Rhetorical Analysis Model of Christian Charity

In John WinthropÊ ¼s sermon, â€Å"Model of Christian Charity,† Winthrop uses persuasive diction and ï ¬ gures of speech to reinforce his idea of a â€Å"city upon a hill,† which is having absolute unity and conformity in able for the colony to prosper, in which others will look to as an example for guidance. His entire sermon is in a ï ¬ rst person plural to refer to the Puritans that he is speaking to and saying that they are a group that is not diverse. Winthrop states that they must be â€Å"knit together, in this work, as one man,† which means that every individual is meant to make a commitment to the group; that those individuals are meant to work together as common destiny. By referring that the Puritans must follow the ideas of being the city upon a hill, suggesting that they all come together no matter what their differences are to become a much larger entity, in which others around them will follow for guidance. Not only does John Winthrop insist o n the unity between and among the individual Puritans, he also searches in a unity between God and humans.Winthrop talks about the deep bond that the Puritans have with God; he is not only binding them together, but he is also showing the higher purpose that God intends to have. Winthrop states that is order to keep the bond with God they must follow his ways and keep their â€Å"Covenant with Him,† so they will be able to prosper. Winthrop is combing politics with religion that foreshadows this type of theocracy to come and also dramatically setting this as an example of a spiritual and physical unity that Winthrop seems to impulse on among his people and between his people and God.Winthrop shows his desire for his city upon a hill through his motivational speaking to the Puritans and suggesting them to have this sense of community to succeed their goal and to have faith in God and in his ways, to succeed in this pride of accomplishment.

