Vampire Academy Chapter 10

TEN â€Å"EXCUSE ME, MR. NAGY? I CANT really concentrate with Lissa and Rose passing notes over there.† Mia was attempting to distract attention from herself – as well as from her inability to answer Mr. Nagy's question – and it was ruining what had otherwise been a promising day. A few of the fox rumors still circulated, but most people wanted to talk about Christian attacking Ralf. I still hadn't cleared Christian of the fox incident – I was pretty sure he was psycho enough to have done it as some crazy sign of affection for Lissa – but whatever his motives, he had shifted the attention off her, just as he'd said. Mr. Nagy legendary for his ability to humiliate students by reading notes aloud, homed in on us like a missile. He snatched the note away, and the excited class settled in for a full reading. I swallowed my groan, trying to look as blank and unconcerned as possible. Beside me, Lissa looked like she wanted to die. â€Å"My, my,† he said, looking the note over. â€Å"If only students would write this much in their essays. One of you has considerably worse writing than the other, so forgive me if I get anything wrong here.† He cleared his throat. † ? ®So, I saw J last night,' begins the person with bad handwriting, to which the response is, ? ®What happened,' followed by no fewer than five question marks. Understandable, since sometimes one – let alone four – just won't get the point across, eh?† The class laughed, and I noticed Mia throwing me a particularly mean smile. â€Å"The first speaker responds: ? ®What do you think happened? We hooked up in one of the empty lounges.' â€Å" Mr. Nagy glanced up after hearing some more giggles in the room. His British accent only added to the hilarity. â€Å"May I assume by this reaction that the use of ? ®hook up' pertains to the more recent, shall we say, carnal application of the term than the tamer one I grew up with?† More snickers ensued. Straightening up, I said boldly, â€Å"Yes, sir, Mr. Nagy. That would be correct, sir.† A number of people in the class laughed outright. â€Å"Thank you for that confirmation, Miss Hathaway. Now, where was I? Ah yes, the other speaker then asks, ? ®How was it?' The response is, ? ®Good,' punctuated with a smiley face to confirm said adjective. Well. I suppose kudos are in order for the mysterious J, hmmm? ? ®So, like, how far did you guys go?' Uh, ladies,† said Mr. Nagy, â€Å"I do hope this doesn't surpass a PG rating. ? ®Not very. We got caught.' And again, we are shown the severity of the situation, this time through the use of a not-smiling face. ? ®What happened?' ? ®Dimitri showed up. He threw Jesse out and then bitched me out.' â€Å" The class lost it, both from hearing Mr. Nagy say â€Å"bitched† and from finally getting some participants named. â€Å"Why, Mr. Zeklos, are you the aforementioned J? The one who earned a smiley face from the sloppy writer?† Jesse's face turned beet red, but he didn't look entirely displeased at having his exploits made known in front of his friends. He'd kept what had happened a secret thus far – including the blood talk – because I suspected Dimitri had scared the hell out of him. â€Å"Well, while I applaud a good misadventure as much as the next teacher whose time is utterly wasted, do remind your ? ®friends' in the future that my class is not a chat room.† He tossed the paper back on to Lissa's desk. â€Å"Miss Hathaway, it seems there's no feasible way to punish you, since you're already maxed out on penalties around here. Ergo, you, Miss Dragomir, will serve two detentions instead of one on behalf of your friend. Stay here when the bell rings, please.† After class, Jesse found me, an uneasy look on his face. â€Å"Hey, um, about that note†¦you know I didn't have anything to do with that. If Belikov finds out about it†¦you'll tell him? I mean, you'll let him know I didn't – â€Å" â€Å"Yeah, yeah,† I interrupted him. â€Å"Don't worry, you're safe.† Standing with me, Lissa watched him walk out of the room. Thinking of how easily Dimitri had thrown him around – and of his apparent cowardice – I couldn't help but remark, â€Å"You know, Jesse's suddenly not as hot as I used to think.† She only laughed. â€Å"You'd better go. I've got desks to wash.† I left her, heading back for my dorm. As I did, I passed a number of students gathered in small clusters outside the building. I regarded them wistfully, wishing I had the free time to socialize. â€Å"No, it's true,† I heard a confident voice say. Camille Conta. Beautiful and popular, from one of the most prestigious families in the Conta clan. She and Lissa had sort of been friends before we left, in the uneasy way two powerful forces keep an eye on each other. â€Å"They, like, clean toilets or something.† â€Å"Oh my God,† her friend said. â€Å"I'd die if I was Mia.† I smiled. Apparently Jesse had spread some of the stories I'd told him last night. Unfortunately, the next overheard conversation shattered my victory. † – heard it was still alive. Like, twitching on her bed.† â€Å"That is so gross. Why would they just leave it there?† â€Å"I don't know. Why kill it in the first place?† â€Å"You think Ralf was right? That she and Rose did it to get kicked – â€Å" They saw me and shut up. Scowling, I skulked off across the quadrangle. Still alive, still alive. I'd refused to let Lissa talk about the similarities between the fox and what had happened two years ago. I didn't want to believe they were connected, and I certainly didn't want her to either. But I hadn't been able to stop thinking about that incident, not only because it was chilling, but because it really did remind me of what had just happened in her room. We had been out in the woods near campus one evening, having skipped out on our last class. I'd traded a pair of cute, rhinestone-studded sandals to Abby Badica for a bottle of peach schnapps – desperate, yes, but you did what you had to in Montana – which she'd somehow gotten hold of. Lissa had shaken her head in disapproval when I suggested cutting class to go put the bottle out of its misery, but she'd come along anyway. Like always. We found an old log to sit on near a scummy green marsh. A half-moon cast a tiny sliver of light on us, but it was more than enough for vampires and half-vampires to see by. Passing the bottle back and forth, I grilled her on Aaron. She'd fessed up that the two of them had had sex the weekend before, and I felt a surge of jealousy that she'd been the one to have sex first. â€Å"So what was it like?† She shrugged and took another drink. â€Å"I don't know. It wasn't anything.† â€Å"What do you mean it wasn't anything? Didn't the earth move or the planets align or something?† â€Å"No,† she said, smothering a laugh. â€Å"Of course not.† I didn't really get why that should be funny, but I could tell she didn't want to talk about it. This was around the time the bond had begun forming, and her emotions were starting to creep into me now and then. I held up the bottle and glared at it. â€Å"I don't think this stuff is working.† â€Å"That's because there's barely any alcohol in – â€Å" The sound of something moving in the brush came from nearby. I immediately shot up, putting my body between her and the noise. â€Å"It's some animal,† she said when a minute went by in silence. That didn't mean it wasn't dangerous. The school's wards kept out Strigoi, but wild animals often wandered into the outskirts of campus, posing their own threats. Bears. Cougars. â€Å"Come on,† I told her. â€Å"Let's head back.† We hadn't gone very far when I heard something moving again, and someone stepped out into our path. â€Å"Ladies.† Ms. Karp. We froze, and whatever quick reactions I'd shown back by the marsh disappeared as I delayed a few moments in hiding the bottle behind my back. A half-smile crossed her face, and she held out her hand. Sheepishly, I gave the bottle to her, and she tucked it under her arm. She turned without another word, and we followed, knowing there would be consequences to deal with. â€Å"You think no one notices when half a class is gone?† she asked after a little while. â€Å"Half a class?† â€Å"A few of you apparently chose today to skip. Must be the nice weather. Spring fever.† Lissa and I trudged along. I'd never been comfortable around Ms. Karp since the time she'd healed my hands. Her weird, paranoid behavior had taken on a strange quality to me – a lot stranger than before. Scary, even. And lately I couldn't look at her without seeing those marks by her forehead. Her deep red hair usually covered them but not always. Sometimes there were new marks; sometimes the old ones faded to nothing. A weird fluttering noise sounded to my right. We all stopped. â€Å"One of your classmates, I imagine,† murmured Ms. Karp, turning toward the sound. But when we reached the spot, we found a large black bird lying on the on the ground. Birds – and most animals – didn't do anything for me, but even I had to admire its sleek feathers and fierce beak. It could probably peck someone's eyes out in thirty seconds – if it weren't obviously dying. With a last, halfhearted shake, the bird finally went still. â€Å"What is that? Is it a crow?† I asked. â€Å"Too big,† said Ms. Karp. â€Å"It's a raven.† â€Å"Is it dead?† asked Lissa. I peered at it. â€Å"Yeah. Definitely dead. Don't touch it.† â€Å"Probably attacked by another bird,† observed Ms. Karp. â€Å"They fight over territory and resources sometimes.† Lissa knelt down, compassion on her face. I wasn't surprised, since she'd always had a thing for animals. She'd lectured me for days after I'd instigated the infamous hamster-and-hermit-crab fight. I'd viewed the fight as a testing of worthy opponents. She'd seen it as animal cruelty. Transfixed, she reached toward the raven. â€Å"Liss!† I exclaimed, horrified. â€Å"It's probably got a disease.† But her hand moved out like she hadn't even heard me. Ms. Karp stood there like a statue, her white face looking like a ghost's. Lissa's fingers stroked the raven's wings. â€Å"Liss,† I repeated, starting to move toward her, to pull her back. Suddenly, a strange sensation flooded through my head, a sweetness that was beautiful and full of life. The feeling was so intense, it stopped me in my tracks. Then the raven moved. Lissa gave a small scream and snatched her hand back. We both stared wide-eyed. The raven flapped its wings, slowly trying to right itself and stand up. When it managed to do so, it turned toward us, fixing Lissa with a look that seemed too intelligent for a bird, its eyes held hers, and I couldn't read her reaction through the bond. At long last, the raven broke the gaze and lifted into the air, strong wings carrying it away. Wind stirring the leaves was the only sound left. â€Å"Oh my God,† breathed Lissa. â€Å"What just happened?† â€Å"Hell if I know,† I said, hiding my stark terror. Ms. Karp strode forward and grabbed Lissa's arm, forcefully turning her so that they faced each other. I was there in a flash, ready to take action if Crazy Karp tried anything, though even I had qualms about taking down a teacher. â€Å"Nothing happened,† said Ms. Karp in an urgent voice, her eyes wild-looking. â€Å"Do you hear me? Nothing. And you can't tell anyone – anyone – about what you saw. Both of you. Promise me. Promise me you won't ever talk about this again.† Lissa and I exchanged uneasy glances. â€Å"Okay† she croaked out. Ms. Karp's grip relaxed a little. â€Å"And don't ever do it again. If you do, they'll find out. They'll try to find you.† She turned to me. â€Å"You can't let her do it. Not ever again.† On the quad, outside my dorm, someone was saying my name. â€Å"Hey, Rose? I've called you, like, a hundred times.† I forgot about Ms. Karp and the raven and glanced over at Mason, who had apparently started walking with me toward the dorm while I was off in la-la land. â€Å"Sorry,† I mumbled. â€Å"I'm out of it. Just†¦um, tired.† â€Å"Too much excitement last night?† I gave him a narrow-eyed look. â€Å"Nothing I couldn't handle.† â€Å"I guess,† he laughed, though he didn't exactly sound amused. â€Å"Sounds like Jesse couldn't handle it.† â€Å"He did okay.† â€Å"If you say so. But personally, I think you've got bad taste.† I stopped walking. â€Å"And I don't think it's any of your business.† He looked away angrily. â€Å"You made it the whole class's business.† â€Å"Hey, I didn't do that on purpose.† â€Å"Would've happened anyway. Jesse's got a big mouth.† â€Å"He wouldn't have told.† â€Å"Yeah,† said Mason. â€Å"Because he's so cute and has such an important family.† â€Å"Stop being an idiot,† I snapped. â€Å"And why do you even care? Jealous I'm not doing it with you?† His flush grew, going all the way to the roots of his red hair. â€Å"I just don't like hearing people talk shit about you, that's all. There are a lot of nasty jokes going around. They're calling you a slut.† â€Å"I don't care what they call me.† â€Å"Oh, yeah. You're really tough. You don't need anyone.† I stopped. â€Å"I don't. I'm one of the best novices in this fucking place. I don't need you acting all gallant and coming to my defense. Don't treat me like I'm some helpless girl.† I turned around and kept walking, but he caught up to me easily. The woes of being five-seven. â€Å"Look†¦I didn't mean to upset you. I'm just worried about you.† I gave a harsh laugh. â€Å"I'm serious. Wait†¦Ã¢â‚¬  he began. â€Å"I, uh, did something for you. Sort of. I went to the library last night and tried to look up St. Vladimir,† I stopped again. â€Å"You did?† â€Å"Yeah, but there wasn't much on Anna. All the books were kind of generic. Just talked about him healing people, bringing them back from the edge of death.† That last part hit a nerve. â€Å"Was†¦was there anything else?† I stammered. He shook his head. â€Å"No. You probably need some primary sources, but we don't have any here.† â€Å"Primary what?† He scoffed, a smile breaking over his face. â€Å"Do you do anything but pass notes? We just talked about them the other day in Andrews' class. They're books from the actual time period you want to study. Secondary ones are written by people living today. You'll get better information if you find something written by the guy himself. Or someone who actually knew him.† â€Å"Huh. Okay. What are you, like, a boy genius now?† Mason gave me a light punch in the arm. â€Å"I pay attention, that's all. You're so oblivious. You miss all sorts of things.† He smiled nervously. â€Å"And look†¦I really am sorry about what I said. I was just – â€Å" Jealous, I realized. I could see it in his eyes. How had I never noticed this before? He was crazy about me. I guess I really was oblivious. â€Å"It's all right, Mase. Forget about it.† I smiled. â€Å"And thanks for looking that stuff up.† He smiled back, and I went inside, sad that I didn't feel the same way about him.

