American red cross

The American Red Cross, otherwise known as ARS, was founded by visionary leader Clara Barton in 1881. She was inspired by the work of the international Red Cross while she was in Europe during the Franco- Prussian War of 1870-1871. She was so inspired that she brought the model back to the United Stated and led the organization through its first domestic and international relief missions, including assisting the U. S. military during the Spanish-American War in 1898.The Red Cross was chartered by the United States Congress to â€Å"carry on a system of national and international relief in time of peace and apply the same in mitigating the sufferings caused by pestilence, famine, fire, floods, and other great national calamities, and to devise and carry on measures for preventing the same. † The Charter is unique to the Red Cross because it assigns duties and obligations to the nation, to disaster survivors, and to the people who generously support their work through donations. Red Cross disaster relief focuses on meeting people's immediate emergency needs caused by disaster. When disaster threatens or strikes, the Red Cross provides shelter, food, and health and emotional health service to address basic human needs and assist individuals and families in resuming their normal daily activities independently. The Red Cross also feeds emergency workers like fire fighters and police, handles inquiries from concerned family members outside the disaster area, provides blood and blood products to disaster victims, and helps them access other vailable resources.Each year, the American Red Cross immediately responds to about 70,000 natural and man-made disasters in the U. S. , ranging from fires to hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, hazardous materials spills, transportation accidents and explosions. People count on the Red Cross to help them in their darkest hour. In turn, the support of donors makes it possible for the Red Cross to fulfill its humanitari an mission. They are deeply grateful for the generosity of individuals, corporations and foundations who invest in the Red Cross. American red cross The American Red Cross, otherwise known as ARS, was founded by visionary leader Clara Barton in 1881. She was inspired by the work of the international Red Cross while she was in Europe during the Franco- Prussian War of 1870-1871. She was so inspired that she brought the model back to the United Stated and led the organization through its first domestic and international relief missions, including assisting the U. S. military during the Spanish-American War in 1898.The Red Cross was chartered by the United States Congress to â€Å"carry on a system of national and international relief in time of peace and apply the same in mitigating the sufferings caused by pestilence, famine, fire, floods, and other great national calamities, and to devise and carry on measures for preventing the same. † The Charter is unique to the Red Cross because it assigns duties and obligations to the nation, to disaster survivors, and to the people who generously support their work through donations. Red Cross disaster relief focuses on meeting people's immediate emergency needs caused by disaster. When disaster threatens or strikes, the Red Cross provides shelter, food, and health and emotional health service to address basic human needs and assist individuals and families in resuming their normal daily activities independently. The Red Cross also feeds emergency workers like fire fighters and police, handles inquiries from concerned family members outside the disaster area, provides blood and blood products to disaster victims, and helps them access other vailable resources.Each year, the American Red Cross immediately responds to about 70,000 natural and man-made disasters in the U. S. , ranging from fires to hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, hazardous materials spills, transportation accidents and explosions. People count on the Red Cross to help them in their darkest hour. In turn, the support of donors makes it possible for the Red Cross to fulfill its humanitari an mission. They are deeply grateful for the generosity of individuals, corporations and foundations who invest in the Red Cross.

Individual Risk Management Essay

The objective of risk management is to develop response actions to minimize the impact of possible negative events during every phase of a project. The process also works to increase the impact of the positive events and mitigate the problems associated with making changes (Project Management Institute,  © 2013). The risks in many projects are multifaceted in nature because the positive impact created at one stage of a project, could have dire consequences at another. For example, occasionally in construction projects, floor slabs will have design defects that will not properly drain and eliminate the migration of water breaching the inside of the structure. A minor re-design of the slab configuration will eliminate the drainage problem but cause a significant structural issue with roof trussing and its ability to hold the house together during a minimal shift. The changes made to correct the slab issue are great, but the problems it will create down the line are greater unless the initial solution is analyzed all the way through the project. Identifying the risk and plausible solutions is done through a series of procedures, techniques, and analysis to meet the objectives of risk management. Another dimension of the risk management kaleidoscope understands the definition of risk from various viewpoints and positions with stake in the project. The risk management operation requires a planning process describing how to conduct the risk management based on the activities and tasks necessary to complete the work. There is an intangible element with assessing the risk of defining the tolerances and attitudes of the organizational leaders and stakeholders. A project manager with experience will have a more complete understanding of this component performing an internal analysis of risk appetite and risk tolerance levels surrounding the organization and the primary stakeholders. The amount of risk for a project is measured, analyzed, and quantified with  numerous equations, graphs, and statistical parameters to confirm and justify the data, but understanding what is in the head of corporate leaders and stakeholders and the level of risk they are comfortable with; is not on a spreadsheet. The understanding of this type of risk management comes from experience and high-level communication skills put into an action plan before the project is started. The risk management process is dependent on several documents for information to achieve its objectives, respond accordingly with monitor and control procedures specific to the project (Project Management Institute,  © 2013). The risk team will rely in the risk management plan to identify and classify their roles and responsibilities in the key areas. The team also collects information from cost management plan that assists in controlling levels of precision, accuracy, and units of measure. The cost management for risk managers involves more controlling of operational expenditures than total cost of the project (Cooper, Raymond, & Walker, 2005). The information provided by the schedule management plan is also a vital document especially in conjunction with the cost management plan to control progression throughout the project life cycle. The scope baseline document is a mandatory piece of information the risk team will look closely at for possible assumptions and uncertainty that might exist. Information for the project that the teams will use throughout the project as reference and updating tools are the stakeholder register, procurement documents, and enterprise environmental factors just to name a few (Project Management Institute,  © 2013). The risk management team completes the identification process with the creation of the risk register and a defined risk management plan (RMP) explaining the risk activities, risk challenges, risk treatment, and structured response in detail. This RMP defines the tools, resources, roles, and responsibilities for managers and line workers alike to minimize project defects and enhance project production. The RMP delivers four main objectives significant to the project, by categorizing the risk into different levels for each phase and department. The risk categorization provides the probability and impact of the risk to gain a better understanding of the impact on the project in terms that are explicit to each, department, or stakeholder at every stage. The risk management matrix has four primary project objectives defining a plan to address cost, time, scope, and quality. The risk management during  the initial planning stages is performed the same way with adjusted tolerances because of limited information. (Project Management Institute,  © 2013). Provided below is a Risk Breakdown Structure (RBS) as defined in the; A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK ® Guide). The RBS is performed on the information in the course syllabus â€Å". Your organization has decided that to be successful in the global economy it must expand its supply base into China† (The Apollo Group Inc., 2010). Project Risks: Internal risks of compatibility with stakeholders and foreign lending institutions. The technical capabilitites and servicing capacity for optimum production levels. External Risks: Implmenting organizational objectives in bureaucratic ccontext of host country and meet essential program operations. Risk associated with enviromental enterprise and conceptual framework. Shortage of resources, poor infrastructure, foreign currency, cultural and socioeconomic enviroment. Incomplete understanding of project objectives, design, and sustainability to promote future growth. References Cooper, D. F., Raymond, G. S., & Walker, P. (2005). Project Risk Guidelines: Managing risk in large projects and complex procurements. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.. Kerzner, H. (2009). Project Management: A systems approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling (10th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. Project Management Institute. ( © 2013). A Guide to the Project Management body of knowledge. (PMBOK ® Guide), Fifth Edition. Retrieved 02 17, 2014, from http://common.books24x7.com/toc.aspx?bookid=51356. Sollish, F., & Semanik, J. (2007). The procurement and supply manager’s desk reference. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. The Apollo Group Inc ®. (2010). Syllabus CPMGT/302 Procurement and Risk Management. School of Business. Pheonix, AZ: University of Phoenix.

Entrepreneurship the purist most challenging application of the art and science of business. Essay