Decline of Education and the Rise of Mediocrity

According to â€Å"A Nation at Risk†, the American education system has declined due to a â€Å"rising tide of mediocrity† in our schools. States such as New York have responded to the findings and recommendations of the report by implementing such strategies as the â€Å"Regents Action Plan† and the â€Å"New Compact for Learning†. In the early 1980†³s, President Regan ordered a national commission to study our education system. The findings of this commission were that, compared with other industrialized nations, our education system is grossly inadequate in meeting the standards of education that many other countries have developed. At one time, America was the world leader in technology, service, and industry, but overconfidence based on a historical belief in our superiority has caused our nation to fall behind the rapidly growing competitive market in the world with regard to education. The report in some respects is an unfair comparison of our education system, which does not have a national standard for goals, curriculum, or regulations, with other countries that do, but the findings nevertheless reflect the need for change. Our education system at this time is regulated by states which implement their own curriculum, set their own goals nd have their own requirements for teacher preparation. Combined with this is the fact that we have lowered our expectations in these areas, thus we are not providing an equal or quality education to all students across the country. The commission findings generated recommendations to improve the content of education and raise the standards of student achievement, particularly in testing, increase the time spent on education and provide incentives to encourage more individuals to enter the field of education as well as improving N. Y. State responded to these recommendations by first mplementing the Regents Action Plan; an eight year plan designed to raise the standards of education. This plan changed the requirements for graduation by raising the number of credits needed for graduation, raising the number of required core curriculum classes such as social studies, and introduced technology and computer science. The plan also introduced the Regents Minimum Competency Tests, which requires a student to pass tests in five major categories; math, science, reading, writing, and two areas of social studies. Although the plan achieved many of its goals in raising standards of education in N. Y. State, the general consensus is that we need to continue to improve our education system rather than being satisfied with the achievements Therefore, N. Y. adopted â€Å"The New Compact for Learning†. This plan is based on the principles that all children can learn. The focus of education should be on results and teachers should aim for mastery, not minimum competency. Education should be provided for all children and authority with accountability should be given to educators and success should be rewarded with necessary changes being made to reduce failures. This plan calls for curriculum to be devised n order to meet the needs of students so that they will be fully functional in society upon graduation, rather than just being able to graduate. Districts within the state have been given the authority to devise their own curriculum, but are held accountable by the state so that each district meets the states goals that have been established. Teachers are encouraged to challenge students to reach their full potential, rather than minimum competency. In this regard, tracking of students is being eliminated so that all students will be challenged, rather than just those who are gifted. Similarly, success hould be rewarded with recognition and incentives to further encourage progress for districts, teachers and students while others who are not as accomplished are provided remedial training or resources in order to help them achieve success. It is difficult to determine whether our country on the whole has responded to the concerns that â€Å"A Nation at Risk† presented. Clearly though, N. Y. State has taken measures over the last ten years to improve its own education system. In many respects the state has accomplished much of what it set out to do, but the need to continue to improve is still present. Certainly, if America is determined to regain its superiority in the world, education, the foundation of our future, needs to be priority number one. Teachers often develop academic expectations of students based on characteristics that are unrelated to academic progress. These expectations can affect the way educators present themselves toward the student, causing an alteration in the way our students learn, and thus causing an overall degeneration in the potential Expectations affect students in many ways, not just academically, but in the form of mental and social deprivation which causes a lack of self-esteem. When educators receive information about students, mostly even before the student walks into their classroom, from past test scores, IEP†s, and past teachers, it tends to alter the way we look at the students potential for growth. This foundation of expectation is then transformed on to our method of One basic fallout from these expectations is the amount of time educators spend in communicating with students. We tend to speak more directly to students who excel, talking in more matures tone of voice, treating them more like a grown-up than we do to the students who are already labeled underachievers. This can give the student an added incentive to either progress or regress due to the amount of As educators we tend to take the exceptional students â€Å"under our wing†. We tend to offer knowledge in situations to help push the good students, in comparison to moving on to the next task for the others. We also tend to critique the work of our god students more positively than the others, offering challenges to the answers they The most obvious characteristic that educators present to the students is in the area of body language and facial expression. We tend to present ourselves in a more professional manner to our good tudents, speaking more clearly and with a stronger tone of voice. We tend to stand more upright, in a more powerful stance, than to the slouching effect we give to the underachievers. The head shakes, glancing with our eyes, hand gestures, and posture all contribute to the way we look at certain students based on our first impressions which came before we even knew the student. One major way we can avoid these pitfalls and eliminate unfair expectations that help produce failure in our students is to restrict the past information on the students to a need to know basis. Instead f telling the teacher how the student did on past examinations, just present them with the curricula that the student must learn during the time they spend in that class. This enables the educator to formulate their own opinions of that student. Also, instead of doing the IEP meetings during the middle of the year, we should wait till the end of the semester to inform the educators of certain aspects of the student instead of giving them all the information earlier in the year. Finally, it is up to the educator himself to evaluate their own teaching methods to be able to recognize, and change, the way they resent themselves to the entire class. To be able to know what we are doing, and how we are doing it, at different times in the day is crucial to the aura we present to the students. Schools are often blamed for the ills of society, yet society has a major impact on our education system. The problems that schools are facing today are certainly connected to the problems that are society faces, including drugs, violence, and the changing of our family structure. There are many methods that schools have begun to use in order to deal with the problems they are faced with and still offer the best possible education to our youth. The use of drugs in the general population has become a very serious problem in society and within the school system. There are two aspects to drug use that teachers are having to deal with now. The first is in trying to teach the new generation of crack babies that are now entering the schools. These students have extremely low attention spans and can be very disruptive in class. Early intervention programs designed to target these children and focus on behavior management within the school setting have been effective in preparing these students for school. Educators have also identified rug use among students as one of the most significant problems that our schools face today. According to the text, the rate of drug use among students has declined in last few years, but recently there has been an increase in alcohol abuse among teenagers. Intervention programs such as APPLE, (a school based rehabilitation facility) have been implemented in many schools with the cooperation of school counselors and community agencies to treat drug using teenagers. Other programs, such as D. A. R. E have been implemented in many elementary schools to provide education about drugs to young students. Violence, both in society and in the school system has also been identified as a serious problem. The influx of weapons in schools creates a dangerous situation for teachers, administrators and other students. One remedy for this problem has been introduced in many public city schools; the use of metal detectors. While this method is not foolproof it does send the message that violence will not be tolerated in schools and that severe measures will be implemented in order to curb it. Educators are also being trained to identify those students who may be violent and to provide non-violent risis intervention. It is an undeniable fact that our society has a serious problem concerning violence and that the violence on the streets is certainly connected to the violence in the schools. It seems questionable that even these measures will significantly reduce the problem in schools, but certainly the process of teaching can continue in a less stressful atmosphere by having these measures in Unfortunately, there are other problems such as the changing family structure that do not have such clear cut solutions. Some of the problems that teachers are faced with concerning the family nclude poverty, single parent homes, abuse and/or neglect and Statistics state that 41% of single, female headed households live below the poverty level and that students who live in single parent homes score lower on achievement tests, particularly boys whose mothers are the head of the household. Obviously, single parent families are a fact in our society today, given the rising rate of divorce and single women having children, and it is true that this change is having a severe effect on students today, but this should not effect the quality of education that is provided, but rather, ncourage educators to be more aware of the difficulties these students face in order to adapt their teaching style, as well as the Similarly, child abuse and/or neglect has become a major issue in society and schools. It is not clear whether there is a rise in the occurrences of abuse or whether better awareness has increased the statistics, but it cannot be argued that this a significant problem and one that effects those educators who have to help students who are either abused or neglected. Strict regulations concerning the accountability of teachers regarding the reporting of child abuse or eglect are in effect. Teachers are required to be trained on the ability to identify abuse. Community agencies, shelters and child welfare agencies have begun working in conjunction with schools in order to deal with the problem with as little disruption in the Homelessness is another major problem in our society. The rate of homeless people has grown significantly since the early 1980†³s deinstitutionalization movement and more recently due to the rising unemployment rate have led to more families and children being homeless than ever before. This social problem has become a significant problem for educators. Low achievement, which may be in part due to low attendance as a result of a transient lifestyle, physical problems associated with living on the streets and child abuse are all issues that educators are confronted with when working with students who are homeless. Unfortunately, because of the lack of government funds, this problem continues to grow in America. On the other hand, schools have begun to deal with this problem by hiring additional counselors, some who work specifically to coordinate service with shelters in order provide assistance to these families and more precisely to the children. This effort clearly demonstrates that educators are genuinely concerned about providing education to Clearly our schools and society face the same problems. It has become necessary for all people, not just educators, to be more aware of the problems. Although some intervention programs have been implemented and in some cases are very successful, it is becoming more apparent that these problems are going to continue and will have a direct consequence on our future in this country. Unfortunately, we as a society tend to look for the â€Å"quick fix† to our problems without realizing the consequences for the future. Decline of Education and the Rise of Mediocrity According to â€Å"A Nation at Risk†, the American education system has declined due to a â€Å"rising tide of mediocrity† in our schools. States such as New York have responded to the findings and recommendations of the report by implementing such strategies as the â€Å"Regents Action Plan† and the â€Å"New Compact for Learning†. In the early 1980†³s, President Regan ordered a national commission to study our education system. The findings of this commission were that, compared with other industrialized nations, our education system is grossly inadequate in meeting the standards of education that many other countries have developed. At one time, America was the world leader in technology, service, and industry, but overconfidence based on a historical belief in our superiority has caused our nation to fall behind the rapidly growing competitive market in the world with regard to education. The report in some respects is an unfair comparison of our education system, which does not have a national standard for goals, curriculum, or regulations, with other countries that do, but the findings nevertheless reflect the need for change. Our education system at this time is regulated by states which implement their own curriculum, set their own goals nd have their own requirements for teacher preparation. Combined with this is the fact that we have lowered our expectations in these areas, thus we are not providing an equal or quality education to all students across the country. The commission findings generated recommendations to improve the content of education and raise the standards of student achievement, particularly in testing, increase the time spent on education and provide incentives to encourage more individuals to enter the field of education as well as improving N. Y. State responded to these recommendations by first mplementing the Regents Action Plan; an eight year plan designed to raise the standards of education. This plan changed the requirements for graduation by raising the number of credits needed for graduation, raising the number of required core curriculum classes such as social studies, and introduced technology and computer science. The plan also introduced the Regents Minimum Competency Tests, which requires a student to pass tests in five major categories; math, science, reading, writing, and two areas of social studies. Although the plan achieved many of its goals in raising standards of education in N. Y. State, the general consensus is that we need to continue to improve our education system rather than being satisfied with the achievements Therefore, N. Y. adopted â€Å"The New Compact for Learning†. This plan is based on the principles that all children can learn. The focus of education should be on results and teachers should aim for mastery, not minimum competency. Education should be provided for all children and authority with accountability should be given to educators and success should be rewarded with necessary changes being made to reduce failures. This plan calls for curriculum to be devised n order to meet the needs of students so that they will be fully functional in society upon graduation, rather than just being able to graduate. Districts within the state have been given the authority to devise their own curriculum, but are held accountable by the state so that each district meets the states goals that have been established. Teachers are encouraged to challenge students to reach their full potential, rather than minimum competency. In this regard, tracking of students is being eliminated so that all students will be challenged, rather than just those who are gifted. Similarly, success hould be rewarded with recognition and incentives to further encourage progress for districts, teachers and students while others who are not as accomplished are provided remedial training or resources in order to help them achieve success. It is difficult to determine whether our country on the whole has responded to the concerns that â€Å"A Nation at Risk† presented. Clearly though, N. Y. State has taken measures over the last ten years to improve its own education system. In many respects the state has accomplished much of what it set out to do, but the need to continue to improve is still present. Certainly, if America is determined to regain its superiority in the world, education, the foundation of our future, needs to be priority number one. Teachers often develop academic expectations of students based on characteristics that are unrelated to academic progress. These expectations can affect the way educators present themselves toward the student, causing an alteration in the way our students learn, and thus causing an overall degeneration in the potential Expectations affect students in many ways, not just academically, but in the form of mental and social deprivation which causes a lack of self-esteem. When educators receive information about students, mostly even before the student walks into their classroom, from past test scores, IEP†s, and past teachers, it tends to alter the way we look at the students potential for growth. This foundation of expectation is then transformed on to our method of One basic fallout from these expectations is the amount of time educators spend in communicating with students. We tend to speak more directly to students who excel, talking in more matures tone of voice, treating them more like a grown-up than we do to the students who are already labeled underachievers. This can give the student an added incentive to either progress or regress due to the amount of As educators we tend to take the exceptional students â€Å"under our wing†. We tend to offer knowledge in situations to help push the good students, in comparison to moving on to the next task for the others. We also tend to critique the work of our god students more positively than the others, offering challenges to the answers they The most obvious characteristic that educators present to the students is in the area of body language and facial expression. We tend to present ourselves in a more professional manner to our good tudents, speaking more clearly and with a stronger tone of voice. We tend to stand more upright, in a more powerful stance, than to the slouching effect we give to the underachievers. The head shakes, glancing with our eyes, hand gestures, and posture all contribute to the way we look at certain students based on our first impressions which came before we even knew the student. One major way we can avoid these pitfalls and eliminate unfair expectations that help produce failure in our students is to restrict the past information on the students to a need to know basis. Instead f telling the teacher how the student did on past examinations, just present them with the curricula that the student must learn during the time they spend in that class. This enables the educator to formulate their own opinions of that student. Also, instead of doing the IEP meetings during the middle of the year, we should wait till the end of the semester to inform the educators of certain aspects of the student instead of giving them all the information earlier in the year. Finally, it is up to the educator himself to evaluate their own teaching methods to be able to recognize, and change, the way they resent themselves to the entire class. To be able to know what we are doing, and how we are doing it, at different times in the day is crucial to the aura we present to the students. Schools are often blamed for the ills of society, yet society has a major impact on our education system. The problems that schools are facing today are certainly connected to the problems that are society faces, including drugs, violence, and the changing of our family structure. There are many methods that schools have begun to use in order to deal with the problems they are faced with and still offer the best possible education to our youth. The use of drugs in the general population has become a very serious problem in society and within the school system. There are two aspects to drug use that teachers are having to deal with now. The first is in trying to teach the new generation of crack babies that are now entering the schools. These students have extremely low attention spans and can be very disruptive in class. Early intervention programs designed to target these children and focus on behavior management within the school setting have been effective in preparing these students for school. Educators have also identified rug use among students as one of the most significant problems that our schools face today. According to the text, the rate of drug use among students has declined in last few years, but recently there has been an increase in alcohol abuse among teenagers. Intervention programs such as APPLE, (a school based rehabilitation facility) have been implemented in many schools with the cooperation of school counselors and community agencies to treat drug using teenagers. Other programs, such as D. A. R. E have been implemented in many elementary schools to provide education about drugs to young students. Violence, both in society and in the school system has also been identified as a serious problem. The influx of weapons in schools creates a dangerous situation for teachers, administrators and other students. One remedy for this problem has been introduced in many public city schools; the use of metal detectors. While this method is not foolproof it does send the message that violence will not be tolerated in schools and that severe measures will be implemented in order to curb it. Educators are also being trained to identify those students who may be violent and to provide non-violent risis intervention. It is an undeniable fact that our society has a serious problem concerning violence and that the violence on the streets is certainly connected to the violence in the schools. It seems questionable that even these measures will significantly reduce the problem in schools, but certainly the process of teaching can continue in a less stressful atmosphere by having these measures in Unfortunately, there are other problems such as the changing family structure that do not have such clear cut solutions. Some of the problems that teachers are faced with concerning the family nclude poverty, single parent homes, abuse and/or neglect and Statistics state that 41% of single, female headed households live below the poverty level and that students who live in single parent homes score lower on achievement tests, particularly boys whose mothers are the head of the household. Obviously, single parent families are a fact in our society today, given the rising rate of divorce and single women having children, and it is true that this change is having a severe effect on students today, but this should not effect the quality of education that is provided, but rather, ncourage educators to be more aware of the difficulties these students face in order to adapt their teaching style, as well as the Similarly, child abuse and/or neglect has become a major issue in society and schools. It is not clear whether there is a rise in the occurrences of abuse or whether better awareness has increased the statistics, but it cannot be argued that this a significant problem and one that effects those educators who have to help students who are either abused or neglected. Strict regulations concerning the accountability of teachers regarding the reporting of child abuse or eglect are in effect. Teachers are required to be trained on the ability to identify abuse. Community agencies, shelters and child welfare agencies have begun working in conjunction with schools in order to deal with the problem with as little disruption in the Homelessness is another major problem in our society. The rate of homeless people has grown significantly since the early 1980†³s deinstitutionalization movement and more recently due to the rising unemployment rate have led to more families and children being homeless than ever before. This social problem has become a significant problem for educators. Low achievement, which may be in part due to low attendance as a result of a transient lifestyle, physical problems associated with living on the streets and child abuse are all issues that educators are confronted with when working with students who are homeless. Unfortunately, because of the lack of government funds, this problem continues to grow in America. On the other hand, schools have begun to deal with this problem by hiring additional counselors, some who work specifically to coordinate service with shelters in order provide assistance to these families and more precisely to the children. This effort clearly demonstrates that educators are genuinely concerned about providing education to Clearly our schools and society face the same problems. It has become necessary for all people, not just educators, to be more aware of the problems. Although some intervention programs have been implemented and in some cases are very successful, it is becoming more apparent that these problems are going to continue and will have a direct consequence on our future in this country. Unfortunately, we as a society tend to look for the â€Å"quick fix† to our problems without realizing the consequences for the future.