HR management Essay

HR management forms a valuable and effective administration concerned mainly with working category. It evaluates the steps to be implemented to make the working category into further industrious, satisfied and happy. As an integral fraction of society of human resource management policies, the team have supported that the strategies need to encourage the companies to provide pioneering and flexible plans that are highly benefit. The work-life policies laid forward by the SHRM proved to be highly beneficial to employees. However, there are several human resource factors, which influence an organization to adopt the work-life plans as a vital division of SHRM practices and plans. Majority of the factors that stressed upon work life policies incorporates the demographic variation occurring with the prospective workforce, variation in social characteristics, role and responsibility changes in organizations and other governmental factors. Women make an essential part of almost all types of organization in the most modern era. Most of the working class woman wishes to conjointly take the responsibilities of their family as well as the employment terms. This was considered as an apparent factor that resulted in the emergence of family friendly plans. This plan was further termed as work life policies and rapidly gained importance in the area of SHRM. The next vital factor associated with demographic variation forms the ageing employees that raised the value of the work life policies. As per the plan, the aged workgroup may remain in the organization. However, they only need to work for very few hours or may change their shift timings as per their comfort. Most of the working people hold the responsibilities for bringing up their kids and take equal responsibilities for their aged parents. The plan allows even the aged people to support their children with their responsibilities. With the advance of modern technology, the labor market gets tightens and requires more and more skilled laborers. The organization needs to implement the work life policies to influence and regain employers who might have left the organization previously due to some or other cause. As per a study conducted by IRS, the most important motive behind the management to initiate the work life plan is strongly associated with recruitment of staffs as well as retention. As majority of leading organizations work on a 24 hour per day basis, increasing the working hours. However, there is strong requirement of flexible plans to cover these elaborated hours with efficiency. Surveys shows that adaptation of faster work pace has lead to organizational stress and most of the workers experience severe problems such as anxiety, stress, workload and inadequate personal time. These variations make the organizations to breach the government induced rules. Evaluating with respect to a legal outlook, all the working categories have a role on self care and protection and work life policies influence this particular concept. With the policies of work life, every employee may endorse a healthy and happy job environment and understand more about their social errands as a working personality. Thus, the policies offer high benefits to the employees as well as appropriate guidance with proper management to the employers.