Corporate America repeatedly cites the ‘lack of entrepreneurial skills’ as the single biggest deficiency in MBAs – something that we fix in this course. Entrepreneurial skills and knowledge are mandatory for creating your own venture (for-profit or non-profit) , creating a new business unit within an existing enterprise, creating a new product or service offering and  launching it, or for just being a much more inventive and creative desk jockey in a lumbering, bureaucratic human cesspit of non-productive activity. The conception and start-up stage of a new organization is a critical stage of the company’s life-cycle. It is the time for the venture to pull itself together and get up and running in time for ‘opening day’. It is an extremely busy time in the venture’s life, requiring a thorough understanding, application, and execution of your MBA concepts skills. In this capstone course we examine the idea of entrepreneurship, its symbiotic existence with Corporate America, the origin of new (company) concepts, setting up the new legal entity, raising funding from outside investors or donors, developing and writing a comprehensive business plan, and pitching your concept to a panel of seasoned investors or potential donors. Some key topics include: (1) demographics for small businesses, (2) conceiving and understanding a sound ‘business model’, (3) financial forecasting and modeling for new start-ups, (4) cash flow management in start-ups, (5) term sheets, (6) the venture capital business, (7) multiple funding rounds, (8) start-up company valuations, (9) liquidation preferences, (10) leveraging strategic alliances, (11) the role of the Board of Directors, (12) restricted stock, stock options, and 83(b) elections, and (13) creating and leveragor) presentation that will be delivered to a panel of professional investor/donors at the conclusion of the course. CAP5802 will be delivered as a combination of lecture and discussion. The instructor demands active participation from the class members. COURSE OUTLINE Important note: The detailed descriptions of all assignments along with all exercises are found on the (new) Moodle course site. Session 1: Monday, 26 August 2013 Introduction and Orientation How the course will be conducted Classification of businesses Small business demographics What is entrepreneurship and why should you be highly interested in this subject? Major assignments and due dates †¢ Concept Description Abstract – Due on 23 September 2013 †¢ Business Plan Outline – Due on 7 October 2013 †¢ Interview with Entrepreneur Write-Up – Due on 14 October 2013 †¢ Prospectus – Due on WEDNESDAY by NOON, 4 December 2013 †¢ Final Business Plan – Due on MONDAY, 9 December (in class) 2013 †¢ Live PowerPoint Presentation – 9 December 2013 [No class on Monday, 2 September – Labor Day] Session 2: Monday, 9 September 2013 The Entrepreneurial Mind and Process Entrepreneurial Resilience during Challenging Times How Entrepreneurs Craft Strategies That Work Apple’s Core Case Study Iggy’s Bread of the World Case Study Session 3: Monday, 16 September 2013 Recognizing and Screening the Opportunity Background Note: Note on Business Analysis for the Entrepreneur ZOOTS: The Cleaner Cleaner Case Study Session 4: Monday, 23 September 2013 The Business Plan HBR Article: How to Write a Great Business Plan Business Plan for Room for Dessert Case Study Your Concept Description – Abstract Due Session 5: Monday, 30 September 2013 The Founder and the Team – HR Matters NanoGene Technologies, Inc. Case Study Session 6: Monday, 7 October 2013 Legal Matters & the Start-Up Ecosystem Background Note: Legal Matters and Entrepreneurship †¢ Corporate law firms †¢ Intellectual property (IP) law firms The Start-Up Ecosystem †¢ Certified public accountants (CPAs) †¢ The Board of Directors †¢ The Advisory Board †¢ Key business partners Smartix(A): Dancing with Elephants Case Study Smartix(B): The Last Dance Smartix(C): Rethinking the Negotiations Smartix(D): Reflections from the Other Side of the Table Business Plan Outline Due Tonight Session 7: Monday, 14 October 2013 Financing the Venture PunchTab Inc. Case Study Interview with Entrepreneur – Write-Ups Due Fall Break is 15 – 18 October 2013. Session 8: Monday, 21 October 2013 Capitalization of the Start-Up, Part 1 Session 9: Monday, 28 October 2013 Capitalization of the Start-Up, Part 2 Session 10: Monday, 4 November 2013 Capitalization of the Start-Up, Part 3 Session 11: Monday, 11 November 2013 Growing the Business What Entrepreneurs Get Wrong Facebook Case Study Gordon Biersch Case Study Gordon Biersch – New Challenges and Opportunities Case Study Session 12: Monday, 18 November 2013 Investment Decision Making Walnut Venture Associates (A): RBS Group Investment Memorandum Walnut Venture Associates (B): RBS Due Diligence – Customers Walnut Venture Associates (C): RBS Due Diligence – Market Size Walnut Venture Associates (D): RBS Deal Terms Thanksgiving Week break is 25 – 29 November 2013. No class on 25 November. Session 13: Monday, 2 December 2013 Documentary (movie): â€Å"Start-Up.com† Session 14: Monday, 9 December 2013 Final Presentations COMMENTS ON CAP5802 – ENTREPRENEURSHIP IMPORTANT: YOUR HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS ARE DUE IN HARD COPY IN CLASS ON THE SPECIFIED DUE DATE. LATE ASSIGNMENTS WILL BE MARKED DOWN—SEE GRADING POLICY BELOW. Your workload in this course will be ‘above average.’ That we meet only one time per week for three hours implies that you will have a week’s worth of homework to do in between class meetings – unlike the homework load that you would receive in a course that meets multiple times per week. Specifically, †¢ I expect you to attend all of our classes. †¢ I expect you to arrive on time and remain in class until we are finished with the session. †¢ I expect you to arrive with your material fully prepared – this requirement is critical. †¢ I expect you to participate actively and effectively in class. †¢ I expect you to demand of yourself and your fellow class members complete fidelity to high personal ethical standards. †¢ I expect you to keep your cellular telephone out of our classroom – or with you, but powered off. †¢ I do not expect you to ever leave the classroom to accept or return a telephone call. †¢ I expect all team work and responsibilities to be evenly distributed among the team members. †¢ I expect all individual-specified exercises to be completed by you independently with no assistance received from anyone else. CAP5802 GRADES There is no final exam in CAP5802. Instead, we have the final presentations from each start-up concept. Four factors play into your grade computation in CAP5802: (1) your homework scores – watch those tricky computational problems, (2) your write-up of your interview with an entrepreneur, (3) your completed business plan – which should be sufficiently tantalizing to cause the general partners of Kleiner Perkins & Caulfield (who successfully funded Genentech, Amazon, and Google, among others) to salivate, and (4) a stunning live presentation during our final class meeting – which should convince even the most risk averse grandmother to allocate a chunk of her retirement stash to fund your promising venture. (1) CLASS PARTICIPATION We have 23 articles/case studies that we use to supply some of the vital content to this course. I expect you to give every one of them a thorough read and analysis. I encourage you to discuss them with your team members. I will call on you in class – whether or not you raise your hand – and ask you to answer questions or to explain concepts/situations in the assigned readings. I will score your response on a three-point scale as follows: 3: brilliant 2: adequate 1: needs improvement (2) HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS Your home work assignments are due in class in hard copy on the specified due date. I will penalize you for late homework assignments. That is how the real business world works. If you are going to be out of town, always complete and turn in your assignment EARLY. When you are LATE with your homework assignments, you lose points in the computation of your final grade. No appeals allowed. The point value for each homework question is noted in (*) next to the question. You will find all of the homework assignments on the course site. (3) INTERVIEW WITH ENTREPRENEUR Each team will find an authentic entrepreneur – someone who has started their own business/organization and currently is running the business or non-profit organization. The business/organization can be anything ranging from an ice cream truck to a non-profit social service organization that provides outplacement services to displaced investment bankers. I will provide you with the list of questions for the interview. You only need to find the willing entrepreneur (they generally love to talk about their businesses) and complete the interview – then write it up. (4) COMPLETED BUSINESS PLAN FOR YOUR VENTURE Each team will compose a comprehensive, professional-quality business plan for their business concept. There are two important milestones/due dates for the business plan assignment: (1) the brief plan outline due date, (2) the completed plan due date – the last class meeting. (5) CORPORATE OVERVIEW PRESENTATION OF YOUR VENTURE Your team will present your ‘corporate overview/launch plan’ during our final class meeting. You will be graded on the originality, content, and delivery of your concept. We expect to have a judging panel present – comprising demanding, unreasonable investor-types – to critique your concepts CAP5802 GRADE COMPUTATION There are five sources of points that are used in your final course grade computation: (1) Class participation points – as noted above. I will tally up your points, and normalize your grand total over 50 possible points. (2) Homework Assignment points – as noted with each HW assignment question. I will add up your total homework points, divide this total by the total possible homework points, and arrive at a final percentage score for your homework. (3) 50 points for your entrepreneur interview write-up (4) 100 possible points for your business plan, distributed as follows: Quality of idea = 10 pts Compelling market opportunity = 10 pts Organization of plan = 10 pts Clarity of plan = 10 pts Financial analysis = 10 pts Marketing plan = 10 pts Sales and distribution plan = 10 pts Competitive analysis = 10 pts Sales/revenue forecast = 10 pts Surviving CAP5802 = 10 pts (5) 100 possible points for you final presentation, distributed as follows: Originality and cleverness of the presentation = 20 pts Running within the allotted time = 20 pts Richness of content = 20 pts Presentation delivery = 40 pts Note that your presentation scores will be a compilation of our guest judges’ scoring. History indicates that the judges are rather severe scorers. I will assign final course grades based on your final total point tally: Total possible participation score (%): 50 points Total possible homework (%): 100 points Total possible interview with entrepreneur: 50 points Total possible written business plan: 100 points Total possible live presentation: 100 points A splendid time is guaranteed for all.

Financial Performance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Financial Performance - Essay Example Moreover, the comparative analysis of ratios has been done by comparing the ratios of 2009 and 2010. Finally, this report discusses the advantages and disadvantages of ratios analysis. RATIOS ANALYSIS Profitability Ratios a. Net profit percentage or net margin The net profit percentage or net margin of the company for the years 2009 and 2010 are 30.1205% and 21.9917% respectively. The value has been calculated by dividing the net profit with sales. The net margin of company has declined because of the decline in sales and net profit which shows a significant decline in profitability of CUERO in 2010. b. Gross profit percentage or gross margin The gross profit percentage or gross margin has been calculated by taking the ratio between gross profit and sales and the calculated values for the years 2009 and 2010 are 49.3976% and 44.617% respectively. It shows the decline in profitability because of the decline in sales and increase in cost of sales from ?0.00494 profit per ?1 of sales to 0.00446 ?1 of sales. c. Return on capital employed The return on capital employed is the ratio between net profit and capital employed. The calculated values for the company for years 2009 and 2010 are 3.9765% and 3.7105% respectively. ... The asset turnover the company has remained almost same for the two years. Liquidity Ratios/Gearing Ratios a. Current Ratio The current ratio is the ratio of long term debt to capital employed and the calculated values for 2009 and 2010 are 1.1667 and 1.1597 respectively. The ratio shows that the short-term liquidity of CUERO Ltd has remained same because the percentage increase in liabilities is almost equal to percentage change in current assets. b. Quick Ratio or Acid Ratio Quick ratio or acid ratio is the ratio between current assets less stocks to current liabilities. In 2009 and 2010, the calculated values for the company are 0.6818 and 0.5948 respectively. The decline in quick ratio predicts that in 2010 the process of conversion of stock to cash slowed down. Gearing ratio The ratio between long term debt and capital employed is gearing ratio and the calculated values for the company for 2009 and 2010 are 53.47% and 56.59% respectively. The gearing ratio of company has increas ed significantly in 2010 which shows the increase in the long-term debt of the company due in more than one year. Efficiency of Asset Utilisation Ratios a. Sales to Fixed Assets Ratio The sales to fixed assets ratio has increased from 0.9432 to 0.9511 in 2009 and 2010 respectively which shows that in 2009 company achieved ?0.9432 per ?1 of fixed assets and in 2010 company has achieved ?0.9511 per ?1 of fixed assets. This decline shows a small decline in efficiency of asset utilisation because the fixed assets have increased and sales of company have declined. b. Stock Holding Period Stock holding period is the ratio between stock and cost of sales and the calculated values for the company for 2009 and 2010 are 139.05 and 173.95 respectively. The stock holding

Philosophical and Sociological aspects of crime and punishment Term Paper

Philosophical and Sociological aspects of crime and punishment - Term Paper Example gy on crime argues that neither a state nor a society is able to exist without regulations as he states, without law there lacks a state or a society. In this case, the law forms an imperative foundation to a society and thus enforcing a law means the protection of the society. Any individual who violates the law tends to lose the right of being a member of the society and is against social order, and as are result must be punished (Murphy, 1994). The philosophical reflection on punishment assists criminologists, sociologists, and penologist to acknowledge the rehabilitative effects of programs prevalent in prisons. Kant offers invaluable knowledge in relation to the realm of punishment and crime. According to the proponent, punishment is validated if the criminal has committed a crime. Many theories contrast this argument, for instance, and the Utilitarian approach demonstrates that punishment is vindicated by the good it brings to the community. In Kant’s view, the utilitarian theory is implausible in various ways. He believes that the theory treats offenders as means to the good of others and that the theory might punish innocent lives due to the good it passes to the society. To Kant, this is a sort of injustice, and in reference to his argument, he states how much the offenders should be punished. The offense committed by the offender should equal the punishment given to the criminal (Murphy, 1994). Kant’s retributive theory associated with punishment asserts that retribution is not justified by any good outcome, but by the offender’s guilt. Offenders must pay for their criminal activities; otherwise unfairness as occurred. Consequently, the punishment given to the offender must fit the crime committed and thus the punishment for taking the life of another individual is equivalent to the death of the murderer (Ripstein, 2009). Therefore, punishment must be administered at all times because an individual has committed a crime. According to Kant

Authentic Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Authentic Leadership - Essay Example The need for leadership construct evolves the criteria of fulfilling our needs by economic institutions and in order to meet institutional needs, individual is required to endure at least twelve years of formal education. However despite attaining a longer tenure in education, students still lack in determining their goal of life. This might be due to the globalising tendencies that we witness as market economies and are placed in the category of consumer market in which every individual born in the society is a consumer, and every consumer is either agent to the institute or interpretor. An illustration is that of given by Barker (2002) points out that this is one of the reasons why the role of interpreter of the Church has been transformed into roles other than the one use to guide people (2002, p. 68). Such consumer market has affected management and leadership development in economic ideology to the extent where it has been constructed in order to form a social hierarchy which send commands and controls knowledge management to authenticate leadership theories. However, theories alone are not enough to identify the core of the Australian leadership culture in this materialistic epoch, there are some attributes of the workplace that can be placed under the heading of worship. These attributes reveal to us that corporate environment, law firms or even union hierarchies define idealistic leadership in the light of religious attitudes that entail male orientation, physical and emotional strength, and self-reliant behavior (Sinclair, 2005, p. 44-45). One reason for such requirement is the physical contribution and influence of male over female is more task-oriented and dedicated. Corporate practices support these values so as to religious male leaders may work longer hours with minimal leave while representing a sense of self-sacrifice in terms of devoting maximum time for the job. Contemporary administration of Catholic schools

Compare the stories in The Thirteen Problems with any of Agatha Essay

Compare the stories in The Thirteen Problems with any of Agatha Christie's later Miss Marple stories (or novels) from the 1950s - Essay Example Her books have been so popular that only the Bible can beat that record. She was one of the shining stars of the few writers who did justice to detectives and introduced to the world a whole new perception and book reading. Over the years of her writing career, she grew as a writer. Her genre and characters dint change, but their procedures and other details certainly did. Agatha Christie managed to keep her books alive with time easily coping up with the changes in people’s thoughts and expectations. Her two books â€Å"The thirteen Problems† and â€Å"A Caribbean Mystery† are miles and years apart, but they both were distinct and popular in their own way. What made them so different, and yet so same? (Agatha Christie Biography). The detective stories by Agatha Christie have some unique elements. First, classical detective stories do not usually assume the possibility of occasional mistakes or the force of circumstances which can occasionally change the situatio n. Agatha Christie depicts real people who may easily make mistake or be influenced by something. However, she provides her detectives with such unique traits and ability to use so flexible logic that they are able to reveal even casual mistakes and circumstances, which prevent the police from revealing the truth. The next feature is the lack of description of bloody scenes of murder, Christie was against cruel scenes. The third important peculiarity is social atmosphere, which is similar for all the stories by Agatha Christie. First she introduces all the heroes to the reader and the murder happens afterwards (Judgement Book Reviews). The focal point of this paper will be Agatha’s stories that involved Miss Marple. She is one of the most important parts of Agatha’s novels. What made Miss Marple so popular? And how did the people come around to liking a woman in a role which was already defined by a man through Sherlock Holmes? Miss Marple was a usual old lady and for readers her appealing quality was how normal she actually was. Just because she solved mysteries and crimes did not make her a super hero. The fact that like every other old lady she was interested in the typical hobbies of knitting and gossiping made her believable and true. Agatha Christie managed to bring rationality into the character by making her old, had Miss Marple been young, she wouldn’t have had the experience to understand human nature as well as she did in order to solve mysteries. Miss Marple’s nature of gardening and living in the village made the readers realize with ease that this woman was just like everybody else. This made her quite easy to be accepted and loved by people. (Marple's Profile) â€Å"The Thirteen Problems† was a short story collection by Agatha Christie that revolved around Miss Marple’s detective abilities. It is about six friends who sit together and form a club where they share stories, more like they talk about myster ious deaths of people and try to conclude as to who might have done it. In this little game of theirs, Miss Marple outshines every one and this becomes the beginning of the character of Miss Marple as a rather eligible detective. The book basically revolves around thirteen different cases, hence the title of the book. Miss Marple’s introduction to the world and Agatha’s readers was through this very book. She got introduced as a woman, who was unwillingly invited to the Tuesday night club with her nephew’

