Fiesta Celebration Essay

â€Å"Tan tanan tanan tanan tan tanan tan tanan†¦. VIVA APUNG KULAS!† Isn’t it nice to hear that sound every time we make our procession for the feast of San Nicholas of Tolentino here in Macabebe? We start celebrating our fiesta every August 31 with a mass and procession. People here in Macabebe usually complete their tradition of 9 days novena mass wherein different priest from other towns are heading the mass. Devotees really make it as their tradition. Celebrating San Nicholas feast day is really a big deal to Macabebe’s townsmen. They spend most of their time preparing for the main day or feast day of Apung Kulas which is on September 10. They do much preparation for their relatives out of town who is visiting them every fiesta.. It’s like a small gathering for them. A family reunion which is a bonding time for them. What is sad about Filipinos who celebrate fiesta is that, even if they don’t have enough money to celebrate they are still seeking for ways to do what they want to do. Fiesta-Mentality, one of the Filipino virtues in which we must change. In celebrating Fiesta, we should not forget the solemn part of it†¦the spiritual part of the feast†¦ What do you think is the main reason to celebrate feast days? Is it to be with other people? Is it to have many friends because they know you’re a happy go lucky person? No, it is because of the main person you’re celebrating to. Like here in Macabebe, We should not care if we don’t have money to deal with having fiesta. We should care on how we must provide satisfaction to God. We must satisfy God in giving or showing him what he want us to do. It is also not a good idea to celebrate this traditional custom for a certain reason if we know that we can’t afford it. God will never understand your excuse that you’ll borrow money from someone to celebrate it. There’s still other ways of celebrating it, like attending the everyday novena mass. You know, preparing is not a way of celebrating but prayers is the most effective way to express our thanks to that beloved saint. Yes, we can prepare, but first analyze the situation you’re taking. God wouldn’t want you to take risk you can’t do. We should know our limitations.. Yes, we must celebrate these feast days. But in prayers.. Like what I said recently, preparing is not important, prayers makes everything most important.

Are Gertrude and Ophelia merely pawns in the world of Hamlet? Essay

‘Are Gertrude and Ophelia merely pawns in the world of Hamlet? Explore the plays representation of femininity, paying close attention to the role and function of each of these two characters in the play’. William Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’ can be seen as a chess game bought to life. The play depicts the events in a 16th century Danish royal family that unfold after a suspicious murder of the king. The plays two female characters Gertrude and Ophelia can be likened to pawns in this intricate web of lies and deceit, as their words and actions are dictated by the males of the play. This can be directly linked to the broader cultural understandings of gender roles in 16th century England, as women were portrayed as passive, weak and submissive to the males power strength aggression and action . As all texts position readers to interpret different characters in different ways, this text to can be read as empowering the females, by appearing to be submissive, in order to manipulate the men. However, as essentially Gertrude acts as a vehicle for Hamlets emotions, and Ophelia is primarily shaped to conform to external demands to reflect the male characters desires, the role of the women in Hamlet is primarily that of a manipulated pawn in a chess game that not even the kings can win. The play ‘Hamlet’ begins with the funeral of the former king of Denmark, that is simultaneously the wedding celebrations of the new king Claudius and his bride Gertrude, the young Hamlet’s mother and former King’s wife. Hamlet’s suspicions that â€Å"something is rotten in the state of Denmark† are later confirmed by the ghost of his father, who reveals Claudius killed him, in a bid to gain power and his wife, Gertrude. Hamlet then decides that he must get revenge on Claudius and so pretends to be mad, fooling his mother, lover Ophelia and Claudius. However, due to Hamlet’s procrastination, events take a turn for the worse as the end of the play brings about death to every main character through error of judgment. Gender roles in the play Hhamlet are a major factor dictating the lives of the females Ophelia and Gertrude. As strong masculinity was cherished, female traits were not desirable in a man, and this explains the actions of Hamlet, who acts in the realm of feminine for the first 4 acts. His fathers death bought about this loss of masculinity and Claudius further strips him of this honor by saying, â€Å"of impious stubbornness. Tis unmanly grief. † (Act 1 sc. 2, 94 ) thus Hamlet is left vulnerable and passive. He recognizes this in his second soliloquy, ‘Oh what a rogue and peasant slave am I,† and he shows his disgust at his feminine characteristics by loudly disapproving of Gertrude and Ophelia’s blatant sexuality. This is best shown as he shouts at his lover Ophelia, â€Å"get thee to a nunnery,† to preserve her purity and voice his disgust. Hamlet’s change of feeling towards Ophelia is a direct result of his dissatisfaction with his own short comings, and Ophelia has no choice but to conform to this change of attitude unquestionably. Therefore Ophelia through no fault of her own is faced with the fact she has lost her lover, but also her respectability, as it is well known she was not the innocent doyenne she is initially presumed to be, she is in the doghouse so to speak. Ophelia’s actions in the first part of the play are determined by her brother Laertes and father Polonious to great extent, as they warn her to stave off Hamlet’s advances. She states to her father, in response ‘my lord he hath importuned me with love in an honorable fashion,†(act 1 sc. 3)in such a way that would indicate she believes he genuinely loves her. Yet as he further challenges she submits without fight, â€Å"my lord I shall obey†(act 1 sc. 3) and is forced into an informant role. This lack of strength of character is in keeping with typical gender roles of the era, and is further evidence that whilst Ophelia feels differently, she is perfectly willing to go along with whatever the male figures in her life decide for her. As the play progresses we as readers gain the full force of the dependence Ophelia has on these characters, as their absence and later killing, drives her into the madness from which she never recovers. This culminates in her untimely suicidal death that sums up the purpose her role had in the play, to merely conform to the males desires and needs. She is Laertes ‘angel’, Polonious’s ‘commodity’ and Hamlets ‘spectre of his psychic fears’ . Ophelia could be called an unstereotypical female in the play, because she does not play the innocent virgin role, and she goes mad after the death of her father instead of quietly accepting it. However this more strongly reflects the weaknesses of her character ,the absence of her inner strength and reveals that she is too easily overcome by emotion, traits that are more prominently associated with females, especially in the 16th century. Thus Ophelia is dominated by the males in the play, due to her weaknesses that lead to her demise, much like a pawn on a chess board. Gertrude’s role in the play of ‘Hamlet’ is controversial, considering firstly her position of power, that she has continued to hold despite her late husbands death, as queen of Denmark. One would assume that Shakespeare, by placing Gertrude in this highly respected role is empowering her and her authority, therefore moving against broader cultural assumptions of femininity. This is certainly a possibility, given the lengths Claudius went to in order to satiate his lustful desires, as with the romanticized story Helene of Troy. That Claudius the new King would desire Gertrude as his wife, although she had already been married, had a son and was middle aged puts Gertrude in yet another position of power, but did this empower her? After all, it is certain Claudius’s main ambition was to gain the throne from his brother and so his marrying Gertrude provided, perhaps not love, but for an easy transition that would not bring about much controversy. Either way, as with Ophelia she does not take advantage of this power and is entirely submissive to Claudius. This is primarily because she allows herself to be manipulated. She is aware of the approved role of women and ascertains to it, as she states when watching the character reflective of herself in Hamlet’s play, ‘The lady protests to much, methinks’,(act 3, sc. 2, 226) Claudius effectively uses her throughout the play, most notably when he arranges with her agreement, for Polonious to spy on a conversation she has with Hamlet. This betrayal of trust to the son she loves demonstrates how easily she is led astray by persuasive men like Claudius and it is a serious weakness in her character. Essentially her role consists of a pawn, not a queen, passed between two kings who dominate her and her actions. This weakness translates to her relations with her son Hamlet, upon whom she dotes, and this is noticed by Claudius, ‘The queen his mother lives almost by his looks. ‘(Act 4,Sc. 7,11-12) That the norm of parental roles have almost been reversed, with Gertrude looking up to her son and idolising him, whilst Hamlet looks down upon her gives him a superior position, from which he directs her actions. This happens most noticeably in the closet scene with Gertrude, as Hamlet shames his mother into helping him to convince Claudius further, that he is in fact mad, despite the fact prior, she conspired with Claudius over Hamlet. Thus, this proves that she did not intentionally want to hurt Hamlet by conspiring with the king to spy on him, in the previous scene, but that she is so willing to be led that she will follow the directions of whichever male instructs her. This closet scene also gives rise to the climax of Hamlet’s rage, but in this intense emotional scene, we as readers are given no indication as to Gertrude’s feeling. It is in fact because her character is so negative, insignificant and undeveloped that she arouses in Hamlet the feelings that she is incapable of representing. This translates to her primary role being that of a vehicle for Hamlet’s emotions-thus she is again manipulated and used as a pawn for Hamlet’s emotional state. Not only this, but Gertrude can also be seen as the reason, at least for Hamlet, for the tragedy. Gertrude’s guilt and Hamlet’s disgust at her, had to be maintained and emphasised in order to supply a physiological solution for Hamlets actions. As Hamlet shamelessly uses his mother to prove he is mad, to show his emotions and provide a reason for his anger it gives rise to the question, who the real villain is in Hamlet. Gertrude and Ophelia, whilst looked down upon throughout the play for being blatantly sexual and susceptible to her passions and are thus blamed by Hamlet, are merely acting the role of pawns in a chess game, manipulated by the males. Each female appear only to fulfill the role of reflecting the males desires as is in keeping with the representations of femininity by Shakespeare. Whilst readers may emerge initially from a reading of Hamlet with the impression that Hamlet is the misunderstood hero, with Ophelia and Gertrude playing the interfering adulterous ‘ugly stepsister’ role, another reading is possible. That, through no fault of their own, the female’s submissive roles in fact corrupted the males to such an extent that they, even Hamlet became obsessed with the idea of power. So, although the females were manipulated by the males, it caused the opposite effect by empowering them, as they ended up as the reason for the males actions. In conclusion, though controversial, it is evident that due to the role and function of the females in the play, Gertrude and Ophelia were used by the males to such a point, that although the end result would suggest otherwise, their role consisted of nothing more than pawns in a chessgame. http://www2. students. sbc. edu/young02/hamlet. html ibid http://www. turksheadreview. com/library/introlit. html http://www. freeessays. tv/c2951. htm T. S. Eliot (1888-1965). The Sacred Wood: Essays on Poetry and Criticism. 1922.