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Byzantium And Islam - Essay Example .   Byzantium attained its political height through Justinian, who re-conquered the old Western empire parts.   Successive attacks from various peoples, including Latin Christians, made Byzantium weak, finally falling to the Ottoman Turks (1454) (Perry, Chase, Jacob, & Jacob, 2008 pg. 29). As the 7th century began, vast territories that extended from Egypt to Syria and across North African territories were under the rule of Byzantine Empire from Constantinople (modern Istanbul), its capital. Critical to the power and wealth of the empire, these southern territories long influenced by the Greco-Roman traditions held Orthodox, Syriac and Coptic, Christians, Jewish communities, among other many religions (Ratliff & Evans, 2012 pg. 36). Great pilgrimage centers engrossed the faithful followers from as far away as Scandinavia in the west and Yemen in the east. Major trade routes extended down the Red Sea to eastward past Jordan to Indian lands in the south, bringing ivories and silks to the imperial territories. Key cities made wealthy by commerce protracted along inland trade routes Constantinople north and along the coastline of Mediterranean sea. Commerce carried ideas and images freely through the region. In the same 7th century, the newly founded faith of Islam began from Medina and Mecca along the Red Sea trade way and reached westward to the Byzantium Empire’s southern provinces. Religious and political authority was conveyed from the long conventional Christian Byzantine to the newly founded Umayyad and well along Abbasid Muslim dynasties. These new powers capitalized on the advantage of existing region traditions in developing their compelling religious and secular visual identities. This exhibition shadows the Byzantine Empire southern provinces artistic traditions from the 7th century to the 9th, as they were changed from being fundamental to the Byzantine tradition and beliefs to being a critical Islamic world part (Ratliff & Evans, 2012 pg. 6 1). Byzantium preserved key foundations of the Greco-Roman practices and tradition.   Under Justinian's order, Byzantine scholars collected and organized Roman law in the Corpus Juris Civilis, which had four parts.   Influenced by the Greek historians, Byzantines including Anna Comnena, Procopius, and Michael Psellus offered rational, comprehensible, if not always objective, versions of historical occasions.   Byzantine religious philosophers studied Greek philosophy but they subordinated philosophical activity to theology enterprise. Byzantium developed a rich architectural, artistic, and musical tradition influenced by some pre-existing ones.   Drawing from Hebrew and Greco-Roman practice and theory, Byzantine musicians formed a tonal system that greatly influenced the Western music course, and Kontakion hymnody derivative of early Christianity models.   Byzantine art largely concerned itself with exalting the empire and serving spiritual purposes.   The iconoclastic c ontroversy made artists to find new methods of approaching the issue of representing the human nature, but despite that, Byzantine artists never reconnoitered realism in deep as their Western complements did.   Ravenna became the focus of much early artistic engagements.   Buildings such as Theodoric's church of St. Apollinare, Galla Placidia's mausoleum, and San

Making Solar Energy Economical Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Making Solar Energy Economical - Essay Example With the realization of this inefficiency, current manufacturers are manufacturing solar cells with an improved efficiency through laying the cells into multi-layers that has the ability to push the efficiency to about 35%. Using nanotechnology, engineering of solar energy generation devices can make structures on sizes that are comparable to molecules and atoms that are measured in nanometers whereby nanocrystals from the elements selenium and lead are utilized (Beard et al. 2506). The technology improves the inadequacy presented by standard cells that produce useless excess heat and less impact while the Lead-Selenium nanocrystals release further electrons rather than heat thus boosting the output, which can also be replicated in Silicon. With the use of nanocrystals technology, the efficiency of the generation of solar energy can use efficiencies of up to 60% and therefore engineering technologies are required to integrate nanocrystal cells in transmitting energy in a circuit (Bea rd et al. 2512). How to Make Solar Energy Economical The use of new materials for solar cells can help in the reduction of fabrication costs that has a positive impact in reducing the costs of solar energy and making its implementation for generation of electricity economical (Lewis 799). The purity of the material is important, as modern solar cell designs require higher purity content in order to make the flow of electric charges be seamless. To achieve this, manufacturers will be required to use thick materials in one dimension to absorb sunlight and thinner materials in another direction to transmit the charges which would require that the solar cells are made of nanorods or tiny...This essay outlines the growing importance of the solar energy among other sources and determines the factors, that will ensure larger electrical generation based on solar energy conversion. Solar power is usually generated by collecting the light spectrums from sunlight and converting them to energy in the form of electricity using solar panels that have cells in them. Solar energy forms an integral part of the supply of energy to human beings and the earth in general. The contribution of the sun to the energy requirements of the earth is substantial despite the fact that it has not been taken up by most people and forms only a fraction of the energy consumption market. In order to make solar energy economically competitive, there is need for those tasked with the manufacture of solar technology devices to improve the efficiency of the cells in commercial solar cells as well as lower their costs of manufacture. The use of new materials for solar cells can help in the reduction of fabrication costs that has a positive impact in reducing the costs of solar energy and making its implementation for generation of electricity economical Despite the fact that technology may help in the production of solar cells that generate cheap and efficient electricity, it would be uneconomical if the solar energy generated is not stored. The need for storage of electricity generated from solar has been necessitated by the fact that not all the days will the earth receive sunlight as this may be blocked by clouds or darkness at night.

Social historical background Essay Example for Free

Social historical background Essay Religious festivals were celebrated in Athens to pay homage to the God Dionysus, the patron of wine. He brought joy and fun but rage and thoughtlessness too. This is similar to the effects of wine on people; wine makes people either happy or thoughtless. Dionysus died in winter and was reborn in spring. The festival took place for five days in spring to worship the rebirth of Dionysus and grape vines. In the mind of an ancient Greek person, the theatre was a product of Dionysus. Therefore Sophocles, when writing the play, included a scene of thanks to Dionysus which the chorus perform. This would have been interpreted by the Athenians as a noble inclusion and made Sophocles popular. The festival evolved from the rural town of Dionysia. In the large cities dramatic performances took place. The dramatic element developed when competitions called for playwrights to design plays and showcase them at the festivals. Two popular forms of drama materialised from these competitions: Tragedy and comedy. Tragedies aimed to teach religious lessons. Sophocles was a tragic playwright and his play Antigone is an example of this. Comedies were seen as trivial and a waste of time to ancient Greeks. Comedies joked about the gods and intellectuals, albeit in a respectful manner. The theatre in ancient Athens had the ability to teach moral lessons, inform of contemporary issues or amuse. It was a powerful tool and was used by governments/polis to influence peoples opinions and keep their populations up to date with current affairs. For this reason the government encouraged all men to go to the theatre. Those who could not afford to go were even offered free grants. Antigone was aimed at an Athenian audience. The play showed the downfall of man and highlighted how bad Thebes was. Athens was a democracy whilst Thebes was under dictatorship. Men visiting the theatre would see how oppressive the life of a Theban was thus increasing support for democracy. This mattered to the local polis because if the people were against a partys ideas they would not be elected in further terms. Role of Women in Society A woman was meant to be obedient to the ruling man in her life. Once a girl reached thirteen years of age she was negotiable for marriage. Women in Athens were devoid of rights. They could not go out of the house unless it was to see another woman and could not vote or influence the government. Women were not allowed to go to the theatre. The reason women were treated with so much injustice is because they were viewed by men as uncontrollable and wild. However women did play an important part of everyday Athenian life as they ran the house. In some ways men were indebted to women. Although women were generally viewed in this light, the audience of Antigone were ambivialent as to which way they viewed her. Antigone articulates the fears of every Athenian male. She is uncontrollable, untrustworthy. In this way Antigone would have been received negatively in the eyes of an ancient Greek man. However she stands for issues which Athens support such as democracy and the importance of a proper burial. Athenians had deep rooted hate for dictatorship, therefore when Antigone goes against Creon she would have won support for her character. There is ambiguity into which way the audience would have sided, but this was planned. The ambiguity forces the audience to think about the issues and politics of the play. A society at war As Antigone was being created a war was unfolding in the Peloponnese area. This was occurring as a result of a long dispute between the alliances of Sparta and Athens. Thebes was one of Spartas allies, thus was against Athens. Sophocles might use Thebes as the setting of the play as Athenians were against the city thus building more support for the city of Athens. The issue of war was contemporary, therefore the Athenian government would have wished to have it discussed in Athens favour at the amphitheatre. Sophocles and fellow Athenian men would have no doubt been adversely affected by the war. Sophocles might be trying to show that there are undesirable affecs from a war. After all, the incidents did start off when Polynices attacked Athens. Therefore, Sophocles might be trying to show that the war affects not only a nation as a whole but individual circumstances such as families and relationships. In an Athenian audience, Creon might have been viewed negatively given the fact that he was against everything that Athens stood for; Athens was a democracy whilst Thebes was an Oligarchy. An Oligarchy is a government ruled by a few influential members and is the opposite to a democracy. When Creon goes against the rules of the gods, the audience would have interpreted this negatviely. Although he punished Antigone for going against his word, which might have won him support, the crime he is punishing her for is not a crime but an action of respect for the dead. The Influence of the Gods Zeus was the final son of Cronus and Rhea. The other children, upon birth, were swallowed by their father, Cronus, as he was afraid they would overcome him. However, when Zeus was born he was hidden by his mother inside a cave, and Cronus was given a rock, disguised as a baby, to swallow. When Zeus grew up, he ordered his father to regurgitate the stone and his siblings. The male children overcame Cronus and divided up the world. Zeus became the God of Gods for doing what was right, and received the skies and the heavens. Poseidon and Hades received the sea and the underworld respectively. As Zeus was the king of Gods he was worshipped by all. Zeus was revered and respected for if he was not, he was known out of anger to throw bolts of lightning to the ground. Just the mention of going against Zeus would have caused outcry. Antigone shows reverance to Hades, god of the underworld. Hades role was to ensure entry to the underworld occurred rightfully. It was believed when a Greek person died they crossed the river of Acheron, river of life, from the baks of life to the banks of death by boat. In order to traverse the river they had to be given their rites, buried and have a coin under their tongue to pay the boats captain, Charon. This job was carried out by women and is the reason why Antigone feels so passionately about burying her brother. If a person was left unburied or lacked the coin under their mouth, they would roam the banks of life and could not cross to the banks of death. Therefore when Polynices is not buried he is left to roam the lands, so Antigone goes to give him the burial he deserves. The Playwright Sophocles was one of Ancient Greeces greatest playwrights. The reason that Sophocles was such a good playwright is because he had an ability to rebel conventional drama and produce plays that provoke debate. In Antigone, he gives the genuine thoughts and feelings of women in ancient Greece, which must have been difficult seeing as men and women were so detached. Apart from being a playwright, Sophocles was a politician and an Athenian General. He played an active part against the allies of Sparta in the Peloponnesian war and was a hero for Athens. Antigones base is war, the war fought between two brothers, between family members or father and son. As Sophocles had so much experience in war this story would have greatly appealed to him. The Oedipus Curse Oedipus is cursed to wed his mother and kill his father. The curse is a result of Oedipus father raping a young boy. Oedipus fulfills the curse and impregnates his mother with four children. When Oedipus finds out what he has done he blinds himself and his wife/mother commits suicide. Oedipus then abdicates his role as king to his two sons, Etocles and Polynices. Prior to the play, the curse is inherited by the sons as a manifestation of jealousy; both wish to be king but cannot. They decide that every year they will alternate who is monarch. Etocles is first to rule for one year but will not hand over power when Polynices turn arrives. A fight ensues and the brothers kill eachother. An audience, upon learning the characters were descendants of the incestuous Oedipus, would have perceived Antigone and her sister as filthy, cursed individuals. The audience would expect the characters to commit grave and shocking crimes. The audiences expectations come true when Antigone disobeys Creon. However, Creon might have also been expected to fail as he was Oedipus brother. When Sophocles makes the characters do what the audience expect, the audience would have interpreted this as curses never die and are inherited by ones family. The audience would have evoked a response of fear. The Life and Times of a greek citizen Men were either politicians, farmers or fighters whilst women brought up the family and helped religious festivals. This extraneous work and the lack of medicinal resources meant that people had a short life span. Even healthy people could die prematurely by an illness or disease. To combat this citizens ate healthy and exorcised. A meal was simple but full of vitamins, vegetables and oil. The family of an Athenian was very important and was built on love. Therefore, when the Athenian audience saw the fueds in Antigones Theban family, the royal family, they would have been disgusted to think people were being led by such a bad example. Thebes was located inland whilst Athens was located near the sea. This made Athens naval fleet useless when it came to attacking Thebes, whilst Thebes naval fleet caused havoc on Athens. Argos is located south of both Thebes and Athens, near the sea and was a neutral territory. Greek at this time would have been a nation under war. Greeks people would have been proud of their territory yet scared of invasion. Athens, Argos and Thebes were in the Peloponnese area.