Liberal Stuides Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Liberal Stuides - Essay Example The travelers, from who all people a million years into the future descend, are made up of a captain, a Japanese woman with her daughter, an American widow, a young visually impaired girl and 6 Kanka-Bono lasses inhabitant of South America, every one of them with a strange or humorous back story. The book traces their expedition from Ecuador to an isolated island in the Galapagos, whereas the rest of civilization plunges into disaster. In Kurt Vonnegut’s Galapagos, the concept of natural selection reveals a world full of mystery and awe and we are able to examine this wonder, when we study the chance component in natural selection. According to the lessons learnt from Galapagos, the chance component in natural selection divides up distinctiveness with the secrecy constituent of God, and consequently is a probable substitute for that mystery. Nevertheless, the protagonists are not as active in participation in that strange â€Å"dimension of the universe† other than sufferers of the deterministic force which underlies the chance mechanism that is natural selection. When this malicious force is examined, a conclusion is arrived at, that it too bears a resemblance to the mechanistic viewpoint of the world put forward by evolutionary discipline. Vonnegut’s readers get to feel the power or fear in Darwin’s idea of natural selection that takes place in Galapagos. At the onset of Galapagos, Vonnegut depicts the â€Å"big rains† devastate humanity and the earth, even though later, via the material mechanisms of natural selection, the big brains later evolve into â€Å"smaller skulls† and accordingly the earth and humanity are able to be saved from devastation. There are those that put forth the argument that Mary acts out a crucial role in the latest creation, since her engineering in genetics produces a new family that is able to survive the

An evaluation of the effectiveness of leadership professional Dissertation

An evaluation of the effectiveness of leadership professional development curriculum at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy - Dissertation Example Graduates from this institution succeed within the field of maritime industry and serving effectively as mature and experienced leaders in the Armed Forces or reserve commissioned officers. The education system is provided in time period of four years. The Program The location of the Academy is Kings Point in New York. The operation of the Academy is facilitated by the Maritime Administration of the Federal Government, which is a U.S. Department of Transportation agency. The program is carried out in four years, and uses a regimental system to ensure that midshipmen acquire the necessary knowledge and skills, which would grant them an opportunity of earning ashore maritime employment, developing discipline in careers, serving in U.S. Armed Forces, and becoming successful leaders in society. The Regiment of the Academy has an approximate value of 950 midshipmen who represent each Union state and U.S. Possessions and Trust Territories (Capt, 2006). The attained student body size enable s the achievement of an effective ratio between students and teachers. Further, this student size depicts the real camaraderie that exists in all Regiment members. Every profession in the current society is dependent in the quality of education, which is attained from colleges. U.S Merchant Marine Academy adopts the same and ensures that the quality of education provided in the college is sound. The academic program of the Academy ensures that all midshipmen receive specialized and quality training in order to become merchant marine officers, in U.S. who are licensed. This occurs since the academy adheres to the International Convention on Training Standards and Watch keeping for Seafarers and Certification (STCW) of 1978 including the related amendments to STCW Code (Catalog, 2011, p. 6). The accrediting of the Academy’s curriculum is carried out by Middle States Association of Schools and Colleges (Catalog, 2011, p. 6). This curriculum has the ability of ensuring that each midshipman receives the required college education necessary for the attainment of a bachelor’s degree in science. There are few colleges, which have the potential to provide a wide range of credentials to their education graduates. Midshipmen who are enrolled in the Academy end up being challenged both physically and intellectually. This occurs since the academic program for the Academy is demanding and the regimental system is rigorous. Students find freshman year strenuous as they undergo a transition from being graduates of high school to Academy midshipman (Kumar, 2008). The introduction of freshman year involves extensive learning of new terms, how to adopt effective means of time management, how to work while under pressure, and the endurance quality. As midshipmen enter the second and third year, they are prepared for practical training. This training occurs when the midshipmen go to the sea in order to gain practical training on shipboard. This training equips the sh ipmen with experience on mariner’s environment, as well as skills on how to undertake initiatives on their own and being self-reliant (Kumar, 2008). The final year involves ensuring that the midshipmen have the ability of fine-tuning the skills and experience learnt from class, as well as the practical exposure at the sea. This aids in

Caramel Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Caramel - Assignment Example Jamale, who is a regular customer to the beauty salon and is striving towards an acting career, is preoccupied by getting old. Rose has a shop next to the salon and has dedicated her life, looking after her mentally ill sister. She recently found her first love and is torn apart which way to take. The film combines few genres. Throughout the film, there is this gentle comic element, which tried to lift the spirit of the women, the plot is also a bit melodramatic and there is an underlying, persistence romance. So the three genres where the film can fit are: romantic, dramatic and comic. The film tackles and addresses lots of themes – lost and found love, loneliness, public humiliation in a society surrounded by strict family values, heartbreak. An example can be given for the latter, where Layale, who lives with her parents, is a professionally independent woman, but she is having an affair with a married man. She spends endless hours, waiting anxiously for him to call, being completely oblivious to a gorgeous policeman, who is smitten by her. Each woman in the film represents a current issue in contemporary Lebanon – unfulfilled romance, aging, sexuality and marital values. The character that appeals to me the most is Jamale, because she is an actress, trying to audition for roles in commercials, sensing that she is getting old and the best days of her career might be over. Yes, the film deals with poignant contemporary issues alongside that of Lebanese identity. Caramel addresses sensitive social and identity issues, like homosexuality, extramarital relationships and fear of getting old. Can different women fit in modern Lebanon? It seems from the film that the typical feminine women does not suffer to a greater extend from the hypocritical, oriental system in Lebanon. It this may not be necessarily true. Lebanese women may be depicted free and emancipated, but behind the faà §ade, we are all ruled by societal norms, subject to

New Revenue Streams for the National Maritime Museum Essay Example for Free

New Revenue Streams for the National Maritime Museum Essay Bishoff and Allen (2004) state that â€Å"most cultural heritage institutions are mission driven; their primary purpose is to support and promote the public good. † Just as The National Maritime Museum mission statement is â€Å"to illustrate for everyone the importance of sea, ships, time and stars and their relationship with people†. Swan (2012), explained in her presentation that â€Å"this is the largest maritime museum in the world which attracted 2. 45 million visitors in 2010 /2011 and 709. 000 visitors just at the National Maritime Museum alone†. Museum is the place for learning, education and socialisation. Sources that contribute to museums’ earned revenue include admission, gift shop, memberships, facility rentals and other variety of sources like private sector. Essentially, any product or service that is offered by the museum generates income. There is another form of revenue which is classified as unearned revenue. The main sources of unearned revenue are fundraising through individual donations and grants through any level of government. Hiring museum facilities for an event or filming is the best form of revenue. In order for the museum to remain financially viable earned revenues should be a fundamental part of the budget planning. There should be a dedicated team which is able to brain storm and look for new ways in how to contribute new revenue streams. Museum can be interesting to visit once if displays and exhibitions are not changed. As well as interactions and special events has to accommodate demand. Bearing in mind seasons, half term holidays or summer holiday is a good way start looking into additional revenue. Museum need to be creative and come to a problem from many angles at once. Advertising is an important revenue stream for helping businesses reach exactly the customers they want and increase value. Advertising can be through local newspapers at the whole Royal of Greenwich council and as well Lewisham council which is situated close by. Another form of advertising is to reach schools as through educational interest and possibility to cater this need. The leaflet or informational package can be distributed to local nurseries, primary and secondary schools. There is a pdf file available at Google website so hard copy must be available too. Another form of advertising is to develop or contribute to already existing mobile phone software application otherwise called an app. To develop the application can be costly but if the best interaction outcome can be achieved this could be the next step to advertise and market the museum. As Cooper (2012) spoke that† the task is to drive all sales and further interaction through website and media team is looking for new ways. † Smart mobile phones are widely used and are playing big part towards communication and interaction. It can serve businesses in local community and if new application is developed people will pay for it use and that is a new potential revenue stream. Another way to bring foot to the museum is to develop an additional source of technical interaction. As technology is spreading fast museums and other historical organizations need to follow new trends in order to be fashionable and appeal to various demographics. Swan (2012) showed in her presentation a ? 30 million re-development plan which was completed in 2011. With new entrance, substantial space for special exhibitions, an archive centre and upgraded visitor facilities this museum will appeal to wider audience due to his architecture and modern external look. The benefits in finishing re-development before Olympic Games 2012 give a possibility to welcome more visitors. This new entrance at the other end of the building will contribute towards visitor numbers as their will not need to walk all around to the font building to enter. To follow new technology is a good way to look into the future. One of the ways it can be done is through QR code which would be displayed next to the collected historical item. QR code online application would allow explore information via mobile phone or any other form of computerised equipment. QR codes are probably the newest version in delivering information and are most popular and flexible to use. Most businesses and individuals can interact with the museum due to their need in marketing campaigns through this premises or education. Audio guides who would deliver tour in few foreign languages as tourists are contributing highly in visitor numbers. Cooper (2012) said that Americans, Japanese, Russian, Chinese and Europeans are coming by coach in big groups, so additional language is seen as must have. Audio guides would contribute to better history understanding and at the same time there would be full interaction while at the museum. Without an additional language audio guides’ foreign visitors are not fully exploring the museum message. As this maritime museum is one of the largest in the world customer expectations are not achieved. Although Spanish, Russian, Arabic and other foreign languages can be found at the official website. For the museum to survive, their need to think of new sources of the revenue streams to obtain income. The National Maritime Museum has many activities based on educational and informational need. The interesting would be to find out how many schools are aware that this particular museum is providing interactive activities. The same would apply to local residence with young children. There are so many things to explore and do at the museum but people think that this is a place where they can get in touch with heritage by looking and reading at the displays. The museum is not the place to visit only on the rainy day. The National Maritime Museum is a very welcoming place and vide range of information can be found on their website. There is as well an interactive part were children with an adult help can make various things like sea monster mask or globe. Many interesting tasks in â€Å"Make your own† can be done at home but for the children of age 5-8 parents’ interaction would be needed. While further looking how this could be brought in to a promises the idea came to mind. Rather than having the tool in making mask or globe on line children could be doing it at the museum. There are no complicated tools or objects involved in the process and children would not be proud in taking an item home and sharing with their friends or siblings. This would as well show to parents that the museum is not just about looking at the material collected. Children at the age of 5-8 are particular excited in showing their achievements. The National Maritime Museum holds pirate day every Wednesday and Friday and there are six sessions between both days. This shows that there is an interest for schools to organise trips and bring children were they can become pirates for the day. Young boys and girls are very interested in pirates. As their imagination is full of excitement it can be further broadened by inviting them to dress up as pirate. Dressing up as a pirate would give them enjoyment and feeling that they are real characters. They can as well learn how to talk like the pirate or scrub the deck, a very hands on attraction. To achieve additional revenue to the museum, hiring the dressing up clothes could be beneficial. An example would be that just ? 2 of charge could bring around ? 120 a week and total annual revenue is more than ? 6000. This is of course if 60 children would come to this activity within the week. The dressing up outfits is not high in price and can be purchased at one of the local party shops. As pirate outfit can be urchased for around ? 15 so expenditure can be recovered in few months’ time. Another follow up using the same dressing up outfits is an idea which is designed especially for young pirates. Pirate children birthday parties can be educational and fun. While dressing up in pirate and exploring the interactive children’s gallery session and pirate treasure trail, children could have memorable event. There is Maritime History show once a week, which takes 45 minutes and cost ? 45 for up to 30 children. So ? 2 charge for costume hire will not be seen as an expensive addition to a day out. Those dressing up costumes can be used further by inviting children to have they birthday party at the museum. Providing birthday party package for the fixed price would bring additional revenue. Package would include invitations, pirate costume, packed lunch and beverage which can be served at the garden as picnic or at the premises at the upper deck depending on the weather and time of day. And cake which is a must have for every birthday party. Children birthday parties would need to be pre-booked as many birthday parties are taking place on the weekends and as Swan (2012) informed that Sunday is the busiest day a week. The National History Museum in London is providing similar services were children can experience the museum in the night. This idea is probably taken from the popular blockbuster movie â€Å"The Museum at Night†. There are not many places in the surrounding area to hold children birthday party which would appeal to wide age spectrum and provide educational as well as fun time. Ticketed entrance to a special exhibition. Museums often undervalue and under-price what they offer. Activities to under 5 years old This interaction would welcome local community people, to visit museum and see it as a place to learn and meet others. Many children and they guardians look for activities for children under 5. At this age they are interested in meeting new friends and learning new skills. So children who are not taken to nurseries or who has not yet started primary school need to interact and learn new ways in communicating and exploring the world which surround us. Special events with character appearances will contribute to visitor number. The museum already holds a music and dance activity for children under five. 30 minute interactive hand clapping and singing could be more fun if character appeared to read the book. This museum has flexibility in providing books about the sea, ships and stars which is their mission statement. The books can be covering educational aspect. As museum already has new library added to it, this to children gives flexibility to provide grate chance to introduce and develop historical skill. Information about people and their relationship with the sea and stars could be an inspiring experience and opportunity to broaden their knowledge. As from my own visit at one of those music and dance activity few years ago I remember that it was far too short and overcrowded by number of mums and children. Many parents spend 30 minutes on their journey to come and have another 30 minutes of fun. Younger children can lose interest and get board after long singing, but for older 4 to 5 years old this activity is too short. My thought on this would be to introduce art and craft activity. This is good way in teaching eye and hand coordination and children have something to take home. The art and craft activities can as well have a small monetary charge or donation, which would allow getting material needed. 3D crafts would teach children how to build ships or stars. The opportunity of 3D imaging can make all of these areas of museum activity a much richer experience. Historical images and written descriptions are not appealing to every child who is entering museum. So another way to attract interest in exploring history is through showing video footage. An example would come from five most popular collections of â€Å"Rear-Admiral Sir Horatio Nelson, 1758-1805 or The Return to Amsterdam of the Second Expedition to the East Indies on 19 July 1599†. Short visual video footage, in form of cinema, would provide feelings through history and symbolism of navigation and safety. And if that could be achieved through 3D visual experience it would provide even better understanding and give the feeling like they are actually involved at the battle. It would provide information why we need to look after the sea and why it is important. Utilize high school students as part of their work-term experience. Contact schools to encourage high school students to gain work experience through volunteering at the museum. Setting up a program of this kind could produce a predicable stream of volunteers and may decrease the need for paid staff. Book day Adult evening at The National Maritime Museum Drawing and painting classes are popular in terms of hobby or free time activity for adults. This would provide excursions to the Queens House and then take place at the upper deck at Maritime museum This is a good link in connecting art and history together. Adult only activities would need to be pre booked and would have small fee charge in order to provide equipment and tools needed in holding painting classes.