Analysis of Unethical issue in Apple's business Case Study

Analysis of Unethical issue in Apple's business - Case Study Example Two major unethical cases were with Pingzhou Electronics and Foxconn that have hired underage persons. Apple terminated its contract with Pingzhou on learning that management was aware of underage persons on the company payroll. Such actions point out that Apple has a long-standing commitment to ensure that all parties in its supply chain work in a healthy environment and that they are adequately compensated for their services. In Apple’s supply responsibility progress report for 2013, the company has stated that it has over 200 suppliers it deals with directly, majority of whom produce software with a few large ones producing hardware (Apple Inc., 2013). The company has been hit with claims of dealing with suppliers hence it came up with an idea of independently auditing its suppliers. To reduce the many cases of litigation and bad publicity, Apple decided not to deal with suppliers who employ minors or those who underpay workers. Apple said that companies employ minors since the minors do not have bargaining power and are likely to take up any amount of salary. On the case of Pingzhou, Apple entered into a contract with them to manufacture a standard circuit board for its devices. The supply chain lasted for a long time despite a number of audits done by Apple based on claims of the company employing underage employees and paying far too little to its workers. In the year 2012, Apple joined Fair L abour Association, a body that audits and makes public unethical behavior among manufacturer. Apple auditors together with FLA ones went to Pingzhou and found out the company has seventy-four minors on its wage bill, working under deplorable conditions. The company did not make attempts to make their working conditions better or call for the minors to be sent away from working is a fair manner; instead, Apple terminated the contract, absolving itself from any wrong doing. On its hand, Pingzhou had to single-handedly pay terminal dues for the minors. Most of

Corporate finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 3

Corporate finance - Essay Example The company’s dividends have also increased over the past year and this shows a level of improvement and bettered operations. The calculation of the CAPM highlights that Super Cheap Auto pays out a higher level of return than the market while the minimum return expected by the shareholders is 9.30%. Also based on the calculation of the WACC, it has been noted that the company requires a minimum return of almost 10.50% from all new projects and this is the rate to be utilised for the investment appraisals in the future. Super Cheap Auto deals with retailing of cars in Australia and New Zealand. This paper aims at analysing the company and discussing the financial aspects of the company. The paper will begin with an overview of the company followed by the current activities of the company. The paper will also discuss the company’s capital structure and aspects of debt and equity that the company operates with. Calculation of the capital asset pricing model and the weighted average cost of capital of the company will also be discussed. Super Cheap Auto Group Limited is a retailer of car products. The company caters to the markets of Australia and New Zealand and provides the country with excellent brands of vehicles as well as automotive parts. The company falls under the NAICS codes of 441310 – which deals with the Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores. Also the SIC Codes that the company operates under are: 5013 – Motor Vehicles Supplies and New Parts Industry Report, 5531 – Auto and Home Supply Stores Industry Report and 5731 - Radio, Television, and Consumer Electronics Stores industry report (High Beam Business, 2010). The company was started as an automotive parts and accessories retailer in Queensland in 1974. Over the years the company has seen immense growth and now operates in over 212 outlets and the in almost every state