Summary Iroquois Chiefs Address the governors of new york and virginia Term Paper

Summary Iroquois Chiefs Address the governors of new york and virginia - Term Paper Example s of how they—the Iroquois—have rejected Pennsylvania’s offer to buy the Susquehana River, thus demonstrating the Iroquois’ loyalty to the Duke of York, The Iroquois chiefs are quick to point out, however, that when provoked, the Iroquois are like the â€Å"Wolves in the Woods,† thus explaining the number of hostilities that have occurred between the Iroquois and the English in Virginia and Maryland. Chief among these hostilities involves the Iroquois abduction of five young Indians, who were in the service of the English. However, as it’s pointed out by the Iroquois chiefs, all is well now as the Iroquois nations involved in the abduction have promised to return the five young Indians to their rightful English owners. Presently, the Iroquois chiefs thank the Duke of York whose intervention on behalf of the Iroquois has prevented the hostilities with Virginia from escalating. And to assure that peace will prevail between the Iroquois and the English, the Iroquois chiefs promise to bring the tribe the Cahnawaas, who are native to Maryland, into the alliance. In conclusion, the Iroquois chiefs acknowledge that it will be difficult for the Iroquois to fully commit to the English and shake off the French influence which was especially strong among the Iroquois nations of the Onnondagas, the Cayugas, and the Oneydoes. The Iroquois chiefs mention a French Jesuit by the name of Milet who had attained the status of Sachem (leader) within the Oneydoes nation and whose influence was so great that the other nations failed to persuade Oneydoes to part with Milet. Indeed, for all their present antagonism to France and the French influence, the Iroquois chiefs admit that they have a grudging admiration for the French Jesuits who would dare to live among their enemies for the sake of carrying out their sworn

Legal research questions Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Legal research questions - Case Study Example CCA concluded both the errors were insignificant and confirmed that the trial had proved Mr. Evan's guilt beyond doubt. The High Court of Australia allowed the appeal and ordered a new trial. The court held that errors at trail to ask Mr. Evans to dress like the robber and also not allowing his claim for alibi undermined Mr. Evan's defense and that he had not received a fair trail. The court held that there had been a substantial miscarriage of justice1. safety and health of the people as well as the environment. The identification and management of the risks associated with the GMOs and to regulate them is the prime objective of the GT Act2. For the purpose of adopting the GT Act effectively by all the states a 'Gene Technology Regulator (GTR) was established under the Common Wealth Act which authority was given power to act in each state. The national scheme governing the GMOs is regulated by the GTR3. The GTR acts independently on her own subject however to the powers granted by the Act. "Four categories of dealings are exempted from the general prohibition on dealings with GMOs"4These dealings are (a) Exempt dealings; (b) Notifiable low risk dealings; (c) Dealings listed on the GMO Register and (d) Licensed dealings (a) The Kyoto Protocol was a treaty entered into in December 1997 at Kyoto with the objective of reducing the gas house gases which result in changes of climate. As of November 2007 there were about 175 countries which have ratified the protocol framed as a result of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. (b) Australia has made an international commitment at Kyoto to be a part of the protocol and to limit the gas house emissions to 108 percent of the 1990 baseline. This projection equals to 30 percent reduction from its 'business as usual' projections5. This commitment was revised on December 2007 to the reduction of 60 percent on 2000 levels by the year 2050. (c) Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has signed the instrument of ratification in December. With this ratification the Kyoto Protocol has become the first Act of the new Government. However under the Kyoto Rules the ratification will take effect only after 90 days from the date of ratification6. Note: The Parliamentary Library in the internet website http://www.aph.gov.au/library/intguide/SCI/kyoto.htm contained useful information on the Kyoto Protocol. Further reference to the Media Release from the government gave information

Renting Is Better than Buying Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Renting Is Better than Buying - Essay Example Renting an apartment remains quite economical as compared to buying one. With the passage of time, renting proves to be cheaper than buying an apartment. It is always advisable to make a cost-benefit analysis while deciding whether to buy or rent a home (Vij). Where renting a house costs an individual as much as $500 on the average, the same house may cost an individual between $1000 and $2000 per month in the form of mortgage that further gets factored to accommodate tax and insurance. Also, in the recent years, â€Å"rents have barely budged while house prices in New York, Washington, Los Angeles and elsewhere have doubled, renting has become a surprisingly smart option for many people who never would have considered it before† (Leonhardt). Whenever an individual has enough money to invest, it is advisable to estimate the difference of the mortgage payment and the rent, and invest that sum into the stock market. Benefits of renting: Acquiring the loan for constructing a house is quite a lengthy and tiresome process. An individual is supposed to possess excellent credit and a considerable sum for making down payment. Good interest rate cannot be gained without a good investment sum. Buying a home requires an individual to owe the lender money for many years that follow. Renting the house provides the individual with the leverage to pay as long as he/she lives in it, and later decide as per convenience. When an individual owns a home, he/she essentially becomes responsible for all matters that concern the accommodation’s maintenance and appropriate functionality. ... When the sewer line in house damages, it is the owner’s responsibility to fix it and bear all expenses. The plumber may need to dig up the earth in order to change the existing pipe or lay out a new one. Such activities consume a lot of money, which the owners have to pay. In comparison to that, people living on rent do not have to bear the additional expenses of maintenance and fixation. If something becomes faulty in a rented apartment, the renter makes a call to the owner to get that fixed, without having to pay for the job. Likewise, a person on rent does not have to pay for the maintenance of lawn or other areas of the house. The renter only has to compensate for the damages that have been caused by him/her. Renting a house does not require the renter to have insurance because of lack of ownership. All a renter is required to have at maximum is the â€Å"renter insurance† as it makes it cheaper for the renter. Taking all these factors into consideration, a working class employed person enjoys far more benefits in renting as compared to buying a house. An analysis in light of economic recession: In the contemporary age of economic recession, a lot of owners are selling their homes in order to meet their daily living expenses. The widespread economic recession has caused a lot of business entrepreneurs to downsize their workforce in order to minimize the overhead charges and maximize the profits. Renting proves to be the most convenient and flexible option for such employees, whose jobs are endangered and who can be fired any time by their employers. Such people want the facility to shift anywhere anytime as per the need of the employment. However, it is always advisable to acquire a short term lease in order to escape

Quality Improvement, Health Care and Safety of the Patients PowerPoint Presentation

Quality Improvement, Health Care and Safety of the Patients - PowerPoint Presentation Example The current economic situations in the west and worsening physical conditions in the East have triggered increased demand for hospitals in recent history. People visit hospitals for not only unusual situations but also for regular checkups owing to increased awareness programs undertaken globally. A hospital is a platform whereby individuals are given the best possible treatment; it is a place where people come in expectation to buy good health. Thus, the product delivered by this business is â€Å"health† – which is very difficult to account for. Owing to the complexity of this industry, firms (Hospitals and clinics) have to undergo rigorous training and implementation procedures before they start operations (Lighter, 2011). They have to be certified by legal agencies within the locality. This is done to ensure quality; one of the most important aspects when we talk about Health. Since quality is an integral part of this industry, all firms take necessary actions in or der to maintain good quality of their product. This business competes with forces of Nature; it is faced by issues like legal frameworks, financial problems, keeping up with technology, being aware of new research, disaster recovery plans and customer satisfaction. In order to overcome these problems, proper plan is drawn out. First of all, to fulfill patient satisfaction and to maintain its own standard, compliance with regulatory authority followed by certification is the first process. These may be costly, but it is the first step to attain quality management in this industry. Once certified, that will ensure high quality technology and working environment, however, patient satisfaction is key. After implementation of government policies, a firm must use its own policies that should be in line with its strategic goals of â€Å"Quality Management†. It may set up its own safety requirements – these can be very basic like for prevention of natural disasters, emergency exits should be around the corners followed by fire extinguishers (Lighter, 2011). Another aspect of safety may be to avoid theft, for which camera’s may be deployed around the organization. This would ensure high level managers to monitor performance of employees and see to it that customers remain satisfied with the service they get. This can also be used to monitor patient’s activities and in case of false customer claims, the video can be shown to the customers themselves so as to prove the authenticity of the words of your hospital. The security aspect may cost a great sum of money, but at the end of it the cost benefit analysis shows the advantages outweigh the cost. The security would also be responsible to cater to any unforeseen incidents that may take place within or outside hospital premises – controlling security effectively would ensure a clean and comfortable environment ensuring patient’s happiness (Leebov and Scott, 1994). Another importan t factor for quality control is hygiene – the staff should make sure the hospital looks like a â€Å"showroom† – cleanliness increases customer satisfaction and comfort. The last thing patients would want are bad sights after their Ill health. Thus; the principle of management holds true for an organization like â€Å"hospital† also. The staff of nurses/doctors/janitors/security personals would have to be looked after by effective department managers. These managers would be good at their key

Organization has done to safeguard its information Essay

Organization has done to safeguard its information - Essay Example â€Å"Safeguarding internet security: what companies can do to protect themselves†, Lombardo highlights on measures to safeguard organizations’ information (Lombardo, 2001). Lombardo stresses that organizations should invest on appropriate systems that may impede internet misdemeanors. Besides, it is critical to have apt knowledge on such felonies. The article also highlights the significance of outsourcing website security proposals to professionals, since information is a sensitive issue to organizations. Additionally, the article noted that various hackers employ viruses and other malware to harm organizations data. As such, it is critical to install programs such as anti-viruses and firewalls to various computer systems (Lombardo, 2001). Moreover, it is critical to encrypt data stored within a network. It is prudent to seek legal aid once an organization experiences internet misdemeanor. It is also critical to have back-up information, in an attempt to prevent data loss on events of such mishaps (Lombardo, 2001). Moreover, it is evident that internet criminals may be internal staff or external personnel. As such, it is critical to train employees on the seriousness of such crimes. It is also crucial to punish culprits of such felonies severely. Lombardo, L. (2001). Safeguarding internet security: what companies can do to protect themselves. Business Wire. Retrieved from:

Paraphrasing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Paraphrasing - Essay Example Moreover, this lab experiment made it possible to design and create center-tapped transformer and full-wave bridge rectifier circuit and examine their waveforms as well as give explanation for them. It was not easy to realize how to get the waveform of the second circuit, however the task was implemented. In general, this lab experience was done effectively for both circuit designs. This lab experiment goal was achieved, and it became possible to determine the maximum safe operation current for the zener diode. It also became possible to find out how to chose the source voltage and the resistances for the zener circuit. Additionally, it became easier to get to know and examine how the zener diode is working. In general, this lab experience was done effectively for both circuit designs. This lab experiment goal was achieved, and it became possible to determine the maximum safe operation current for the zener diode. It also became possible to find out how to chose the source voltage and the resistances for the zener circuit. Additionally, it became easier to get to know and examine how the zener diode is working. In general, this lab experience was done effectively for both circuit designs. This lab experiment goal was achieved, and it became possible to determine the needed results of the three parts of this experiment. Also it has to observe the behavior of the circuit when there are set and changeable voltage regulators. Overall, this lab experience was done effectively for this lab circuit design. 2. NPN: The meter reading is high when placing the negative lead to the base terminal and the positive lead to either of other two terminals. Also, in the NPN transistor, by placing the positive lead to the base terminal and the negative lead to either of the other two terminals. PNP: The meter reading is low when we put the negative lead to the base terminal and the positive lead to either of other two terminals. Also, in the PNP transistor, by placing the

