Government price analysis of direct and indirect costs Essay

Government price analysis of direct and indirect costs - Essay Example This may be affected by a number of barriers such as their identification. Many accounting analysts and auditors claim that, in particular, indirect costs cannot be identified in a direct manner. This may affect the analysis of indirect costs within the scope of sales of service or product (Ballard, 2007). Another underlying problem with the analysis of direct and indirect costs by government for pricing and taxation is the cross-sectional relationship of salaries and overheads. The relationship cannot be estimated easily until or unless financial outlook is immersed with analytical elements. These include identification of pools of rate development, weaknesses that might be identified and capital costs associated with the cost rates (Ballard, 2007). Thus, it will not be incorrect to state that every element as noted above needs to be considered during the analysis of indirect and directs costs. Considering the barriers of identification of indirect costs, it makes it complicated to estimate the cross-sectional relationship between the salaries and

Data Collection Methods Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Data Collection Methods - Essay Example An ‘alternative hypothesis’ is the opposite of null hypothesis and is developed to reject the initial claim of any research or statistician. A survey method (using questionnaire) is more feasible and appropriate for collecting primary information on consumers’ income level, attitudes, perceptions, tastes and preferences, restaurant’s location and internal environment etc. We have initiated this research project with an aim to enter in restaurant industry by offering an experience rather just selling our food products. Hence, it is essential to analyze our competitors’ market information i-e customers, food menu, location advantage, target market, prices etc. Hence, our group has decided to impersonate our identity and conduct a survey with customers who dine-in at our competitors to obtain their unbiased responses. Nevertheless, the ethical principles will not be violated as we will select participants after obtaining their free consent as well as ensure confidentiality. As studied in some Marketing Research textbooks, our group has received an insight that a sample refers to the group of people that are representatives of entire population. Nevertheless, a sample should be carefully chosen to avert possibility of biased responses. More specifically, it should be gender balanced and include people from various localities / neighborhoods / areas to obtain valuable information for a food business. It is worthwhile to mention that sample will be chosen after estimating and analyzing the population of two chosen cities. Indeed, the target market will then be decided so that Santa Fe Grill could offer its products to customers in an efficient and effective manner. Recall that sample should represent the population otherwise the results and findings would become inappropriate. Our group will consider Probability sampling method in formulating the sample size (or a minimum number of participants). This method would be beneficial in sample designing mainly because we have estimated probability of each sampling unity across two chosen cities.  

Methods to Evaluate Non Tariff Measures on Trade

Methods to Evaluate Non Tariff Measures on Trade Non-tariff measures are difficult to quantify as Tariff levels are published in tariff schedules, and these can be large, cumbersome and difficult to read. Non-tariff measures are politically sensitive and this may arise from the lobby activity of vested interests. Measures that are difficult to compute may also be less transparent, which helps to prevent public discussion. Several techniques may be used to evaluate the effect of non tariff measures for example ; data sources; Information about the effects on NTM’s can be gathered through different databases such as the ; 2013 National Trade Estimate Report on Foreign Trade Barriers which is organized each year by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to surveys important foreign barriers to U.S. exports, the European Unions Market Access Database, World Trade Organizations (WTO) Trade Policy Reviews and the World Integrated Trade Solutions (WITS) software developed by the World Bank which is described as Vald manole as a user friendly way . price gap measures; Non-tariff measuresincrease thepricepaidby consumers. The basic strategy method involves a comparison of prices before an dafter the NTM mark up where the difference is expressed as a Tariff equivalent. For example, the price of a product includes the cost of transport and insurance while wholesale of retail prices include the cost of transport. These factors must be removed from the observed price difference before the markup can be attributed to non-tariff measures. (Ferrantino,2006). Econometrics model The notable advantage of econometric analysis, relative to the â€Å"price gap†method, is that it can be used to study the trade effects of multiple non-tariff measures across multiple industries and countries simultaneously. They forecast that the price of trade between any two countries will be positively linked to the size of their economies and inversely connected to the distance (and other measures of trade costs)between them. Measures taken by the government to alleviate the impact of Non Tariff barriers Mauritius has effectively diversified its economic activities from a monocrop economy depending on sugar to an economy based on textile, tourism and financial services. Mauritius is regarded as a middle income country and ranks according the recent â€Å"Human Development Index† for 173 countries, Mauritius was ranked second in Africa. (Wikipedia) However, Non tariff measures are affecting Mauritian Trade. A workshop was organized on the 24 January 2013 by the International Trade Center (ITC) with the collaboration of the Mauritian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where the core results about non-tariff measures (NTMs) affecting Mauritian exporters were discussed, along with solutions and potential policy options. The ICT’s NTM Program Manager Poonam Mayhem claimed that â€Å"Though Mauritian companies enjoy preferential access in the EU market, they complained about the technical and conformity assessment requirements which they find cumbersome in these markets. Labelling, namely the need for labelling in various languages, was also considered to be an important non-tariff barrier† (Anon 2013). Moreover, a report claimed that 29% of burdensome NTMs were encountered within COMESA in which Mauritius is a member . Thus ,in order to alleviate this problem, the government has decided to take concrete measures to eliminate Non Tariff Barriers that are unjustified. The measures were announced by the Dr. the Hon. A. Boolell, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade at the opening of the Workshop on NTBs in September 2013.The measures are as follows : To eliminate some 26 trade measures considered as NTB’s after a study carried out by Strataconsult which identified those non tariff measures that hold no justification and had to be either streamlined or eliminated., relating mainly to import and export procedures in 2012. The launching of the Mauritius Trade Portal to empower businesses by granting with all the relevant information concerning the import and export procedures. â€Å"A more ambitious project currently being developed is the single window that will link all Government agencies concerned with trade procedures – the objective being for traders to complete all trade procedures on line†(Anon 2013). This system will help to meaningfully eliminate the quasi totality of Non Tariff Barriers in Mauritius. The Government is also collaborating with the International Trade Centre to carry out a survey with organizations to examine the factors affecting trade. Dwell time for the release of goods at the port and airport have been significantly improved since the construction of a one stop center by housing Customs and other agencies under one roof. The Ministry with the collaboration of the World Bank has codified all existing NTB’s so as to facilitate their streamlining or elimination. Some people from the World Bank was in Mauritius recently to help us in setting the permanent data collection tool on NTMs, modelled on a new classification method that is more user friendly. Other measures taken by the government COMESA-EAC-SADC Training Workshop In addition , the COMESA-EAC-SADC Training Workshop was also organized and targeted at enabling trade on Non-Tariff Barriers. Mauritius is ranked first in Sub-Saharan Africa in the â€Å"Ease of Doing Business index of the World Bank†. Mauritius is rated 20th globally in the â€Å"Ease of Doing Business index of the World Bank†, 2nd among SIDS economies and is in the top 10 worldwide for the ease of starting a business. We need to eliminate all weaknesses and difficulties to trade so as to gain more markets since no markets will be at risk if the needs of consumers are satisfied . The World Bank Database on ‘Non Tariff Measures’ Moreover, The World Bank Database on ‘Non Tariff Measures’ (NTMs), including a catalogue of some 6 000 tariff lines, was given to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade, Dr. Arvin Boolell, by the Ag Country Director of the World Bank, Mr. Constantine Chikosi, recently. The Database will allow Mauritius to carry out a regular study of the effects of NTMs on trade and competitiveness.It also facilitates exports by improving information on NTMs in export markets. It offers the government with necessary data to implement the right policies that improve the investment climate in competitiveness of Mauritian businesses. Measures taken in other countries are as follows: Elimination of NTM’S in the EU The elimination of NTM’s in the EU is based on three principles : â€Å"(i) non discrimination; (ii) mutual recognition; (iii) Community legislation to the functioning of the common market†(Carrà ¨re Jaime 2011). These values protect â€Å"the movement for goods, persons, services and capital and is the result of the abolition of customs duties, QRs, and measures having equivalent effect to customs duties†(Malouche et al. 2012). In addition, according to the European Commission, On 25 March 2013, the EU and Japan officially launched the negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement, which calls for the removal of EU duties and non-tariff barriers in Japan to merge together. They also enable the EU side to interrupt negotiations after one year if Japan does full fill its commitments to remove non-tariff barriers. Elimination of NTM’s in India India signed a framework contract for setting a free trade area with Thailand in October 2003. The agreementis similar toIndia-ASEANfree trade agreement. It also says that FTA should cover: (i)Non-tariff barriers (NTBs)imposed onany products covered in this Agreement,including, butnot limited toquantitative restrictions or prohibition on the importation of any product or on the export or sale for export of any products.(ii)Safeguards based on the GATT/WTO principles; (iii) Disciplines on subsidies and countervailing measures and anti-dumping measures based on the existing GATT discipline. The Government Oof India has also taken some internal measures like the instance, import restrictions levied certain products under Article XX. References Anon, 2014. â€Å"European Commission†. [online] Available From : http://ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/countries-and-regions/countries/japan/ [Accessed 27June 2014] Anon,2013. â€Å"Non-tariff measures affecting Mauritian Trade†. [online] Available From : http://www.intracen.org/Non-tariff-measures-affecting-Mauritian-trade/ [Accessed 27 June 2014] Carrà ¨re.,C and Jaime; (March 2011):†Non-Tariff Measures What Do We Know, What Might Be Done?†. MeloSource: Journal of Economic Integration, Vol. 26, No. 1, pp. 169-196 Published by: Center for Economic Integration, Sejong University Stable Malouche, M.,Cadot,O., Saez,S., 2012. â€Å"Streamlining Non-Tariff Measures†. [online] Available From : http://www.scribd.com/doc/93203908/Streamlining-Non-Tariff-Measures [Accessed 27 june 2014] Anon 2014. â€Å"EU and Japan exchange offer to open markets†.[online] Available From: http://www.euinjapan.jp/en/media/news/news2014/20140404/200044/ [Accessed 26 june 2014] Bacchetta et al ,2012. â€Å" World Trade Report Trade and Public Policies :A Closer Look at Non -Tariff Measures in the 21st Century† [online] Tomacinschi, L., Available From : http://www.scribd.com/doc/169205870/World-Trade-Report [Accessed 3rd July 2014] Anon â€Å"Origins Of The Wto And Its Transformation From Gatt International Law Essay† [online], Available From : http://www.ukessays.com/essays/law/origins-of-the-wto-and-its-transformation- from-gatt-international-law-essay.php [Accessed 14 July 2014] TheWorld Bank 2014 .,â€Å"Economy Rankings† [online], Available From :http://www.doingbusiness.org/rankings [Accessed 14 July 2014] Bose., A (2013) â€Å"Outsourcing to africa A Relative Ranking of 15 Country Locations† [online], Available From: http://www.slideshare.net/arindambos/outsourcing-to-africa-full-report-arindam-bose[Accessed 4 August 2014]