What Is The Multiparty System Politics Essay

What Is The Multiparty System Politics Essay Multiparty system is a system where two or more political parties dominate voting process in almost all elections at every stage of government. This results in almost all elected offices being members of one of the two or more major political parties. In a multi party system, one party typically holds the majority of the sits in the parliament and mainly known as the majority party while the rest are minority parties (Sarma 2007, p.1). Germany is a federal republic based on a representative democracy. German politics for instance take place in the perspective of parliamentary representative perspective. The Chancellor heads the German government. The German republic has of late experience a lot of political instability and due to the existence of more than one political party. Initially, the German republic experienced a lot of political threats due to political issues. In 1919-1933 there was what it was termed as spartacist uprising. The movement had a lot of left wing political views. The group came up from the independent socialists movement after being subjected to a lot of frustrations in the government. Currently, the question is not dictatorship or democracy but the history has put the question and reads as; socialists democracy (Dalton 1981, p. 74) On 1 January 1919, the followers of the Spartacist movement came up in an attempted revolution. At first, the move was resisted by the movement leaders. The new government reacted quickly and in a brutal manner. The government ordered the army to terminate the revolution with the help of a paramilitary group made up of the former service men. The city of Berlin came back to normalcy in two weeks time. The two leaders of the movement were executed in cold blood while in police custody (Rupnik 2003, p.237). Great movement of workers answered the call to struggle. They had a favorite slogan dubbed Down, down, down (with the government) resounded once more. According to the eyewitness, he says that he had to cross the Brandenburg procession at the gate near Tiegarten and also in front of the main staff headquarters. Most of the marchers were well armed and many trucks equipped with machine guns stood at Siegessaule. The witness says he repeatedly asked to be allowed to pass since he had an urgent task. They obligingly allowed him to pass. If the crowds had determined and conscious leaders instead of just windbags, Berlin would have been in their hands that very same day at noon (Baker 1981, p.75) Roadblocks were raised and fighting started as the Freikorps tried to bring back order. Noske was immediately given dictatorial powers across Berlin through the swift action by the government. Noske immediately ordered for 30,000 Freikorps troops to enter Berlin. By March 9th, the councils soldiers and workers decided to terminate the strike. However, this did not placate Noske together with the Freikorps. In contradiction, Noske announced that any individual who bears weapons against the government troops will be shot on sight. By the time the fighting was over, some 2000-3000 workers had lost their lives and nearly 10,000 were seriously wounded. On the same month, the communists party was murdered in a police station while attempting to escape (Zielonka 2003, .p 200). These events give us the picture of how multi party system can lead to political instability in any country. Germany experience a lot of unrest during the First World War then it was also affected by political unrest in 1920s. At this stage, Germany was yet to experience more of political storms for decades (Mattox 2001, p. 35). Recently, in 2005, a general election was held and was highly competitive. The same elections led to the Left Party coming up as a force to the left of SPD (Schweitzer 1995, p 244). Concurrently, the country is going through an increasing level of trade union militancy. This trend gives the impression of a growing malaise inside the German society as a layer of youth and workers look for an alternative (Rachwald 2000, p. 40) The strike to demand for higher wages in the public sector and the coming up of a newly created Left Party in the Western part of the country have covered the larger portion of the political scene in the country of late (Jones 2005, p.11). Whereas the Chancellor Angela Merkel with her Grand Coalition of Christian Democrats (CDU) and Social Democrats (SPD) pride themselves on issues concerning economic growth as well as the reduction in the figures of un-employment with tens of millions of German working class citizens living in a different reality (Pedley 2000, p. 62). In contrary to some of the European countries, the German real wages have fallen drastically in the recent years. In various economic sectors without strong unions even the most absolute level of income has considerably reduced. The process of labor casualization is going on. Millions of working poor citizens cannot sustain themselves with the wages and have to look for or ask for more welfare benefits (Collier 2003, p.13). Hessen is the worst hit area of Germany by the political crisis. This state in the heart of the country with a population of six million inhabitants, the local Christian democrats had got overall majority seats with more than 48% of the votes cast in the year 2003. CDU used the position to come up with a neoliberal attack. This year, the January elections were highly competitive and it was a tough race between the CDU and SPD (Schofield 1998, p. 267). This is significant because the CDU in Hessen is known to be notorious for being especially reactionary and when it was only two weeks before the elections, they that they would not win. This led to the launching of a vicious and desperate racists and anti-communist operation, arguing that if the left were to be elected to legislature and possibly take in a regional government would gradually change Hessen into another Stalinist state in Germany (Roberts 2003, p 91). This reactionary propaganda failed to get the needed effect. It was followed by a huge liberal operation of posters with catchphrases such as freedom or socialism. However, it failed to win most of the two traditional bourgeois parties. On the other hand, the greens and SPD who had stated that they were intending to come up with a coalition in the region also failed to capture the majority seats between them and therefore had to rely only on six members of parliament elected on the Die Linke party to get the regional SPD leader (Siaroff 2009, p. 202). The Hessen case for instance, the need for Deutsche Telekom re-nationalization with compensation based on the proven need, was highly accepted by Die Linke conference during the last summer without any resistance at all (Fairclough 2002, p 123). All these events in Germany were dictated by the countrys political climate. The political climate in Germany has proven beyond any reasonable doubt that a multiparty state is likely to realize political turmoil because of the misunderstanding between the party leaders. Another country in Europe that experiences a lot of polital instability due to multiparty system is Ireland. These two countries have become the central focus in Europe due to the nature of their party organizations. Ireland is an independent democratic nation with a parliamentary system of government. The president is the head of state and mainly ceremonial. He is elected for a term that lasts seven years. The current president is called Mary McAleese, who is serving her second term after taking over the leadership from President Mary Robinson (Prager 2009, p. 133). So far, the Irish politics remain dominated by two main political parties that came up out of the countrys worst civil war in early 1920s. Those who resisted the 1921 agreement that separated the island (Boyce 1995, p.76) formed the Fianna party. Although the opponents of the treaty lost in the war, Fianna soon became the countrys biggest political party. The countrys second largest party is called Fine Gael. Other significant parties include the Greens, Sinn and Labor (Foley 1992, p. 20). The May 2007 general elections brought the countrys largest party Fianna and its leader Bertie back to leadership in a coalition government for un-expected five-year term. Members of the coalition who joined the leading party were the Green party as well as the progressive democrats (Boyland 1990, p. 30). In early 2008, the countrys president announced his intentions to resign as the president. On April the same year, a new party leader was elected and assumed office in May. All these events played a major role in shaping the Irish political landscape. However, in June 2009 Fianna suffered the biggest defeat through the European and local elections. Fine Gael, independent and Labor parties got healthy margins (Farrell 1978, p.29). In the referendum that was held on October the same year, the voters approved the Lisbon treaty and European Union 33% and 67 % respectively. The politics have however made the popularity of the current government to decline because of the poor economic performance (Penniman 1989, p.45). In Northern Ireland, the conflict comes out of the history of the British rule. The historical animosity between the Protestants and the Catholics with various armed political efforts to unite the country with other parts of the island. Republican and Nationalists groups were looking for a united country whereas the unionists and loyalists want the country to remain part of United Kingdom (Richard 1992, p.47). After many years in war by the Loyalists and the Republicans paramilitaries especially the provisional Republican Army of Ireland, the Irish and the British governments agreed fro a PIRA ceasefire in 1994, which was then followed by the famous U.S Good Friday treaty in 1998 (Cox 2006, p. 60). The GFA came up with a power sharing executive and assembly to serve as the local government of Northern Ireland. The countrys assembly had 108 elected. The main political parties in Northern Ireland are the Democratic Unions Party (DUP), Sinn Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), Fein and the Social Democratic and Labor Party (Stephen 2005, p.200).