Plant Exploration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Plant Exploration - Essay Example Forests, rich in plant life, are spread across Kenya. Some plants in Kenya are used to make refreshment drinks. Plants such as tea and coffee undergo manufacturing and the end product is used to prepare drinks that are often taken in the morning hours. About eighty percent of the Kenyan population wakes up to a cup of tea or coffee every morning. This is due to its cheapness and exudes health benefits. Tea and coffee consumers have grown exponentially for the past few years. Tea and coffee drinks preparation is easy and can be done at the comfort of your home. Fruit juices are also consumed in Kenya. Avocados, oranges, mangoes among others are squeezed to produce a very sweet juice. The tree tomato fruits are used in making salad. The types of juices and salads depend on the consumer taste and most of them are readily available. Some alcoholic drinks are made from plants. Fermentation of plant fruits yield a sweet and alcoholic drink that is consumed by the locals. Each tribe in Keny a has its own type of alcoholic drink. In coastal areas, for example, the locals use the coconut plant to make an alcoholic drink. (www.ktda.com) The building and construction industry in Kenya is aided by plants. Timber is common in the building industry. In rural areas they use trees to build their houses while in urban centres they are used as pillars or roofing materials. Trees are also used in construction of makeshift business premises. Hardwood trees are cut and shaped to manufacture beautiful sculptures by the locals. The baobab tree is used to make durable furniture. Kenya harbours various craftsmen who use plants to make beautiful items such as wall frames. In Kenya, however, deforestation is highly controlled by the government in order to protect plant life. Kenyans also use plants to construct transportation means. Carts and wheelbarrows are wooden and are convenient because they can carry all sorts of luggage. Some communities in Kenya use shrines as sacred places. Thes e shrines are built by placing leaves and trees in strategic positions where people go to communicate with their Deity. In a nutshell, the building and construction industry cannot survive in Kenya without plant life.( Daily Nation Newspaper) Plants are also used for medicinal purposes in Kenya. The idea of treating patients using herbal plants was coined from the forefathers. Herbalists exist in Kenya up to this day. Traditional medicine which comprised of specific plants is still considered in treating diseases. Aloe Vera is an example of a plant used for medicinal purpose. In Kenya, manufactured drugs are expensive depending on the ailment and people turn to plants for their recovery. Herbalists grind and crush different types of leaves from specific plants into a concoction. The concoction then is used in treating headaches, stomach aches, heartburn and other pains. Plants such as Khat are also believed to aid in dieting because they suppress hunger pangs. Leaves from specific p lants treat snake bites in the Kikuyu and Kamba community. Rural health planning in Kenya appreciates medicinal plants for they are readily available and cheap. (www.overlandingafrica.com/kenya/?) Kenyans use plants to relieve hunger pangs each and every day. There are common types of foods across the country although some of them originate from specific communities. Kikuyus enjoy a mixture

Outsourcing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Outsourcing - Essay Example sourcing lies in the incompatibility of effective stakeholder participation with outsourcing projects especially those who outsource globally because very often this outsourcing takes place in far-flung corners of the world and which the stakeholders find it difficult to handle because of clash of culture and work environment. Like any other business the outsourcing process has its own pros and cons which play a big hand in either the success or the failure of the project. If the management of the tow parties is excellent and there is mutual trust and understanding between the firm and the vendor during the ongoing outsourcing project, the entire process will be successful and not incompatible with effective stakeholder participation. Technology in the information sector has progressed in leaps and bounds and entirely dominates modern life. From the lordly space shuttle to the lowly air conditioner appliance, computers are a part and parcel of every electronic system. To meet the needs of various types of systems and organizations dependent on those systems, different types of system development approaches have evolved. Some of them are: prototyping, rapid application development, system development life cycle or SDLC and object oriented methodology. The whole purpose of these methods is to enable the stakeholders to use reliable, steady and easy-to-maintain systems. The stakeholders may be technical supporters, direct managers, daily users and anyone who can participate in the system. Outsourcing is basically the result of the insistent demand for high quality information systems or IS along with the burden of paring down costs in the internal information technology or IT department of companies. As mentioned ea rlier, these last few years have seen the rapid development of Information System Outsourcing and many companies either outsource part or wholly of there is services to a third party which can be one or many vendors. This essay will briefly discus system

Cosmetic Surgery and Its Affect on the World Today Essay Example for Free

Cosmetic Surgery and Its Affect on the World Today Essay How far will you go to get the look you want? There are many people who have gone as far as changing their appearance to the point that they are unrecognizable. From nose jobs, face lifts, to reshaping their eyes, it has become nearly an epidemic. Plastic surgery is a medical procedure invented to improve an individual’s physical appearance or to minimize scarring resulting from accidents, disease or birth defects as well as disfigurement. The word plastic is derived from the Greek, meaning molding or giving form. Included in plastic surgery is cosmetic surgery, which can be used to reshape your face or body features. Cosmetic surgery is designed to improve an individuals appearance. Some women in China would bind their feet, crippling themselves in the process to appear beautiful. It is said that their feet are to be no larger than a deck of cards or it was disgraceful. Western women poured themselves into corsets, often causing damage to their internal organs, for the sake of beauty. High heels are linked to back problems as well as foot problems. The search for beauty and eternal youth continues, and today, modern technology has brought the medical profession into the issue. Fat can be literally sucked out of the body, body parts can be reduced or enlarged through surgery, and wrinkles can be erased. Where cosmetic surgery was once the near-exclusive purview of women, men are turning to surgical procedures in increasing numbers. There are, however, costs to such modification, and these costs extend well beyond the financial. This research argues against the indiscriminate use of cosmetic surgery. Plastic surgery has a very long history. As early as 1000 B.C.E., the first plastic surgery was reported in India, where a persons nose might be cut off as a form of punishment or, in the case of an adulterous Hindu wife, bitten off by the wronged husband. Procedures, which displayed remarkable similarity to present rhinoplasties, were developed to reconstruct the noses of such errant individuals (Davis 14). Plastic surgery appeared much later on the European continent. In the early fifteenth century, physicians began doing nose surgeries, by using skin flaps taken from the arm. Other forms of plastic surgery began to appear around the early sixteenth century. With the invention of ether and antisepsis, plastic surgery was able to emerge as a full-fledged medical specialty (Davis 15). In the first part of the century, nearly all plastic surgeries were done to alleviate deformities due to disease, birth or mishap; however, in the second half of the century this was no longer the case. Plastic surgery has some advantages too, with reconstructive surgery. Reconstructive surgery is used to fix deficiencies that couldn’t otherwise be fixed by any other treatment. Reconstructive surgery makes a notable advancement, and can be used to repair birth defects, such as hair lips, cleft pallets and internal forms of function. It can also be used for one that has suffered injuries due to an accident, and can also save limbs and restore joints that would be irreparable. There are certain skin burns, depending on how severe that can be repaired by skin grafting. Some facial injuries that involve dental repair are common procedures for plastic surgery. The field of plastic surgery has grown, allowing room for improvement and more accuracy of procedures. Cosmetic surgery may benefit some patients interpersonal relationships and self-esteem, which will lead to a better quality of life. This happens more often when the patient suffers from an abnormality, or other birth defects that affect their appearance. Cosmetic surgery is not to be taken lightly, as for some it has been proven to be damaging and have long-lasting side effects. There have been many people that have gone through multiple surgeries in order to get the look that they want. There are many different reasons behind some folks becoming obsessed with the surgery. The majority of ones belief is that they can achieve physical perfection through cosmetic surgery. In an attempt to achieve a state of perfect physical beauty, some people repeatedly seek cosmetic surgery procedures to alter their appearance, believing theyre only a surgery away from their imagined ideal. Many people who suffer from plastic surgery addiction are also victims of body dimorphic disorder, where an attractive person believes that they are unattractive no matter how appealing they may appear to another person. Celebrities who suffer from plastic surgery addiction often lack a strong self esteem and have a generalized level of unhappiness with them selves. Instead of addressing the real source of their unhappiness, they choose to solve their problems by altering their external appearance. There are many people in the world that also too have altered their appearance to look like a celebr ity as well. Many citizens in the society today have altered their faces to the point if you hadn’t known them before surgery, you wouldn’t recognize them afterwards. Statistics show that people aged between 35-50 years old had the most cosmetic procedures in 2007: 5.4 million or 46 percent of that total. People between ages 51-64 years of age had 25 percent of the cosmetic surgery procedures in 2007. People between ages 19-34 years old had 21 percent of the cosmetic surgery procedures in 2007. Senior citizens aged 65 and older had 6 percent of cosmetic surgery procedures in 2007. Teens aged 18 or younger had less than 2 percent of the cosmetic surgery procedures in 2007. Today even with the economy the way that it is people are still getting cosmetic surgery no matter what the cost. This just shows how some peoples lives are affected by the way that they appear to themselves and other people regardless of their age.

