generates smoke in the air. Therefore, the pollution board levies a tax equal to on the monopoly firm. The imposition of a pollution tax is, in fact, a fixed cost to the monopoly firm. Now the social marginal cost curve cuts the marginal revenue curve at point e. The monopolist increases the price of his product from OP1 to OP2 and restricts output to OQ2 and thereby reduces consumers surplus to Q2 MLQ1 (= OQ1 LP1 OQ2 MP2). In fact, Q2 MLQ1 is the social cost of OQ2 output. But the net loss to society is Q2 MLQ1 TE= eMLT, the shaded area in the figure. Based on Asymmetric Information statement, Pareto optimality assumes that producers and consumers have perfect

1.5 Formal Writing Essay Animal Farm Essays - British Films

1.5 Formal Writing Essay Animal Farm Essays - British Films 1.5 Formal Writing Essay Animal Farm The novel, Animal Farm, written by George Orwell, is a satire of the Russian Revolution in 1917. This novel takes place in England, on a farm called Manor Farm. The animals on this farm go on a rebellion against Mr Jones, bringing the farm to which the animals renamed it as Animal Farm. However, years later, the farm evolves back to its original name, Manor Farm. Many characters are shown throughout the novel. However, one major character who changed in the novel is Napoleon. Changes in Napoleon help us understand that if an individual is given too much power, they will abuse that power and become greedy and self-centered. At the very start of the novel, we can see Napoleon as a fair and equal member of the farm, who believed in animalism but soon changes into a selfish and lazy character. This can be shown through Napoleon stealing the milk, chasing Snowball away and killing Boxer. The first change we see in Napoleon is when he steals the milk. This is when the animals go out to work in the fields without Napoleon. Before the animals leave, they worry about the milk they have just collected. Napoleon tells the animals to not worry about the milk so the animals leave. However, When they came back in the evening it was noticed that the milk had disappeared. This implies that Napoleon has drunk the milk. This shows a change as we can see Napoleon is not working and does not share the milk equally with the farm animals. This change helps us understand the character Napoleon, as he is starting to become greedy and betray the spirits of animalism for his own personal gains. George Orwell uses this example to show how humans can be greedy and betray other people for their own personal gains too. This emphasises that, in the society we live in today, equality can never work out. This is an allusion to the 1917 Russian Revolution, where Stalin, who believed in communism craved for power and became dictator of Russia. Therefore, by stealing the milk we can understand Napoleon slowly changing from the good to bad. The second change we see in Napoleon is when he chases Snowball away from the farm. This happens when Snowball holds a meeting deciding whether they should start building the windmill or not. Napoleon disagrees and says it is nonsense. However, Snowball explains that life can be much easier with the windmill when, nine enormous dogs came bounding into the barndashing straight for Snowball. From here, we know that Napoleon is trying to get rid of Snowball. This shows a change as we can see Napoleon, who was equal and fair, suddenly gets rid of Snowball. This change in Napoleon helps us understand that Napoleon does not allow any opposition and that he is willing to betray others to maintain his control, which soon leads to dictatorship happening in the farm. George Orwell uses this example to show how humans can change, betray and get rid of others in order to gain power, by using force. This is an allusion of Stalin sending Trotsky into exile in 1929, because he had a large amount of supporters, including the Bolsheviks. Therefore by Napoleon using force against his opposition, we can understand that Napoleon is changing. The final change we see in Napoleon is when he chooses to kill Boxer. Animals on the farm are required to retire when they reach the age of about 12, so they can die naturally. Boxer, who is a hard-working horse, soon falls ill and reaches to the point where he cannot work anymore. However, instead of dying naturally, Napoleon and Squealer arrange plans to send Boxer over to the slaughterhouse. We can see that Napoleon is mistreating the animals to satisfy his own personal gains. This is shown when the animals say, from somewhere or other the pigs had acquired the money to buy themselves another case of whiskey. From here, we can tell that Napoleon had sent Boxer away for money. This shows a change, as Napoleon who was a fair and equal believer in animalism to a selfish and greedy animal soon