Discuss how theories of organizational culture can illuminate the Essay

Discuss how theories of organizational culture can illuminate the practice of public sector management. You may use a particular - Essay Example Development of ‘strong’ culture within an organization has become increasingly popular among governments across the world. This paper highlights the attributes of public sector management, organizational politics and strategic management with respect to organizational culture. Furthermore, this paper also examines the theory of organizational change as well as the aspects that bring about effective and enduring change in public sector organizations. Public Sector Management Private and public are the two sectors of economy. While the former deals with private and non- governmental association, the latter refers to government and a mixture of various departments and associations. From managerial point of view, the private sector and the public sector have numerous differences between them. In the twenty- first century, the public sector has experienced a huge growth and development. The traditional model for public sector management was supported bureaucratic practices. E ven- distribution of labor, hierarchy, merit- based employment decision, impersonal work relationships are a few characteristics of this traditional model. However, in modern times, the public sector has been facing challenges as far as management is concerned. This has been the reason for incompetence of public sector when it comes to delivery of public services. Some of the chief reasons why public sector is lagging behind in Australia are- failure of traditional bureaucratic management in a market in relation to non- excludability and non- rival consumption, information imperfections, uneven distribution of resource and wealth, etc. (Aulich, Halligan and Nutley 2001, p. 1- 4) As a matter of fact, the public sector has experienced several economic restructuring. This change was brought about by transformation of administration into management. That is to say, the traditional model that had long been used in public sector got replaced by effective and modernized approach. According to new model, rational economic forces became the chief determinant behind institutional decision- making, dynamics and politics. Much of these reforms were due to bringing in of choice, competition and above all market orientation. All these changes have resulted in remodeling of delivery structure, thus including â€Å"contract agencies, board, voluntary agencies, and the residual public sector†. Therefore, management of public sector has evolved to adopt the entrepreneurial and discretionary style. (Bishop, et al. 2003, p. 4- 5) The public sector has certain characteristic features. Firstly, unlike the private sector, the public sector is led by persons elected by common vote, by following the democratic principles. Secondly, public sector organizations are generally multifunctional. This generates scope for political intervention. Thirdly, though the decision making process is thoroughly influenced by cultural perspective, but is mostly unaffected by shifting demands, an d hence becomes more vulnerable to criticisms. At the same time public sector suffers from conflicting goals, income and profit distribution, etc. (Christensen et. al. 2007, p. 6- 10) Organizational Culture The term ‘organizational culture’ refers to those informal norms and values that become associated with regular business activities. Organizational values are adopted in

Super Heterodyne Receiver Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Super Heterodyne Receiver - Essay Example All modern television and radio receivers virtually use the principle of super heterodyne. The super heterodyne receiver reduces to the same intermediate frequency value. In order to accomplish this, it requires that the super heterodyne receiver be able to vary incessantly the frequency that is being mixed into the signal in order to keep the same difference (Jerry 1172). This paper will discuss Super Heterodyne Receiver and its various aspects. History The history of Super Heterodyne Receiver can be traced back to 1905 when Reginald Fessenden, a Canadian inventor, described proposed method to produce an audible signal from an Alexanderson transmitter. However, Edwin Armstrong, a United States Major, devised the principle of super heterodyne receiver in 1918 during the First World War in France. Armstrong invented this device as a way to overcome the deficiencies of early vacuum tube triodes that were being used as high-frequency amplifiers particularly in radio (Drentea 38). These amplifiers were used in equipment for radio direction finding and Armstrong realized that if these receivers could be operated at a much higher frequency, they would be better and more effective. At that time, however, there were no practical short wave amplifiers because of the existing limitations of triodes. Before Armstrong’s invention, it had been noticed that if regenerative receivers were allowed to move into oscillation, it would be possible for other nearby receivers to start picking up stations on frequencies that were different from those that were actually being transmitted on by stations. Several years later, Armstrong deduced that this was as a result of a supersonic heterodyne that was between oscillator frequency and the carrier frequency of the station (Jerry 1173). Therefore, Armstrong realized that that super heterodyne was a potential solution to the amplification problem of short wave. For example, he realized that to monitor 1500 kHz frequency could requ ire setting up an oscillator at 1560 kHz, therefore producing a heterodyne difference of 60 kHz; such a frequency could then be amplified more conveniently by the day’s triodes (Tsui 79). Eventually, Armstrong sold his patent for super heterodyne to Westinghouse, who in turn sold to RCA. RCA later monopolized the super heterodyne receivers market until 1930. Super heterodyne receivers gained more prominence in the 1930s with vacuum tube technology improvements. This situation could also be attributed to the rapid increase in the number of broadcasting stations that created demand for higher-performance and cheaper receivers. Introduction of tubes particularly designed for operation of super heterodyne receivers, notably the pentagrid converter, significantly reduced the advantage that preceding receiver designs had. Commercial production of super heterodyne receivers by the mid-1930s largely replaced the production and use of preceding receivers designs specifically tuned rad io frequency receivers. Eventually, the principle of super heterodyne was virtually taken up for all commercial TV and radio designs (Drentea 102). Design and Operation Principle of Super Heterodyne Receiver The operation principle of super heterodyne receiver mainly relies on the use of frequency mixing or heterodyning. The signal from an antenna is adequately filtered to reject the image frequency (Tsui 90).

Evangelicalism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Evangelicalism - Essay Example The term means, in it simplest denotation, pertaining to the evangel, which is the Christian gospel, or good news, that God redeems sinful humanity through His son, Jesus Christ. Evangelicals have stressed that people find salvation only through personal faith in Christ's atoning death and through the life-transforming power of the Holy Spirit. They find these views to be the central theme of the Bible, which they hold to be divinely inspired and the ultimate authority for their Christian faith and practice The label "Evangelical" also denotes these Christians' commitment to proclaim this gospel to others by word and deed. 1 Variations time and place have nuanced the term's meaning and usage, and loaded it with much historic freight. The "Evangelical" label was first used by the churches of the Lutheran Reformation in the sixteenth century, but it gained wider currency during the widespread revivals of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, when "Evangelical" became the common label for movements of spiritual renewal and evangelistic outreach within Protestantism. This generic understanding of "Evangelical" also makes it an appropriate label for contemporary Biblicist and charismatic movements within the Roman Catholic Church. In late twentieth-century usage, "Evangelical" also frequently connotes "conservative," in that the Evangelical movements and traditions have opposed theological li... Evangelical Christianity also has made rapid strides outside of the North Atlantic region, especially in the past twenty-five years. Religious statisticians claim that half of the world's Evangelicals now reside in the so-called Third World, and they project that by the year 2000, three-fourths will be from these regions. In Africa, for example, conversions and church-planting are projected to give that continent more Christians than North America by the turn of the next century. In parts of East Asia as well, notably in China and Indonesia, Evangelicals account for most of the recent dynamism Christianity has shown. In Latin America, where conversion to Evangelical Christianity outpaces the birthrate, Pentecostalism is the fastest growing alternative to traditional Roman Catholicism. Even in Europe, where the Christian inheritance of the Middle Ages, the Reformation, and the pietist/evangelical revivals of prior centuries has waned very rapidly, fresh renewal movements have begun an d are struggling against the secular tide. Because of these worldwide trends, students of religion have been scrambling to understand the history, character, and current thrust of the varied family of movements and traditions known as Evangelicalism. In the United States, where Evangelical revivalism was the dominant religious persuasion in the nineteenth century, a harvest of scholarship on religion in the Early Republic has appeared in the last twenty years, and it has underscored an important message: to know American Evangelicals is to know a great deal about the heart and soul of nineteenth-century America. 2 Thereafter, Evangelical Christianity began to lose its cultural dominance in the United States, and it

Hospital Emergency Operations Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Hospital Emergency Operations Plan - Essay Example The emergency plan for the hospital has guidelines for facility evacuation. Facility evaluation is undertaken when the present environment cannot adequately ensure patient treatment or care. The University of Toledo Medical center (UTMC) is a component of the University of Toledo Health Science campus; which has several buildings, hospitals, and health sites. All the buildings are interconnected aboveground and underground tunnel infrastructures; separated through firewalls, having different utility systems, and different emergency power sources. Hence, if one part of the building is unusable, an alternative care site can be located in a different equipped building. The UTMC has also collaborated with other community partners, to establish an alternative care site at the Collier Building; therefore, medical staff or students can continue caring for the relocated patients. During patient relocation, copies of medical records and other medical items are sent to the alternative clinic s ites. Communication and transport infrastructure and services between the hospital and the alternative clinic sites are coordinated in the Hospital command Center in liaison with the Lucas County Emergency Operation Coordinator. In addition, the Hospital Council of Northwest Ohio in collaboration with regional health providers, have initiated a plan for opening a major alternative care facility.The HICS has a flexible method to emergency management which can be utilized in various disaster responses.