Food Addiction in America Essay -- Compulsive Eating

Addiction is a dependence on a substance in which the affected individual feels powerless to stop. Millions of Americans have addictions to drugs, alcohol, nicotine, and even to behaviors such as compulsive gambling and shopping. Recent studies suggest that millions of Americans are addicted to food, as well. An average American is bombarded daily with random propaganda to try to sell what some would consider "perfection". Most American citizens try to emulate those fictional characters in celebrity magazines. The truth is a lot of those pictures are air-brushed and some of the individuals have had extensive cosmetic surgery and other medical procedures done to look that way. This media manipulation is the main cause for the many eating disorders and the people addicted to them. For most people eating is a satisfying experience. But for some, eating is an impulse. Men and women of all ages force themselves to eat too much or too little, and experience incredible psychological pain when they do. Body weight and image become a fixation that damages relationships and has severe health consequences. Food addiction is a disorder characterized by obsession with food, the accessibility of food and the expectancy of pleasure from the intake of food. Food addiction involves the recurring consumpti on of food against the individual’s better judgment resulting in loss of control and anxiety or the limitation of food and obsession with body weight and image. In today’s society the worth of a female is based upon her age, her body size and her looks. The male’s worth is based on the amount of money earned or inherited, and athleticism. These images of â€Å"perfection† have been engraved in people’s minds, forcing them to believe that if they can’t live up to the same standards it will mean that they’re not good enough. This is a main cause of most disorders and addictions. Some addictionologists believe that society contributes to the development of addictions by establishing unreasonable or unreachable criteria for worthiness. Individuals who are under chronic emotional distress like negative feelings of self and inappropriate methods for dealing with emotional stress use food disorders. There are three main types of food addictions, anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and compulsive overeating. Anorexia Nervosa is characterized by extreme fear of gaining weight and ... ...ds brings more shame onto the individual causing the cycle to restart. Meanwhile the individual’s state of mind is also being psychologically damaged. The person becomes depressed because the image that the individual sees in the mirror does not match the image seen on television. This causes a decrease in self-esteem and confidence. The guilt, shame and low self-esteem causes binge eating and the cycle begins all over again. These eating disorders are highly addictive causing Americans a high state of panic. The treatments used for every one of the disorders are different. Anorexia depends on hospitalization while on the other hand over eating doesn’t require it at all. All three disorders require some sort of therapy to deal with the psychological damages and to prevent further complications. These three illnesses are affecting a lot of America’s adolescence as well as the adults. Despite the caution and awareness people have to exercise when dealing with such addictive disorders there are treatment facilities that can help. In an y case, it cannot be overemphasized how important treatment is, the sooner, the better. The longer the behavior exits the harder it is to overcome.

Womens Sinister Roles in Shakespeares Macbeth :: Free Essay Writer

Women's Sinister Roles in Macbeth      Ã‚  Ã‚   In reading Shakespeare's tragic drama Macbeth, one meets only one good woman - Lady Macduff. The remaining female characters are basically evil. Let's consider mainly Lady Macduff and only briefly the three witches.    Blanche Coles states in Shakespeare's Four Giants that Macbeth's wife had considerable leverage over her husband's mind:    This was her opportunity to do as she had promised herself she would do after she had read the letter - to pour her spirits into his ear, to chasten with the valor of her tongue all that might impede him from the golden crown. We may be sure she took this opportunity to use all her monstrous powers of persuasion. Thus he goaded himself, or was goaded by his wife, into searing the terrible oath, whether he had any clear purpose of keeping it or not. (48-49)    In his book, On the Design of Shakespearean Tragedy, H. S. Wilson mentions the very wife-like manner in which the queen fulfilled her essential role in the tragedy:    It requires an extraordinary exertion of will and persuasion from Lady Macbeth to strengthen his wavering purpose. Professor Kittredge used to point out to his classes that Lady Macbeth, in urging Macbeth to act, uses the three arguments that every wife, some time or other, uses to every husband: "You promised me you'd do it!" "You'd do it if you loved me!" "If I were a man, I'd do it myself!" But Macbeth's mind is made up by her assurance that they may do it safely by fixing the guilt upon Duncan's chamberlains. (72)    In Fools of Time: Studies in Shakespearean Tragedy, Northrop Frye shows that a lady is the actual driving force in the play:    That Macbeth is being hurried into a premature act by his wife is a point unlikely to escape the most listless member of the audience, but Macbeth comes to regret the instant of fatal delay in murdering Macduff, and draws the moral that    The flighty purpose never is o'ertook Unless the deed go with it. From this moment The very firstlings of my heart shall be The firstlings of my hand.    That is, in future he will try to attain the successful ruler's spontaneous rhythm of action. (91)    L.C. Knights in the essay "Macbeth" describes the unnaturalness in the thoughts and words of the plays dominant female force, Lady Macbeth:

Investigating the Kinetics of the reaction between Iodide ions and Pero

PLANNING Investigating the Kinetics of the reaction between Iodide ions and Peroxodisulphate (VI) ions By the use of an Iodine clock reaction I hope to obtain the length of time taken for Iodine ions (in potassium iodide) to react fully with Peroxodisulphate ions (in potassium Peroxodisulphate). I will do three sets of experiments changing first the concentration of iodide ions, then the concentration of Peroxodisulphate ions and finally the temperature of the solution in which the reaction is taking place. From these results, I hope to draw conclusions as to the effects of these changes to the environment of the reaction on the rate and also determine the order of the reaction and the activation enthalpy. Background information The rate of a reaction is determined by a number of factors. These include: pressure, temperature, concentration of reactants, surface area of reactants, presence of a catalyst and radiation. The effect of these factors can be explained using collision theory. Reactions occur when the reactant particles collide, provided the colliding particles have enough energy for the reaction to take place. As the molecules approach their electron clouds repel. This requires energy – the minimum amount of which is called the ‘activation enthalpy’ - and comes from translational, vibrational, and rotational energy of each molecule. If there is enough energy available, this repulsion is overcome and the molecules get close enough for attractions between the molecules to cause a rearrangement of bonds and therefore an ‘effective’ reaction has taken place. The more collisions of particles with kinetic energy over the activation enthalpy that occur, the faster the overall reaction. During this investigation I am focusing on the effect of temperature and concentration while aiming to maintain other rate determining factors at a constant level in order to ensu re reliable results. Effect of concentration Taking the collision theory into account the effect of concentration is simple in that the more particles of the reactants there are in the same area of space the more likely the collisions and therefore the faster the overall reaction. The following equation has been determined through experimentation showing that the rate of a reaction depends on concentration of reactants A: Rate [A]n Where n is a constant called the order of the reaction. T... ... record the temperatures of every experiment and take into consideration how this may affect the results. Also, it is important to record the start and end tempertaure of the solution during the temperature-focused experiments because higher temperature lose their heat more quickly and if the temperature drops during the time of the reactions this information has to be involved in finding the average temperature. Predications I predict that the higher the concentration of the reactants the higher the rate of the reaction. I predict that the higher the temperature of the reactants the higher the rate of the reaction. I predict that the order of the reaction with respect to I- ions will be 1 and the order of the reaction with repect to S2O82-ions will also be 1 giving a overall order for the reaction of 2. This is information obtained from data books and backed up by information from the internet. (see references) I predict that the activation energy of the reaction will be 52.9 kJ mol-1. This information is taken from the ILPAC Resource Pack for Advanced Practical Chemistry and is for the uncatalysed reaction between iodide ions and peroxodisulphate ions.

Re likes to keep his players fit Essay

My main sources of data are the Internet and books. The website I am mainly using is http://www. ais. org. au/nutrition/FuelLeague. htm I have chosen this website because it give me a lot of information of diet and nutrition for rugby players, which is what my project is on. I have also been given a lot of my information from Mr Fitzpatrick about what he would like in the presentation as he is my user and I am doing the presentation for him. Also so I have used diets from official rugby players websites to add to my presentation. Validation explained. I think the data is valid because it is an official website and is updated regularly. The nutrition plans on it are also used by professional players as it states on the website. Some of the best rugby players in the world also use the nutrition plans, such as Keith wood and others. Also the information I collect from Mr Fitzpatrick is valid because he is my user and knows what he wants in the PowerPoint presentation. Also to stop my user from getting on slides that he doesn’t want to be on I have switched off slide transition. Data manipulation explained. During the presentation I intend to show rugby players how they can improve their fitness and diet on a screen. I intend to flick between slides with the click of a mouse but if I were going to let my end user perform the slide show I would have hyperlink slides. So it is easier to navigate around the slides. This would also make the slide show easier to work out for the presenter of the show. Alternative forms of output considered I have discussed that I could also put the presentation to a file or a disk to give to the rugby players and they watch it by themselves on their home computer. Also I could have printed it out into handout form and handed one each to all of the players. The presentation could be put on the school-shared network and all the players have to look it up by themselves in their own time and read it. Appropriate choices made and justified I have chosen the correct application package because it will be better for the presentation and it will be easier than you using any other applications. That is was I think anyway. I also think it is the right package because it will also be easy for the teachers to work. The project could not be printed out in hand out form because the paper may be lost of something may be spilled on them therefore making it impossible for the receiver to use it. If it is put on the shared network the players would have to go look it up in their spare time and most players would not use their spare time to look at it. If it is put on a disk for the players too look at it at home some of the players may not have a home computer therefore making it impossible for them too look st the presentation. Appropriate back up explained I am going to keep the extra copies of my project on my school server. And if I save onto the school server that straightaway backs it up so I can’t loose it. The user could make several copies of the presentation some on floppy disk and some on disk and they could be kept in a safe place so if one copy is lost they have always got a spare one to refer to. Appropriate security explained For security I could password protect my work so I and the teacher who I am doing the project for can only access it. It is also saved on a secure network so none of my colleagues can access the project. Also the network is backed up every night and that means that there will always be to copies of my project. Initial designs adequate and justified I handed my user all slides in a handout format and asked him to evaluate them all and write down any changes he wanted. He made several changes to my slides and I acted upon all these and corrected them all, as he wanted them. User interview recorded and acted on I asked many questions in my interview with my user and acted upon all his answers in the correct manner. The interview was done on a piece of paper with questions on and I had my user fit in the blank spaces with his answers. The interview is added on a piece of paper. Evidence of user feedback on designs On sheets attached Final design described in detail All the way through the presentation I used the font verdana and all the way through I have also used the same colour background so some of them don’t look odd compared to the rest of them. But there is one exception to that which is the opening slide where it is a picture of Hymers playing in a game of rugby. Also on every slide there is a hyperlink to another page and there is also a picture on ever slide during the presentation. Top down system diagram On paper attached Full and effective test plan devised On paper attached Validation checks tested To stop my user from going on slides that he doesn’t want to be on by clicking in the wrong place on the slide I have switched off slide transition, this stops the user from clicking on the background and it taking him to a slide where he doesn’t want to be. Annotated hardcopy of implementation On paper attached Annotated hardcopy of test plan. On paper attached Have all errors been corrected After carrying out my test plan fully and effectively I have found that I have no errors that need to be corrected but if any do occur later on I will write then on at the end. Original objectives fully evaluated 1. He asked for movies such as fitness techniques such as star jumps and press-ups, which I added several of. 2. Every 8-10 slides will have pictures on but I put a picture on every slide. 3. He also asked me to research and suggest fitness plans and healthy eating plans so I added 3 healthy eating plans. 4. I also added colourful designs, which my user added I did this by using a blue and white background on every slide. 5. I also used a picture of the Hymers first team playing rugby on the opening page. Written evidence of user acceptance On paper attached Comments critical and relevant Further enhancements for the future I could add more slides to the presentation and maybe change the colour of some slides as the same colour on every slide may look a bit boring. I could also use some different pictures as some of them are a bit blared on some of the slides.

Wedding Superstitions

Weddings have been celebrated since the beginning of time. So have wedding day superstitions. It is traditionally believed that weddings are susceptible to evil spirits and bad luck. Over time, wedding traditions and customs have been preserved to promote a happy, long, fertile and wealthy marriage. Here are some customs that the bride and groom might consider to ensure a successful marriage. The Engagement †¢So as not to endanger the marriage, the future bride may only propose marriage during a leap year. †¢It is a change for the worse if a future bride is to marry a man whose surname begins with the same letter as the future bride's first name. †¢In the past, it was believed that the vein on the forth finger of the left hand leads directly to the heart. An obvious finger of choice for the engagement and wedding rings. †¢The future bride must not remove the engagement ring prior to the wedding day. The Wedding Dress †¢To borrow a wedding gown brings good luck for the bride, but the lender is in for some bad luck. †¢Wedding superstitions suggest it is bad luck for the bride to make the wedding dress but the last few stitches should be completed by the bride moments before dressing. †¢It is an old tradition that the bride wears a veil. This wedding superstition helps to disguise the bride from any evil spirits. †¢A spider found in the wedding dress is particularly good luck. †¢The bride may also add a horse shoe to the wedding costume to promote good luck, with the open end up to keep the luck in. The Wedding Ceremony †¢English folklore insists that Saturday is the unluckiest day of the week to be married. The groom's birthday is the luckiest day to tie the knot. †¢For good luck, the groom must arrive at the wedding ceremony first. †¢To ensure this luck continues the bride must not be on time and should enter the ceremony with the right foot. †¢The timing of the wedding ceremony and the saying of the vows must be considered to ensure that the couple work together in the marriage. After the half hour and prior to the hour is considered lucky. †¢It is extremely unlucky if the wedding ring is dropped by the groom or the best man.