About the US Inspectors General

About the US Inspectors General A U.S. federal inspector general (IG) is the head of an independent, non-partisan organization established within each executive branch agency assigned to audit the agency’s operation in order to discover and investigate cases of misconduct, waste, fraud and other abuse of government procedures occurring within the agency. Within the federal agencies are politically independent individuals called Inspectors General who are responsible for ensuring that the agencies operate efficiently, effectively and legally. When it was reported in October 2006 that Department of Interior employees wasted $2,027,887.68 worth of taxpayer time annually surfing sexually explicit, gambling, and auction websites while at work, it was the Interior Departments own Office of Inspector General that conducted the investigation and issued the report. The Mission of the Office of Inspector General Established by the Inspector General Act of 1978, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) examines all actions of a government agency or military organization. Conducting audits and investigations, either independently or in response to reports of wrongdoing, the OIG ensures that the agencys operations are in compliance with the law and general established policies of the government. Audits conducted by the OIG are intended to ensure the effectiveness of security procedures or to discover the possibility of misconduct, waste, fraud, theft, or certain types of criminal activity by individuals or groups related to the agencys operation. Misuse of agency funds or equipment is often revealed by OIG audits. There are currently 73 offices of US inspectors general, far more than the initial 12 offices created by the Inspector General Act of 1978. Along with administrative staff and several financial and procedural auditors, each office employs special agents- criminal investigators who are often armed. The work of the IG offices involves detecting and preventing fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement of the government programs and operations within their parent agencies or organizations. Investigations conducted by the IG offices may target internal government employees or external government contractors, grant recipients, or recipients of loans and subsidies offered through federal assistance programs.   To help them carry out their investigative role, Inspectors General have the authority to issue subpoenas for information and documents, administer oaths for taking testimony, and can hire and control their own staff and contract personnel. The investigative authority of Inspectors General is limited only by certain national security and law enforcement considerations. How Inspectors General Are Appointed and Removed For the Cabinet-level agencies, Inspectors General are appointed, without regard to their political affiliation, by the President of the United States and must be approved by the Senate. Inspectors General of the Cabinet-level agencies can be removed only by the President. In other agencies, known as designated federal entities, like Amtrak, the U.S. Postal Service, and the Federal Reserve, the agency heads appoint and remove Inspectors General. Inspectors General are appointed based on their integrity and experience in: Accounting, auditing, financial analysisLaw, management analysis, public administrationInvestigations Who Oversees Inspectors General? While by law, Inspectors General are under the general supervision of the agency head or deputy, neither the agency head nor the deputy can prevent or prohibit an Inspector General from conducting an audit or investigation. The conduct of the Inspectors General is overseen by the Integrity Committee of the Presidents Council on Integrity and Efficiency (PCIE). How Do Inspectors General Report Their Findings? When an agencys Office of Inspector General (OIG) identifies cases of egregious and flagrant problems or abuses within the agency, the OIG immediately notifies the agency head of the findings. The agency head is then required to forward the OIGs report, along with any comments, explanations, and corrective plans, to Congress within seven days. The Inspectors General also send semiannual reports of all their activities for the past six months to Congress. All cases involving suspected violations of federal laws are reported to the Department of Justice, via the Attorney General.

The Negative Effects of Climate Change on Food Security in the Essay - 2

The Negative Effects of Climate Change on Food Security in the Caribbean - Essay Example Acid rain can take away important minerals from trees, plants, and soil (Smith et al., 2002). Without the presence of minerals in the soil, the plants and trees will not be able to grow properly. Based on this context, food security is being threatened because of insufficient supply of foods. Acid rain can cause serious harm to the plants and trees in the forest. In the absence of plants and trees in the forest, climate change such as the increase in the frequency and strength of extreme weather events like droughts, El Niňos, cyclones, heat waves, floods and king tides will become unavoidable (Choi, 2012). Similar to the negative impact of acid rain in the food security of the Caribbean, the presence of droughts, El Niňos, cyclones, heat waves, floods and king tides will also trigger a significant decrease in the country’s available food supply. Climate change is something that is uncontrollable by the humankind. For this reason, the only way to protect the food security of the Caribbean is to encourage its government to import and stock up at least three (3) to six (6) months supply of non-perishable food items. By doing so, the government of the Caribbean can ensure that there will always be food security for its people.