The Musical Culture of the Country of Burundi Essay Example for Free

The Musical Culture of the Country of Burundi Essay Every nation has its own culture and traditions which has been practiced by the people for many decades or centuries. Most of the cultural practices of a nation are usually passed down to the next generation. Although they are altered to fit the current generation, some parts of the culture remain intact and do not change; they are the same practices done in the past. The same is true with the cultural practices of Burundi. Amidst the various wars and conflict taking place in the country of Burundi, its culture is still upheld by those living in the rural areas. Their traditions are still largely celebrated and practiced by the people. Through the years, the world has seen Burundi as a place filled with violence and conflict. There are times when the news coming from Burundi only involves violence and improper actions of the rebels against the government and vice versa. In addition, mass killings are known to have affected many regions of the country, therefore lessening the chances for recreational activities, education, and other cultural practices to be upheld. Various refuge camps and displaced people have also been distressed by such conflicts. External Influences to the Burundian Culture Historical accounts of Burundi reveal that the country was colonized by various European nations. King Mwezi IV, the ruling leader during the 19th century, feared that his kingdom will be captured by one of the conflicting tribes in Burundi, the Tutsis. Due the King’s fear, he secured the support of Germany to protect his kingdom, instantly turning Burundi into a German colony. After a few years, the German colonizers passed the responsibility to a new European state: Belgium (Institute for Security Studies [ISS], 2005). Hence, these countries were able to influence and engrave their own norms, traditions, and beliefs on Burundians which were incorporated into the cultural practices of Burundi. Music as a Large Part of the Burundian Culture Burundians are people who enjoy arts and music. Music has been a huge part of their lives which could be observed in various types of traditional gatherings and the songs sung in these gatherings. One of these is family gatherings where â€Å"imvyino† songs are performed. Imviyino songs were known to have short refrain which has a strong beat. Such songs often incorporate spontaneous verses which are sung together with the strong beats of the music. On the other hand, â€Å"imdirimbo† song is a more downcast and serious type of music which is sung by a small group of individuals or a solo singer. â€Å"Kwishongora† is another type of song from the traditional music of Burundi that is sung only by men. It is a rhythmic song which is integrated with trills and shouts. For the females, there is also a certain type of song made for them, and it is called the â€Å"bilito† in which is a sentimental form of music (Stanford, 2007), One of the strongest characteristics of Burundi music is the â€Å"whispered singing. † This is expressed by the performer in a low or soft pitch, for it requires the musical accompaniment to be heard clearly (Stanford, 2007). Burundian Musical Instruments Most of the traditional songs of Burundi are played with specific instruments such as â€Å"inanga,† â€Å"idono,† â€Å"ikihusehama,† and â€Å"ikimbe. † The inanga is an instrument composed of six (6) to eight (8) strings which are stretched out in a wooden concave bowl. The idono is known to be the fiddle which is composed only of a single string. The ikihusehama is a musical instrument which is similar to a clarinet woodwind. Lastly, the ikimbe is the linguaphone version of the Burundians. However, the most important musical instrument used by the Burundians is the drums which is considered as a symbol of status and power (Stanford, 2007). Drums are known to be the most significant instruments in the country of Burundi. In the ancient times, drums were not only seen as a plain instrument but a sacred object which was only used for ceremonial events. The beat is one of the most essential elements of the Burundian drums. Certain drum beats are applied depending on the type of event being held, from funerals to enthronement. The beat of the drums is also the main signal that proclaims the start of the agricultural season as well as the propagation of the Soughum seeds which is an important agricultural amenity for the country (Heavenly Planet, 2008). The drums are not only significant to the events, but they are also deeply connected to nature. This strong relationship of drums and nature is evident in parts of the drum, as their names are related to fertility: â€Å"Icahi: the skin (the skin in which the mother rocks her baby); Amabere: the pegs (the breasts); Urugori: the thong stretching the skin (crown of motherhood); inda: the cylinder (the stomach); umukondo: the foot of the drum (the umbilical cord)† (Heavenly Planet, 2008, n. p. ) Royal Drummers of Burundi The Royal Drummers of Burundi is the most acknowledged performers in Burundi. The group is composed of twenty (20) individuals who perform in the most important Burundian ceremonies. Accordingly, due to the significance of the group, they also perform in various celebrations such as funerals, births, coronations, and christenings within the country. This prestigious drum group is known to also perform in various parts of the world. In addition, the Royal Drummers of Burundi is recognized as one of the most acclaimed percussion groups in the world (Smith, 2009). The group is known to be a multigenerational band; therefore, sons are taught by their fathers the art and the significance of performance and playing drums. Most of the time, different drummers switch places in order for them to have a short rest and create a constant flow of music that only stops during the end of the whole program. In addition to drumming, most of the band members are also dancers. The group performs the dances during the opening of the programs (Smith, 2009). Africatravelling. net (2000) commends the performances of the Royal Drummers of Burundi: â€Å"The Drummers of Burundi had the most captivating presence of all the acts at the festival Every moment, every wail from the players fit into the trance impact of the drummers† (n. p. ). The Royal Drummers of Burundi are known to have specific drums that they use to create a specific sound of the drums. One of the types of drums that they use is the â€Å"Ngoma† drums which are â€Å"hollowed out from the trunk of a particular tree called D’umuvugangoma (Corda Africana)† (Heavenly Planet, 2008, n. p. ). Reflection on the Music of Burundi As I have researched in various internet resources, I found out that the Burundi musical culture is not widely known to the world. There are only few resources available for those who are interested in their traditional music. Most books and articles are about the topics of human rights violations, genocides, and war in Burundi. Thus, this suggests the richness of the Burundian culture is often ignored. With the research that I have done, I realized that a single instrument could be a source of power and status. In addition, such instruments could also be a signifier of various events and elements of nature. Due to the conflicts and hostility in the state of Burundi, the international community does not pay significant attention to the rich cultural aspect of this country. However, with the ensemble of Royal Drummers of Burundi, one can say that the rich culture of this African nation lives despite all atrocities. References Africatravelling. net (2000). Bujumbura-Culture. Retrieved February 11, 2009 from http://www. africatravelling. net/burundi/bujumbura/bujumbura_culture. htm. Heavenly Planet. (2008). â€Å"Music That Inspires. † Retrieved February 11, 2009 from http://www. heavenlyplanet. com/featured/dob. html. Institute for Security Studies. (2005). Political System and History. Retrieved February 11 2009 from http://www. iss. co. za/af/profiles/burundi/politics. html. Smith, S. E. (2009). Who are the Royal Drummers of Burundi?. Wise Geek. Retrieved February 11, 2009 from http://www. wisegeek. com/who-are-the-royal-drummers-of-burundi. htm. Stanford, E. (2007). Culture of Burundi. Countries and Their Cultures. Retrieved February 11, 2009 from http://www. everyculture. com/Bo-Co/Burundi. html.