Efficacy of Portable Head CT Scan in the Neuroscience Intensive Care Un

Introduction: Portable Computed Tomography (CT) studies are an important component used to manage, assess and diagnose CNS diseases, and acute brain injuries, in the Neuroscience ICU (NICU). The portable device is designed specifically for head and neck scans for critically ill patients that are at risk for complications and increased morbidity during intrahospital transportation. Research has found evidence which substantiates that intrahospital transport of patients with brain injuries can impact their outcomes. Many hospital protocols dictate the use of portable head CT (pHCT) scanners to monitor and assess critically ill patients in the NICU, to decrease negative patient outcomes from intrahospital transportation. This is an important factor in reduction and prevention secondary injuries in critically ill patients. The intention of this paper is to critically analyze a research article entitled Portable Head CT Scan and its Effect on Intracranial Pressure (ICP), Cerebral Perfusion Pressure (CPP), and Brain Oxygen. First, there will be an article synopsis identifying the premise of the study. Second, validity of the study will be described and discussed. Lastly, this paper will discuss applicability to Neuroscience ICU at University of New Mexico (UNM) Hospital. Article Synopsis: The authors of this research article were from various Departments at University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. The researchers conducted a retrospective study to assess possible detrimental association of a pHCT on ICP, CPP, and brain oxygen in patients with severe brain injury. The retrospective study selected 34 patients (16 males and 18 females), with the mean age of 42 ( ±15 years), and Glasgow Coma Scores (GCS) ≠¤ 8 at the time of pHCT sca... ...eterious effects on patients. Conclusion: Peace et.al. raises a valid hypothesis that warrants further investigation in order to decrease the risks to patients on NICU and other units/ hospitals. In my opinion, studies with significant findings, reliability, high internal and external validity, are imperative in making changes in hospitals around the world to decrease secondary injury to patients. This study can possibly entice other researchers to develop a better study design and investigate the relationship between pHCT scans and ICP, CPP and brain oxygen, more vigorously. Works Cited Peace, K., Maloney-Wilensky, E., Frangos, S., Hujcs, M., Levine, J., Kofke, W.A., Yang, W., & Le Roux, P.D. (2011). Portable head CT scan and its effect on intracranial pressure,cerebral perfusion pressure, and brain oxygen. Journal of Neurosurgery, 114(5), 1479-1484.