Riordan’s Competitive Advantages

Riordan’s Competitive Advantages The research will describe which competitive advantages Riordan has in common with McDonald’s and Burger King. This study will estimate, which competitive strategies Riordan could use to improve innovation and sustainability of business operations both in the United States and in the global market. Research will explain why those competitive strategies were chosen and estimate how they may affect sustainability of long-term organizational performance. The examination will also explain how the global market would affect the business strategy of Riordan.Riordan Organization McDonald’s and Burger King The McDonald’s Corporation and the Riordan Manufacturing Company are both main industry leaders in their own field. One major competitive advantage that each company has in common is differentiating their products. Each company has a variety of items that meets the need of their consumers. The three companies sell both nationally and internationally. Burger King, Riordan, and McDonald’s increase their sales by offering price discounts, and sale promotions to ensure that their prices are affordable to everyone in need.All three companies use cost leadership, focus, and differentiation tactics to gain a competitive advantage over their competition. Another commonality between the three companies is that they use some type of reward and incentives program to ensure that they are recognizing their employees for operational excellence. Riordan Innovation Strategies Innovation Riordan could increase innovation and sustainability for the business operations in the United States of America and globally by implementing a strategic capacity plan.This plan will increase effectiveness, add improvement to its supply chain, and implement the methods and concepts of lean production to gain value and over time help sustain competitive advantage. Strategic capacity planning starts with better use of resources by redu cing waste of raw material and producing products in good time at a lower cost. Riordan should make sure it has stock available and on the shelf, which will allow the inventory cost to rise. Riordan can increase its competitiveness by using farsighted capacity planning, by making use of the breakeven analysis of financial statements.This will help Riordan improve the process that it already uses, and by using the just-in-time inventory, which would help the company in the area of its operation processes. These strategies can be implemented by ensuring a better eye for detail, adding the key values of extreme precisions and enthusiastic quality control to help continued success in the future. Business Decisions Differentiation and cost leadership were two strategies chose because they are the most common between the different companies. Amazingly two leading organizations from different industries are using the same competitive strategies and tactics.The two competitive strategies ma y be the reason both organizations are leading within their industries. Differentiation is a type of competitive strategy with which the organization seeks to distinguish its products or services from competitors (Valdehueza, 2009). Riordan’s organization sells heart valves, plastic bottles, fans, and medical stents. Clearly, they have a large variety of products. According to Valdehueza, cost leadership is a competitive strategy with which the organization aggressively seeks efficient facilities, cuts costs, and employs tight cost controls to be more efficient than the competition.Decreasing business costs every way possible while providing customers with a high quality product is a definite way to ensure an advantage over the competition. Sustainability When organizations master’s cost leadership, and differentiation they will began to meet and exceed long-term goals. The organizations can use these two strategies for every business situation they may encounter. Prop er use of both strategies will result in sustainability and organizational performance. Competition between companies will create a winner and a looser.In the competition process in efforts for the winners to win, they have to increase consumer value to satisfy the customer. This method alone will create long-term sustainability within the corporation. Organizations create customer loyalty by increasing consumer value in efforts to surpass the competition. Continual improvements of this particular process will sustain long-term organizational performance, and operational excellence. Global Market Affect Business strategy The globalization of markets is the merging of historically distinct and separate national markets into one larger global marketplace (Hill, 2009).With any form of globalization, companies will have to understand international measurement issues. Riordan’s Plastic began with international measurement in efforts to prepare the company for the global market. Ac cording to Hill, the globalization of production is the sourcing of services from one location around the world to take advantage of national differences in the cost of factors or production in labor energy, land, and capital (2009). International measurement issues include return on investments (ROI), budget analysis, and historical comparison (Wheelen & Hunger, 2010). Dr.Riordan insisted on using their resources as a tool to increase profits when he started this company. This way when Riordan became international customer satisfaction and the rate of return was the most important factors. Riordan also needed a budget analysis as well as a historical comparison to maintain global success. Conclusion One major competitive advantage that each company has in common is differentiating their products. Each company has a variety of items that meets the need of their consumers. All three companies use cost leadership, focus, and differentiation tactics to gain a competitive advantage over their competition.Riordan can increase its competitiveness by using farsighted capacity planning, by making use of the breakeven analysis of financial statement, which will help Riordan improve the process that it already uses, and by using the just-in-time inventory, which would help the company in the area of its operation processes. Differentiation and cost leadership were two strategies chose because they are the most common between the different companies. When an organization masters cost leadership, and differentiation they will began to meet and exceed long-term goals.Continuous improvements of this particular process will sustain long-term organizational performance, and operational excellence. Riordan also needed a budget analysis as well as a historical comparison to maintain global success. References Chauhan, S. , Nagi, R. , & Proth, J. (2004) Strategic capacity planning in supply chain design for a new Market opportunity International Journal of Production Research 42 (11), p. 2197 – 2206 Hill, C. W. (2009) International business competing in the global marketplace (7th ed. ) Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill Shields, T. 1999) Tutorials – lean production / lean manufacturing Defense Acquisition University. Retrieved January 31, 2012, from http://www. dau. mil/educdept/mm_dept_resources/navbar/lean/01rdg-lean. asp Valdehueza, Gregar, D (2009) Strategy Formulation, and Implementation Retrieved from: http://www. slideshare. net/gar_dev/strategy-formulation-and-implementation-1224519 Wheelen, T. L. , & Hunger, J. D. (2010) Concepts in strategic management and business policy: Achieving sustainability (12th ed. ) Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall

Out of Control Interview

Application Case – The Out-of-Control Interview 1. How would you explain the nature of the panel interview Maria had to endure? Specifically do you think it reflected a well-thought-out interviewing strategy on the part of the firm or carelessness on the part of the firm’s management? If it was carelessness, what would you do to improve the interview process at Apex Environmental? It is possible that the panel interview of Maria Fernandez at Apex International was a stress interview designed to determine how she reacts under pressure and with a barrage of irrelevant and sexist questions. However, stress interviews are viewed as unethical and of poor taste. Apparently, Apex International management was careless in its interview strategy. First, it constituted a panel of five men who maybe well acquainted with the company’s operations but could be possibly lacking in experience in HR functions, particularly in recruitment and selection. It is assumed that the HR manager or any HR specialist who could have provided structure, direction and control to the interview was not part of the panel. To address this concern, it is highly recommended that Apex International conduct trainings for interviewers in order to maximize utility of interviews as a tool at arriving at a selection decision as well as to avoid straying off course and asking questions that have potential job discrimination implications. 2. Would you take the job if you were Maria? If you’re not sure, is there any additional information that would help you make your decision, and if so, what is it? I am unsure in taking the job offer. I would take into careful consideration the company’s Code of Conduct and Ethics. Based on what happened, it appears that there are concerns on the culture of the company, particularly on sexual harassment and equality in the workplace. Questions asked during the panel interview indicate loose policies on sexual harassment. While interviews are primarily designed to find out if the job applicant has the experience and skills needed for the position, it could also be a tool for the company to emphasize its culture, leadership, among others. . The job of applications engineer for which Maria was applying requires: (a) excellent technical skills with respect to mechanical engineering; (b) commitment to working in the area of pollution control; (c) the ability to deal well and confidently with customers who have engineering problems; (d) willingness to travel worldwide; and, (e) a very intelligent and well-balanced personality. What questions would you ask when interviewing applic ants for the job. Sample Questions: 1. How do you think your mechanical engineering degree can help you in your job in pollution control? 2. If I were to ask your reporting staff to comment on your leadership style, your leadership strengths, and your leadership weaknesses, how would they respond? What would this discussion tell me about you as a leader? 3. Suppose a client approached and asked you a difficult technical question that you could not answer. What would you do?