Human Health and Environment Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Human Health and Environment - Assignment Example & Wicander, R., 2009) However, it has been discovered to be dangerous to humans. The British Rail in 1967 made it public that it would cease to use asbestos insulation because of the danger to workmen. (Tweedale, G. & et. al., 2000) Asbestos, which is made up of six different fibrous materials that mainly affect the lungs, causes cancer. Because exposure to asbestos could slowly kill humans, â€Å"the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) banned the use of various asbestos-containing products during 1970s and 1980s. In 1989 the EPA announced a ban on all asbestos products by 1996.† (Alters & Schiff, 2006) Dichloro-diphenyl-trichloro-ethane or DDT, as it is most commonly called, is a synthetic pesticide. Renowned author and environmentalist Rachel Carson refers to DDT as a toxic chemical in her book, Silent Spring. As Carson (2002) states, â€Å"one of the most sinister features of DDT and related chemicals is the way they are passed on from one organism to another through all the links of the food chains.† Although there are no definite examples of human fatality due to ingestion of DDT, illness has been manifested with a dosage of 10mg/kg. (Assembly of Life Sciences, 1977) DDT has not always been a threat. Initially, DDT was of great importance As a matter of fact, it was considered â€Å"a great importance to all, both in helping to win the war and improving the country’s health after the war is over.† (Simmons, J., 2008) Discovered to cause paralysis in insects, DDT was used to treat lice in military men. After Geigy Colour Company, Ltd. of Switzerland introduced its effective DDT-based insecticide, Gesarol, American investigators brought it to the USA to be developed and distributed for use against insect-borne disease during World War II. (McCallum, J.E., 2008) Continued use of DDT-based pesticides, however have resulted to health problems for people and danger to the

Global Business - Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Global Business - - Assignment Example At the same time, a SWOT analysis and a PEST analysis have been employed for revealing the potentials of the organization to improve its performance through internationalization. Three different methods for entering the market chosen are presented. It is concluded that the expansion of the firm in a foreign market could highly support the increase of its profitability but only if certain terms are met, as indicatively highlighted in the sections that follow. In any case, it seems that the continuous monitoring of the relevant process is necessary for avoiding unexpected failures. One of the most important characteristics of the global market is its high competitiveness, a fact that has been related to the expansion of globalization (Griffin 2008). At this point, the following issue appears: how the potential of a firm to face the challenges of the global environment can be measured? The use of strategic tools, as those presented above, could possibly help towards this direction. Still, it is necessary to refer also to the global market trends in regard to the industrial sector involved (Nummela 2010). In the case under examination, emphasis should be given on the electronics industry. The global electronic industry is characterized by trends for growth. In fact for 2013 the growth of the industry has been estimated to 5.4% (QFinance 2012) with trends for further growth in the years that follow. Of course, the influence of the recent recession on the particular industry has been severe, as also in all industries worldwide. Still, it seems that the potentials of the particular industry to face market pressures are important, even if not all parts of this industry has presented signs of growth (QFinance 2012). The above facts are critical when having to evaluate the potential prospects of Elecdyne’s internationalization process. In case that the firm had tried to expand but in different environmental conditions, meaning the trends in the

Understanding American culture Essay Example for Free

Understanding American culture Essay I was 18 years old when my father decided to send me to America and to cover the traveling expenses, my father sold his land. At that time, my future looked so bright. Studying abroad was such a big deal to most Afghans not only on account of the cost that it entailed but also of the social prestige that went with it. My family then was living in a place called Macaroyain Community, a modern European-style, five-storey apartment complex in a three-square mile area complete with all the modern amenities. My family had high hopes for me and I felt like an adult with so many relatives sending me off the night before my departure. My brother had left for America two years earlier and even if I had never been away from my family for just a single night, I was unfazed. I had my brother to count on. I was jolted by culture shock the moment I arrived at the San Francisco airport. Nothing resembled anything that I was used to back in Kabul. The exposure I had had to American culture through the movies I watched back home and through the American friends of my uncles who came to Kabul hardly helped. Although I did well in high school in Afghanistan, I realized that the technical English I knew would not take me far. It was not even sufficient to enable me to convey my ideas correctly. To cope, I used to carry a Dari-English dictionary with me wherever I went. I must have been an unusual sight having to rehearse in my head what I wanted to say and, when at a loss for the right word, I would frantically scan my dictionary. It was so comforting for me whenever the fellow I was speaking to would be considerate enough to wait as I groped for the correct word. It felt so embarrassing to be holding up the line at the grocery store or in the convenience store. The majority would wait sympathetically while a few would show their impatience and irritation by ill-concealed gestures. Basic differences between English and Dari worsened matters. Robson and Lipson highlights the difficulties of Afghans in their observation that â€Å"Dari and Pashto both put direct objects before the verb (John Mary saw), whereas in English, we put direct objects after the verb (John saw Mary). † (Cross-cultural Adjustments and Challenges,Grammar) At the same time, I also had trouble with â€Å"th† sounds, like â€Å"th† as in thank and this, and with the distinction between w and v as in wine and vine. † (Pronunciation) My difficulties with English pronunciation and the frustration I felt when I could not be understood increased my homesickness. It also heightened my awareness of being different, my being a foreigner, my being from another culture. I truly wanted to be assimilated into American culture. Try as I did, my efforts seemed to backfire. Instead of making me blend into American culture, my persistent attempts to speak the English language like an American made me so self-conscious of my â€Å"otherness† that I often had the feeling that I was in effect isolating myself. Fortunately, most Americans I made contact with had the patience to adjust to my language difficulties. Perhaps, the fact that America is the melting pot of almost all cultures around the world made my problems very commonplace. With a lot of people of different nationalities arriving in America as tourists or immigrants, it is no longer uncommon for Americans to encounter people from different cultures. Looking back, I realize that I found strength in being with students from other countries when I started taking English as a Second Language course at Heald College. There were also Asians who, like me, were doing their best to get assimilated in the American way of life. Aside from this motley group of foreign students, the small community of Afghan students in the Bay Area offered some kind of psychological crutch. I was given a lot of advice and tips about how to go about with my new life in America. Their suggestions, though well-meant, ended up confusing me as some turned out to be contradictory. For example, a few advised that I should discreetly try to make inconspicuous my Afghan traits when I am with Americans in order to get assimilated quickly. On the other hand, others would say, it is pointless to hide my Afghan origins as it would always show up in one form or another. I attended school all day and spent the nights and week-ends working as a busboy and then as a waiter in a restaurant close to our apartment. Every Sunday afternoon, an uncle would take me to Alameda City to play volleyball with friends who are mostly Afghans themselves. After the game, we would go to a restaurant and have dinner together. This was a welcome treat for me. In their company, I was able to relax and have a good time. I didn’t have to exert extra effort to reach out to another culture. I felt at home and the feeling of belongingness was such great comfort.