The operations and competitive advantage of Tesco

The operations and competitive advantage of Tesco Brand marketing Nowadays, companies are most likely selling their brands before their product. Tesco which has a strong brand image with good quality, faith worthy goods that represent excellent value, the product and service development have also been significantly rebuild and providing better management of product lifecycles and more efficient delivery of wide ranges of products to customers. Tesco continuous innovation, efficient operations and strategic expansion has effectively become the largest and most successful retailers. In order to continue increase customers shopping experience, Tesco further improve their operational efficiency through adding new products,  new services and other capabilities. As Tesco is working on expanding to new areas, and store format, product mix and service characteristics and other factors will begin on the IT system architecture, legacy systems and business partners to assess the implementation of these plans in order to determine what the core and which mee t all the requirements of the system most.   Therefore, Tesco distinctly gained the core strategic advantage. Tesco is also very successful according to customer loyalty due to its loyalty cards system and its general approach to customizing services to the needs of every customer. Customer loyalty is the commitment to customers  loyal  to brands, stores, manufacturers, suppliers,  retailers and consumers. One of  the key factors  that Tesco  is so  favored by the market  which  the service  in its  series of loyal customers  and  to consolidate  as the  full  implementation of  consumer-oriented, comprehensive  care  services to  a single point of  access  mechanisms.This is truly evident in terms of incredible growth of on-line sales where the company has a strong platform to further develop this revenue stream. After considering the fact nowadays majority of people have less time for shopping, Tesco employed this on-line systems and now became the biggest online supermarket. Price and promotions The key to Tescos achieved competitive advantage is the development of retail low prices, high quality and experienced customer service has led to profit growth. With their years of experience and dominance in the market in providing retail products and service, this promotes the corporate image of Tesco to potential customers as one of trustworthiness and quality. They also gained competitive advantage of the organization is their ability to maintain market leadership in the UK even after the entrance of multinational companies in the same line of business with better technologies and more market scope. Value Chain Analysis The value chain approach introduced by Porter (1985) is for managers thinking about resources and systems which identify the key activities to provide competitive advantage for a company to maximize the value while minimizing costs. It is the contribution of each part in the overall added value of the business is made (Lynch, 2003).  In order to conduct the value chain analysis, it includes primary activities and support activities. The value chain of Tesco has been demonstrated in the following diagram: Inbound logistics These are placed at the first stage of the value chain and provide the earliest opportunity to create value. Hence, the elements of this stage include incoming materials, storage of goods, distributing the inputs to the product and service ensure that has been delivered on time and undamaged. Tesco tries to achieve and maintain the level of consumer choice in store as gained a benefit of low costs from its suppliers due to it has a leading market position, in the meantime, constantly upgrading the ordering system and in-store processes improves the efficiency of its distribution system as well as provides a great opportunity to minimize costs unfairly incurred by the company, therefore the cost of losses are not passed on to the consumer. Operations The core operations of Tesco is concerned with creating products or services which activities are service orientated. This involves machining, packing, maintaining the shelves and also replenishing the stock. Aiming of creating more appropriate and accurate ordering systems, thus diminish waste and improve availability of products with put into the right store. (Tesco.com) According to Tesco (2010), in order to gain future competitive advantage, the company has invested over  £76 million for their digital program which is the third generation ERP solution. Due to the introduction of this system, Tesco has gained an increased in profitability  £550 million during 2009 alone. Outbound logistics The third stage in the chain is concerned with location, opening hours, and queuing systems and also delivering of the product or service to the customer. According to the implementation of the trolley service that enable convenience for customers quicker to access therefore become more efficiently than other competitors. Home delivery service also could be achieved adding value in Tesco by saving customer time. Marketing and Sales At this stage which is about the promotion and advertising applies to products and services which inform and attract costumers. The Tesco Clubcard gives the offer of extra bonus points on certain products providing loyalty to customers. Promoting further discounts dissuade the customers from switching over to their competitors. Moreover, Tesco has introduced Greener Living Scheme therefore environmentally friendly products may also bring advantage of adding value for customers that buying those products could really help the environment. Services This is concerned with additional service improving or maintaining the product such as installation, repair and after-sales service. http://www.formjetinnovations.com/clients_Tesco_project.php Technology development This area of value chain considers technology with research and development relates to raw materials or components inputs and then goes pass the operational processes using IT forecasting and ordering the right amount of stock at the right time into each store to improve delivery and at last outputs to the customer. According to Tesco (2010), improving on-shelf availability, predicting how weather affect sales and reducing depot stockholding anticipate customer needs.

Submarines in the Revolutionary and Civil Wars Essay -- American Ameri

Submarines in the Revolutionary and Civil Wars The Trident Submarine houses twenty-four nuclear warheads with each having a range of 4,600 miles over land. If a nuclear war were to break out between the Soviet Union and the United States, virtually every major city could be destroyed in a matter of hours. The origin of these major players in modern day warfare lies in the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. A Dutchman named Cornelus Van Drebbel, made the very first submarine in 1652, to fight the mighty Spanish ship called the Rotterdam Boat. It carried about twelve oarsmen and even had an air circulator. It never saw any action. In the American Revolutionary War, a manned underwater craft named the American Turtle (or the "water-machine") was used against the British Navy. David Brushnell designed this ingenious machine in 1771. The submarine was a one manned, egg-shaped vessel which was propelled by hand-operated screw-like devices. It was bottom-heavy in order for it to remain upright. The operator would plant a submersible mine that could be triggered by a simple clockwork mechanism. He could paddle away after he attached the magazine of gunpowder onto the enemy ship. The operator could stay under for about thirty minutes The American Turtle was ready for her initial mission on September 6, 1776, just after midnight in the New York Harbor. The operator, Ezra Lee, failed in his attempt to sink the HMS Eagle because he failed to secure the screw of the gunpowder magazine to the ship. The Turtle made two more attempts to sink enemy ships but they both failed. The end of the American Turtle is unknown. Some think she was accidentally sunk, dismantled, or destroyed. The Turtle was the very first submarine to be used in the... ...come of the Revolutionary War. The submarines in the Civil War were very unimportant as well. Only one ship, the Housatonic, was sunk by the hands of a submarine in the entire war. The Southern navy did not even put much stock into submarine warfare because they only built a couple during the entire war. So overall, submarines were of no significance during either the Revolutionary War or the Civil War. But, these early developments of the submarine were extremely important because they lead to the later more advanced submarines that were used in future wars in which they did play a major role in. For example, in World War II, German U-boats terrorized the sea and played an important role in World War II. These, and others like the modern day Tridents, would not of exist if it were not for the early developments of submarines during the Civil and Revolutionary Wars.

The Aesthetic Pedagogy of Francis of Assisi Essay -- Francis Assisi Es

The Aesthetic Pedagogy of Francis of Assisi ABSTRACT: Despite his anti-intellectualism, Francis of Assisi was an effective teacher who intentionally illustrated the life of virtue in his own way of living. He was a teacher in the sense that the Hebrew prophets, Socrates or Gandhi were teachers. He was a performance artist for whom drama functioned pedagogically. His life was not always meant to be an example to his followers; sometimes it was a dramatic lesson, meant to be watched, not imitated. All drama is inherently a distortion of reality because it focuses the attention on one aspect of reality. Francis’ dramatized life distorts the importance of poverty, but this is a distortion from which we may be able to learn if we are able to imaginatively identify with Francis. For Francis, asceticism was a form of obedience, and obedience a mode of knowledge. Such ‘personalized,’ lived teaching is the only way in which virtue (as opposed to ethics) may be effectively taught. Francis followed the same model of p aideia as Gandhi, bringing together the physical discipline of radical asceticism with the aesthetic experience of a dramatic life in which he played the roles of troubadour and fool. Unlike most of the other Western European figures of the 12th-century who are frequent subjects of academic study, Francis of Assisi was not a scholar. He had the education appropriate to the middle-class son of a prosperous merchant, but he never taught in a university, never wrote a Summa or a Commentary on the Sentences, never spent time in libraries. For much of his lifetime, the Order of Friars Minor didn’t even own a Bible, let alone any other books. Brother Leo, one of Francis’ closest companions, wrote of him that he "did not want ... ...hton, 1923), p. 106. (6) Bonaventure, Major Life, VI. 2. (7) Erving Goffman, The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life (Garden City: Doubleday, 1959), pp. 17-18. (8) cited in Goffman, op. cit., pp. 19, 20. (9) Dorothy Heathcote, Collected Writings on Education and Drama (London: Hutchinson, 1984), p. 114. (10) cited in Howard Williams, Concepts of Ideology (New York; St. Martin's Press, 1988), p. 111. (11) Walter Brueggemann, The Creative Word: Canon as a Model for Biblical Education, (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1986), p. 91. (12) Brueggemann, op. cit., p. 104. (13) Leroy S. Rouner, "Can Virtue Be Taught in a School?," Can Virtue Be Taught?, vol. 14, Boston University Studies in Philosophy and Religion, ed. Barbara Darling-Smith, p. 142. (14) Rouner, op. cit., p.147. (15) Rouner, op. cit., p. 148. (16) Chesterton, op. cit., p. 86.

Expansion of EU :: Economics Trade Indian IT Companies Essays

Expansion of EU The EU Expansion of May 2004 On May 1, 2004, new members were added to EU. The current round of expansion brings 10 new EU kids on the block: Slovenia, Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Cyprus, and Malta. There are more to follow in the EU candidate list. Many of these countries are of varying economic strengths and per capita incomes. The average Gross National Product of the newer countries is significantly different from the first 12 member nations of the EU. Indian IT Industry India has a well-trained work force and the largest pool of English speaking workers anywhere outside native English speaking countries. India produces more engineers and MBAs than any European country. The educated workforce and the currency exchange rates are the prime factors that make India a very attractive location for software development. India’s quality workforce is among the least paid in the world, yet the workers can afford a good standard of living, due to relatively low cost of living in India. Due to these factors, India has emerged as leading software exporter in the world. USA and Europe are the biggest markets for the Indian software companies. The IT exports were worth $12.5 billion in the fiscal year 2003-2004. Trade between India and Europe Before the formation of the EU, USA was the single largest trading partner for India. Many European countries like UK, Germany and France were the other major partners. After the EU came into being, it has replaced USA as India’s leading trade partner. The major industries involved in India-EU trade are steel, cement, Computer Software, etc. India has had much greater business relations with the western European countries as compared to the eastern European countries. Bilateral trade between India and UK grew by over 20% during 2003. The UK is the second largest investor to India. India was the 8th largest investor in the UK in 2003. The UK attracts over 60% of India's investment in Europe. India is the UK's 17th largest export market. India and Germany have strong bi-lateral trade relations. Last year, Germany's trade volume with India totaled some â‚ ¬5 billion ($5.6 billion). India’s IT sector has very strong business relations with Germany. The Changing Scenario? The basic principles on which EU functions involve removal of trade barriers among member countries and facilitation of free movement of people within the EU. Does this also involve restrictive trade practices and exclusion of workers from non-EU countries?

Checkpoint: Motivation Explained Essay

The three major motivation theories in life are psychoanalytic, humanistic, and diversity. Psychoanalytic: determinism, drive, conflict, the unconscious. Humanistic: self-actualization, Maslow’s need hierarchy, intrinsic motivation, self-determination theory. Diversity: Murray’s psychogenic needs, achievement. A time where psychoanalytic had happened in my life would have to be with my current boyfriend. When we first began talking and getting to know one another I had a little slip where I had called him by my ex-boyfriends name. Now that I think about it I think it may have happened due to the fact that I was considering starting a relationship with him. As well as the fact that my ex and I never really had closer in the relationship either so I still hard feelings towards him. In humanistic that would just be how I live my life every day trying to achieve something greater. I would like to leave some kind of legacy that my daughter could be proud of. It happens naturally due being determined to achieve something great in your life that you can be proud of. One thing that I am proud of doing is having my daughter she has to be my greatest achievement as well as my drive to keep doing what I have to provide her with a good life. As for diversity I believe people overcome it every day. I know that I have when I moved to Pennsylvania I am Hispanic and Native American the area I lived in was mostly Caucasian area. So I had to adjust and overcome racist remarks which I feel I came out of well just made me a stronger less judgment person. When people would first say thing to or about me I would just get mad then after time went on I got over it because these people didn’t know and were most likely raised that way. I overcame it realizing I’m different and it’s a good thing not to be like everyone else.