Green supply chain management and logistics

Green supply chain management and logistics It has been rising in alertness of the surrounds in the last little decades. Other persons are attentive of the worlds environmental attempt such as overall temperate, poisonous import meeting, and falling in non-replenish property. The management has out movement to carry this problem to people. A number of organization react to this by relate green values to their rumba company, such as using green friendly raw material, reducing the usage of gasoline power, and using the recycle allow for covering. The green principle was complete to much section within society, including supply chain. Green supply chain management (GSCM) was rising in the last little period. This idea covers every stage in industrialized from the first to the last step of life cycle, i.e. starting product plan to recycle. Not just manufacturing, but GSCM can also be used to other business sector such as management, culture and services. The reason of this file was to describe the crash of green to the supply chain management. It started with the meaning of GSCM to the company in different levels or what factor that power the company to agree the GSCM. This factor can be regard as by different drive such as management, whole market, industry, competitor, and inside the company. Since GSCM can be convenient to a variety of areas within the company, this paper also talks about the performance of GSCM to several areas. In addition, some examples of GSCM submission were recognized to support the commencement. Introduction At the current time, many companies have in progress to accept main attempt just before launch Green Supply Chain Management (GSCM) initiatives (Srivastava, 2008; Zhu et al., 2007). The concept of GSCM include green initiative in inbound logistics which counting green purchasing, eco-design, production, outbound logistics which counting reverse logistics. These initiatives engage supplies suppliers, service supplier, vendor, distributors and end users that successful mutually to decrease or get rid of poor green impact of their concert (Vachon and Klassen, 2006). The logistics industry manages the flows of goods, services and in order across consumers and supplier allowing the incorporation of supply chains in which victory in incorporate worldwide supply chains starts with the capacity of firm to move goods across boundaries swiftly, regularly and sensibly. An aggressive and capable logistics sector is central for all economy and is a vital element of do business. So, logistics management plays an important role in GSCM. This is support by Skjoett-Larsen in which he claim that with the fast development of the GSCM, the sense of green organization for the logistics industry has greater than before very much. then, the review done by Capgemini Press discharge show that the greening of the supply chain will have an increasing speak to on in logistics presentation such as network plan, transfer modes used, warehousing, collection of paraphernalia, business process, behaviours and sense of balance. so far, few company swiftness green ability as a make a choice part when choose 3rd celebrations Logistics (3PL) partner in which 46% of respondents thought that the result of supply chain operation on the surroundings was a issue alert when select 3PL (Capgemini Press Release). In order to take produce and services to consumers more environmentally, so, logistics service donor need to talk to extra care on green issue (Murphy and Poist, 2003; Sarkis et al., 2004). For example, United Parcel Service (UPS), a universal logistics service supplier uses route development software and an internet related organization in their logistics service procedure to reduce the release of greenhouse gas as well as to keep oil expenditure (Lin and Ho, 2008). incorporate green innovation into logistics armed is good-looking a significant issue for the logistic urban. Examples of Green Logistics Green transportation: The green transport refers to build up a type of oil with the smallest total pollution as the power to try to put into rehearsal the multi-transportation and part mode. Accurately, repair up the transport can in this way think the litter, inferior the price and lift the part level. Green storage: The green storage space refers to endorsement the urban development in the extension of goods-storing to keep the manpower fee, functioning the environmentally friendly goods to sterilize the storage space goods, receipt the process of centralized-stock to reduce the radicalization to the vicinity and reduce the poor result of the warehousing on the rest. Green packing: The green pack up refers to a type of product pack up that will not cause the green litter. The pack equipment should save the property and decrease the packing dismiss also, it is believed to be used and renew after use as well as live in little ground while bury in tell to be rotten only. Reverse logistics: The reverse logistics is dissimilar to the recognized supply chain, it assign to practically removal or recuperating the price by growth, managing and dominant the raw material, centre stock, final goods and relative in order starting customer put to start directly. Green innovation: The green development refers to recital the improvement such as information and statement knowledge, natural knowledge, monitor technology and a combination of correct technologies in the succession of logistics management. The request of the greater innovation enables the project to get better green management, strongly. However, about to Lin et al. (2009), green innovation is the build up more linked technology with study innovative knowledge by training and educating the employees to suit knowledge employees. These learn but, will only talk to the subject of green innovation in logistics as a centre of this study. It is plan that a green improvement in logistics is a excellent area of study and apply that have the promising to provide imperative income to the firm and the culture. Factors influencing to Introduce Green Supply Management Rapid changes in the business situation, including increased internationalisation and worldwide competition, but also social and environmental trends, such as climate change, population growth and aging, wealth accumulation and distribution, nutrition, health and education, affect companies supply chains in various ways, resulting in new and evolving desires on supply chain design. famous features of chief green supply chains comprise an accent on life cycle appraisal, asset competence, and waste reduction and service innovation and recycling. execute successfully, GrSCM stimulates product and service innovation, improve asset deployment, and deepens customer relationships and service levels through a shared focus on reducing misuse and price. Some examples to show the impact on supply chains Wal-Mart, which in 2005 launch a sweeping business sustainability strategy, recently set the goal of a 5% decrease in packaging by 2013. The retail giant expect the cut in packaging will save 667,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide from incoming the impression. Moreover, the company anticipate $3.4 billion in direct savings and roughly $11 billion in savings diagonally the supply chain; Nestlà © employs an ongoing, company-wide sustainability program that has generate significant environmental and financial profit. The company has apply the plan to its use of product packaging by initiate an incorporated advance that favours source decrease, re-use, recycling, and energy recovery. In exacting, the companys packaging material savings between 1991 and 2006 led to $510 million in savings, worldwide, according to Nestlà ©s corporate website; Heineken committed to reduce fuel and electricity use through its Aware of Energy program. The company said in its 2006 sustainability story that it designed to reduce fuel and electricity costs by 15% between 2002 and 2010. At the time of the Diamond report, Heineken had achieved savings of 6%-even after the achievement of new breweries. Benefit of GSCM Speaking of greening the supply chain, one might think only banning toxic chemical matter usages or reducing release or waste to the situation. However, it is much more than just a plain reducing usage and litter. Accordingly, the profits are not limited only less poisonous consuming or less waste. The GSCM principle can be apply to all departments in the organization. The effect of GSCM expand to all area, both physically and imperceptibly. Some studies mention benefits of adopt GSCM, such as (Stevels, 2002). He established the benefits of GSCM to dissimilar roles of supply chain including environment and society in terms of different categories: material, immaterial, and sensation. For material, GSCM helps lower environmental load for environment, minor cost prices for supplier, lower cost for producer, lower cost of rights for customer, and less consumption of income for society. In terms of irrelevant, GSCM helps overcoming bigotry and doubt for environment, less rejects for supplier, easier to manufacture for producer, expediency and fun for customer, and better agreement for society. For passion, GSCM helps motivation of stakeholder for environment, better figure for supplier and producer, feel good and quality of life for customer, and make industry on the right path for society. He also provides example of company that were successfully adopt GSCM. In (Duber-Smith, 2005), he identified ten reasons that the company should accept the green: aim marketing, sustainability of resources, lowered costs/increased efficiency, product demarcation and competitive benefit, reasonable and supply chain pressures, adapt to directive and reducing risk, brand character, return on asset, employee morale, and the moral necessary. Implementation of Green From product lifecycle idea, the cycle starts at the conniving of product. According to (Srivastara, 2007), literatures connected to green design underline both environmentally mindful design and life cycle assessment. In designing a product, the designing team can alter the raw materials or substances used in the manufacturing to be less poisonous, more environmental gracious. Some terminologies are related to design for green such as design for environment or EcoDesign. An paradigm of green product is cross car. Due to the rising demand and falling amount of fuel, automobile manufacturers needed to redesign the engine that consumes no or less gas. Hybrid car has been initial from day to day. One article about automobile design is (McAuley, 2003), he discuss the green design of automobile, which tend to change to higher lightweight materials and less materials in vehicle design. In designing a product, the manufacturing company needs a high level of support with their suppliers. An example for the research on supplier-manufacturer cooperation in EcoDesign is (Stevels, 2002). He also offered two examples of successful green supply programme between manufacturer and suppliers. In manufacturing process, the company can be relevant green by several methods to reduce the energy and resource expenditure. This is where recycle and recycling are referred. Several papers provided green practices such as (Duber-Smith, 2005). He suggested some practices including reducing energy use, recycle and reuse, using environmental and harmless materials, minimize harmful emission, and minimize or remove waste. In a Chinese sugar manufacturer, Guitang Group can reduce the wastes and improve their financial performance by using waste from the upstream as raw materials for downstream production (Zhu Cote, integrate Green Supply Chain into An developing Eco-Industril Development: A Case Study of the Guitang Group, 2004). Further than design and manufacturing, other department in an organization are concerned with the green. Purchasing could become an main agent for change regarding ecological initiatives in the supply chain (Preuss, 2001). In (Walton, 1998) article, he conducted a qualitative study to survey the main areas for change to increase purchasings impact on situation. As mentioned prior, not only manufacturer, other supply chain roles got impact from GSCM also. For a largest dealer in the U.S., Wal-Mart has an interesting story of adopting GSCM to their organization. In October 2005, Wal-Mart CEO committed the company to 3 goals: to be supplied 100% by renewable energy; to make zero waste; and to sell products that maintain Wal-Marts resources and the situation, and Wal-Mart was launching a business sustainability strategy to considerably reduce the companys impact on the global environment and become the most competitive and innovative company in the world (Plambeck, 2007). In this study, she provide 8 practices occupied with 14 network partner. Barriers of Applying GSCM In (Zhu Cote, Integrating Green Supply Chain into An Embryonic Eco-Industril Development: A Case Study of the Guitang Group, 2004), they studied the addition of green supply in sugar industry. They mention three barriers: maintaining close relations with their main suppliers, obtain a larger market share through opposition with other market share through opposition with other familial sugar refineries by improving product quality and reducing costs, and ensuring the sustainability of their operations including reducing the environmental impact. At the same times, there are some research studied barriers of applying GSCM from suppliers perception. An example of suppliers barrier is (Wycherley, 1999), he conducted a qualitative study on the suppliers barriers of GSCM performance for an environmental-friendly figure products like the Body Shop. Successful Stories Several studies were tentative study about a company succeed in apply GSCM, various in dissimilar industry such as electronics, automobile, furniture, and packaging. An example of Electronics Company is Advanced Micro plans. Advanced Micro Devices (AMD ) wanted to be renowned as a sustainable organization. They required to better mage the risk of a would-be supply chain and work jointly with suppliers to identify option materials and gear to reduce environmental impact. Moreover, they were drove by their customers, investor, and non-governmental organization groups superficially (Trowbridge, 2001). In packaging Industry, results from review showed that green supply chain practice were absolutely related to operational concert. Also, the green supply chain practices were moving the portion of resources amongst 3 types of environmental technologies: pollution anticipation, pollution manages, and management system (Vachon, 2003). Conclusion Studies stress the force on supply chain design to supply products that are environmentally friendly in their source, production, release, usage and disposal. Not just for advertising purposes or green washing. While companies sometimes limit innovation to remote flagship products, benefit their reputation by association, the real brave is to normal them across active product range. Greening the supply chain is an industry issue that will only gain substance over the years to come. Utilising network design, optimisation and planning systems, which include, for instance, carbon footprint consideration, but also source, procurement and end-of-life, will therefore be a vital collaborator in greening the supply chain and provide supply chain executive with a transparent view of the whole supply chain. Although sustainability programs may vary by industry, the essential needs for intelligibility, communication and association are alike.