Environmental Risk Perception Article Paper

Environmental Risk Perception Article Paper Bill Hasler Environmental risk is an issue perceived in dissimilar ways by individuals across the globe. In fact, it is impossible to assess full accuracy of environmental risk research. This is due to several environmental aspects which require thorough investigation. In the recent past, global warming has been the major topic under consideration. This paper seeks to analyze two articles related; one analyzes issues of global warming, and the other highlights aspects not related to environmental issues In short, the first article focuses on the effects of tourist, transport, and industries on our environment. This article indicates that transport is one of the major contributors of global warming. Some forms of transport such as buses, cars, trains, and airplanes ferry tourists to their intended destinations (Cristina, 2013). However, as indicated in this article, road and air transport lead to emissions of huge amounts of fossil fuel which in turn pollute the atmosphere. Additionally, the article records that air transport is the primary contributor of greenhouse effect (Cristina, 2013). In fact, the rate of pollution falls at 60 percent, followed by road transport at 40 percent of the total greenhouse effect. This article supports this documented evidence by considering other sources such as charts from the WTO (World Trade Organization). Moreover, it indicates that greenhouse effect can be reduced if emission of carbon dioxide can be reduced through modern technologies, as well as sustainable environmental care. The second article reviewed the variability in climate for the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), an important aspect of climate makeup for much of the world. This article does take many weather factors into consideration such as wind, sea surface temperature, and cloud radiation (Ng, 2014). It should be noted that the suggestions and arguments in this article are based on a specific climate model, GFDL-ESM2M Coupled Climate Model (Ng, 2014). The article points out that positive IOD events occur when the eastern IOD (IODE) is anomalously cool (Ng, 2014). These events lead to droughts in Indonesia and Australia and flooding in areas of East Africa and India (Ng, 2014). The article goes on to say that it is unclear whether the atmosphere or the ocean is responsible for the amplitude of these events (Ng, 2014). This particular article, utilizing the aforementioned climate model, essentially found no conclusive evidence that the Indian Ocean is or is not impacting global warming (Ng, 2014). When comparing the two previously mentioned articles, it is first important to understand that although they discuss two different topics, climate in the Indian Ocean and tourist transport gases, the underlying issue is the same; global warming. The first article makes it very clear from the beginning that global warming is of great concern. The article is very effective in providing data to back up what is suggested. The fact that the data gathered comes from several credible resources goes a long way towards supporting their claims. The second article is completely different in its approach and goal. The authors seemed intent only on establishing that there was no discernable risk of global warming from the Indian Ocean point of view. They did do a great job of providing data, maybe too well. The article was jam packed with a ton of data that seemed to be credible, but it only served to leave the reader feeling like the authors really did not know whether or not global warming was a concerning issue. The first article also did a great job of providing alternative methods and suggestions to decrease gas emissions, thereby reducing the impact to climate change. The second article did not really seem to be solution based. With any environmental issue, there are always going to be stressors involved. With these articles in particular, the main stressors were traffic, noise, pollution, and weather. The first article focused mainly on noise, traffic, and pollution, while the second article really only focused on weather. The stressors from the first article are ones most people encounter on a daily basis. Dealing with noise and traffic are very common stressors, especially in the U.S. Pollution is something many citizens deal with worldwide, but it goes largely ignored because the source of much of this pollution is emitted by factories that provide much needed jobs. Weather is not looked at as a stressor very often, unless a specific event such as a tornado is present. What many people do not realize is the impact on the human state of mind that occurs with extended weather patterns, such as long winters or heat waves (Linda Steg, 2013). My own risk perception of global warming is one of great concern. When I read about the level of gases being emitted into our atmosphere, just in the tourist industry alone, I was shocked. The first article brought home for me just how real the issue of greenhouse gases really is. The fact that the second article essentially had no explanation for the weather patterns coming from the Indian Ocean did not help to ease the level of concern. There are alternatives available in the way of technology and equipment to help monitor and reduce gas emissions, as pointed out in the first article (Cristina, 2013). The fact that these methods and approaches are not being utilized tells me that our species is not nearly as concerned about the environment as we should be. The second article to me is a shining example of what our species is inclined to do; explain things away with massive data no one understands, rather than address the issues. My stance is one of heightened concern. I have been guilty in the past of ignoring the environment and the issues we face. However, reading that 90% of carbon oxide emissions come from over the road transportation, I cannot ignore it anymore (Cristina, 2013). I intend to continue to research these issues and share my findings with anyone I can. References    Cristina, M. L. (2013). Analyzing the Forms of Tourist Transportation with Major Effect on Global Warming and Sustainable Development. Agricultural Management / Lucrari Stiintifice Seria I, Management Agricola, 151-156. Linda Steg, A. v. (2013). Environmental psychology: an introduction. British Psychological Society and John Wiley Sons, Ltd. Ng, B. C. (2014). Nonlinear Feedbacks Associated with the Indian Ocean Dipole and Their Response to Global Warming in the GFDL-ESM2M Coupled Climate Model. Journal Of Climate, 3904-3919.