How Is The Theme Of Deception Apparent in “Much Ado About Nothing”

The theme of deception is ever-present throughout ‘Much Ado About Nothing'; the majority of the plot is based upon purposeful deception, some malevolent while others benign. The play itself, although set in Messina, Italy seems to echo the culture of Elizabethan society in which William Shakespeare lived; the importance of honour and pride at that time induced the need for the people to uphold this status through the constant deception of those around them, whether this was with appearances or words. Shakespeare creates a world where deception is used throughout the play and on many occasions it was intended for desirable effects; deception for positive effect is known as benevolent deception. One of the first instances where the gap between appearance and reality is portrayed is in the first dialogue of the play. The messenger has come to give news of the return of the men from a battle and speaks of how Claudio was ‘doing in the figure of a lamb, the feats of a lion'. This illustrates the gap between the appearance of Claudio and the reality of Claudio, of how he exceeds the expectations of his age by his actions on a battlefield, and demonstrates how he deceives those around him of his true capabilities. Shakespeare also uses clever word play with the use of an alliterative pattern where the sounds of ‘Figure of a Lamb' are echoed in ‘Feats of a Lion', which offers balance syntax to the line and is typical of Shakespearean blank verse. Although this is an instance where Claudio is deceiving others; this is, however, not prevalent, at all, throughout the rest of the play, instead Claudio is the one who appears to be subject to the most deception due to his gullibility and short-sightedness. One example of Claudio's foolishness is when Don John deceives him into believing that Don Pedro is wooing Hero for himself where in fact he is doing it on Claudio's behalf; this is also ironic since at the same time Claudio is attempting to deceive Don John and Borachio that he is Benedick, they however have not fallen for it. This quick reaction to the lies fed to him by Don John makes plain his temperament and emotion driven mentality. Moreover, the fact that at that moment in time there are three layers of deception occurring simultaneously typifies the amount of deception there is in the play. Claudio is further deceived, along with Don Pedro, by Don John when he shows them Hero's apparent disloyalty and ‘immoral' nature. In Act 3, Scene 2 Don John approaches Don Pedro and Claudio in order to ‘warn' them of Hero's disloyalty. The second line he speaks since he entered their circle includes sibilance, ‘†¦ leisure served, I would speak with you. ‘ which creates an image not too unlike the hissing of a snake before it attacks. There is also a lot of repetition and carefully constructed dialogue in this exchange on Don John's part; for example, in reply to Don Pedro he says ‘ I know not that, when he knows what I know'. This repetition of ‘know' places emphasis on knowledge, and how people's judgments and actions differ when they know a certain thing. Another point to be made regarding this dialogue and the theme of ‘fitting' is when Don John comments on how it would ‘better fit your honour' to not marry Hero, one interpretation of this phrase could include its connotations and implicit links to sex. Claudio's ‘honour' is in reference to his penis; a man's penis, in ancient civilisations such as the Inca, was considered as the symbol of his stature and honour in society and this ideal is not yet lost even in the modern-age. Don John also says how it would ‘better fit' his ‘honour' to change his mind, denoting how Hero's sexual organ is not fit for his ‘honour' since she has apparently fornicated. Instead of questioning why Don John, previously known for his wicked deeds, is so willing to help, he instead believes him with no questions further demonstrating his infuriating naivety. Furthermore, of the three consecutive deception scenes this one is considerably shorter. I believe that Shakespeare has done this with the intention to emphasise the drastic change in Don Pedro's position; this also raises questions Don Pedro's integrity as a leader. A man of his position would form reasoned opinions through facts and logic however in this case he has seemed to change his opinion at a whim. This is also one of the points where Shakespeare raises questions about society; in this case he questions the power structure of society by showing how Don Pedro is so easily fooled. In contrast to the character of Claudio, Benedick is portrayed as more of a calm and reasoning character, which has meant that he is rarely deceived in the play. This dissimilarity between the two is portrayed in Act 1 Scene 1 when Claudio states how ‘in mine eye' Hero is the ‘sweetest lady' that he has ever seen, speaking of an idealised love which is evident with his exaggerations; Benedick however is able to ‘see without spectacles' signifying how he is not fooled by appearances and this becomes important later in the development of the play as Benedick eventually becomes the voice of reason among the chaos which soon plays out. The comment that Benedick makes about how he can see clearly ‘without spectacles' seems to be proven when Hero is shamed by the Princes; he demonstrates how he realises the truth of the situation because he believes that ‘their wisdoms be misled in this' and that the ‘practice of it lives' in Don John, the bastard brother of Don Pedro. Nonetheless, despite Benedick's wisdom and astuteness he also falls victim to some benevolent deception himself. A particularly complex example of deception occurs as Leonato, Claudio, and Don Pedro act as if Beatrice is head over heels in love with Benedick so that the eavesdropping Benedick will overhear it and believe it. Luring Benedick into this trap, Leonato ironically dismisses the idea that perhaps Beatrice hides her desire for Benedick, as he and the others disguise this love themselves. This scene includes links to other themes including the gap between the appearance of a situation and the reality, an example of this is when Benedick states how he would think it to be a ‘gull' but does not think so because the ‘white-bearded fellow speaks it' indicating how he is deceived by the appearance of Leonato because he believes that ‘knavery', which itself has connotations of youth, could not hide itself in such ‘ Another character in the Shakespeare's play ‘Much Ado About Nothing' who is strongly involved with the theme of deception is Don John, the Bastard brother of Don Pedro. Don John's character can be accurately described as Machiavellian since he deceives and manipulates others simply for personal gain. One of the most interesting lines that Don John utters is in fact his very first in the play when he is introduced to Leonato; he thanks Leonato for his hospitality and says the he is ‘not a man of many words'. This could be seen as irony since it is exactly his words that cause the slandering and public shaming of the innocent Hero. Don John's constant malevolent deception seems not just reserved for others since there are occasional occurrences of self-deception; during a conversation with Conrade he claims that he is a ‘plain-dealing villain' which in itself is an oxymoron and furthermore seems a direct contradiction to his actions in which he is very far from ‘plain-dealing', instead he deals in conspiracy, deceit and betrayal. This may be interpreted as an indication to the possible fact that Don John does not realise the extent of his actions nor the pain, strife and hurt that he causes. This ignorance of his actions may be understood, by some, as ‘innocence' and that he is not as malicious as his actions make him appear to be. This suggestion is further iterated in the following lines: The speech has echoes of Shylocks' speech in Act 3 Scene 1 of the Shakespearean comedy ‘The Merchant Of Venice'; in that emotive speech by Shylock the audience was expected to feel sympathy towards Shylock, in the same way Shakespeare encourages the audience to rethink their snap judgements of Don John, perhaps not to change their opinion of him but to at least judge him fairly. It would seem at first that Don John is simply a deceiver and is not deceived but if we were to analyse more deeply we would realise that he is self deceiving all throughout the play. There are many indications to his self-deception, such as his claim that he is nothing more than a ‘plain-dealing villain' and again the fact that he believes that he ‘cannot hide' what he is, furthermore, he claims that he would rather be disdained than to ‘rob love from any' which is precisely what he does in regards to Claudio and Hero, this yet another clue to his self deception. His repeated self-deception is not caused by his own physical senses (i. e. he cannot believe his eyes or ears) but rather his own reasoning deceives him in order to protect his ego. Don John's brother, Don Pedro the Prince of Arragon is a legitimate child and already wins over the affections of the audience; first by the fact that he is a Prince which gives a person instant respect and admiration and secondly because, in contrast to his brother, he is a child born inside wedlock and therefore is considered as a first class citizen as opposed to his brother, Don John the Bastard. Although, his perception as this exalted being is put into question when he is involved, along with Claudio, in the public shaming of the innocent Hero. The audience, however, may tolerate this since he was a victim of Don John's deception too and therefore wasn't truly malicious in his deeds in contrast to his brother. Benedick himself recognises this, knowing the Prince personally he knew it was out of character and the Don Pedro's ‘wisdoms be misled' and that the ‘practice of it lives in John the Bastard'. The Prince of Arragon is not heavily involved in deception and therefore maintains his stature of respect in the audience's eyes, also by the fact that he is not often deceived portrays his understanding and wisdom. An additional character in William Shakespeare's ‘Much Ado About Nothing' who has interesting links to the theme of deception is the niece of Leonato, cousin to Hero, Beatrice the orphan. By having no parents in her life she has a kind of free reign in regards to her public behaviour and is able to act frivolously and with more controversy than her counterpart Hero. And with this free reign she uses it often to comment on Benedick's apparent deception of others. She makes innumerable comments on how Signor Benedick of Padua is not how he appears; according to her ‘he wears his faith but as the fashion of his hat' pointing out how he is ever changing like fashions. Beatrice, as I mentioned before, makes many remarks regarding Benedick's deception including in the first scene of the play when she calls him no less than a ‘stuffed man', meaning that he is superficial and that he has nothing within him i. e. no character or verity. A further observation that I made regarding Beatrice's regular implicit accusations of Benedick's infidelity and deception may be interpreted as a sub-conscious confession, on her part, for the feelings for Benedick which she has hidden and with which she has deceived all by. In conclusion, as we can see, deception, facades, foolishness and the like were nothing but the social graces of that Messinian world and this fashion is echoed in the essence of William Shakespeare's ‘Much Ado About Nothing'. The justification for the innumerable amount of deception includes the upholding of one's honour and status among several other reasons. Through this play Shakespeare portrays how deceit is not inherently evil, but something that can be used as a means to good or bad ends.

Mount St. Helens

Geographic Facts and OverviewElevation: 8, 635 feet (2,550 m)Prominence: 4, 605 feet (1,404 m)Coordinates: 46 °12’00.17†N, 122 °11’21.13†WAge of rock: > 40,000 yearsEasiest access: southern slopeMount St. Helens is an active stratovolcano in Skamania County, Washington, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located 96 miles south of the city of Seattle and 53 miles northeast of Portland, Oregon. Mount St. Helens takes its name from the British diplomat Lord St Helens, a friend of George Vancouver, who did a survey of this place in the late 1800s.The mountain can be found in the Cascade Range and is part the Cascade Volcanic Arc, a segment of the Pacific Ring of Fire that includes over 160 active volcanoes (Mount St. Helens). This volcano is quite well known for its ash explosions and pyroclastic flows. It is located 45 miles west of Mount Adams, in the western part of the Cascade Range. These volcanic mountains are each approximatel y 50 miles from Mount Rainier, the highest of Cascade volcanoes. Mount Hood, the nearest major volcanic peak in Oregon, is 60 miles (95 km) southeast of Mount St. Helens. (Mount St. Helens)Mount St. Helens is quite young compared to the other well-known Cascade volcanoes (Mount St. Helens). It only formed within the last 40,000 years, and the summit cone (before the 1980 eruption) began rising around 2000 years ago. The volcano is still considered the most active in the Cascades within the last 10,000 or so years, according to the Mount St. Helens report in Wikipedia.Mount St. Helens Eruptive HistoryThe early eruptive stages of Mount St. Helens are known as the â€Å"Ape Canyon Stage† (around 40–35,000 years ago), the â€Å"Cougar Stage† (ca. 20–18,000 years ago), and the â€Å"Swift Creek Stage† (roughly 13–8,000 years ago).The modern period, since about 2500 BC, is called the â€Å"Spirit Lake Stage†. (Mount St. Helens) Collectively , the pre-Spirit Lake Stages are known as the â€Å"ancestral stages† (Mount St. Helens).The Eruption of May 18, 1980Mount St. Helens erupts maybe around once each century. After lying asleep for 123 years, Mount St. Helens again spewed steam and ash on March 27, 1980 – a prelude that put geologists on alert. But what happened on the18th of May, 1980, went beyond what anyone had envisioned. According to Mount Saint Helens History report, a 5.1 magnitude earthquake from inside the volcano triggered the destruction of its north flank, letting down the largest landslide in recorded history and a volcanic eruption equal in power to 500 atom bombs (History). As much as a cubic mile of volcanic material shot upward and sideways.The blast traveled at more than 300 miles per hour with temperatures in excess of 600 degrees F, destroying 230 square miles of forest (History).   Within seconds, the trunks of thousands of 150-foot-tall old-growth Douglas firs snapped like toothpi cks. Ash rained down over 22,000 square miles, blew more than 12 miles into the atmosphere and circled the globe in 17 days (History).   When the ash finally cleared up, the mountain was reduced by 1,313 feet (History). Although the Forest Service and local authorities had worked hard to keep people away, 57 were killed.   Rocks, snow and ice roared down the mountain at enormous speeds (sometimes reaching more than 100 miles per hour). Most large animals on the volcano, like mountain goats, black bears, and thousands of elk and deer (even most fish, amphibians, insects and birds), died. (History)Mount St. Helens before the EruptionBefore the eruption of 1980, Mount St. Helens formed an almost perfectly conical, youthful volcano that sometimes was known as the Fuji-san of America (Eruptive History). According to Volcano World’s Eruptive History page, during the 1980 eruption, however, the upper 400 m of the summit was removed by a slope avalanche, leaving a 2 x 3.5 km hors eshoe-shaped crater now partially filled by a lava dome.The eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980 changed the surrounding environment. Before the eruption, the areas around the mountain were known for its natural beauty. The Spirit Lake basin was said to be coated with ancient trees. The tree rings of these huge 800 year-old trees show evidence of eruptions that date back before the time of the Europeans arrival in the Americas (Biologic History).A few research sites existed before 1980 and they showed a healthy, vigorous forest, growing on the rich volcanic soils typical of the Pacific Northwest (Biologic History). Under the dense canopy, huckleberries, ferns, and mosses grew. A wide variety of animals lived here. Above Spirit Lake, the alpine meadows on the mountain were slowly being overtaken by trees (Biologic History). The alpine meadows supported a wide variety of wildflowers and gnarled trees. Mountain goats were transplanted from the Olympic Peninsula. They were well known fo r their aggressive ways.Sometimes they butted hikers right down the mountain (Biologic History). When people remember Spirit Lake, they always mention how clear it was (Biologic History). Fed by snow and glacial melt, the lake's temperature was normally below 55 degrees Fahrenheit year round (Biologic History). The many types of microscopic plants and animals that fish eat did not do well in this cold water. Because of this, the fish that were stocked never managed to become a self-sustaining population (Biologic History). Some people will tell you that Spirit Lake was overflowing with fish. However, catch records indicate that it was just average for the Northwest. Those who visited Mount St. Helens before 1980, were always impressed by its natural beauty. (Biologic History)Mount St. Helens NowAs amazingly destructive as it was, the May 18, 1980 eruption is just one of many events in the history of Mount St. Helens. Considering the 27 years and renewed volcanic activity, it is surp rising to see how Mount St. Helens continually changes. The past 27 or so years have been characterized by a rebirth.   Within the crater, a new lava dome began rising in 1986, rebuilding the mountain (History).   A new glacier has established itself on the crater floor.  Ã‚   And since early October 2004, a second lava dome has grown at a rate as high as a dump-truck load in volume every second.At this rate, scientists estimate Mount St. Helens could return to its height before the 1980 eruption of 9,677 feet in less than 200 years – less than a blink of the eye in geologic time (History). Remarkably, plant and animal life has revived itself faster than was expected. Beetles were among the earliest animals to return and over 300 kinds now flourish (History). Lupines, members of the pea family, were among the first plants to grow in the deep deposits of volcanic ash.Scientists learned that lupines drive ecological recovery by creating islands of rich nutrients that prom ote establishment of other plant species (History).   Millions of new trees and animal species have also returned to the areas that most of them left in 1980.   Mount St. Helens is back to being a living playground. According to the Mount St. Helens Institute, it has become one of the most  remarkable areas of geological and ecological disturbance and restoration in the world. This country has learned a lot from what happened 27, or so, years ago. We are now better prepared to face another eruption (to avoid the casualties of 1980), and scientists, our other learned friends in different fields of study, and the general public, are coming to experience the remarkable volcano that is Mount St. Helens.The Current EruptionsMount St. Helens came alive again in the fall of 2004 and has continually been erupting. Plenty of news crews and visitors from around the globe have surged to the volcano.   Mount St. Helens has returned to its former grandeur and is now a leading recreationa l area, with more than 500,000 visitors a year. W O R K S  Ã‚   C I T E Dâ€Å"Mount St. Helens.† Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 22 Apr 2007, 19:46 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 24 Apr 2007 ;https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mount_St._Helens;oldid=124937639;