Shadow Kiss Chapter 18

Eighteen EVERYTHING BECAME FUZZY after that. I had vague impressions of moving in and out of consciousness, of people saying my name, and of being in the air again. Eventually, I woke up in the school's infirmary and found Dr. Olendzki looking down at me. â€Å"Hello, Rose,† she said. She was a middle-aged Moroi and often joked that I was her number one patient. â€Å"How are you feeling?† The details of what had happened came back. The faces. Mason. The other ghosts. The terrible pain in my head. All of it was gone. â€Å"Fine,† I said, half-surprised to be saying those words. For a moment, I wondered if maybe it had all been a dream. Then I looked beyond her and saw Dimitri and Alberta looming nearby. The looks on their faces told me the events on the plane had indeed been real. Alberta cleared her throat, and Dr. Olendzki glanced back. â€Å"May we?† Alberta asked. The doctor nodded, and the other two stepped forward. Dimitri, as always, was a balm to me. No matter what happened, I always felt a little safer in his presence. Yet even he hadn't been able to stop what had happened at the airport. When he looked at me like he was now, with an expression of such tenderness and concern, it triggered mixed feelings. Part of me loved that he cared so much. The other part wanted to be strong for him and didn't want to make him worry. â€Å"Rose†¦Ã¢â‚¬  began Alberta uncertainly. I could tell she had no clue how to go about this. What had happened was beyond her realm of experience. Dimitri took over. â€Å"Rose, what happened back there?† Before I could utter a word, he cut me off. â€Å"And do not say it was nothing this time.† Well, if I couldn't fall back on that answer, then I didn't know what to say. Dr. Olendzki pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. â€Å"We only want to help you.† â€Å"I don't need any help,† I said. â€Å"I'm fine.† I sounded just like Brandon and Brett. I was probably only one step away from saying, â€Å"I fell.† Alberta finally regained herself. â€Å"You were fine when we were in the air. When we landed, you were most definitely not fine.† â€Å"I'm fine now,† I replied stonily, not meeting their eyes. â€Å"What happened then?† she asked. â€Å"Why the screaming? What did you mean when you said we needed to make ‘them' go away?† I briefly considered my other fallback answer, the one about stress. That sounded completely stupid now. So, again, I said nothing. To my surprise, I felt tears build up in my eyes. â€Å"Rose,† murmured Dimitri, voice as soft as silk against my skin. â€Å"Please.† Something in that cracked me. It was so hard for me to stand against him. I turned my head and stared at the ceiling. â€Å"Ghosts,† I whispered. â€Å"I saw ghosts.† None of them had expected that, but honestly, how could they have? Heavy silence fell. Finally, Dr. Olendzki spoke in a faltering voice. â€Å"W-what do you mean?† I swallowed. â€Å"He's been following me for the last couple of weeks. Mason. On campus. I know it sounds crazy – but it's him. Or his ghost. That's what happened with Stan. I locked up because Mason was there, and I didn't know what to do. On the plane†¦ I think he was there too †¦ and others. But I couldn't exactly see them when we were in the air. Just glimpses†¦ and the headache. But when we landed in Martinville, he was there in full form. And – and he wasn't alone. There were others with him. Other ghosts.† A tear escaped from my eye, and I hastily wiped at it, hoping none of them had seen it. I waited then, not sure what to expect. Would someone laugh? Tell me I was crazy? Accuse me of lying and demand to know what had really happened? â€Å"Did you know them?† Dimitri asked finally. I turned back and actually met his eyes. They were still serious and concerned, no mockery. â€Å"Yeah †¦ I saw some of Victor's guardians and the people from the massacre. Lissa's†¦Lissa's family was there too.† Nobody said anything after that. They all just sort of exchanged glances, hoping perhaps that one of the others might shed light on all this. Dr. Olendzki sighed. â€Å"Could I speak with the two of you privately?† The three of them stepped out of the examining room, shutting the door behind them. Only it didn't quite catch. Scrambling off the bed, I crossed the room and stood by the door. The tiny crack was just enough for my dhampir hearing to pick up the conversation. I felt bad about eavesdropping, but they were talking about me, and I couldn't shake the feeling that my future was on the line here. † – obvious what's going on,† hissed Dr. Olendzki. It was the first time I'd ever heard her sound so irate. With patients, she was the picture of serenity. It was hard to imagine her angry, but she was clearly pissed off now. â€Å"That poor girl. She's undergoing post-traumatic stress disorder, and it's no wonder after everything that's happened.† â€Å"Are you sure?† asked Alberta. â€Å"Maybe it's something else†¦Ã¢â‚¬  But as her words trailed off, I could tell she didn't really know of anything else that would explain it. â€Å"Look at the facts: a teenage girl who witnessed one of her friends getting killed and then had to kill his killer. You don't think that's traumatic? You don't think that might have had the tiniest effect on her?† â€Å"Tragedy is something all guardians have to deal with,† said Alberta. â€Å"Maybe there's not much to be done for guardians in the field, but Rose is still a student here. There are resources that can help her.† â€Å"Like what?† asked Dimitri. He sounded curious and concerned, not like he was challenging her. â€Å"Counseling. Talking to someone about what happened can do worlds of good. You should have done that as soon as she got back. You should do it for the others who were with her while you're at it. Why doesn't anyone think of these things?† â€Å"It's a good idea,† said Dimitri. I recognized the tone in his voice – his mind was spinning. â€Å"She could do it on her day off.† â€Å"Day off? More like every day. You should pull her from this entire field experience. Fake Strigoi attacks are not the way to recover from a real one.† â€Å"No!† I had pushed open the door before I realized it. They all stared at me, and I immediately felt stupid. I'd just busted myself for spying. â€Å"Rose,† said Dr. Olendzki, returning to her caring (but slightly chastising) doctor mode. â€Å"You should go lie down.† â€Å"I'm fine. And you can't make me quit the field experience. I won't graduate if you do.† â€Å"You aren't well, Rose, and there's nothing to be ashamed of after what's happened to you. Thinking you're seeing the ghost of someone who died isn't too out there when you consider the circumstances.† I started to correct her on the thinking you're seeing part but then bit it off. Arguing that I'd really seen a ghost wasn't probably going to do me any favors, I decided, even if I was starting to believe that was exactly what I was seeing. Frantically, I tried to think of a convincing reason to stay in the field experience. I was usually pretty good at talking myself out of bad situations. â€Å"Unless you're going to put me in counseling 24/7, you're just going to make it worse. I need something to do. Most of my classes are on hold right now. What would I do? Sit around? Think more and more about what happened? I'll go crazy – for real. I don't want to sit on the past forever. I need to get moving with my future.† This threw them into an argument about what to do with me. I listened, biting my tongue, knowing I needed to stay out of it. Finally, with some grumbling from the doctor, they all decided I would go on half-time for the field experience. It proved to be the ideal compromise for everyone – well, except me. I just wanted life to go on exactly as it had. Still, I knew this was probably as good a deal as I'd get. They decided that I'd do three days of field experience a week, with no night duties. During the other days, I'd have to do some training and whatever bookwork they dug up for me. I'd also have to see a counselor, which I wasn't thrilled about. It wasn't that I had anything against counselors. Lissa had been seeing one, and it had been really useful for her. Talking things out helped. It was just†¦well, this was just something I didn't want to talk about. But if it came down to this or being kicked out of the field experience, I was more than happy to go with this. Alberta felt they could still justify passing me on half-time. She also liked the idea of having counseling going on at the same time I was dealing with fake Strigoi attacks – just in case they really were traumatizing. After a bit more examination, Dr. Olendzki gave me a clean bill of health and told me I could go back to my dorm. Alberta left after that, but Dimitri stuck around to walk me back. â€Å"Thanks for thinking of the half-time thing,† I told him. The walkways were wet today because the weather had warmed up after the storm. It wasn't bathing suit weather or anything, but a lot of the ice and snow were melting. Water dripped steadily from trees, and we had to sidestep puddles. Dimitri came to an abrupt stop and turned so that he stood right in front of me, blocking my path. I skidded to a halt, nearly running into him. He reached out and grabbed my arm, pulling me closer to him than I would have expected him to do in public. His fingers bit deep into me, but they didn't hurt. â€Å"Rose,† he said, the pain in his voice making my heart stop, â€Å"this shouldn't have been the first time I heard about this! Why didn't you tell me? Do you know what it was like? Do you know it was like for me to see you like that and not know what was happening? Do you know how scared I was?† I was stunned, both from his outburst and our proximity. I swallowed, unable to speak at first. There was so much on his face, so many emotions. I couldn't recall the last time I'd seen that much of him on display. It was wonderful and frightening at the same time. I then said the stupidest thing possible. â€Å"You're not scared of anything.† â€Å"I'm scared of lots of things. I was scared for you.† He released me, and I stepped back. There was still passion and worry written all over him. â€Å"I'm not perfect. I'm not invulnerable.† â€Å"I know, it's just†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I didn't know what to say. He was right. I always saw Dimitri as larger than life. All-knowing. Invincible. It was hard for me to believe that he could worry about me so much. â€Å"And this has been going on for a long time too,† he added. â€Å"It was going on with Stan, when you were talking to Father Andrew about ghosts – you were dealing with it this whole time! Why didn't you tell anyone? Why didn't you tell Lissa †¦ or †¦ me?† I stared into those dark, dark eyes, those eyes I loved. â€Å"Would you have believed me?† He frowned. â€Å"Believed what?† â€Å"That I'm seeing ghosts.† â€Å"Well†¦ they aren't ghosts, Rose. You only think they are because – â€Å" â€Å"That's why,† I interrupted. â€Å"That's why I couldn't tell you or anybody. Nobody would believe me, not without thinking I'm crazy.† â€Å"I don't think you're crazy,† he said. â€Å"But I think you've been through a lot.† Adrian had said almost the exact same thing when I asked him how I could tell if I was crazy or not. â€Å"It's more than that,† I said. I started walking again. Without even taking another step, he reached out and grabbed me once more. He pulled me back to him, so that we now stood even closer than before. I glanced uneasily around again, wondering if someone might see us, but the campus was deserted. It was early, not quite sunset, so early that most people probably weren't even up for the school day yet. We wouldn't see activity around here for at least another hour. Still, I was surprised to see Dimitri was still risking it. â€Å"Tell me then,† he said. â€Å"Tell me how it's more than that.† â€Å"You won't believe me,† I said. â€Å"Don't you get it? No one will. Even you †¦ of all people.† Something in that thought made my voice catch. Dimitri understood so much about me. I wanted – needed – him to understand this too. â€Å"I'll†¦try. But I still don't think you really understand what's happening to you.† â€Å"I do,† I said firmly. â€Å"That's what no one realizes. Look, you have to decide once and for all if you really do trust me. If you think I'm a child, too na?ve to get what's going on with her fragile mind, then you should just keep walking. But if you trust me enough to remember that I've seen things and know things that kind of surpass those of others my age†¦well, then you should also realize that I might know a little about what I'm talking about.† A lukewarm breeze, damp with the scent of melted snow, swirled around us. â€Å"I do trust you, Roza. But†¦ I don't believe in ghosts.† The earnestness was there. He did want to reach out to me, to understand†¦but even as he did, it warred with beliefs he wasn't ready to change yet. It was ironic, considering tarot cards apparently spooked him. â€Å"Will you try to?† I asked. â€Å"Or at the very least try not to write this off to some psychosis?† â€Å"Yes. That I can do.† So I told him about my first couple of Mason sightings and how I'd been afraid to explain the Stan incident to anyone. I talked about the shapes I'd seen on the plane and described in more detail what I'd seen on the ground. â€Å"Doesn't it seem kind of, um, specific for a random stress reaction?† I asked when I finished. â€Å"I don't know that you can really expect ‘stress reactions' to be random or specific. They're unpredictable by nature.† He had that thoughtful expression I knew so well, the one that told me he was turning over all sorts of things in his head. I could also tell that he still wasn't buying this as a real ghost story but that he was trying very hard to keep an open mind. He affirmed as much a moment later: â€Å"Why are you so certain these aren't just things you're imagining?† â€Å"Well, at first I thought I was imagining it all. But now †¦ I don't know. There's something about it that feels real†¦ even though I know that isn't actually evidence. But you heard what Father Andrew said – about ghosts sticking around after they die young or violently.† Dimitri actually bit his lip. He'd been about to tell me not to take the priest literally. Instead he asked, â€Å"So you think Mason's back for revenge?† â€Å"I thought that at first, but now I'm not so sure. He's never tried to hurt me. He just seems like he wants something. And then †¦ all those other ghosts seemed to want something too – even the ones I didn't know. Why?† Dimitri gave me a sage look. â€Å"You have a theory.† â€Å"I do. I was thinking about what Victor said. He mentioned that because I'm shadow-kissed – because I died – I have a connection to the world of the dead. That I'll never entirely leave it behind me.† His expression hardened. â€Å"I wouldn't put a lot of stock in what Victor Dashkov tells you.† â€Å"But he knows things! You know he does, no matter how big an asshole he is.† â€Å"Okay, supposing that's true, that being shadow-kissed lets you see ghosts, why is it happening now? Why didn't it happen right after the car accident?† â€Å"I thought of that,† I said eagerly. â€Å"It was something else Victor said – that now that I was dealing in death, I was that much closer to the other side. What if causing someone else's death strengthened my connection and now makes this possible? I just had my first real kill. Kills, even.† â€Å"Why is it so haphazard?† asked Dimitri. â€Å"Why does it occur when it does? Why the airplane? Why not at Court?† My enthusiasm dimmed a little. â€Å"What are you, a lawyer?† I snapped. â€Å"You question everything I'm saying. I thought you were going to have an open mind.† â€Å"I am. But you need to too. Think about it. Why this pattern of sightings?† â€Å"I don't know,† I admitted. I sagged in defeat. â€Å"You still think I'm crazy.† He reached out and cupped my chin, tipping my face up to look at his. â€Å"No. Never. Not one of these theories makes me think you're crazy. But I've always believed the simplest explanation makes sense. Dr. Olendzki's does. The ghost one has holes. But, if you can find out more†¦then we may have something to work with.† â€Å"We?† I asked. â€Å"Of course. I'm not leaving you alone on this, no matter what. You know I'd never abandon you.† There was something very sweet and noble about his words, and I felt the need to return them, though mostly I ended up sounding idiotic. â€Å"And I won't ever abandon you, you know. I mean it†¦ not that this stuff ever happens to you, of course, but if you start seeing ghosts or anything, I'll help you through it.† He gave a small, soft laugh. â€Å"Thanks.† Our hands found each other's, fingers lacing together. We stood like that for almost a full minute, neither of us saying anything. The only place we touched was our hands. The breeze picked up again, and although the temperature was probably only in the forties, it felt like spring to me. I expected flowers to burst into bloom around us. As though sharing the same thought, we released our hands at the same time. We reached my dorm shortly after that, and Dimitri asked if I'd be okay going in on my own. I told him I'd be fine and that he should go do his own thing. He left, but just as I was about to step through the lobby door, I realized my overnight bag was still back at the med clinic. Muttering a few things that would have gotten me a detention, I turned around and hurried back in the direction I'd just come. Dr. Olendzski's receptionist motioned me toward the examining rooms when I told her why I was there. I retrieved the bag from my now-empty room and turned into the hall to leave. Suddenly, in the room opposite mine, I saw someone lying in bed. There was no sign of any of the clinic's staff, and my curiosity – always getting the better of me – made me peek inside. It was Abby Badica, a senior Moroi. Cute and perky were the adjectives that usually came to mind when I described Abby, but this time, she was anything but. She was bruised and scratched up, and when she turned her face to look at me, I saw red welts. â€Å"Let me guess,† I said. â€Å"You fell.† â€Å"W-what?† â€Å"You fell. I hear that's the standard answer: Brandon, Brett, and Dane. But I'll tell you the truth – you guys need to come up with something else. I think the doctor's getting suspicious.† Her eyes went wide. â€Å"You know?† It was then that I realized my mistake with Brandon. I'd come at him demanding answers, which had made him reluctant to share anything. Those who'd questioned Brett and Dane had faced similar results. With Abby, I realized that I just had to act like I already knew the answers, and then she'd give up the information. â€Å"Of course I know. They told me everything.† â€Å"What?† she squeaked. â€Å"They swore not to. It's part of the rules.† Rules? What was she talking about? The royal-bashing vigilante group I'd been picturing didn't really seem like the type to have rules. There was something else going on here. â€Å"Well, they didn't have much of a choice. I don't know why, but I keep finding you guys afterward. I had to help cover for them. I'm telling you, I don't know how much longer this can go on without someone asking more questions.† I spoke like I was a sympathizer, wanting to help if I could. â€Å"I should have been stronger. I tried, but it wasn't enough.† She looked tired – and in pain. â€Å"Just keep quiet until everything's set, okay? Please?† â€Å"Sure,† I said, dying to know what she'd â€Å"tried.† â€Å"I'm not going to drag anyone else in. How'd you even end up here? You're supposed to avoid attracting attention.† Or so I assumed. I was totally making this up as I went along. She grimaced. â€Å"The dorm matron noticed and made me come in. If the rest of the Man? finds out, I'm going to get in trouble.† â€Å"Hopefully the doctor'll send you on your way before any of them find out. She's kind of busy. You've got the same marks as Brett and Brandon, and none of theirs were that serious.† So I hoped. â€Å"The†¦uh, burn marks were a little tricky, but they haven't had any problems.† It was a gamble in my game here. Not only did I have no clue about the specifics of Brett's injuries, I also didn't actually know if those marks Jill had described on him were burns. If they weren't, I might have just blown my insider act. But, she didn't correct me, and her fingers absentmindedly touched one of the welts. â€Å"Yeah, they said the damage wouldn't last. I'll just have to make up something for Olendzki.† A small flicker of hope shone in her eyes. â€Å"They said they wouldn't, but maybe†¦maybe they'll let me try again.† It was at that moment that the good doctor returned. She was surprised to see me still there and told me I needed to get back home and rest. I said goodbye to both of them and trekked back out into the cold. I barely noticed the weather as I walked, though. Finally, finally, I had a clue in this puzzle. Man?.