Mass Media In Britain Media Essay

Mass Media In Britain Media Essay The overall aim of this paper is to explore current-day British media language, and how it has changed, or is changing, and how this affects peoples view of the world. Also, to look at the reverse, at how the new British media may be affecting language. Of course, in all this, language is inevitably interwoven with broader trends and issues. Three main topics provide the cornerstones of the present paper, and these make up the three chapters. Chapter I, Mass-media in Britain, contains subchapters which outline and discuss how British media has evolved and changed in recent years. Chapter II, New alternative British Media models, explores various ways in which British media is realized at the current time, focusing on the representation of particular topics such as Web media so popular nowadays . We will show how these can influence the perceptions of readers or the audience. Chapter III , Future Media in UK- BBC iPlayer, looks at the high-tech level employed by the British Media and analyses its success and downfalls. Each chapter of this paper therefore has a separate main theme. However, in another way, the chapters overlap, in that certain key points recur. Globalization versus fragmentation may be the most noticeable two-way alternative in British media. News reports leap across the globe in seconds, and this has resulted in some similarities in media styles across widely separated geographical regions. In other cases, the reverse has happened, the immensity of the world has led to a tightening of small-scale networks, resulting in some fragmentation, as people try to maintain local ties and their own identity.  [1]   This paper is an attempt to address some fundamental concerns underlying the British media studies. I first outline the academic and theoretical roots of this field. Then I discuss its major disciplinary dimensions and critical issues. The specific aim of this paper is to set out the approximate sequence of development of the present-day set of British mass-media. It is also to indicate major turning points and to tell briefly something of the circumstances of time and place in which different British media acquired their public definitions in the sense of their perceived utility for audiences and their role in society. These definitions have tended to form early in the history of any given medium and to have been subsequently adapted in the light of newer media and changed conditions. This is a continuing process. The paper concludes with some reflections on the two main dimensions of variation between British media: one relates to the degree of freedom and the other to the conditions of use. CHAPTER I. MASS-MEDIA IN BRITAIN I.1. British media-evolution and perspectives The domestic media market in the UK is becoming ever more competitive . In broadcasting, the stable relationship that existed for many years between the BBC, a public corporation funded by a licence fee, and the Independent Television sector, a network of private regional broadcasters funded by advertising revenue, has fragmented, as a consequence of the arrival of satellite and cable companies whose main revenues are derived from subscriptions. Particularly significant is the rise and rise of SKY satellite TV and its multi-channel packages, which is owned by Rupert Murdochs News Corporation. The terrestrial stations themselves have also recently entered the digital market place, with varying success. The BBCs non-subscription Free View service has so far proved moderately successful, delivering more dedicated programming aimed at niche audiences and subject areas. However, ITVs ventures into pay-view digital TV, launched as OnDigital in 1998, proved disastrous, being re-launched and then ending up as ITV digital in 2002 after incurring unsustainable losses.  [2]   The national newspaper market in the UK has always been a crowded one. There are currently nine daily and weekly up-market broadsheet titles and 10 tabloids that are distributed across the UK. This is by far the largest national newspaper press in Europe and has led some to question whether this is sustainable in a market the size of Britain. Long-term decline in readership figures (down 20% since 1990), rising production costs and falling advertising revenues have placed significant financial pressures across the sector, squeezing certain titles to the margins of viability.  [3]   These pressures are also evident at local and regional levels of the British newspaper market and have been exacerbated by the rise of free newspaper titles that are funded entirely by advertising revenue. This intensifying competition has led to a growing concentration in ownership patterns both within and across British media sectors, as smaller outlets are acquired by multi-media corporations whose economies of scale protect them to some degree from market pressures. Today, in the UK, the press is still characterised by a metropolitan focus almost all its national newspapers are published in London, and its diversity, there are 11 national dailies, and 12 Sunday newspapers. Of these, 11 are tabloids, which focus mainly on light news and entertainment, whereas the so-called quality press is more focused on politics, economics and foreign news. Regional and weekly newspapers, paid-for and free, concentrate almost entirely on local issues. Newspapers are free from political control and funded entirely by cover price and advertising. Working practices in newspapers and the broadcast media have been changed dramatically both by the opportunities provided by new technology and by the political and industrial climate created by the Thatcher government of the 1980s and unchanged in the 21st century. In the broadcast industry, de-regulation since the 1990s has both fragmented the audience and, conversely, concentrated ownership. There are about 15 regional commercial television licenses, though ownership is concentrated; hundreds of commercial radio stations, although the sector is characterised by large-groups; and there is also a new wave of community radio stations.  [4]   Television viewers can also access 24-hour news stations such as BBC 24, SKY News and CNN via cable and satellite and web sites complement many, if not most, of the news outlets. The distinctive character of the UK media, metropolitan, historically rooted in an early emancipation from political party control of the press, thoroughly commercial in structure and organisation, yet with a seminal public service broadcasting institution at its core, is unique. News time is time in relation to place: what matters is the fastest news from the most distant or most important place. In the evolving British media landscape, opportunity abounds. The roots of British media studies are traceable in the inquiries about the relationship between media and culture. The early attempts to this direction started during the 1920s following the rise of British mass media forms like radio networks, newspapers and magazines of mass circulation, and after mid 1930s with the advent of television media. The initial studies into British media were influenced by the Eurocentric obsessions on high cultureclaimed by many to be the best that has been said and thought.  [5]  The media of the time were assigned the role of representing that high culture ignoring the world outside Europe and colonies of European powers. The period was marked by widespread British hegemony in media production and circulation with news agencies like Reuters and BBC, which projected the image of media as powerful and influential, media as vehicles of nation-state or class propaganda, media as exemplars of modern technologically sophisticated professionalism. Development of academic media discourse, nevertheless, was remarkably slow during these formative years because it lacked a specific theoretical direction as a result of what Denis MacQuail (2002) calls the absence of a fixed disciplinary base.  [6]   Postmodernism promotes the worldview that the present is the age when identities are determined by whose information is disseminated fastest . It further recognizes the role of mass media in integrating people by reducing boundaries of space and time. It acknowledges the presence of multiple technologies as vehicles creating more spaces and more possibilities of switching across them. According to Carl Eric Rosengren, As new media for communication have been created, the old ones have become specialized, but none have been completely eliminated.This notion fully applies to British medias evolution. More than any other technologies for mass communication, contemporary media allow for a greater quantity of information transmission and retrieval, place more control over both content creation and selection in the hands of their users, and do so with less cost to the average consumer. The Internet serves as the best example and, through digital convergence, will form the backbone of most future mediated communication. The Internet was designed to be decentralized, meaning that control is distributed to all users who have relatively equal opportunity to contribute content. The increased bandwidth of the Internet further enhances users ability to become content producers and to produce material that is fairly sophisticated at low cost. In addition, many of the new technologies in UK are more portable and, therefore, more convenient to use compared with older mass media. These characteristics of the new media are breaking the foundations of our conception of mass communication. Today, media institutions are changing such that mass production is less mass. The explosion of available channels afforded by the new technologies contributes to the demassification of the media by diffusing the audience for any particular media product. This has resulted in channel specialization, and the old model of broadcasting to the masses has given way to market segmentation and targeting to niche audiences.  [7]   Although existing British media institutions are well positioned to adapt to these changing conditions, the fact that the new British media shrink the size of the audience for any particular channel is likely to create opportunities for others. That is, if smaller audiences mean reduced costs of production and distribution, then more content producers will be able to enter the media market. In the near future, the issue may be less about what media companies are doing to people and more about what people are doing with the media.  [8]   This is one reason why we find new media holding great potential as a resource for British press freedom and freedom of expression. They serve as a platform for dialogue across borders and allow for innovative approaches to the distribution and acquisition of knowledge. These qualities are vital to press freedom. But they may be undercut by attempts to regulate and censor both access and content. As follows we will provide in short lines some advantages and less fortunate characteristics of the choice for one media or another, in order to underline the interconnectedness among all of the media in shaping the large picture of the British media diversity. The book medium Technology of movable type Bound pages, codex form Multiple copies Commodity form Multiple (secular) content Individual in use Claim to freedom of publication Individual authorship The newspaper medium Regular and frequent appearance Commodity form Reference to current events Public sphere functions Urban, secular audience Relative freedom The film medium Audiovisual technology From public performance to private experience Extensive (universal) appeal Predominantly narrative fiction More international than national in character Subjection to social control From mass to multiple markets Television Very large output, range and reach Audiovisual content Complex technology and organization Public character and extensive regulation National and international character Very diverse content forms Radio Flexible and economical production Flexible in use Multiple contents Relative freedom Individualized use Participant potential Recorded music (phonogram) media Multiple technologies of recording and dissemination Low degree of regulation High degree of internationalization Younger audience Subversive potential Organizational fragmentation Diversity of reception possibilities The Internet as a medium Computer-based technologies Hybrid, non-dedicated, flexible character Interactive potential Private and public functions Low degree of regulation Interconnectedness Ubiquity and delocatedness Accessible to individuals as communicators  [9]   I.2. British newspapers , broadcast media and new age media British Broadcast television   is going through a period of change with increasing digitilisation and interactive media cooperation. The biggest broadcast TV stations remain the BBC and SkyTV but these are supplemented by 250 cable and satellite TV stations and 1,100 independent television production companies.  [10]   This is a rapidly growing sector with cable and satellite and independent companies doubling in the period 2000-2008. This is a broad profession where 34% are freelance and people are judged by the quality of their work rather than their formal qualifications. Despite this, 70% have at least an undergraduate degree. British Radio the airwaves are dominated by the BBC , which has 12 distinct radio channels. Interactive media comprises collection of areas including web and internet, offline multimedia, electronic games and interactive TV. Game design the UK has one of the largest gaming industries. 48 of the worlds most profitable studios are based in the UK. The industry has been growing to7.5% from 2009-2012. Some of the main Bristish Media organisations: the British Media Industry Group ,Cable Communications Association , ITV Network Centre, National Association of Press Agencies . Some of the major industry bodies: Commonwealth Press Union, Institute of Local Television, Radio Joint Audience Research. The major occupational/professional groups: Association of British Editors, British Society of Magazine Editors. The main trade unions: Broadcasting, Entertainment, Cinematograph and Theatre Union. The UK Television The five national networks (excluding satellite) Cable and digital Five national networks in the UK. The main British TV channels are: BBC 1 since 1936, general interest programmes. BBC 2 minority and specialist interests. ITV broadcasting is approximately 33% informative and 66% light entertainment. Channel 4 since 1982, 15% educational programmes, encourages innovation and experiment. Television viewing in Britain- overview The most popular leisure pasttime Average viewing time is over 25 hours a week TV productions continue to win international awards Half of the programmes are bought abroad Childrens TV has been very active( Blue Peter on BBC 1) Youth TV has been started recently Presentation of the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) Six national stations. Broadcasts: BBC 1, 2, 4, BBC News 24, BBC Choice, BBC Parliament. Radio Channels. No advertising. Worldwide television services (BBC World, BBC Prime) The division of programmes Light entertainment (variety shows, soap operas, situation comedies, game shows) News/current affairs Documentaries  [11]   Childrens TV Music Sport Films/TV movies Drama/plays British favourite TV shows Are you being served? Bless me father Fawlty Towers Mulberry Yes, Prime Minister Blackadder Chef Holmes The brief history of British radio  [12]   1922: BBC started daily broadcasting on 2LO on 14 Nov. The first voice was Arthur Burrows, reading the news. 1922: 15 Nov: 5IT and 2ZY became first BBC stations outside London. 1967: On 30th September, BBC radio reorganisation launched Radios 1,2,3 and 4. 1967: Third Programme andNational Programme replaced 2LO. The Regional Programme, an alternative service, started later this year. 1973: Birth of independent (commercial) radio, with LBC and Capital Radio in London. 1988: First commercial station split frequencies. 1990: IBA split into ITC 1991: Radio 1 goes 24 hours on 1 May. 1992: Launch of Classic FM, Britains first national commercial radio station. 1993: Launch of Virgin 1215. 1995: Talk Radio began broadcasting on 14 Feb. 1996: New rules on cross-media ownership heralds further change in the radio industry. The most popular British radio stations are  [13]  : Clare FM Anna Livia Live 95 Welsh Radio International Imperial College radio Capital FM BBC Radio 2