Succubus Revealed Chapter 9

It wasn't until I landed in Seattle on Sunday evening that the full surreal nature of my weekend in Las Vegas hit me. Being there had felt so . . . natural. I suppose part of that was just having old friends like Bastien and Luis around. Yet I'd been pleasantly surprised at how easily I got along with my newer acquaintances, like Phoebe and Matthias. I'd even grown to like Jamie, though I never did see him after that night. Despite my efforts to find him and ask him about Milton, the imp had remained elusive for the rest of my trip. And the show . . . how had that happened? I couldn't even get a solid job here in my current hometown, yet hours after walking off the plane in a strange city, I'd landed what was, in many ways, my dream job. By the time we'd finished our second practice, Matthias was already talking about a special part he planned on creating for me, and several of the other dancers were so disappointed at me leaving for a month, you'd think we'd known each other for years. It had, in spite of my misgivings, been a fantastic weekend. Reality set in when I walked into my condo. Roman was out, with only a note reading Bowling practice tomorrow night to mark his passage. Naturally, the cats were as happy to see me as always. Scratching their heads in turn, I began to think about the logistics of moving both of them with me across state lines. I'd be taking them away from Roman, whom they loved, but there was nothing to be done for that. He couldn't come with us. As a nephilim, he was in constant danger of being hunted down by other immortals, and it was only Jerome's protection that allowed him to have a seminormal life in Seattle. Roman certainly wasn't going to give that up, and besides, Las Vegas was probably the worst place in the world for him to attempt to hide out. A vase of pink-tipped white roses sat on the kitchen table, filling the air with sweetness. I opened up the card and read Seth's scrawled writing: Welcome home. I've been counting the minutes. – S I texted him that I was back and received an answer urging me to come over to Terry and Andrea's for dinner. After leaving a note for Roman assuring him I'd be at practice, I headed out, my mind still spinning with more of the consequences of moving. The condo. I'd have to sell it. Unless I wanted to rent it to Roman? Hell would likely compensate any moving costs, but it'd be up to me to start making the actual arrangements now for things like movers and whatnot. I was good at making plans and organizing things, but all of my skills were useless against the one thing I wanted to bring with me to Las Vegas the most: Seth. I still had no solution for what to do with him. I was met with the usual outpouring of love from his nieces when I arrived, just in time for a chaotic family dinner. With the additional family members, they'd given up any pretense of eating at the kitchen table and had simply taken their paper plates and homemade pizza off to the living room. The casualties of food and furniture were ones Terry and Andrea were long since used to, but Margaret couldn't focus on her dinner for fear of constantly watching the girls and what she perceived as imminent tomato-stained disaster. I was happy to see Andrea out with the family, which wasn't something that happened very often lately. She looked tired but was in good spirits, and from the way the girls vied for position next to her, it was clear they were delighted to have her up and around too. â€Å"Seth says you were out of town,† she told me. â€Å"Anywhere fun?† â€Å"Las Vegas,† I replied. â€Å"Visiting friends.† â€Å"Man,† said Ian. â€Å"I wish I had friends in Las Vegas.† â€Å"I figured it'd be too commercial for you,† said Seth, deadpan. Ian swallowed a bite of his pizza – it apparently wasn't a vegan day – before responding. â€Å"Only if you stay on the Strip and their overpriced luxury hotels. If you poke around in some of the out-of-the-way places, you could find some really cool and obscure dives.† It took nine-year-old Kendall to say what the rest of us were thinking. â€Å"I'd rather stay in luxury. Why would you want to stay in a dive, Uncle Ian?† â€Å"Because it's nonmainstream,† he told her. â€Å"Everyone stays at the nice places.† â€Å"But I like nice things,† she argued. â€Å"Don't you?† â€Å"Well, yes,† he said, frowning. â€Å"But that's not the point – â€Å" â€Å"Then why would you want to stay at bad places?† she pressed. â€Å"You're too young to understand,† he said. Seth chuckled. â€Å"Actually, I think she understands perfectly.† Andrea decided to rest shortly after that, but not before extracting a promise that someone deliver her dessert later on. After doing dishes (which was pretty easy with paper plates), our group dispersed into separate activities. Kendall, Brandy, Margaret, and Terry started up a game of Monopoly while Kayla and the twins settled down to watch The Little Mermaid. Ian joined them, excited for the chance to show how the movie was an example of capitalism destroying America. Seth and I curled up on a nearby loveseat, ostensibly to watch the movie, but instead used the time to catch up. â€Å"How was it, really?† he asked me in a low voice. â€Å"I've been worried about you. Was it as bad as you thought?† â€Å"No,† I said, leaning my head against his chest. â€Å"It was actually . . . pretty good. Would you believe I have a job already ? Like . . . one that's not on Hell's payroll.† â€Å"You can't even get one of those here,† remarked Seth. â€Å"Yeah, the irony's not lost on me. I'm going to be a Vegas showgirl, complete with sequins.† Seth trailed his fingers through my hair. â€Å"That's actually kind of awesome. And hot. If you want to practice, I'd be more than happy to give you some constructive criticism.† I smiled. â€Å"We'll see.† There was a long pause. â€Å"So . . . it's real. This whole thing.† â€Å"Yeah,† I said in a small voice. â€Å"It's real.† I felt him tense and sensed the worry radiating off of him. â€Å"It's okay. We'll figure this out. It's still a month away.† â€Å"I know we will,† he said. â€Å"You and I have overcome crazier things than this, right?† â€Å"Crazier doesn't always mean harder,† I pointed out. â€Å"I mean, when Peter tried to make a ‘retro candle sconce' out of a Pringles can last month, that was pretty crazy – but it was also pretty easy to deal with once we found his fire extinguisher.† â€Å"You see?† said Seth. â€Å"This is what I love about you. I don't even consider that crazy. I consider that ordinary life with you, Georgina. You change all the definitions.† He pressed a kiss to my forehead. We fell silent and watched the movie, though I suspected Seth was paying as little attention as I was. We were both lost in our own thoughts, and I didn't really snap out of it until I heard Ian telling Morgan, â€Å"I like the original fairy tale better. It's pretty alternative, so you've probably never heard of it.† I glanced at the clock and sat up. â€Å"I'm going to go check on Andrea and see if she wants her dessert.† Both Margaret and Terry were quick to offer to do it instead, but I waved them off, assuring them I was fine and that they should return to their game. Andrea was awake, propped up on pillows and reading a book when I came in with the pie. â€Å"You didn't have to do that,† she told me. â€Å"You should've asked Terry.† â€Å"He's busy buying and selling property,† I told her, helping her settle the plate on her lap. â€Å"I couldn't ask him to interrupt that. Besides, he does plenty.† â€Å"He does,† she agreed, smiling wistfully. â€Å"They all do. Even you. It's so strange, having others take care of me. I'm too used to looking after everyone else.† I settled down on a chair near her bed, wondering how often it must be filled lately. Andrea always had someone watching over her. â€Å"It's just for a little while longer,† I said. That got me another smile as she chewed a bite of pie. â€Å"You're very optimistic.† â€Å"Hey, why shouldn't I be? You look great today.† â€Å"Great ‘ironically,' as Ian would say.† She ran a hand through her limp blond hair. â€Å"But I do feel better than I have for a while. I don't know. It's deceptive, Georgina. There are days I feel confident I've beat every cancer cell in my body and others when I can't believe I'm still managing to walk this earth.† â€Å"Andrea – â€Å" â€Å"No, no, it's true.† She paused for more pie, but her eyes took on a vast, knowing look that reminded me eerily of Carter. â€Å"I've accepted it, come to terms with the fact that there's still a good chance I'll die. No one else has. No one else will talk about it. I'm okay with that. If that's what God wills for me, then so be it.† I felt a knot clench in my stomach. I couldn't say much about God, but I'd seen enough of Heaven and Hell to get angry when I heard humans accept their fate as part of some higher purpose. Half the time, it seemed to me the divine powers were making up this game as they went along. â€Å"I'm not worried about me,† Andrea continued. â€Å"But I am worried about them.† That serenity faded, replaced by very real human concern, a mother's fear for her children. â€Å"Terry's strong. So wonderfully strong. But this is hard on him. He can't do it alone, which is why I'm so glad Seth's here. I don't know what we would have done without him. He's the rock supporting us all right now.† The anxiety inside me eased for a few moments, replaced by a spreading warmth as I thought about Seth. â€Å"He's wonderful.† Andrea set down the fork, finished, and extended her hand to me. â€Å"So are you. I'm glad you're part of our family, Georgina. If something happens to me – â€Å" â€Å"Stop – â€Å" â€Å"No, listen. I mean it. If something happens to me, I'll rest easy knowing the girls have you in their lives. Seth and Terry are great, but the girls still need a strong woman role model. Someone to help them through growing up.† â€Å"I'm not that good of a role model,† I said, not meeting her eyes. I was a creature of Hell, someone full of weakness and fear. What could I possibly have to offer such bright, promise-filled creatures like the Mortensen girls? â€Å"You are,† said Andrea adamantly, squeezing my hand. â€Å"They love you and admire you so much. I know they're in good hands.† I swallowed back tears that were threatening to overwhelm me. â€Å"Well,† I said. â€Å"They're in even better hands with you, since we all know you're going to get well soon.† Andrea nodded, giving me an indulgent smile that I suspected she'd perfected after weeks of listening to others insist she was on the verge of recovery. A yawn soon betrayed her, and I carefully took the plate away and asked if she needed anything else. She assured me she didn't. I crept back downstairs and returned the plate to the kitchen, where I found Brandy and Margaret eating pie of their own. I did a double take back toward the living room. â€Å"What happened to Monopoly?† â€Å"Kendall bought us out,† said Margaret. â€Å"Man, I hate playing with her,† grumbled Brandy. â€Å"No one her age should be that good.† â€Å"Don't knock it,† said Seth, strolling in. â€Å"She's going to be supporting us all in fifteen years.† He rested a hand on Brandy's shoulder. â€Å"Did you ask Georgina?† Brandy looked at her feet. â€Å"No.† â€Å"Ask me what?† â€Å"It's nothing,† she said. â€Å"Clearly it's something,† I replied, exchanging looks with Seth. â€Å"What's up?† â€Å"Is this the Christmas dance you were talking about before ?† asked Margaret. Brandy flushed. â€Å"A holiday dance. It's nothing.† â€Å"No way,† I said. â€Å"I'm a big fan of dances. But isn't school out?† â€Å"Yeah, but this is at church. It's a formal they have every year.† She was using a It's no big deal tone, but her expression betrayed how interested she was. The church part surprised me, since last I knew, the Mortensens didn't attend one. But obviously that had changed. Maybe Andrea's illness had played a role. Whatever it was, I could see faith wasn't on the line here, so much as a teenage girl's simple desire to participate in something fun with other people her age. It was a normal rite of passage, one I was guessing she didn't feel worthy of, in light of everything else going on right now with her family. No wonder she was hesitant to mention it. I wondered if maybe there was a boy involved too but certainly wasn't going to ask. She looked mortified enough to be having this discussion in front of her uncle and grandmother. â€Å"You need to shop for a dress?