Creon and Koro in the play Antigone by Sophocles Essay

Throughout history, the tragic hero has virtually not changed at all. The play, Antigone, written by the Greek playwright Sophocles and the book Whale Rider, written by Witi Ihimaera, has extremely comparable characters. Regardless of being written thousands of years apart, both story lines are very similar in relation to the tragic heroes. Antigone is the story of a woman who is trying to bury her brother’s body, despite the king, Creon’s, ruling against. The play tells of Antigone and Creon’s struggle against each other leading to Antigone’s eventual death. Whale Rider portrays the story of a young Maori girl who is trying to become the leader of her tribe. The young girl, Paikea (Pai), is persistently blocked by Koro. Creon and Koro, the two tragic heroes are comparable in their lack of equality towards women, their similar tragic flaw of too much hubris and their elitist views directed toward people around them. Creon and Koro both share a lack of resp ect towards woman. Creon continually exhibits his contempt towards women in Antigone. When Creon is talking to his son, Haimon, regarding Antigone’s death, he condemns him by saying that, â€Å"Your pleasure with her would soon grow cold, Haimon, and then you’d have a hellcat in bed and elsewhere† (716). Creon believes that because Antigone is a woman, she can be easily replaced. Creon makes it known that he does not think Antigone is important at all and neglects to acknowledge that Haimon might have any affection or love for Antigone, which is why he thinks that he can always replace her. Koro too has the identical sexist reaction towards women such as Pai right from when she was born. Koro refuses to even hold Pai because she is a girl, and because she is a girl she cannot become a leader. Throughout the film, Koro has hatred that is clearly directed towards Pai. Koro thinks that because Pai is a girl, she is not strong enough to be a leader, or to do anything practical. When Koro tests the male students at his school and none of the boys succe ed in finding the whale tooth and Pai does, Koro chooses to overlook the fact that the gods choose Pai as the next Maori leader. Koro clearly has a harsh sexist attitude that remains until Pai almost drowns, when she is actually trying to save the whales to show Koro she is the leader and is strong. Although Koro and Creon exhibit these anti-female outlooks from the start their stories, the conclusions of each are different. While Creon’s sexist attitude remains until the end of the story, Koro changes in the end of Whale Rider. Koro identifies where he was wrong  and corrects himself, while Creon thinks of himself as higher than women until the end of the story and does not change his sexist attitude. Creon and Koro both have hubris and have way too much pride for their own good. In Antigone, Creon is going to be Antigone’s father in law because of Antigone and Haimon’s love for each other, but regardless of their family relation, Creon shows no compassion or sympathy. When Creon realizes that the person who buried Polyneices is Antigone, he condemns her to death. Creon commands Antigone’s death despite the fact that he does not want to because of their close relationship, all because of his pride. If Creon were to release Antigone it would make hi m look weak and Creon could not have that reputation. This displays how Creon would rather his title be strong than the existence of a family member. When the Choragos attempts to tell Creon to free Antigone, he admits that it is difficult to overcome his pride. Creon tells him that â€Å"it is hard to give in! But it is worse to risk everything for stubborn pride† (731). Creon thinks what he has been doing throughout the story is right and he does not see his mistakes, which lead to his decline at the end of the story. Koro is closely related to Creon in the sense that he is also incapable of conquering his own arrogance. Throughout the movie, Whale Rider, Pai persistently strives to show her grandfather her strength and even goes as far as trying to join the school Koro establishes because she wants to learn the proper way to be the leader of the Maori culture. Koro continuously neglects Pai and denotes her every move because he believes that only a male can be the leader, he cannot put his pride aside to let a new leader emerge. Koro teaches the boys at his school to use a taiaha which is generally something only boys do, however Pai secretly follows Koro’s lessons and learns from her taiaha winning champion uncle how to use the taiaha and ends up beating Hemi, one of Koro’s male students. Koro is furious when he finds out, which only leads to a worse relationship between Koro and Pai, which is not the result Pai was looking for. This shows how his hubris is interfering with an obvious calling for a new leader. When Koro believes that he has failed at finding a new leader, he refuses to let Pai be the leader because he has pushed her away so much. When the whales beach themselves, Pai rides the whales back into the water and saves them. By doing this, Koro realizes and is now aware that Pai, who was the one person he did not allow to try and achieve his  power, was the one person destined to be the leader. His pride keeps him from selecting the leader the Maori culture needs, but Koro learns his mistakes at the end of the story, whereas Creon does not get a second chance to redeem himself. Creon and Koro have very comparable views on higher powers and neither of the men listens to higher powers nearly as much as they should. Creon disregards the gods’ intimations throughout the play up until his own life is at risk. When Antigone takes matters into her own hands and buries Polyneices, Creon’s opinion is that the gods agree with him about not burying Polyneices and whoever disobeys him should be punished. When the Choragos questions him if the gods may be responsible for the burial of Polyneices, he responds, â€Å"’The gods!’ Intolerable!† (703). Creon is enraged that someone has the nerve to inquire that the gods may be against him. Creon intentions are not to please the gods, but have people believe that the gods are on his side, therefore allowing Creon control over his people. Koro is very similar to Creon as he does not ask for help from his ancestors until he is in trouble. Koro’s search throughout the movie is to find a new leader for the Maori culture, however he only uses the ancestors for help when the whales beach themselves and does not ask the gods earlier on because he wants to be the one to handpick his own leader. Koro only eventually called out for the gods after he has been unsuccessful at finding a new leader. Ironically, at Koro’s school, he preaches to the boys to put their trust in their ancestors; however he does not trust in the gods as much as he stresses to the boys because he does not ask for the gods power when he fails at finding a new leader and predictably spends days mourning in his own wrong doings. Both Creon and Koro lack much faith in their higher powers and are hypocritical in the way that they preach to others to believe in their higher powers, but do not do so themselves. Both Creon and Koro exemplify sexist attitudes throughout the Greek tragedy and film, along with their lack of humbleness and their personality that reflects on them thinking they have a higher rank than everyone. The tragic heroes in â€Å"Antigone† and Whale Rider, Creon and Koro, are very similar. Their closeness shows that the tragic hero has not changed in the past three thousand years. The stories both have women trying to persevere in a world where they have less rights, and strong leaders trying to suppress them.

Olympic Athlete - Tommie Smith essays

Olympic Athlete - Tommie Smith essays OLYMPIC ATHLETE REPORT ON TOMMIE SMITH: I RECEIVED AN A+ ON THIS PAPER... The late 1960s was a period of tumultuous uproar and uncertainty. Using the World of Crayola Crayons as an analogy, the two primary colors that were at the center of this turmoil were black and white. For illustration purposes, lets say someone takes a black crayon and draws a straight line on a white piece of paper. Now, if someone handed you the piece of paper and told you to analyze it, what would your first thought be? What the heck is a black line doing on the white piece of paper, right? Although this example may be perceived as childish, from a humanitarian standpoint, it demonstrates the position that America was in during the 1960s. At the pinnacle of the sixties were the assassinations of J.F.K., Malcolm X, and the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Then of course there was the establishment of the United Farm Workers Association by Cesar Chavez. And dont forget about the hippie movement, the Cuban Missle Crisis, the emergence of the infamous Motown sound, and the first men to walk on the moon. Ahhh... and finally, who could forget the valiant, yet controversial display of black pride exhibited by John Carlos and Tommie Smith at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico. Tommie Smith was born on June 12, 1944, in Clarksville, Texas. Tommie later attended San Jose State, where he was coached by another Hall of Famer, Bud Winter. At a height of 6-3 and 185 pounds, Tommie Smith was said to have had an ideal build for a long sprinter. He was the record holder for the 200-meter dash from 1966 to 1971. His best time was 19.83 seconds, which was the first time that this distance was run in less than twenty seconds. Tommie was also a record holder for the straightaway 200-yard dash from 1965 to 1979, in 19.5 seconds. He was a member of the 4X4 200-meter relay team that set a world record of 1 minute, 22.1 seconds. The rec...