Privatized Prisons in the US Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Privatized Prisons in the US - Research Paper Example This discussion will look into the advantages and disadvantages regarding both systems. The private prison experiment has lasted nearly three decades in the U.S., long enough to make conclusions about the effectiveness and overall impact on state and local governments. Privatized prisons have experienced dynamic growth in recent years but the concept, at least in part, has been around for a long time. During the 1800’s, some states entered into contracts with private groups to lease inmate labor. Leasing prisoners occurred on a fairly routine basis but the system and the inmates, as might be expected, were subject to widespread abuses. Because of this, the prisoner lease system came to an end in 1920’s during the Progressive Era. Until recently the fast growth in the prison and jail populations generated extraordinary opportunities for entrepreneurs to own and operate prisons beginning in the 1980s. The concept of privatization became a topic of public discussion in the mid-1980s, when the newly formed Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) proposed to the State of Tennessee’s to operate its entire prison system. The State paid CCA $250 million dollars on a 99-year deal. In return, CCA would lodge the state’s prisoners for an annually negotiated per-inmate payment. In addition, CCA would insure that the prisons it operated would meet the criterion establish by the same federal judge who had earlier determined that the state’s prison system violated of the U.S. Constitution due to the sub-standard conditions of confinement. (McDonald, et al. 1998) CCA’s relationship with Tennessee started the privatization boom that spread across the nation. Other states were experiencing similar issues with overcrowding and the problems associated with it therefore happy to hand the operation of prisons over to an outside entity. Many have questioned the legality of privatization, arguing the practice does not square with e Constituti on. While the legality of governments assigning correctional authority to private corporations was broadly argued in the 1980s, it now seems that opposition to prison privatization, at least on a constitutional basis, has no merit. Unless a government has positively no convincing statutory authority for entering into contracts with private prison companies, courts will be hesitant to nullify those contacts on grounds of delegation. â€Å"Only delegated rulemaking and adjudication functions that directly purport to exercise a government power are deemed to require special constitutional due process safeguards and to be subject to heightened judicial scrutiny.† (McDonald, et al. 1998) No clear case law has been developed to define with precision how general due process standards will be applied to private prisons. The U.S. has the higher incarceration rate than any other in the world and is paying more than $3 billion a year to the private prison industry. These two facts are i nterrelated in an intentional and disturbing way. According to a study recently completed by the Justice Policy Institute (JPI), America’s two largest private prison corporations, GEO Group and CCA collectively pocketed annual incomes of $2.9 billion in 2010. The JPI issued a report based on the study called â€Å"Gaming the System.† It reveals that during the past decade, the number of prisoners housed in private

Introduction to sustainable development Research Paper

Introduction to sustainable development - Research Paper Example Generally, sustainable development is a situation where people use the necessary resources to obtain the immediate required needs but does not tolerate any factor that might interfere with the future of the others (Purvis and Alan 82). In short, sustainable development goal is to assist people worldwide attain satisfaction of their basic needs; improve their quality of lives without having to compromise the quality of the upcoming generations. This paper will seek to write a research paper on introduction to sustainable development. It is understandable, in present day; that it will be impossible achieve the â€Å"intergenerational† equity if activities undertaken by some people in some world parts continue to jeopardize the well-being of others living in different parts (Rogers, Jalal, and Boyd 41). Preferably, people should probably refer to â€Å"sustainable† development as balanced and equitable state of affairs (Ukaga and Chris 20). This is because, according to econometrics, for development to continue being sustainable indefinitely, it should be in a position to balance the interests of the many different groups of people, who are among and within similar generations, and attain so at the same time in three crucial interrelated areas. These areas include social, environmental, and economical (Jennifer 84). Therefore, sustainable development is all about equity. Equity in this case refers to comprehensiveness of goals and objectives as well as equality of opportunities of well-being (Dresner 78). Under these three categories, there are so many objectives that sustainable development should put into consideration. For instance, there is objective for full employment, security, equity, stability, efficiency, healthy human environment, conservation of both non-renewable and natural resources among others (United Nations 24). Obviously, it

Discussion Board Post Response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 22

Discussion Board Post Response - Essay Example Conversely, I concur that a process map shows how each of the processes affect each other. In other words, it shows different outcomes that could result from a specific process. For instance, after initial examination, a patient can either proceed to the discharge room or can proceed to the laboratory for tests. Your elucidation that process mapping is the use of diagramming to understand the process currently used and display what is expected of each individual involved (Cookson et-al, 2011) is spot on. I concur that through process mapping, workable standards can be identified and adopted and also courses of action implemented to help improve on non-workable standards in order to arrive at better outcomes. However, I feel that you could have used an example of a problem necessitating improvement in healthcare in your process map. In my process map for instance, I have used an example showing how patients move across the clinic from the time of checking in to the time of discharge. In such an example, areas that need improvement can clearly be noted. Cookson, D., Read, C., Mukherjee, P., & Cooke, M. (2011). Improving the quality of emergency department care by removing waste using Lean Value Stream mapping. International Journal of Clinical Leadership, 17(1),

International Transport Companies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

International Transport Companies - Essay Example Transport is one of the primary requirements of the modern age since the ability to move from one point on the planet to another gives human beings the chance to engage in many activities that make our way of life possible. In fact, international trade, humanitarian assistance, global commerce and even the process of globalization itself could be completely stalled if the present means of international transport were not there. The IRU (2002) reports that: â€Å"Issues in transport directly concern the whole functioning of international trade system. In fact, any transport network failures may be assimilated to "blood clots" obstructing free movement of people, goods and services, and hindering sustainable development of world economy. (IRU, 2002, Pg. 1)† With the existence of international transport, international laws also prohibit the transport of certain goods from one nation to another and wherever there are laws to prohibit something there is money to be made in breaking the law. This means that there is a thriving underground network of transporters who knowingly or unknowingly are busy transporting humans, drugs, weapons, chemicals and even animals that have certain restrictions placed on them (Wikipedia, 2006). The transport of such goods creates several problems for international transport companies, therefore, the company themselves, as well as the governments they deal with, have to work towards minimizing the associated problems. Fundamentally, if an international transport company of repute plays by the book, then the company knows fully that engaging in the transport of illegal/unwanted goods will have negative effects on the operations of the company. For example, productivity would be hurt because the ratio of goods and services which are provided by the company might need more inputs from the labor and the management to prevent the presence of stowaways or smuggled goods.

Politics and Love in Contemporary Arabic Literature Essay - 1

Politics and Love in Contemporary Arabic Literature - Essay Example Adonis alludes that newness in Arabic society are identifiable with Arabic character. In the poem, ‘Love’ he depicts the feel of affection for the context he is in, like the road, house, the dead, the neighbors and the toiling hands of the world (Arana 120). The selected diction shows the high stakes in Adonis works, which invites every bit of creativity and intellect. He heightens the reader’s originality to new thoughts and realms that create curiosity. No, wonder his love for renewal and democratic consciousness won him the Goethe prestigious award. The reflection in the poem, ‘Celebrating Childhood’ affirms that the history of Arabic is not that of the sword but also lately made of great men. Lately, comments from Adonis on the political atmosphere in Middle East, especially in Syria that brought nothing good in the society except backwardness, bitterness, torture, and breakdown to the people, is a show of hi grip to the Arab politics (Arana 231). Kahlil Gibran is still a celebrated hero in Arabic literature context. In his Arab world, his incisive writings have earned him the tag of a political rebel (Gibran 65). Gibran works borrow a lot from the romantic styles of writing. The political events and power struggle do not make his daily life but through continual literary awareness of the situation in Lebanon, he asserts that the society is one place and homeland where all men are his fellow compatriots. The literal works of Gibran infuse the love of the society and advocacy for tranquility (Gibran 94). In ‘The Hands of Destiny’, he fascinates with the beauty of nature, and glamour that natures espouse. In this sense, Gibran aesthetic capture the literal world Lebanon ought to experience. He writes of the ideal nature that comes with spring and equates it to the Lebanon society. The reference of the beautiful spirit of Spring lingering in the atmospheres of

Nursing research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 12

Nursing research - Essay Example Other areas that will improve my capacity as a professional include career assistance, availability of information on databases and targeted products and resources, including newsletters and online CE. Through exposure to these informative resources, professionals and knowledge areas, I will improve my knowledge base and the capacity to offer quality care. As a professional in the medical profession, I am required to offer my entire work time – and in some cases my personal time – towards the delivery of healthcare services, which are the source of my livelihood. Therefore, as a permanent employee in this sector, almost all my time is spent on work – particularly patient care. However, there are other professional activities that I am required to take, either for certification or for personal development. These include attending professional seminars, educational conventions, professional examinations, assisting other professionals and contributing to the knowledge-base available at professional associations. Balancing between the career and these other professional activities is difficult, as they improve my career and professional development, but at the same time – I am required to execute my duties as a professional, to the fullest. Through evaluating the activities that must be taken and those that req uire my continued physical and mental presence has helped me give priority to my services at the hospital. After completing my service dues, I am able to engage in the other activities, most times during my free time, and when I have work breaks. Through prioritizing, I have been able to balance between my career and the other professional activities. From a personal point of view, being a member of an organization is beneficial to a nurse. These benefits include that the nurse is exposed to educational programs, organizational conventions and seminars, and they are able to network for help and information with other members