† I guessed. People always called me for shopping. I used to be bothered by that but then figured I should accept what I'm good at. Brandy nodded, still looking embarrassed. â€Å"When is it?† â€Å"Tuesday.† â€Å"Tuesday . . .† I frowned, thinking of my schedule. Tomorrow, Monday, was taken up with work and bowling practice. That didn't leave a lot of time. â€Å"We might be cutting it close.† â€Å"If you don't have time, it's fine,† Brandy assured me. â€Å"Really.† â€Å"No way,† I told her. â€Å"We can do it Tuesday morning.† Brandy looked down again. â€Å"My dad can pay you back†¦. I'll ask him how much we can spend.† â€Å"Forget it,† said Seth, rustling her hair. She squirmed out of his reach. â€Å"Send the bill to me. You know where I live.† Brandy protested this, but Seth was firm in his offer – as well as his urging that Brandy not mention it to her father. But once Brandy and Seth were in the other room, Margaret caught hold of my sleeve and pulled me back into the kitchen before I could follow. Our interactions hadn't exactly been antagonistic (aside from our initial meeting with the baseball bat), but they hadn't always been pleasant either. I braced myself for some admonishment about dressing Brandy like a whore. â€Å"Here,† said Margaret, shoving some cash into my hands. I looked down and found two fifty-dollar bills. â€Å"Seth's not the only with income around here. He can't keep funding the whole family. Is that enough for what she needs?† â€Å"Er, yes,† I said, trying to hand it back. I'd actually planned on cutting Seth out as well and carrying the bill myself. â€Å"Definitely. You don't have to do this.† Margaret's response was to give me another bill. â€Å"Get her shoes too.† She closed my hand around the cash. â€Å"I don't know what girls her age need when it comes to clothes, but I know you do. The money I can provide. The rest I rely on you for.† That sentiment – that faith in me – was too much, too fast on the heels of the conversation I'd just had with Andrea. â€Å"It's not enough,† I blurted out. â€Å"What I'm doing, compared to everyone else. They're all giving so much. What's a shopping trip next to that?† Margaret fixed me with a piercing gaze that bore no resemblance to the conservative, sweatshirt-wearing matron I'd categorized her as. â€Å"For a girl growing up too fast, whose life is crumbling around her? Everything.† â€Å"I hate this,† I said. â€Å"I hate that this is happening to them.† â€Å"God only gives us what we have the strength to endure,† she said. I'd always hated that saying, largely because it too seemed to go along with the idea of a universe having a plan for everyone, something I'd seen no evidence of. â€Å"They have the strength to get through this. And they have our strength to help them.† I smiled at that. â€Å"You're a remarkable woman, Margaret. They're lucky you're here.† I meant it. She and I might have different philosophies about premarital sex, but her love for them was undiminished. I wasn't the only role model in the girls' lives. She shrugged, looking both flattered and embarrassed by my praise. â€Å"Like you, I'm just trying to do enough – without wearing out my welcome at Seth's.† â€Å"He loves having you,† I said promptly. She rolled her eyes. â€Å"I'm not stupid. I want to keep helping, but I know I can't stay with him forever. He's a grown man, no matter how much I'd like to pretend otherwise.† That made me smile even more. â€Å"Don't worry. I won't tell him you said so.† Nonetheless, I went home with a heavy heart that night. Seth expected to be up late and hadn't wanted me waiting around for him. We were both conscious of how little time we'd had together recently, though, so he told me he'd join me for tomorrow night's bowling practice. As a general rule, he tried to avoid immortal goings-on, but I think he had a morbid fascination with the idea of bowling for Hellish honor. â€Å"Thank God,† said Roman, when I walked in the door. â€Å"I thought you were going to stay at Seth's. There's soup on the stove.† â€Å"No, thanks,† I said. â€Å"I already ate.† â€Å"Your loss,† he said. Judging from the way the cats were circling him for handouts as he settled down on the couch with a bowl, I guess they agreed with him. â€Å"How was it?† My mind was still on the Mortensens, and for a moment, I thought that's what he meant. Then I remembered his single-minded focus and knew he was referring to Las Vegas. â€Å"Surprisingly good,† I told him, sitting down in an armchair. His eyebrows rose. He hadn't expected that answer. â€Å"Oh? Tell me about it.† I did, and he listened attentively while eating his soup. When I'd finished the weekend's recap, he grilled me on nearly everyone I'd met there, immortal and mortal alike. In two days, I didn't have that much life history to report but gave him what I could. â€Å"Well,† he said, â€Å"isn't that lovely.† He made no effort to hide his sarcasm. I sighed. â€Å"You still think this was part of some greater conspiracy ?† â€Å"I think it's terribly convenient that this seemingly routine transfer is fulfilling every possible wish you might have.† I scoffed. â€Å"Aside from the fact that I'm being transferred in the first place. That's hardly something I wanted.† Roman straightened up, and the cats ran for his abandoned bowl. He ticked off points on his right hand. â€Å"Well, let's do a tally, shall we? When I first met you, I asked what your dream job would be. What did you say? A Vegas dancer. And wow! Look what conveniently falls into your lap. And who put it there? In a city full of conniving, backstabbing succubi, you were fortunate to find one as levelheaded as you, complete with the same sense of humor and interests. Funny thing . . . did you even run into any other succubi that entire weekend? In a city packed with them?† â€Å"Roman – â€Å" â€Å"No, no, wait. There's more. How'd you meet this wonder succubus anyway? Through your closest immortal friend, who just happened to have been coincidentally transferred to Las Vegas, hired on by your favorite boss of all time. Are you following this fantasy so far?† â€Å"But why would – â€Å" â€Å"And,† he continued, â€Å"lest you grow homesick for the wacky idiosyncrasies of your friends back here, Vegas is ready to supply you with new ones. A zany drunken imp. Seth 2.0. If you'd stayed longer, they probably would have unearthed an angel and a couple of vampires for you. And let's not discount the fact that you're going to Las Vegas in the first place! The single easiest place for a succubus to get by.† â€Å"Okay, I get what you're saying.† I threw up my hands in exasperation. â€Å"It is perfect. Maybe too perfect. But you're missing one fundamental point. Supposing this is true, that someone has set up the most perfect scenario for me ever, a situation designed to keep me happy, why would they do it at all when the thing that would make me the most happy is to stay in Seattle? Why bother with this alternative? Why not leave me as I am?† Roman's eyes gleamed. â€Å"Because that's the one thing they don't want you to have. They want you out of Seattle, Georgina. They want you out, and they don't want you to complain or look back.† â€Å"But why?† I protested. â€Å"That's what I can't figure out.† â€Å"Give me something else to work with,† he said. â€Å"Hell's not that good. Even the most picture perfect setup has to have a flaw. Was there anything, anything at all this weekend, that felt disingenuous? That smacked of a lie?† I gave him a wry look. â€Å"I was in Las Vegas, hanging out with servants of Hell. Everything was disingenuous.† â€Å"Georgina, think! Anything that seemed legitimately odd. Any contradiction.† I started to deny it but then paused. â€Å"The timeline.† He leaned forward even more. â€Å"Yes? What about it?† I thought back to my first hours in Las Vegas. â€Å"Luis and Bastien both went out of their way to act as though my transfer and Bastien's had been in the works for a while – like Jerome said. But once, Bastien slipped. He sounded like he hadn't been there for very long at all – not nearly as long as they'd said before.† â€Å"Like that maybe he was suddenly pulled in on a moment's notice – to coincide with your transfer?† â€Å"I don't know,† I said, not liking the thought of Bastien being part of some potential conspiracy centered around me. â€Å"He corrected himself, said he misspoke.† â€Å"I'm sure he would say that.† Roman leaned back now, letting all of this sink in. â€Å"Bastien wouldn't lie to me,† I snapped. â€Å"He's my friend. I trust him. He cares about me.† â€Å"I believe you,† said Roman. â€Å"And I believe that he wouldn't lie to you about something that he thought might harm you. But if his higher-ups asked him to tell a white lie – fudge a few days here and there – don't you think he would?† I nearly denied it – but then had to wonder. Bastien had been in trouble off and on with our superiors, his Seattle venture last year a desperate attempt to restore status. If he were pressured enough – threatened, even – to tell me he'd been transferred longer than he actually had, would he? Especially if he thought it was harmless and knew of no nefarious reason behind it? â€Å"But what nefarious reason would be behind all this?† I muttered, not realizing I'd spoken my thoughts aloud until Roman straightened up again. â€Å"That's what we have to figure out. We have to figure out what's happened to you that would've gotten someone's attention – and that happened recently, to spur such a fast response. We know about your slacker record. And we know about Erik looking into your contract.† I blinked. â€Å"Milton.† I quickly told Roman about Hugh's information, about Milton's secret assassin status and trip to Seattle lining up with Erik's death. I also told him about briefly mentioning Milton to Jamie. Roman leaped to his feet. â€Å"Jesus Christ! Why didn't you tell me about this sooner? I could've investigated Milton while you were gone. Shit. Now I'm trapped here under bowling duty.† Nephilim had the same travel limitations as lesser immortals. They had to physically travel to places. No teleportation like greater immortals. â€Å"I'm sorry,† I said. â€Å"I wasn't thinking. I didn't connect it. And I didn't get a chance to ask Jamie more about Milton. He wasn't around the rest of the time I was in town.† Roman was nodding along with me as he paced. â€Å"Of course he wasn't. I'm sure they made certain he was unavailable before he could tell you any more. And explain again why your initial conversation with him didn't go that far?† I shrugged. â€Å"He was drunk. He got distracted by a debate over gin with Luis.† â€Å"One that Luis initiated, no doubt.† â€Å"I – † I thought about it. â€Å"Yeah. I guess he did. But you're not saying . . . I mean, that's idiotic. Using gin as a distraction to cover up some plot?† Roman's sea green eyes were gazing off in the distance, thoughtful. â€Å"It's not the most ridiculous distraction I've known a demon to use. He could've brought up bowling.† â€Å"Not that again.† Roman snapped his attention back to me, frustration all over his face. â€Å"Georgina, how can you be in denial about this? How can you refuse to believe that Hell is playing some larger game here? After all you've seen and been a part of?† I shot up, angry at the insinuation that had been creeping along here, that I was too oblivious to see what was going on. â€Å"I know! I know they're capable of it. I know they can use means both ingenuous and simple – like gin and bowling – to get what they want. I'm not denying that, Roman. What I just can't grasp yet is the why. Show me that, and I'll get on board with any crazy scheme you want. I need to know why.† Roman came to stand in front of me, resting his hands on my shoulders as he leaned close. â€Å"That is exactly what I intend to find out. And when we do, I have a feeling we'll have blown the lid off of the biggest conspiracy Hell's had in centuries.†