Artificial Intelligence Essay Example

Artificial Intelligence Essay Example Artificial Intelligence Essay Artificial Intelligence Essay Artificial intelligence is a growing development in daily life. From new computers to advanced cybernetic organisms, Artificial intelligence is leading the way in making human life easier. A common misunderstanding with artificial intelligence is that the created has to be capable of thought and actions, where as it is as simple as gathering and processing data. With research and development growing and private companies expanding their capabilities, artificial intelligence is being used to cure diseases, provide mobility to the disabled, and helping us to understand human life. Artificial Intelligence in the medical field is one of the biggest advancements that we have today. One example of artificial intelligence in the medical field would be the HAL robot suit that was created by Cyberdyne. This suit was designed to improve physical capability. When a person attempts to move, nerve signals are sent from the brain to the muscles by a Moto neuron that moves the musculoskeletal system as a sequence. The HAL suit detects signals on the skin through a sensor and based on what signals were picked up will then move the joint unitedly with the personâ„ ¢s muscle movement. The HAL suit was designed to be used for paraplegics and other disabled people, heavy labor support at factories, and rescue support for disasters. The HAL suits are very beneficial and bring hope to the people who could benefit from it. The Creators of HAL have not only made robots to help the disabled but to also provide entertainment, such as a robot to play Ping-Pong with or a robot bartender who could mix and serve you any drink you wish. Although many people would love to benefit and own robots such as these I think the most important idea is to build and create robots to help humans with everyday problems such as medical illnesses or robots that could help keep the world safe. An example of advancement in the A.I. field of medicines would be the development of nanotechnology. Nano technology is the engineering of functional systems at the size of a molecule. Nano technology refers to the ability to construct machines at molecule size; which enables the use of delivering things such as medications to patients. For example, nanotechnology could deliver drugs, heat, light, or other substances to specific types of cells. In the understanding Nano article it explains how particles are engineered to be attracted to diseased cells, which allows direct treatment of those cells. This basically reduces the risks of damaging the healthy cells and allows for earlier detection of a disease that might be present. There are actually Nano sized particles that are under development to deliver chemotherapy medications directly to the cancer cells. According to CytImmune Scienceâ„ ¢s website the tests are in progress and pending the final approval for use on actual cancer patients, with this type of technology and development this could be huge break through in the medical field once the tests are proven accurate and the FDA allows further productions to the public. Another example of artificial intelligence is the development of a noninvasive brain implant. When I first started my research on this I was very surprised to read about it, I would have never thought that this could be possible. Basically the brain implant is implanted on the actual skull but is completely covered by skin, this enables the paralyzed person to think a movement because the implant picks up on the sensors within the personâ„ ¢s skin. This implant is called the BioBolt. According to Wise who is the founding director of the NSF Engineering Research Center for Wireless Integrated Microsystems (WIMS ERC) The Ultimate goal is to be able to reactivate paralyzed limbs, by picking up neural signals from the brain cortex and transmitting those signals directly to muscles. Even though researchers say the technology is years away, with the continuing of the research and furthering with the development it could come sooner than we all think, BioBolt could help with controlling epilepsy and other diseases such as Parkinsonâ„ ¢s. Although artificial intelligence is and can be beneficial on a medical standpoint it could also be beneficial to the civilian world, all the possibilities can provide such as labor work or machines that can do handy stressful tasks that would need more than 1 human. A.I. could make life a whole lot easier, there are already robots that can play ping pong against a human, play chess against a champion chess player, but what if we had robots to help with construction on roads or houses. What if we had robots to do most of our handy work in half the time that a human could An interesting robot I found was in the form of a fish. The Japanese government is funding this robot in order to protect the waters from leaking contaminants from Fukushima. This underwater robot was designed to be completely waterproof and can actually swim like a real fish. The fish is also equipped with a pollution-detecting instrument within and a WIFI module that sends data to its user. This would be completely handy and less dangerous compared to sending an actual human to check out the leak and depending on how far down it is could depend on how much money is being used to fund that particular project. Further development of this project sounds completely harmless and beneficial to the humans and our waters. Artificial Intelligence could be the development into the future; with all these technological advancements coming out now I wouldnâ„ ¢t be surprised to see a huge A.I. breakthrough in our future. As for now we are currently surrounded by artificial intelligence, although it may not be in the form of robots we really do have it everywhere. A.I. in computer technology is in things such as our computers, our smart phones, even our blu-rays. Private sector companies have been attempting to make break through with science and technology, from the fast 3G capable cellphones, to the latest and greatest 4G. Private companies have been the leading the way due to vast amounts of private money and investors. With out the help from these entrepreneurs, our private lives would not have the capacity to allow for advanced technology in medicine, mobility to the immobile, and help us to understand human life.

Aaron Burr - Biography and the Duel with Hamilton

Aaron Burr - Biography and the Duel with Hamilton Aaron Burr is mostly remembered for a single violent act, the fatal shooting of Alexander Hamilton in their famous duel in New Jersey on July 11, 1804. But Burr was also involved in a number of other controversial episodes, including one of the most disputed elections in American history and a peculiar expedition to the western territories that resulted in Burr being tried for treason. Burr is a puzzling figure in history. He has often been portrayed as a scoundrel, a political manipulator, and a notorious womanizer. Yet during his long life Burr had many followers who considered him a brilliant thinker and a gifted politician. His considerable skills allowed him to prosper in a law practice, win a seat in the U.S. Senate, and nearly attain the presidency in a startling feat of deft political gamesmanship. After 200 years, Burr’s complicated life remains contradictory. Was he a villain, or simply a misunderstood victim of hardball politics? Early Life of Aaron Burr Burr was born in Newark, New Jersey, on February 6, 1756. His grandfather was Jonathan Edwards, a famous theologian of the colonial period, and his father was a minister. Young Aaron was precocious, and entered the College of New Jersey (present day Princeton University) at the age of 13. In the family tradition, Burr studied theology before becoming more interested in the study of law. Aaron Burr in the Revolutionary War When the American Revolution broke out, the young Burr obtained a letter of introduction to George Washington, and requested an officers commission in the Continental Army. Washington turned him down, but Burr enlisted in the Army anyway, and served with some distinction in a military expedition to Quebec, Canada. Burr did later serve on Washington’s staff. He was charming and intelligent, but clashed with Washington’s more reserved style. In ill health, Burr resigned his commission as a colonel in 1779, before the end of the Revolutionary War. He then turned his full attention to the study of the law. Burrs Personal Life As a young officer Burr began a romantic affair in 1777 with Theodosia Prevost, who was 10  years older than Burr and also married to a British officer. When her husband died in 1781, Burr married Theodosia. In 1783 they had a daughter, also named Theodosia, to whom Burr was very devoted. Burr’s wife died in 1794. Accusations always swirled that he was involved with a number of other women during his marriage. Early Political Career Burr began his law practice in Albany, New York before moving to New York City to practice law in 1783. He prospered in the city, and established numerous connections that would prove useful in his political career. In the 1790s Burr advanced in New York politics. During this period of tension between the ruling Federalists and the Jeffersonian Republicans, Burr tended not to align himself too much with either side. He was thus able to present himself as something of a compromise candidate. In 1791, Burr had won a seat in the U.S. Senate by defeating Philip Schuyler, a prominent New Yorker who happened to be the father in law of Alexander Hamilton. Burr and Hamilton had already been adversaries, but Burr’s victory in that election caused Hamilton to hate him. As a senator, Burr generally opposed the programs of Hamilton, who was serving as secretary of the treasury. Burrs Controversial Role in the Deadlocked Election of 1800 Burr was the running mate of Thomas Jefferson in the presidential election of 1800. Jefferson’s opponent was the incumbent president, John Adams. When the electoral vote produced a deadlock, the election had to be decided in the House of Representatives. In the prolonged balloting, Burr  utilized his considerable political skills and nearly pulled off the feat of bypassing Jefferson and gathering enough votes to win the presidency for himself. Jefferson finally won after days of balloting. And in accordance with the Constitution at the time, Jefferson became president and Burr became vice president. Jefferson thus had a vice president he didn’t trust, and he gave Burr virtually nothing to do in the job. Following the crisis, the Constitution was amended so the scenario of the 1800 election could not occur again. Burr was not nominated to run with Jefferson again in 1804. Aaron Burr and the Duel With Alexander Hamilton Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr had been conducting a feud since Burr’s election to the Senate more than 10  years earlier, but Hamilton’s attacks on Burr became more intense in early 1804. The bitterness reached its climax when Burr and Hamilton fought a duel. On the morning of July 11, 1804 the men rowed across the Hudson River from New York City to a dueling ground at Weehawken, New Jersey. Accounts of the actual duel have always differed, but the result was that both men fired their pistols. Hamilton’s shot did not strike Burr. Burrs shot struck Hamilton in the torso, inflicting a fatal wound. Hamilton was brought back to New York City and died the next day. Aaron Burr was portrayed as a villain. He fled and  actually went into hiding for a time, as he feared being charged with murder. Burrs Expedition to the West The once-promising political career of Aaron Burr had been stalled while he served as vice president, and the duel with Hamilton effectively ended any chance he may have had for political redemption. In 1805 and 1806 Burr plotted with others to create an empire consisting of the Mississippi Valley, Mexico, and much of the American West. The bizarre plan had little chance for success, and Burr was charged with treason against the United States. At a trial in Richmond, Virginia, which was presided over by Chief Justice John Marshall, Burr was acquitted. While a free man, his career was in ruins, and he moved to Europe for several years. Burr eventually returned to New York City and worked at a modest law practice. His beloved daughter Theodosia was lost in a shipwreck in 1813, which further depressed him. In financial ruin, he died on September 14, 1836, at the age of 80, while living with a relative on Staten Island in New York City. Portrait of Aaron Burr courtesy of New York Public Library Digital Collections.

Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 20

Economics - Essay Example In this context, it is proposed to study the case of Aer Lingus, the national carrier of Ireland, whose existing promotional mix shall be analyzed thereby helping provide a foundation to devise an improved marketing and communication plan that can be used to enhance the brand awareness thereby increasing the number of customers in the long run. Travelling to Ireland has never been cheaper. Be it travelling from North America across the transatlantic route or from any destination in Europe, the price disparity between destinations in Ireland and neighboring England is bewildering and more often than not the so called ‘budget’ airlines that promote a no frills offer have often left customer paying more than what they would have spent on a regular flight. Besides, all this is without the regular refreshments on offer. The most prominent form of advertising strategy currently followed by Aer Lingus relies extensively on the Internet wherein the primary emphasis is on flights to and from Ireland. The company has grown from a small carrier to Ireland’s principal carrier by thriving on the idea of the ‘no-frills airline’ concept, a business model that has been adopted by several European airlines such as Ryan air and Easyjet. Additionally, Aer Lingus offers inter - continental flights to and from the United States in addition to the newly opened route to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. Most of Aer Lingus’ branding is based on web based advertising wherein it has adopted a bidirectional approach. For customer hailing from within Ireland, the company has used the local print and mass media through newspapers and television in order to keep the brand name afresh among the people. Secondly, in order to generate business from overseas customer flying into Ireland, the airline has established partnerships with several airline booking websites such as www.momondo.com,

BUSINESS LAW I (BUS 231) contract six ways an offer may be terminated Essay

BUSINESS LAW I (BUS 231) contract six ways an offer may be terminated - Essay Example Although, in some instances, a person under below 18 years may be forced to sign an agreement but this depends on the contract type. First, it should have a subject of an agreement. The subject should indicate the conditions or contract terms made between two people. Therefore, the subject should have a permitted policy or legal matter. Secondly, the agreement should be considerable. Consideration is a valuable element in a contract, and it consists of the legal damage and negotiation. A legal damage is an agreement of refraining from causing damage. The purpose of this element is to ensure that there should be a negotiation rather than making inquiries in case one party is subjected to a loss or not (Keenan and Sarah 56). Thirdly, it should be competent to form an agreement. In this case, competency needs a minimum age and psychological capability of understanding the agreement. For instance, organization can engage in contracts but through actions of the required labor force who are competent in binding the contract. Fourthly, it should have lawful relationship meaning that the purpose of the agreement is to pr oduce legitimate relations. Lastly, the agreement ought to have an offer and be acceptance. This means that the parties involving in the contract should make a bid or tender. Therefore, the tender should be acceptable meaning that it should provide satisfaction and meet the required standards for a reason. In this case, one party makes a tender and another one accept it because sometimes misunderstandings may occur. Therefore, the offer should satisfy both parties and have some evidence connected in conduct manifesting the agreement for both parties involved in the contract. There are varied ways through which an offer may be terminated. First, through revocation whereby the offeror may cancel the agreement before the offeree admits it. This is termed as revocation or invalidation; thus, the offer will be

Organizational Diagnosis in MBA Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Organizational Diagnosis in MBA - Assignment Example The survey also found that â€Å"RIMs BlackBerry smartphone was the leading choice in Canada, outpacing the Apple iPhone.† (News 7). Market research firm Comscore Canada gave following important figures from the results of the survey of 5,000 people. The Comscore found that the â€Å"top smartphone platform in Canada was RIM (42 percent), followed by Apple (31 percent) and Android (12.2 percent).† (Paul Sakuma 7) The Associated Press reported in USA TODAY that the â€Å"Palm sales figures showed it's having a difficult time getting consumers to pay attention to its phones in a market dominated by iPhones and BlackBerrys. The company shipped 960,000 smartphones to stores and distributors in the quarter that ended Feb. 26, 23% more than in the previous quarter. However, the number of phones that were actually bought by consumers was 408,000, down 29% from the previous quarter. By comparison, Apple sold 8.7 million iPhones in its most recent quarter.†(Svenson 8) The product and services of Palm Inc. were revised last year by introducing a new phone operating system, webOS. Its the basis for a new line of phones, led by the Pre, that have won critical praise but haven't turned the company's fortunes around. A reinforcing loop is â€Å"one in which an action produces a result which influences more of the same action thus resulting in growth or decline. The reinforcing loop is one of the two foundational structures of systems thinking, the other being the Balancing Loop.† (Bellinger 7) The reinforcing loop of Palm Inc. illustrated in figure 1 show that uncompetitive products are returned back with the diminishing sale. The major line of products of Palm Inc. is smartphones which have a tough competition with Apple iPhone and RIM’s Blackberry and now Google’s Android. â€Å"Some analysts have said the window of opportunity for Palm may be closing."

Juvenile gang in Birmingham, AL Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Juvenile gang in Birmingham, AL - Research Paper Example This paper will examine the nature of gang problem in Birmingham, Alabama. Gang presence in Birmingham, Alabama is a real problem just as it is in the various states that make up the US. A gang may be defined as a group of 2 or more people, who come together for the common purpose of acquiring financial and/or political benefits through illegal means (Delaney, 2005). To achieve this, gang members utilize violence, intimidation, harassment and other unconventional means to establish and maintain their influence and significance in areas, which they perceive as their territories. Gangs, therefore, are a major threat to security within their areas of operation and though the federal government and state governments have continued to arrest and prosecute gang members, not much has been achieved (Delaney, 2005). This paper is a critical evaluation of gangs and gang related crimes in Birmingham, Alabama. Gang violence in Birmingham, Alabama is not a new phenomenon especially due to the fact that it is one of the places in the US, which are rich destinations for immigrants (Howell, 2011). However, the authorities, in the past, have continued to downplay and under report gang existence probably in an effort to mask their inability to deal with the problem. On the other hand, some law enforcers and community leaders especially in the FBI gang taskforce have acknowledged the rising cases of gang behavior especially in the young population comprising mostly of school children. The taskforce observed that immigration of people of Hispanic origin to the region has been one of the major contributing factors to gang behavior in the area as they are known to have the culture of influencing and participating in organized criminal activities such as drug and gun trafficking. Reports indicate that gangs, such as SUR 13, which is highly associated with Mexican mafia, have

To what extent Thatcherism was hegemonic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

To what extent Thatcherism was hegemonic - Essay Example In what follows I want to explore his novel White Chappell, Scarlet Tracings as a text that uses the city as the site of opposition, as the locale for a critique of dominant ideology (John Corner and Sylvia Harvey, 1991: p. 11.) As many commentators have observed, the period of Thatcher's rule was one in which monetarist policies of enterprise and the manipulation of the nation's history went hand in hand. This relationship transformed a number of elements of English national identity. Gone was the post-war optimism in which Britain embraced a far more egalitarian form of social organisation. As John Corner and Sylvia Harvey assert of Thatcherism: "Freedom and independence derive not from civil rights but from choices exercised in the market (Perry Anderson, "The Figures of Descent", 1992, p. 184.) The sovereignty that matters is not that of king or queen, the lord or the white man, but the sovereignty of the consumer within the marketplace. Massive levels of personal debt and widespread unemployment marked this perceived sovereignty of the consumer. Indeed, as Raphael Samuels suggests, Thatcher's rhetoric managed to effectively obfuscate the fact that her government's policies led to a drastic rise in household debt, from 8 per cent at the beginning of her Prime Minister ship to 14 per cent by its conclusion. In 1983 close to 30 per cent of the London population were living, or in danger of living, below the poverty line. The inner city areas in particular suffered from high unemployment and substandard housing amid the proliferation of the modern movement's tower block public housing. Many commentators as necessary to slim the bloated government running costs and spiralling national production under Labour regarded the economic policies of Thatcherism. Yet as Perry Anderson has argued, Thatcherism economic record was based on luck as much as effective management. Thatcherism claimed that the Union movement was crippling British production, responsible for a downturn in productivity. Its draconian treatment of Union's in the miner's strike of 1984/5 was therefore portrayed as an economic necessity (Jerry White, London in the Twentieth Century, 2002. p. 222.) Antonio Gramsci's concept of Hegemony Hegemony was a concept previously used by Marxists such as Lenin to indicate the political leadership of the working-class in a democratic revolution, but developed by Gramsci into an acute analysis to explain why the 'inevitable' socialist revolution predicted by orthodox Marxism had not occurred by the early 20th century. Capitalism, it seemed, was even more entrenched than ever. Capitalism, Gramsci suggested, maintained control not just through violence and political and economic coercion, but also ideologically, through a hegemonic culture in which the values of the bourgeoisie became the 'common sense' values of all. Thus a consensus culture developed in which people in the working-class identified their own good with the good of the bourgeoisie, and helped to maintain the status quo rather than revolting (Gramsci, Antonio (1971). The working class needed to develop a culture of its own, which would overthrow the notion that bourgeois values represented 'natural'

To what extent Thatcherism was hegemonic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

To what extent Thatcherism was hegemonic - Essay Example In what follows I want to explore his novel White Chappell, Scarlet Tracings as a text that uses the city as the site of opposition, as the locale for a critique of dominant ideology (John Corner and Sylvia Harvey, 1991: p. 11.) As many commentators have observed, the period of Thatcher's rule was one in which monetarist policies of enterprise and the manipulation of the nation's history went hand in hand. This relationship transformed a number of elements of English national identity. Gone was the post-war optimism in which Britain embraced a far more egalitarian form of social organisation. As John Corner and Sylvia Harvey assert of Thatcherism: "Freedom and independence derive not from civil rights but from choices exercised in the market (Perry Anderson, "The Figures of Descent", 1992, p. 184.) The sovereignty that matters is not that of king or queen, the lord or the white man, but the sovereignty of the consumer within the marketplace. Massive levels of personal debt and widespread unemployment marked this perceived sovereignty of the consumer. Indeed, as Raphael Samuels suggests, Thatcher's rhetoric managed to effectively obfuscate the fact that her government's policies led to a drastic rise in household debt, from 8 per cent at the beginning of her Prime Minister ship to 14 per cent by its conclusion. In 1983 close to 30 per cent of the London population were living, or in danger of living, below the poverty line. The inner city areas in particular suffered from high unemployment and substandard housing amid the proliferation of the modern movement's tower block public housing. Many commentators as necessary to slim the bloated government running costs and spiralling national production under Labour regarded the economic policies of Thatcherism. Yet as Perry Anderson has argued, Thatcherism economic record was based on luck as much as effective management. Thatcherism claimed that the Union movement was crippling British production, responsible for a downturn in productivity. Its draconian treatment of Union's in the miner's strike of 1984/5 was therefore portrayed as an economic necessity (Jerry White, London in the Twentieth Century, 2002. p. 222.) Antonio Gramsci's concept of Hegemony Hegemony was a concept previously used by Marxists such as Lenin to indicate the political leadership of the working-class in a democratic revolution, but developed by Gramsci into an acute analysis to explain why the 'inevitable' socialist revolution predicted by orthodox Marxism had not occurred by the early 20th century. Capitalism, it seemed, was even more entrenched than ever. Capitalism, Gramsci suggested, maintained control not just through violence and political and economic coercion, but also ideologically, through a hegemonic culture in which the values of the bourgeoisie became the 'common sense' values of all. Thus a consensus culture developed in which people in the working-class identified their own good with the good of the bourgeoisie, and helped to maintain the status quo rather than revolting (Gramsci, Antonio (1971). The working class needed to develop a culture of its own, which would overthrow the notion that bourgeois values represented 'natural'