The Oslo Agreements :: essays research papers

Framework & Implementation The Israeli Palesletinian peace negotiations took a giant leap forward during Yitzhak Rabin’s term as Israeli prime minister, with the commencement of the Oslo Peace Process. While no significant progress was being made in Washington in the bilateral talks agreed upon at the Madrid Conference in 1991, a secret unofficial channel began operating between Israelis and the PLO, under the auspices of Norway. The unofficial talks continued throughout early 1993 and culminated in the initialling of a joint Declaration of Principles (DOP) on August 19, 1993. Then, after having formally recognized each other in mutual letters, Israel, represented by Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and the PLO, represented by Yassir Arafat, signed an agreement in Washington on September 13, 1993. The DOP created a framework for areas of negotiation and set outlines for a rapid hand-over of Gaza and Jericho to Palestinian self-rule. According to the agreement, major fundamental and controversial issues, such as Jerusalem, the future of Israeli settlements on in Judea & Samaria, and the Palestinian refugees (from '48 and '67), would be deferred to the permanent status negotiations. The following stages in the transition of power and land from Israel to the Palestinians were put forth. 1. Gaza and Jericho First: Self rule in the Gaza Strip and Jericho, including the withdrawal of Israeli forces. The details of the Gaza and Jericho First Agreement were negotiated and concluded in Cairo between Rabin and Arafat on May 4, 1994. The Cairo Agreement spelled out a step-by-step program for the extension of autonomy within a specified time-frame, without this being conditional on bilateral implementation or objectives. 2. Transfer of civil powers and responsibilities: Responsibilities in five specific spheres (education and culture, health, welfare, taxation and tourism) will be transferred to the Palestinians. The DOP proposed that this transfer take place immediately following the implementation of the Gaza-Jericho agreement. 3. The Interim Agreement and Elections: Elections will take place on the West Bank and Gaza Strip for a new Palestinian Authority. The Interim Agreement will detail the self-government arragements in the West Bank and terrotories. In the rest of the West Bank, Israel will pull out its forces from Palestinian populated areas. The Palestinian Council will have a strong police force in order to guarantee public order and internal security. Central to the DOP were two economic annexes which outlined economic cooperation between Israel and the Palestinians, both bilaterally and in the multilateral context.

Concert Report Essay -- essays research papers

On June seventh at eight o’clock pm I attended a concert at Beneroya Hall. The concert was part of the Masterpiece series, performed by the Seattle Symphony and conducted by Hermann Michael; also including a special performance by the pianist Hà ©là ¨ne Grimaud. The performance included four pieces, two by Ludwig Van Beethoven, one by Maurice Ravel, and the last was by Richard Strauss. The two pieces by Beethoven were; Overture to The Construction of The House, and piano Concerto No. 4 in g major, Op. 58. The piece by Ravel was Pavane for a Dead Princess. Finally the last by Strauss was Death and Transfiguration. I truly enjoy going to the symphony, the music is quite a bit better than on any type of recording I have ever heard. The segment that I enjoyed the most was the Piano Concerto, beca...

Factors Influencing Moral Development Essay

The following are the most important factors that influence moral development; Family, which takes four influence forms; the family’s behaviour acts as a model for the behaviour of the child, who imitates what he observes in others. By the use of approval or disapproval, reward or punishment, the family teaches the child to behave in a socially desirable manner. By planning the punishment to fit the misrecognize severity of his wrongdoing. And the family can do much to motivate the child to do right. Playmates, as the child grows older the influence of group is very strong. Schools, when the relationship between teacher and pupils is good, the general morale of the class improves. Sunday school and Church, wholesome religious experiences have marked influence on the values of children help them to learn to behave in a moral way (Woodruff, 1945). Read more: Explain how children and young peoples development is influenced by a range of personal factors essay Recreational Activities, it is assumed that the child’s moral standards are influenced by his reading, parents and teachers encourage children to rea books which will contribute to the establishment of desirable concepts. Intelligence, it is needed also to be able to distinguish between right and wrong and to be able to foresee the consequences of his acts. Sex, boys and girls do not differ in morality as a result of native factors. On the other hand, culture does not expect the same behaviour pattern of girls that it expects from boys. Girls tell more lies of a social type. Boys misbehave more in school and at home (Siruno, 2005).

Leadership Theory and Assessment Essay

Emotional Intelligence Mark Orvidas Walden University Introduction I have to say that getting back to considering emotional intelligence has been a bit of a walk down memory lane. When I was working for J&J, I was invited to attend a leadership workshop on emotional intelligence. As you might imagine, and probably have experienced, there were many individual and group exercises. I particularly remember a talk given by Daniel Goleman, he stresses the social aspects of leadership, and how it emotional competencies may trump intellectual competencies once a certain knowledge threshold is achieved. Later, we all receive a personalized copy of his new book, Working with Emotional Intelligence, which was the fall of 1998. New Insights Self-awareness is a basic competency that requires being in touch with our feelings, and using those feelings as a guide to decision making (Goleman, 1998). Being self-aware can help build self-confidence as a leader. While taking the assessment I felt like a Likert scale might be a more accurate scale since I found myself answering a version of â€Å"sometimes† to many questions (Nahavandi, 2012). Consequently, when this happened, I answered false, for to be â€Å"true† it should always be true. That said, my score on the self-awareness subsection was by far the worst (5 of 8). I realized that I really don’t create opportunities to learn about myself, nor do I analyze events that affect me. I usually don’t take things too personally and move on to the next challenge (unless it really was my fault! ). I have to say that I scored pretty well in the other categories, none â€Å"perfect† and I think this is due to the fact the my job for the last 20+ years requires a high degree of self-motivation, self-regulation, understanding and above all, social skill: although, my next lowest score was social skills (12 of 15). I don’t do to well with handling difficult people, and I don’t feel like I am all that persuasive. Usually, I just let the facts speak for themselves. New Impacts I think I will take these results and pay more attention to the details of how a scenario has unfolded and put myself in a position to ask what I could have done differently. Use the opportunity to assess strengths and weaknesses and learn about myself. I feel like I am a pretty humble, easy-gone person but can be hard on myself when the mistake is mine. I feel that as a public health leader, I would share my missteps with my team and perhaps others may do the same so we all can learn from each other in a non-threatening environment. In doing so, perhaps I will be a more authentic leader and be able to share my vision from a credible position, and others will be inspired to follow my lead. Reference: Goleman, D. (1998). Working with Emotional Intelligence. New York, New York; Bantam Nahavandi, A. (2012). The art and science of leadership (6th ed. ). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