Economic Development Of Vietnam And China Economics Essay

Economic Development Of Vietnam And China Economics Essay China has been a remarkably successful economy since its adaptation of market-oriented reforms in 1978. The countrys real GDP growth has averaged about 9% each year from 1979 to the present (Naughton, 1995). Vietnam has also gone through a terrific economic development after the countrys transition process from centrally-planned economy to a market economy and it also gone from a poor to a middle-income country in just 20 years. This essay is devoted to give an overview how the gradualist path of economic reforms of the late 1970s and early 1980s affected both Chinas and Vietnams economies and led to a high rate of development. I will analyze what factors made both countries to choose gradualism in contrast with Shock Therapy also known as Big Bang approach. While various scholars debate which approach leads to a better performance, I will demonstrate that in the case of China and Vietnam the gradualist approach turned out to be the more efficient one. Over the past five decades, East Asia has emerged as a region with several spectacular stories (i.e. Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan) of catch-up development. Both China and Vietnam have achieved remarkable economic growth since their economic reforms. Scholars (i.e. Popov, 2007) argue that the transformation of these two countries was caused by the adverse supply shock that resulted from deregulation of prices and change in relative price ratios that created the need for reallocation of resources in order to correct the industrial structure inherited from centrally planned economy. The end of Cultural Revolution in China in 1976 revived the two competing forces of institutional centralization and accelerated growth, which in contrast requires decentralization (Riskin, 1987). Two years later, in 1978, a plan of reform was adopted to deal with the imbalances in the economy. The transition strategy undertaken by China is termed a dual track reform path because there is both a planned and a market part of the economy. In this dual track path, there was not only one single reform attempted at one time, but different programs were also tried simultaneously until the new reform measure could replace the old system. In the case of big-bang reform, the old system is usually destroyed before the new system takes place. Vietnam has gone through a similar transformation over the past 20 years and shifted its economy from a centrally planned economy to a Socialist-oriented market economy. In 1986 the government introduced a policy package which is often referred as economic reform (Doi Moi). It combined government planning with free-market incentives and encouraged the establishment of private businesses and foreign investment, including foreign-owned enterprises. Both countries began their economic development from their agriculture sector, and in both cases, their attempts to build a Soviet-style economy failed, during their pre-reform period (Vu, 2009) Today both countries are major players in the global economy, where Vietnam is the worlds leading exporter of pepper, seafood, rice, coffee (Backman, 2007) and China is the second largest economy in the world after U.S. One might ask, how both of these countries with a Communist government could achieve such high level of economic growth, hence in order to understand how their transformation led to todays development, it is important to compare and contrast gradualism with shock therapy economic reform approaches. Big bang versus Gradualism A big bang or shock therapy approach implements various reforms on (monetary policy, privatization, trade and exchange rates etc.) quickly, whereas the gradualist approach spreads various reforms over an extended period of time. There are several arguments in support of big-bang approach to various types of reform. First, in the context of privatization, a big-bang approach provides a critical scale of privatized sector in the economy so that the privatized firms will be efficient (Roland and Verdier, 1992) Second, a big bang may increases the credibility of a reform (Lipton and Sachs, 1990) Third, the gradualist alternative gives time to reform opponents to organize themselves and thus invites a more formidable resistance (Krueger, 1993) In addition, in the context of price reforms, a gradual reform is undesirable, because it may induce an intertemporal speculation (van Wijnbergen, 1992). Finally, a big-bang approach brings the benefits more quickly (World Bank, 1991). On the other hand, there are various supportive arguments for a gradualist approach as well. The earliest statement in favor of this approach is from Confucius: More haste, less result. First, a gradualist approach may avoid excessive cost, especially for the government budget (Dewatripont and Roland 1992; Nielsen, 1993). Second, it avoids an excessive reduction in living standards at the start of a reform (Wang, 1992). Third, it allows trial and error and mid-course adjustment (World Bank, 1991). Fourth, it helps a government to gain incremental credibility (Fang, 1992). When the outcomes of reforms are uncertain to individuals, a gradual approach splits the resistance force and can thus increase the programs chance of surviving attacks by special interest groups (Rodrik, 1990). Gradualist approach to reform can be defined as a sequential implementation of minimum bangs (terminology from Williamson, 1991). A minimum bang is a simultaneous implementation of a minimum set of reforms that can be i mplemented independent of other reforms without failure. It is important to note though that, even across a set of minimum bangs, a gradualist approach may not always be better than a big bang. A reform program may not be able to overcome political resistance, if it is implemented by shock therapy, but it may become politically viable if it is implemented by a gradualist approach. Friedman and Johnson (1995) argued that in the presence of complementarities between government policies and enterprise attributes and convex adjustment costs for enterprises (i.e. costs increasing with the speed of reforms) radical shock-therapy reforms might not necessarily be optimal. Countries that chose to follow the big bang approach, found themselves in a supply-side recession, where the excessive speed of change in relative prices required the magnitude of restructuring that was simply non-achievable with the limited pool of investment. The speed of adjustment and reallocation of resources in every economy is limited, if only due to the limited investment potential needed to reallocate capital stock. This is one of the main rational for gradual, rather than instant, phasing out of tariff and non-tariff barriers, of subsidies and other forms of government support of particular sectors. This can be used as a powerful argument against shock therapy, especially when reforms involved result in a sizable reallocation of resources. It is also important, that the pace of liberalization had to be no faster than the ability of the economy to move resources from non-competitive to competitive industries. Differences in performance during the initial stage of transition depend strongly on the initial conditions and external trade patterns. In addition, changes in the institutional capacity of the state have dramatic impact on performance. Economic reforms in China and Vietnam after the pre-reform period It is definitely the strong institutional framework that should be held responsible for the success of gradual reforms in China and Vietnam, where strong authoritarian regimes were preserved and centrally planned economy institutions were not dismantled before new market institutions were created. The shock-therapy approach was not desired by China, because of its radical reform programs, therefore the gradualist approach was more likely to be successful, due to Chinas under-developed and under-industrialized economy with a large rural surplus of labor force. Chinas economic reforms can be divided into separate eras. The first one, which extends from Deng Xiaopings 1978 opening and reform to the early 1990s, the Communist Party emphasized rural development with relatively little interference from above, where the result was an explosion of small- and medium-sized businesses that created an enormous rise in employment and wealth. Deng created his first special economic zones in places along the coast, such as Shenzhen, where there was relatively little established industry. So the new companies that sprang up there were almost entirely private. Foreign investors piled in, but mostly under conditions that did not disadvantage local entrepreneurs. Outcome: everyone got rich together. Centrally planned economy was no longer viable in China; therefore changes were required to promote economic growth. Consequently, without a definite model in mind, China underwent a lengthy path of adjusting reform objectives from a planned economy with some market adjustment to a combination of planned and market economy to a socialist market economy. In Vietnam, economic reforms started in 1986 and they resembled very much Gorbachev-type marginal reforms in the same period. Vietnamese authorities have reaffirmed their commitment to economic liberalization and international integration. They have moved to implement the structural reforms needed to modernize the economy and to produce more competitive export-driven industries. In both Vietnam and China the economic reforms were initiated under certain circumstances that provided three critical factors for change: receptivity, crisis and opportunity (Vu, 2009). During their pre-reform period (China: 1953-1978; Vietnam 1954-1986)Â  [1]Â  they made extraordinary efforts to build their socialist economies, but they experienced failure rather than success. China was impoverished by the Cultural Revolution, while the Vietnamese economy was ruined by the collectivization of land, nationalization of privately owned industrial and trading establishments and socialist ideology-driven initi atives (Vu, 2009). Reforms became possible because of various internal and external factors in both countries. In China, the death of Chairman Mao in 1976 paved the way for Deng Xiaoping and his economic reforms, while in Vietnam, the radical reform programs launched by Gorbachev in 1985 in the Soviet Union, which was then Vietnams role model for economic development as well as its main provider of aid, to some extent were an inspiration for the Vietnamese leadership. Fforde and Vylder (1996) observed that the similar circumstances leading to reforms in China and Vietnam are behind the fact that the reforms in both countries were more economic than political. While the reforms in China and Vietnam were initiated under the pressure of economic despair and the need of finding a new way to recover the economy, the main concern of the leadership in both countries was to maintain political stability and the absolute power of the Communist Party. As a result, to justify the legitimacy of the political system, both countries chose a gradualist approach to reform with a special focus on economic growth. A big bang approach and a possible unsuccessful outcome of a reform could have destroyed the parties credibility and led to an up rise within the country, of what the regime would not have survived, so the two countries had no other choice than introduce new economic reforms only step by step. This gradualist approach addressed the easy problems first and left the hard ones for later. A radical approach (big bang) would aim to maximize efficiency gains and minimize the political costs of reform. The pacing and sequencing method of the gradualist approach gained popularity in both countries at the expense of advocating for immediate liberalization. One important feature of reforms is that people are not sure usually whether they are necessarily gainers or losers of a certain reform, therefore I believe that a gradualist approach may be politically more sustainable than the big bang approach, because it splits the resistance force and allows uninterrupted political support for the reform. On the other hand, if a reform program is strong at the start and well supported by the public, then a shock therapy approach is better both because it brings the benefits faster and because it is politically preferred to various schemes of partial or gradual reforms. There are of course other factors as well (export oriented industrial policy) that contributed to the rapid growth of these Asian transition economies and not just gradualism. Conclusion It is clear to see by now, that both countries went through huge changes in their economies in the past 20-30 years. The Communist leadership was able to maintain their power, but also open up more and create a unique socialist-market economy, where the state still owns the major industries such as telecommunications, national railroads, airlines and power. While there is only one direction for both China and Vietnam more economic reform and liberalization the Communist Party of these governments will certainly not tolerate any challenge to their power. They want economic change but not political one. While the two countries initiated their economic reforms from comparable economic and social conditions and have rather followed similar approaches to reform and economic management. Since the launch of these reforms, both countries have made impressive achievements in their growth performance; however their growth patterns have significantly diverged. China has far outperformed Vietn am in both the pace and the efficiency of growth. I dont think that there is need for comparison though, when both their historical and economic backgrounds, prior to the reforms, were different and also given the size of the two countries, China surely has an advantage due to its huge population. It is also important to keep in mind that while China has an advantage in government effectiveness, its institutional foundation remains weak, which is rather comparable with Vietnam. One of the issues that I found during my research is that in making comparative analysis between the shock therapy and gradualist approach, the country cases for big bang outnumber the countries that followed a gradual path and succeeded. China and Vietnam seem to be the only ones in comparison with a great amount of other transitional economies that followed the big bang approach. In this regard, the investigation of other similar cases following the gradual approach would be worth studying to have a better understanding and also a more accurate comparative analysis on different transitional paths adopted among different transitional economies. References: Backman, Michael. Chapter 16 Is Vietnam the New China. Asia Future Shock: Business Crisis and Opportunity in the Coming Years. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2008. pages 110-118 Dewatripont, M., and G. Roland (1992) The virtues of gradualism and legitimacy in the transition to a market economy. Economic Journal 102, 291-300 Fang, Xinghai (1992) Economic transition: government commitment and gradualism. Working Paper, Stanford University Khuong M. Vu. Economic Reform and Performance: A Comparative Study of China and Vietnam. China: An International Journal 7.2 (2009): 189-226. Project MUSE. 15 Apr. 2010 Krueger, Anne 0. (1993) Political Economy of Policy Reform in Developing Countries (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press) Lipton, D., and J. Sachs (1990) Creating a market economy in Eastern Europe: the case of Poland, Brookings Papers on Economic Activity 1, 75-147 (1990) Naughton, Barry. Growing out of the Plan: Chinese Economic Reform, 1978-1993. New York, NY: Cambridge UP, 1995. Riskin, Carl. Chinas Political Economy: the Quest for Development since 1949. Oxford [Oxfordshire: Oxford UP, 1987. Roland, Gerard, and Thierry Verdier (1994) Privatization in Eastern Europe: irreversibility and critical mass effects. Journal of Public Economics 54(2), 161-83 Rodrik, Dani (1990) How should structural adjustment programs be designed, World Development 18, 933-47 Van Wijnbergen, S. (1992) Intertemporal speculation, shortages and the political economy of price reform. Economic Journal 102, 1395-406 Vladimir Popov, 2007. Shock Therapy versus Gradualism Reconsidered: Lessons from Transition Economies after 15 Years of Reforms1, Comparative Economic Studies, Palgrave Macmillan Journals, vol. 49(1), pages 1-31, Wang, Yijiang (1992) East European puzzle and Chinese enigma: institutional changes as a resource allocation problem. Paper presented in Anaheim, January 1993. Working Paper, University of Minnesota World Bank (1991) World Development Report 1991: The Challenge of Development (New York: Oxford University Press) http://www.arts.usask.ca/economics/skjournal/sej-3rd/Lynden.htm Accessed: 05.01.2010 http://dspace.anu.edu.au/bitstream/1885/40425/1/cu99-5.pdf Accessed: 05.03.2010