Aproaches to learning - Theories of learning styles and learning strategies Essay Example for Free

Aproaches to learning Theories of learning styles and learning strategies Essay Kolb (1984), in introducing the idea of the experiential learning cycle and of learning styles, defines learning as the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of expertise. He suggests that ideas are not fixed but are formed and modified through current and past experiences. His learning cycle consists of four stages; completing each stage is important to improve learning in the next stage : Active Experimentation (The learner actively uses the theories formed and also tries them in new situations. The latter takes him back to the start of the cycle. ) Concrete Experience (The learner is encouraged to become involved in new experiences. ) Reflective Observation (The learner reflect on his experience from different perspective. Enough time and supportive feedback is helpful in this stage. ) Abstract Conceptualisation (The learner forms ideas and logical theories. ) Of course, not everyone acts in the same way, some prefer considering all possible alternatives whilst others like trying out as much as possible. Hence, Kolb associated four learning styles with his learning cycle: the Converger, who applies ideas in a practical way, the Accommodator, who carries out plans and tasks involving him in new experiences, the Diverger, who has good imagination and ideas, and finally the Assimilator, who creates theoretical models. Kolb also points out that learning styles are not fixed personality traits but relatively stable patterns of behaviour. Based on Kolbs model Honey and Mumford (1992) developed a similar model with new terms for Kolbs learning preferences (Honey and Mumford terms in brackets): Active Experimentation (Activist) Concrete Experience (Pragmatist) Reflective Observation (Reflector) Abstract Conceptualisation (Theorist) According to Honey and Mumford four learning styles can be distinguished: the Activist, the Pragmatist, the Reflector, and the Theorist: Activists strengths: Acting quickly; interested in actually doing things Putting ideas into action Activists weaknesses Lack of planning and attention to detail Unlikely to consider many alternatives Pragmatists strengths Integrating theory and practice. Testing things out to get correct solutions Pragmatists weaknesses Lack of imagination Impatient Not interested in concepts and theories Reflectors strengths: Collecting data from variety of sources Reflecting on experiences Reflectors weaknesses: Needs a lot of time before he is able to start Dislike precise instructions Theorists strengths Creating theoretical models Paying attention to detail and systematic analysis Theorists weaknesses Overcautious Relies on logic and usually does not trust feelings Needs a stated purpose. Honey and Mumford developed a Learning Styles Questionnaire to be used as a checklist to identify ones learning preference. Kolb states the combination of all four learning forms produces the highest level of learning by allowing more powerful and adaptive forms of learning to emerge. But still, there is the danger of labelling people as theorists or pragmatists although most people exhibit more than one strong preference. To overcome this problem other theorists, e. g. Schmeck (1988) and Entwistle (1998), use the expression learning strategy which also includes personal traits. According to them people can not be labelled because they usually react flexibly on learning, depending on the expected outcome: A student may read a book about the British history because he is actually interested in or because he needs to read it to pass an exam. Either way involves learning, but in the second case the student is unlikely to take notes about facts he is interested in but those the tutor may ask. Bibliography: Bendrey, M. et al (1996), Accounting and Finance in Business. London: Continuum. Cottrell, S. (2003) The Study Skills Handbook. New York: Palgrave Macmillian. Entwistle, N. (1998) Styles of Learning and Teaching. London: David Fulton Publishers. Brown, R. and Hawksley, B. (1996) Learning skills, studying styles and profiling. Dinton: Mark Allen Publishing. Honey, P. and Mumford, A. (1992) The manual of learning styles, Maidenhead: Peter Honey Publications Ltd. Honey, P. and Mumford, A. (2000) The learning styles helpers guide. Maidenhead: Peter Honey Publications Ltd. Kolb, D. A. (1984) Experiential learning: experience as the source of learning and development. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall.

Competitive advantage of Nations

Competitive advantage of Nations INTRODUCTION â€Å"The Competitive Advantage of Nations† was written by Professor Michael Porter in 1990 and it includes a new theory about the prosperity of national and regional competitiveness according to their economic resources. The president of USA, Ronald Regan supports his ideas by giving him an appointment and the book was analyzed and followed by many different countries government as an economic policy. National success is not heritage, it is created. The classical economics indicators are not sufficient to develop the counties economy such as natural resources, labour power, interest rates. In todays competitive business world, the target of all big firms is to take advantages against their rivals. Strong and aggressive domestic competition between the companies bring benefit to the firms because todays international market is very wild and relentless. The ability of innovate and upgrade of an industry play very significant role to provide nations competitiveness. That is to say, a nations competitiveness is based on the creativity and the power of doing new product in an industry. (Michael Porter, 2008) Nations have very important role during the globalization period on the world. One of the most significant issue is to create, improve and assimilation of knowledge in process of developing nation. Because of the differences in national properties such as their structure of economy, culture, history and institutions, a country can not be success in all industries. At the end of the period, nations prosperity is occurred in a particular industry depending as their national environments and dynamics. (Michael Porter, 2008) According to sovereign thought, the most powerful subjects which affect the determination process of competitiveness are labour costs, interest rates, exchange rates and economies of scale. In todays market, the most popular words for the companies are merger, alliance, strategic partnership, collaboration and supranational. (Michael Porter, 2008) A multinational enterprise is a company that tries to be active all over the world trade market independently from any country or nation. (Pride, Hughes, Kapoor, 2008) PORTER DIAMOND OF NATIONAL ADVANTAGES The aims of international trade in classical theories introduce that competitive advantage of nation depend on the factor endowments which comes from the past. The factor endowments cover land, natural resources, labor, and size of the local population. Michael E. Porter has presented new factors that affect the national competitiveness. Some of the new advanced endowments that Porter submits are skilled labor, a strong technology and knowledge base government support, and culture. Porter used a diagram, when he illustrates the determinants of national advantages, which is called Porters diamond. Porters Diamond Diagram The characteristic properties of diamond and the diamond as a whole the diamond contents that lead to a national comparative advantage. These contents are: 1- the availability of resources and skills, 2- information that companies use to make decision which way to keep on those resources and skills, 3- the individual goals of firms 4- the ability of innovation and investment in companies The explanations of diamond point are in below: * Factor Conditions: A country constitutes its own ideal factors such as the knowledge and technology base. The capacity of upgrade and distribution of factors are more important than the stock of factors at a given time period. And the last thing is, the drawback of producing a innovation which is based on the local situation. In contrast if there is a condition such as labor shortage or scarce raw materials push firms to improve new methods, and this innovation provide benefits to nation in international market. * Demand Conditions: When the foreign market is smaller than the local one for a specific product, local firms pay all their attention to this product than do the other markets, leading to a competitive advantage when the local firms begins exporting the product. More demanding provides national advantage and a powerful, trend-setting local also provide the local firms to lead global trend. * Related and Supporting Industries: When intermediate industries are competitive, firms provide cost effective and innovative inputs. It is a strengthened effect when the supplier and competitor is the same firm in the global market. * Firm Strategy, Structure, and Rivalry: Company strategy is affected by local situation. These strategic and structural differences help the nations firms to choose which types of industries they will excel. In Porters Five Forces model, low rivalry made an industry attractive. In this process firms should be innovate and improve themselves because of the local rivalry in long run. However, in general situation, firms refer less rivalry in competitive market. Sites; Michael E. Porter, On Competition, Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 1998. Pride, Hughes, Kapoor, Business, Houghton Mifflin Company, 9th, 2008 http://drfd.hbs.edu/fit/public/facultyInfo.do?facInfo=biofacEmId=mporter http://www.quickmba.com/strategy/global/diamond/ http://www.themanager.org/models/diamond.htm

Sexual Deviances Essay examples -- Papers

Sexual Deviances Sexual disorders are categorized into three general groups. The groups are sexual dysfunctions, sexual deviations, and homosexuality. These are not necessary abnormal, but what is considered out of the norm by either the mental health establishment, or society, or both. The first group, sexual dysfunctions, have increased significantly over the last decade. Which, in turn, has increased the progress in the study and treatment of sexual dysfunctions. One important aspect that came out of William masters and Virginia Johnson’s research is classifying the various forms of dysfunctions. Closely related is Kaplan’s system which groups sexual dysfunctions according to the phase in the sexual response cycle in which they occur. There are three phases in the sexual response cycle. The first one, called the desire phase, involves sexual fantasies and interest in sexual activity. Failure to feel this in either a man or woman is called hypoactive sexual desire. The second phase is called the excitement phase. In this phase, the sexual fantasy, or encounter is usually followed by physiological changes. The absence or weakness of these responses is called erectile dysfunction (or impotence) in men, and general sexual dysfunction in women. The third phase is called the orgasm phase. This is the phase of sexual response. If the man is unable to exert control, and ejaculates very quickly, this is called premature ejaculation. If, on the other hand, ejaculation is greatly delayed, or does not happen at all, this is called retarded ejaculation. A delay or absence of orgasm in women is called orgastic dysfunction. There are two more types of sexual dysfunction that do not fit comp... ... called ego-dystonic homosexuality, and it does not include people who are suffering from adjustment problems because the society they live in do not accept their sexuality. While the human sexual impulse is capable of gratification through a wide range of outlets, Western society tends to regard heterosexual coitus as the only normal outlet. In the years to come this might differ slightly, due to the rapidly changing ideas of the modern world. Opening the doors of thought will lead minds into knew ways of thinking, which in turn shows the youth of tomorrow not to be ashamed of who they are. Bibliography: Acocella, Joan Ross. Abnormal Psychology: Current Perspectives. New York: Random House. 1972. Coon, Dennis. Introduction to Psychology: Exploration and Application. Santa Barbara City College: West Publishing Company. 1977.