Night World : Witchlight Chapter 16

We were so careful, she thought, setting up wards three days early and having agents watch the house. Nothing got inside during those three days; we were sure of that, and so we thought we were safe. But we didn't stop to think-what if the dragon was already inside when we put the wards up? Brett. He's the dragon. It could take on any shape, assume any animal's form, and know all that the animal knew. A human being was an animal. So why couldn't it touch a human and know all the human knew? It would be the perfect disguise. And we all fell for it, Keller thought. I knew there was something creepy about him, but I just put it down to him being obnoxious. And he's been here all the time, inside the wards, laughing at us, waiting for Iliana to come. And Iliana's with him right now. Keller felt sure of that in her gut. She wanted to throw herself against the door again, but that wouldn't do any good. She needed to be calm now, to think, because she couldn't afford to waste any time. The window. Keller tried to open it, looking down at a hedge of rhododendron bushes below. The sash was stuck, nailed fast. But it didn't matter. Glass was more breakable than wood. She stepped back and changed. Melting, flowing, jumpsuit becoming fur. Tail shooting free. Ears. Whiskers. Heavy paws thumping down. A single long stretch to get used to the new body and being on four feet instead of two. She was a panther, and she felt good. Strong and mean. Her muscles were like steel under her soft coat, and her big paws were twitching to bat someone silly. That dragon would be sorry he'd ever messed with her. With a rasping yowl that she couldn't help, she gathered herself and sprang straight at the window. The full weight of her panther body hit the glass, and it shattered, and then she was flying in the cold night air. She got cut. Panthers actually had thin and delicate skin compared to other animals. But she was indifferent to the pain. She landed and took off running, shaking her paws in flight to get rid of little bits of glass. She raced around the mansion, looking for a place to enter. Eventually, she found a low, unshuttered window, and once again, she gathered herself and jumped. She landed in a sitting room with glass falling all around her onto a fine, old carpet Brett. And Iliana. She would smell them out. She lifted her muzzle, smelling currents in the air. At the same time, she expanded her sense of hearing to its fullest. No Iliana. She couldn't get even a whiff of her. That was bad, but she would try again from the game room, where Iliana had been last. That was where she was going anyway, because that was where Brett was. Not Brett, she reminded herself as she loped through corridors and rooms. The dragon. She raced through the ballroom and heard a scream. She barely turned her head to notice a girl standing frozen, just lifting her hand to point. The college band crashed to a halt, almost as one, except the drummer, who went on playing for a moment with his eyes shut. Keller ignored them all, running at top speed and leaping down the stairs, her heavy front paws hitting the carpeted floor first, then her back paws hitting almost on either side of them. Each spring propelled her into the next. She burst into the game room. For an instant, she stood still, taking in the scene. She wanted to make sure with her eyes that what her ears and her nose told her was true: Iliana wasn't here. It was true. Winnie was missing, too, and Keller couldn't smell them anywhere. Then someone spotted her, a full-grown panther, jet black, with glowing eyes and long teeth just showing as she panted gently, standing in the doorway with her tail lashing. â€Å"Oh, my God!† The voice soared over the babble. â€Å"Look at that!† Everyone looked. Everyone froze for an instant. Chaos erupted. Girls were screaming. Boys were yelling. Plenty of boys were screaming, too. They saw her, and they fell over themselves, diving for the exits or for hiding places. They poured out of the room, dragging each other, sometimes trampling each other. Keller gave a loud, snarling yowl to help them on, and they scattered like chickens. The only one Keller cared about was the Brett-dragon. He turned and ran down a corridor. Luring her? He must be. Maybe he didn't realize she had found out yet Maybe he had some reason for continuing the charade. She threw her head back and gave a snarl that resounded through the house. It wasn't just anger. It was calling Nissa and Galen. If they could hear her, they would understand and come running. Then she took off after the dragon. As she loped down the corridor, she changed again. This time, she couldn't just try to kill him; she needed to be able to talk. But she also needed her claws, so she changed to her half-and-half form, fur shriveling off her arms, body rearing up to run on booted feet, hair flying out behind her. The dragon was almost at the end of the corridor when she jumped him. She knocked him down and rolled him over, straddling him. She was braced to feel the agony of the dark power crackling through her, but it didn't come. She pinned his arms and showed her teeth and screamed in his face. â€Å"Where is she? What did you do with her?† The face looked back at her. It looked just like Brett, just like a human. It was sickly white, with rolling eyeballs and spittle at the corners of the mouth. The only answer she got was a moan of what sounded like terror. â€Å"Tell me! Where is she?† â€Å"-it's not my fault†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"What?† She lifted his body and banged it down again. His head flopped on his neck like a dead fish. He looked like someone about to faint Something was wrong. â€Å"She's in the bedroom with my parents. They're all asleep-or something-â€Å" His forehead. When she shook him, his hair flew around. It was uncharacteristically messy, but the forehead underneath was smooth. â€Å"I couldn't help it He did something to my brain. I couldn't even think until a few minutes ago. I just did what he told me to do. I was like a robot! And you don't know what it was like, having him in the house the last three days, and feeling like a puppet, and when he let go a few minutes ago, I thought I was going to be killed-â€Å" The babbling went on, but Keller's mind had disengaged. She had lots of thoughts all at once, like layers in a parfait. Chalk up another ability for dragons: telepathic mind control. Of weak human subjects, anyway. Nissa was right* the Night World did know what had happened in the music room. The substitution was probably made right after that. They could have grabbed Jaime on her way back to class. The car incident was designed to make us sympathetic and to lull our suspicions before they began. We thought of her as a victim. The doctors at the hospital must have been controlled, too. They had to have been-they'd looked at Jaime's head. Jaime's headaches have kept her at home for the past three days, so she never had to cross the wards. Diana trusts Jaime implicitly and would go anywhere with her without a fight Jaime wears bangs. And on the last layer, rushing at her cold and sharp as crystal: Jaime is the dragon. Jaime is the dragon. A vast, silent calm seemed to have filled Keller. She felt as if there was too much space inside her head. Very slowly, she looked down at Brett again. â€Å"Stop talking.† It was almost a whisper, but his gabble stopped as if she'd turned off a faucet â€Å"Now. Who's in the bedroom with your parents? Your sister?† He nodded, terrified. Tears spurted out of his eyes. â€Å"Your real sister.† He nodded again. They must have brought her in sometime, Keller thought. Certainly before we put the wards up and started checking cars, maybe even before the fake Jaime got back from the hospital. Why they'd kept her alive was a mystery, but Keller didn't have time to worry about it â€Å"Brett,† she said, still in a careful whisper, â€Å"what I want to know is where Iliana is. Do you know where she's been taken?† He choked. ‘1 don't know. He didn't tell me anything, even when he was in my mind. But I noticed-4here were some people down in the cellar. I think they were making a tunnel.† A tunnel. Under the wards, of course. So we were made fools of twice. She had to grit her teeth to keep from screaming. The floor plan of the house was a blur in her mind. She hauled Brett up by his shirt and said, â€Å"Where's the basement door? Show me!† Ic-can't-â€Å" â€Å"Move!† He moved, staggering. She followed, pushing him along, until they got to a door and stairs. Then he collapsed. â€Å"Down there. Don't ask me to go with you. I can't. I can't look at him again.† He huddled, rocking himself. Keller left him. Three stairs down, she bounded back up and grabbed him by the shirt. â€Å"That phone call from Iliana's mother-does he really have the baby?† She need to know if it came to bargaining. â€Å"I don't know,† Brett moaned in a sick voice. He was clutching his stomach as if he were wounded. â€Å"There wasn't any phone call, but I don't know what he's been doing.† He threw her a desperate look and whispered hoarsely, â€Å"What is he?† Keller dropped him. â€Å"You don't want to know,† she said, and left him again. She took the stairs very quietly but very quickly. Her senses were open, but the farther she went down, the less useful they were. They were being swamped by an overpowering sickly-sweet odor and by a rushing sound that seemed to fill her head. By the time she got to the last step, her fur was bristling, and her heart was pounding. Her tail stood out stiffly, and her pupils were wide. It was very dark, but details of the room slowly came into focus. It was a large furnished basement, or had been. Now every piece of furniture seemed to be broken and piled in a heap in the corner. There was a raw hole in one concrete wall, a hole that opened into a black tunnel. And the sickly-sweet smell came from piles of dung. They were lying on the floor all around, along with giant scratch marks that had dug grooves into the tile. The entire place looked like nothing so much as a huge animal's den. She couldn't sense anything alive in the room. Keller moved toward the tunnel, fast but stealthy. Ripple, freeze. Ripple, freeze. Leopards could move this way across grassland bare of cover and not be seen. But nothing jumped out to attack her. The mouth of the tunnel was wet, the soil crumbly. Keller climbed in, still moving lightly. Water dripped from the mat of roots and earth above her. The whole thing looked ready to cave in at any moment. He must have made it The dragon. Goddess knows how; maybe with claws. Anyway, he wasn't too fussy about it; it was meant to be a temporary thing. The smell was just as powerful here, and the rushing sound was even clearer. There must be an underground stream-or maybe just water pipes- very close. Come on, girl, what are you waiting for? You're a grunt, it's your job to move! Don't stand around trying to think! It was hard to make herself go deeper and deeper into that damp and confining place. Her senses were all useless, even sight, because the bore twisted and turned so she could never see more than a few feet ahead. She was heading blind and deaf into she had no idea what. At any moment, she might reach a shaft or a side tunnel where something could attack her. And the feel of the earth above her was almost crushing. She kept going. Please let her be alive. He doesn't need to kill her. He should try to make her join him first Please, please, don't let him have killed her. After what seemed like forever, she realized that the angle of the tunnel was changing. She was heading up. Then a current of air swirled to her, barely sniffable under the thick dragon smell, and it was fresh. Night air. Somewhere ahead. The end of the tunnel. A new panic invaded her. Please don't let them have gotten away. She threw aside all caution and sprinted. Up, up-and she could smell it clearly now. Cold air, unfouled. Up, up-and she could hear sounds. A yell that suddenly broke off. The voice sounded like- Galen! she thought, and her heart tore. Then she saw light Moonlight. She gathered her muscles and jumped. She scrambled out of the mouth of the tunnel. And there, in moonlight that hurt her eyes, she saw everything. A car, a black Jeep, parked under a tree. The engine running but the seats empty. And in front of it, what looked like a battlefield. There were bodies everywhere. Several were vampires in black-dark ninjas. But also on the ground were the bodies of Nissa and Winnie and Galen. So they followed, a distant part of Keller's mind said, not interfering in the slightest with the part that was getting ready for the fight. They followed the dragon-which must have done something to Winnie to get Iliana away from her. That was why I couldn't smell anybody; they all went into the tunnel while I was upstairs with brother Brett. She couldn't tell if they were dead. They were all tying very still, and there was blood on Winnie's head and on Nissa's right arm and back. Blood and daw marks. And Galen†¦ he was sprawled out full-length, with no signs of breathing. He wasn't even a warrior. He'd never had a chance. Then Keller saw something that drove the others out of her head. The dragon. It was standing near the Jeep, but frozen, as if it had just wheeled to face her. It was holding a limp figure in silvery-white casually, almost tucked under its arm. And it still looked like Jaime Ashton-Hughes. It was wearing Jaime's pretty blue dress. Its soft brown hair blew gently about its face, and Keller could feel its dark blue eyes fixed on her. But there were differences, too. Its skin was deadly pale, and something yellowish was oozing from a cut on its cheekbone. Its lips were drawn back from its teeth in a grinning snarl that Jaime never could have managed. And when the wind blew the soft hair off its forehead, Keller could see horns. There they were. Stubby and soft-looking-or at least soft on the outside, like downy skin over bone. They were so obviously real and yet so grotesque that Keller felt her stomach turn. And there were five of them. Five. The book said one to three! Keller thought indignantly. And in rare cases four. But this thing has five! Five seats of shapeshifting power, not to mention the black energy, mind control, and whatever else it's been keeping up its sleeve just for me. I'm dead. Well, she had known that from the beginning, of course. She'd known it six days ago when she first leaped for the dragon's back in the mall. But now the realization was more bitter, because not only was she dead, so was all hope. I can't kill that thing. It's going to slaughter me as easily as the others. And then take Iliana. It didn't matter. She had to try. â€Å"Put the girl down,† she said. She kept her half-and-half shape to say it. Maybe she could startle it by changing suddenly when she sprang. â€Å"I don't think so,† the dragon said with Jaime's mouth. It had Jaime's voice down perfectly. But then it opened the mouth, and basso profundo laughter came out, so deep and startling that Keller felt ice down her spine. â€Å"Come on,† Keller said. â€Å"Neither of us wants her hurt.† While she was talking, she was moving slowly, trying to circle behind it. But it turned with her, keeping its back to the Jeep. â€Å"You may not,† the dragon said. â€Å"But I really don't care. She's already hurt; I don't know if she'll make it anyway.† Its grin spread wider. â€Å"Put her down,† Keller said again. She knew that it wouldn't. But she wanted to keep talking, keep it off guard. She also knew it wasn't going to let her get behind it. Panthers naturally attack from behind. It wasn't going to be an option. Keller's eyes shifted to the huge and ancient pine tree the Jeep was parked under. Or they didn't actually shift, because that would have given the dragon a clue. She expanded her awareness to take it in. It was her chance. â€Å"We haven't even properly introduced ourselves-† she began. And then, in mid-sentence, she leaped.