Why are there different perspectives on change within organizations Essay

Why are there different perspectives on change within organizations - Essay Example Bateman and Zaithaml (1990) assert that organizations must change because the environment within which they operate is constantly changing. They need to incorporate and implement change not only survive but also to maintain a competitive advantage within the industry. The various internal and external drivers of changes are intrinsically linked to performance outcome of the firm. They also influence the perspectives of people in the organization and therefore, directly or indirectly impact the performance of the organization. Therefore, they become vital factors to be evaluated and analysed for efficient exploitation by the managerial leadership. But at the same time, it is equally true that changes are perceived differently by different people and therefore, there is always an element of resistance within a group of people in the organization. Indeed, the different views on change within the organization can be explained because organizations have different goals, structures and org anizational culture that may necessitate different response to the defined change. The perception to change therefore is often influenced by multitude of issues which can be defined by individual ideologies and beliefs; group representation; individual and organizational competencies; power dynamics within the organizations; inter-cultural compulsions etc. ... The organizations, in totem, also have wide ranging reaction to the environmental changes. They adapt and exploit them to improve and improvise productivity. The people therefore become major factors within the organizations whose perceived value of the changes can have considerable impact on the outcome. The organizational perception to change needs to be evaluated and analyzed for gaining leverage in the highly competitive business environment. Thus, the diversity of issues and factors that promote different outlook to changes within the organizations would be discussed for developing more effective strategy of change management in the organization. Many social scientists have proposed four major determinants of change: the structural-functional, multiple constituencies, organizational development, and creativity and volition perspective (Jackson, 2003; Cyert & March, 1963; Shafritz and Ott, 1991; Pfeffer, 1981). The various propellants are primarily focused on optimal performance by changing inputs into desired output by the organizations. The structural-functional paradigm promotes changes that increase the productivity through increase in functional efficiency and structural modification. The Fordism highlights the increase of productivity through standardization of process. Change intervention becomes essential part of business strategy. Thus, businesses constantly look out for processes and means that would enhance their productivity and financial benefits. Multiple constituencies primarily focus on various stakeholders of the business which can have significant influence on the performance of the organization. The various linkages within and outside the organizational purview

Critical Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Critical Analysis - Essay Example disharmonious because in a democracy individual citizens have to make difficult political choices, with no guarantees that the choice is the correct solution. It is also disharmonious because the end results of public deliberations in any community on a controversial subject will differ, because of the autonomy that each individual enjoys in a democratic society. It is the perception of the author that disharmony in a democratic society will ebb only when there is mutual respect in the political choices made by the different individuals that make up the society. Quoting from Schumpeter 1943 p. 269, the author presents the understanding of democracy from the perspective of Schumpeter as â€Å"that institutional arrangement for arriving at political decisions in which individuals acquire the power to decide by means of a competitive struggle for peoples vote†. The author argues against this understanding of democracy. While pointing out to the strength of this understanding of democracy through its recognition of the basis of democracy in the competition for the votes of the people, the author derides its lack of projecting any value for the process of competing for the vote of the people. The author uses the example of the apartheid regime in South Africa and the rule of the Communist dictator Stalin to reinforce this argument. The author finds further support from Robert Dahl, 1989, who argues that such an understanding of democracy does not differentiate from autocracy. The author proposes that populist democracy as an understanding of is founded on the basis of â€Å"people ruling themselves as free and equal beings rather than being ruled by an external power or by a self-elected minority among themselves.† In other words the stress in populist democracy is on the will of the people. To this end then there are built in constraints to ensure that decisions in the democratic society reflect popular will. An example of this is in the rule of law, as against the