Essay --

This project aims to demonstrate how multi-disciplinary coordination use in BIM can benefit the AEC (Architecture, Engineering & Construction) industry. It focuses on BIM applications for effective design analysis, productive design and coordination. BIM offers most advantages early during the design stage. Design validation co-ordination and scheduling are some of early tasks in construction. By using the data information from the design stage 3D BIM or by generating a new BIM model based on 2D design intent and specification documents, the team can start early in validating design intent constructability by performing clash detections, 3D coordination and visualization of different discipline, and by 4D modelling or construction sequencing simulation. This early task in construction is both beneficial for early construction planning and also during the construction proper stage itself. This report is to show the qualities of BIM and the influence it will have on the quantity surveying profession, through the opportunities and barriers that it brings forth, and the changes to be made and measures to be taken by quantity surveyors, in order to successfully incorporate BIM into the quantity surveying profession. 2. INTRODUCTION This assignment showcases the typical set of BIM processes from the creation of a conceptual design to tender stage. The key intention of the project assignment was set to illustrate the benefits in the Design & Planning phases of a typical construction development, with the implementation of BIM technologies and processes. The deliverable of this report is to highlight the benefits in the proper implementation of BIM into the early stages of a building lifecycle 2.1. Project Background Project L... ...onstruction. 4D Modelling is a modern approach to design and management of the building construction process. It allows effective utilization of critical resources such as labour, materials and time during the building construction life cycle. Construction projects are scheduled according to the availability of resources and depend on many external factors. As time progresses these parameters also change and hence it is important to keep a check on important activities to finish the project without any significant delays. The popular 3D building information model does not help in establishing the relationship between the schedule and sequence of construction activities to be carried out during the project execution. A 4D model incorporates time as the added 4th dimension and hence improves the quality and accuracy of the entire building life cycle management.

One of the Freedom Fighters; Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Essay

Martin Luther King, Jr. was born on January 15, 1929. He was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for his role in the advancement of civil rights using nonviolent civil disobedience. A Baptist minister, King became a civil rights activist early in his career. He led the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott and helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in 1957, serving as its first president. King’s efforts led to the 1963 March on Washington, where King delivered his â€Å"I Have a Dream† speech. On October 14 1964, King received the Nobel Peace Prize for combating racial inequality through nonviolence. In the next few years leading up to his death, he expanded his focus to include poverty and the Vietnam War. King was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977 and Congressional Gold Medal in 2004; Martin Luther King, Jr. Day was established as a U.S. federal holiday in 1986. Hundreds of streets in the U.S. and beyond have been renamed in his honor. Here’s an excerpt from his famous speech â€Å"I have a dream†: I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: â€Å"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.† I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today! I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of â€Å"interposition† and â€Å"nullification† — one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers. I have a dream today! I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; â€Å"and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.†

Guns in School Essay

There should be no guns in class room. Because it may cause more violence in the school and cause more school shootings. Kids may find the gun and use it against others. Also some younger kids may feel threatened with a gun in the class room. However assuming that any teacher and kid would not go on a killing spree yes it could be a good idea, but considering most school shooting are caused by children/teens it is not a logic idea. We do not need more guns in schools I personally think that we need less guns in schools these days. There is no valid reason for there to be guns in schools unless it is owned by a police officer. Guns in schools lead to negative things and it should not happen. Say you have a fresh-faced, doe-eyed new teacher, 22 years old and starting their first day as a teacher. Now you’ve handed them a firearm and tell them that they have to have this gun with them at all times. Now the teacher might have a background with guns and be OK with that, but maybe they don’t. Perhaps they’re one of these ‘pansy liberals’ that get so much flack in the circles that think they should be armed. Well this teacher now has to make a decision, should they carry a gun on themselves and be forced to keep the student at arms length, thus hampering the learning environment, or should they simply let a multitude of kids get right up against the weapon? Well obviously we shouldn’t be giving kids the opportunity to get at the weapon, and we don’t want to hamper the learning experience, so let’s give the teacher a gun safe to put it in. Now a few months pass and this safe is opened once or twice to check on the gun, because after all gun violence is still very minimal in the US despite what people on FB might shout. However this safe has to be readily available so that the teacher can get to it in times of emergency, but that means it’s also readily available to curious and mischievous kids too. A kid will find a way to get into any locked compartment if they are determined to. Anyone who thinks this isn’t the case hasn’t been around kids. So now we have a kid with a gun, maybe the kid shoots a friend, maybe themselves, maybe the teacher. The point is this policy introduced the capability for gun violence. Now of course you can argue that ‘good’ kids wouldn’t do this. And maybe you’re right, but the schools that people always say are most in need for this sort of thing (impoverished, urban, etc) are also those that have the highest amount of children with various mental and behavioral disabilities. If you really think that it is a good idea to bring a gun into a classroom to ‘protect’ students, you haven’t been in a classroom in a long time, or you’re still an ignorant child.

An analysis of chapter five’s significance to the novel as a whole including some of the novel’s broader issues & concerns

This novel is about a boy called Alem. The book concentrates on the issues of immigration and those closely affected by it, the main character in the book is a young boy called Alem who has fled his country of origin Ethiopia because of growing tensions between Ethiopia and its neighbouring country Eritrea. Alem's mother is from Eritrea and his father is from Ethiopia and those two countries are in war that's why his family are not accepted in both countries because of Alem's mixed heritage and his families mixed marriage, they are firstly driven from their home in Ethiopia by the local police and then they face prejudice in Eritrea. His dad felt it's insecure for Alem to stay in Eritrea while the war going on between those two countries. Alem's father took him on a holiday to England but Alem is unaware of his father's plan, which is to leave Alem in England until this was is over. In their arrival in England they stay in a hotel after few days of sight seeing Alem's father leaves Alem in the hotel and go back to Eritrea. Before chapter five Alem meets Pamela and Mariam who works in the refugee council. They helped Alem to apply for asylum seekers to stay in England. Until the home office processing the asylum application, they found a children home for Alem to stay. Chapter five is one of the significant chapter in the whole novel because its shows the development of novel it builds up the tension so the readers can get excited to find out what is going to be the next step of the novel. In this chapter most of the characters are introduced. Chapter 5 begins with Alem arriving at the children's home and a description of what the place looks like and how it makes Alem feel. He is firstly introduced to a worker at the children's home named Sarah Cohen who shows him around the place informs him of the rules and regulation of the place. During the exploration of the home Alem meets another worker named Tom Whittaker and a man named Dave he notices a boy sitting by himself and is informed that this boys name is Mustafa. While he is still being showed around the place he meets his soon to be enemy Sweeney for the first time in the smoker's room. Sweeny later demands Alem to get some biscuits. When Alem refused to get biscuits for Sweeney they start arguing, Tom hears the argument and Alem explains to Tom the whole situation and then Tom makes Sweeny apologise for anti social behaviour. Alem meets his room partner called Stanley Burton who is orphan and depress in his arrival Stanley tells Alem his own story of why he's at the children's home. All the characters behaviors in the children's house show how unorganized asylum systems. However there are some people who are emotionally attach in their past for e.g. Stanley Burton is mentally ill but no one in the children's house take him seriously about the effects his having on his mind. After chapter five the story largely concentrates on Alem's struggles to familiarise him to this foreign land. He goes to the refugee camp. He gets bullied, but where he also manages to make some friends. Alem had a fight with Sweeney but makes friends with Mustafa and decides to run away from the children's home. He gets lots of support from the Refugee Council, who fined a better place for him to stay. His been fostered by a family. It was difficult for him to adjust in another house with new people but he manages to stay with them. He starts going to a school and again he face racism and bullies in school. Meanwhile the trouble in Ethiopia and Eritrea is gathering rapidity. His mums died in the war and his dad comes back to England to live with his son. Alem's get really happy and excited to have one of his family members around him. The government refused to give them permission to stay in England. After couple of weeks his father also passed way in a car accident. In my opinion Benjamin Zephaniah wrote this story in order to educate people of the growing problems of the way refuges are treated in this country. He is trying to give people an understanding of the way a young refuge might look at our country and what they might think of our customs. He is also showing that underneath skin colour, culture and customs we all think and are alike. Benjamin Zephaniah intentions and objective are to demonstrate the anguish and struggles that many asylum seekers have to go through in England. The author took ideas from many writers and books, which are related to refugees to make this book unique and special to the readers. He attempt to influence the readers with a combination of layout, emotions are raised, and guilt is created to feel sorry for Alem and it shows how to be strong when people have to deal with problematic situation that they face while they are living in a children's home. Chapter 5 is very important to the story because it shows Alem and no mater where he is aggression follows him. I felt this chapter have really emotional attach to it. Many characters are introduced in this chapter because some of the characters encouraged Alem to become a stronger person and some of the characters are shown to bully him so he can show his strength to stand up for himself. In this chapter it showed the position of each character. He learns to make a judgment on other characters. This chapter is very important because it shows how the system works and it's the beginning of all the struggles for Alem for e.g. living independently, getting bullied etc. This chapter sounds different than other chapter of the novel because its sound more dramatic, helpless, angry and showing his strength. The other sound was informative, balance and controlled. He shows responsibility, development of his knowledge by dealing with problematic situation and trying to adjust in a new environment. This chapter seems so realistic. It is a simple chapter to read because it has a good solid plot and structure of the book makes it easier to understand roles of each character. It shows how the main character of the novel starts living independently. This chapter expose Alem's character by showing amazing strength to keep standing in the toughest time while he was at the children's home for e.g. one of the boy wants him to get some biscuits but Alem replied ‘I don't want any biscuits. If you want biscuits you get them yourself'. It shows that he is not scared of anyone, he is a straightforward person who wants to stay out of trouble but he is not scared to tell the truth. The main character is Alem this is because he is someone who can be trust and empathize in the whole novel. He is the only character in the whole novel. The whole novel was written to explore this character. Alem is well presented to show his strength and weaknesses. This is a unique character because he's the refugee and all the other characters are the supporting character to help Alem to get justice. Alem is the central character in the book because the author believed that the easiest way to tell the story of a refugee would be by telling it through the eyes of Alem, this would help the audience to imagine themselves in the place of a refugee. I think that chapter 5 is a real turning point in the story because it reveals more of Alem's character then other chapters so it makes it easier for the audience to formularise themselves with Alem's character. It is an excellent topic about which to write because there are rarely books about this particular topic and I believe people should be informed. The story line is thoughtful for me and it proved to be a stimulating and moving experience. The message behind this novel was to inform people how refugees used to get treated in the past. Benjamin Zephaniah understood the character this is because he did endure racism in his childhood when he arrived from Africa. He can relate this book to his own life.