History and Pros of Animal Testing Essay -- Biology Medical Biomedical

History and Pros of Animal Testing Abstract: Animal research refers to the use of non-human animals for testing or experimenting on. The first recorded use of animals for testing started with the Greeks in the third and fourth century BC. The use of animals for testing is usually in the basic fields of; biomedical research, security, evaluation and education of a product. It is estimated that almost 50 million—100 million animals are tested on and killed annually, but this is usually done to make a product safer for humans. Part one: History There has been no earlier reference to testing of animals, than in the writing of the Greeks. In about the third or fourth century BC, Aristotle (384-322 BC) and Erasistratus (304-258 BC) were two of the first to be recorded to test experiments on live animals. Also Galen, a second-century Roman physician was known as the â€Å"father of vivisection,† because he dissected pigs and goats. These were some of the first recorded events of early animal testing. Animal testing has played a major role in some of the most famous experiments. For example: in 1796, Edward Jenner used pus from a pox-infected cow to vaccinate James Phipps against the wide spread virus, small pox. After Jenner’s discovery, small pox slowly declined no longer to be the main cause of morality in England. Another very well - known experiment using animal testing happened around the 1880’s: the germ theory that Louis Pasteur developed was tested out by giving Anthrax to a flock of sheep. (Wikipedia) Also in 1885, Pasteur invented vaccines for cholera and rabies by studying animals. In 1922, insulin was isolated from dogs and afterwards helped advance the treatment of diabetes. Laika, a dog from Russia, on November 3,1957, b... ... is almost definite anyone would save the baby. (Of Cures and Creatures) This is the same situation as animal testing, would you rather save a person from an untested product that’s poisonous or save a rat from being tested with it? Bibliography: "Animal testing." Wkipedia. 27 July 2006. Wikimedia Fondation, Inc. 20 July 2006 . Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing. "A CAAT Timeline: 1981-2002." CAAT. 12 Feb. 2003. 22 July 2006 timeline.htm>. BCC. "Animal Experiments." Hot Topics. 17 Aug. 2004. 22 July 2006 . ECheat. "Animal Testing: Pros and Cons." eCheat. 19 Apr. 2005. 22 July 2006 . FRAME. "the three rs." FRAME. 23 July 2006 3rsintro.htm>.

Death Of A Salesman: Willy Loman Essay -- essays research papers

Willy Loman: Failure of a Man In Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman is an example of a failure as a good father. He did not discipline his sons well by not punishing them. He did not set a good example to his sons by not admitting his faults. He did not make his family his number one priority. Instead, it was his work, coming before his family, his friends, and even himself. Not only is Willy Loman not a good father and husband, but he was a failure by not becoming successful, not achieving the American Dream. Willy is not a good father for many reasons. He made his occupation his number one priority. For years, he traveled for his work many times that he never had the opportunity to truly get to know his own sons. As a result he did not love them as a father should, his love for his son, Biff, was based on his achievements as an athlete. And when Biff was not able to go to University of Virginina, Willy was so devastated that he no longer loved Biff how he once did before. He was disgusted that Biff had become a bum, Biff had different jobs working at farms. Willy wants Biff to be the successful man that he never was and feels that Biff will not achieve success in the occupation he has taken. Furthermore, Willy was unable to admit his faults. His pride was so great that he even lied to his own family, borrowing money weekly from his neighbor, Charley, and then saying it was his salary. He tried to justify his affair with a strange woman when caught by Biff. He...

Protocol Review Of Telephone And Data Networks :: Networks Telecommunications

Protocol Review of Telephone and Data Networks The Internet protocol suite is a highly related collection of protocols. It is also commonly referred to as TCP/IP. TCP and IP were the first and primary protocols developed for internetworking. However, it is comprised of many other protocols that collaborate with each other to perform each distinct task required for communication on and to other network components. Based on the network topology and devices that reside on the network, the protocols that will be discussed are IMCP, TCP, IP, UDP, DNS, FTP, HTTP, IMAP4, POP3, SIP, SMTP, SNMP, SSH, and Rlogin. These protocols are integral to Ethernet networks; some are required, some optional, and some to be avoided but replaced with better solutions. The Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) is a network layer protocol. "It is one of the core protocols of the Internet protocol suite." IMCP is primarily used in reporting network errors on the network commonly seen when pinging or using trace routes when trouble shooting connectivity. Transport Control protocol (TCP) is the interface between the application layer and the network layer. TCP provides a reliable connect between the applications and the network. Conversely, UDP does not provide a reliable connection. It sends packets without regards to delivery or sequence. However the advantage of UDP is that it is fast. "While the total amount of UDP traffic found on a typical network is often on the order of only a few percent, numerous key applications use UDP, including the Domain Name System (DNS), the simple network management protocol (SNMP), the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) and the Routing Information Protocol (RIP), to name just a few."3 Internet Protocol (IP) is the protocol used for encapsulating the data into a packet, and then assigning a unique address of the source and the destination of the packet in the packet header. "Because of the abstraction provided by encapsulation, IP can be used over a heterogeneous network (i.e., a network connecting two computers can be any mix of Ethernet, ATM, FDDI, Wi-fi, Token ring, etc.) and it makes no difference to the upper layer protocols."5 This is one reason why IP is widely used and accepted in the telecommunication industry. The disadvantage of IP is that it is unreliable in of itself. However combined with the reliability of TCP and the flexibility of MPLS, it makes this disadvantage a moot point.

The Twilight Saga 4: Breaking Dawn 20. New

Everything was so clear. Sharp. Defined. The brilliant light overhead was still blinding-bright, and yet I could plainly see the glowing strands of the filaments inside the bulb. I could see each color of the rainbow in the white light, and, at the very edge of the spectrum, an eighth color I had no name for. Behind the light, I could distinguish the individual grains in the dark wood ceiling above. In front of it, I could see the dust motes in the air, the sides the light touched, and the dark sides, distinct and separate. They spun like little planets, moving around each other in a celestial dance. The dust was so beautiful that I inhaled in shock; the air whistled down my throat, swirling the motes into a vortex. The action felt wrong. I considered, and realized the problem was that there was no relief tied to the action. I didn't need the air. My lungs weren't waiting for it. They reacted indifferently to the influx. I did not need the air, but I liked it. In it, I could taste the room around me – taste the lovely dust motes, the mix of the stagnant air mingling with the flow of slightly cooler air from the open door. Taste a lush whiff of silk. Taste a faint hint of something warm and desirable, something that should be moist, but wasn't†¦ That smell made my throat burn dryly, a faint echo of the venom burn, though the scent was tainted by the bite of chlorine and ammonia. And most of all, I could taste an almost-honey-lilac-and-sun-flavored scent that was the strongest thing, the closest thing to me. I heard the sound of the others, breathing again now that I did. Their breath mixed with the scent that was something just off honey and lilac and sunshine, bringing new flavors. Cinnamon, hyacinth, pear, seawater, rising bread, pine, vanilla, leather, apple, moss, lavender, chocolate†¦. I traded a dozen different comparisons in my mind, but none of them fit exactly. So sweet and pleasant. The TV downstairs had been muted, and I heard someone – Rosalie? – shift her weight on the first floor. I also heard a faint, thudding rhythm, with a voice shouting angrily to the beat. Rap music? I was mystified for a moment, and then the sound faded away like a car passing by with the windows rolled down. With a start, I realized that this could be exactly right. Could I hear all the way to the freeway? I didn't realize someone was holding my hand until whoever it was squeezed it lightly. Like it had before to hide the pain, my body locked down again in surprise. This was not a touch I expected. The skin was perfectly smooth, but it was the wrong temperature. Not cold. After that first frozen second of shock, my body responded to the unfamiliar touch in a way that shocked me even more. Air hissed up my throat, spitting through my clenched teeth with a low, menacing sound like a swarm of bees. Before the sound was out, my muscles bunched and arched, twisting away from the unknown. I flipped off my back in a spin so fast it should have turned the room into an incomprehensible blur – but it did not. I saw every dust mote, every splinter in the wood-paneled walls, every loose thread in microscopic detail as my eyes whirled past them. So by the time I found myself crouched against the wall defensively – about a sixteenth of a second later – I already understood what had startled me, and that I had overreacted. Oh. Of course. Edward wouldn't feel cold to me. We were the same temperature now. I held my pose for an eighth of a second longer, adjusting to the scene before me. Edward was leaning across the operating table that had been my pyre, his hand reached out toward me, his expression anxious. Edward's face was the most important thing, but my peripheral vision catalogued everything else, just in case. Some instinct to defend had been triggered, and I automatically searched for any sign of danger. My vampire family waited cautiously against the far wall by the door, Emmett and Jasper in the front. Like there was danger. My nostrils flared, searching for the threat. I could smell nothing out of place. That faint scent of something delicious – but marred by harsh chemicals – tickled my throat again, setting it to aching and burning. Alice was peeking around Jasper's elbow with a huge grin on her face; the light sparkled off her teeth, another eight-color rainbow. That grin reassured me and then put the pieces together. Jasper and Emmett were in the front to protect the others, as I had assumed. What I hadn't grasped immediately was that was the danger. All this was a sideline. The greater part of my senses and my mind were still focused on Edward's face. I had never seen it before this second. How many times had I stared at Edward and marveled over his beauty? How many hours – days, weeks – of my life had I spent dreaming about what I then deemed to be perfection? I thought I'd known his face better than my own. I'd thought this was the one sure physical thing in my whole world: the flawlessness of Edward's face. I may as well have been blind. For the first time, with the dimming shadows and limiting weakness of humanity taken off my eyes, I saw his face. I gasped and then struggled with my vocabulary, unable to find the right words. I needed better words. At this point, the other part of my attention had ascertained that there was no danger here besides myself, and I automatically straightened out of my crouch; almost a whole second had passed since I'd been on the table. I was momentarily preoccupied by the way my body moved. The instant I'd considered standing erect, I was already straight. There was no brief fragment of time in which the action occurred; change was instantaneous, almost as if there was no movement at all. I continued to stare at Edward's face, motionless again. He moved slowly around the table – each step taking nearly half a second, each step flowing sinuously like river water weaving over smooth stones – his hand still outstretched. I watched the grace of his advance, absorbing it with my new eyes. â€Å"Bella?† he asked in a low, calming tone, but the worry in his voice layered my name with tension. I could not answer immediately, lost as I was in the velvet folds of his voice. It was the most perfect symphony, a symphony in one instrument, an instrument more profound than any created by man___ â€Å"Bella, love? I'm sorry, I know it's disorienting. But you're all right. Everything is fine.† Everything? My mind spun out, spiraling back to my last human hour. Already, the memory seemed dim, like I was watching through a thick, dark veil – because my human eyes had been half blind. Everything had been so blurred. When he said everything was fine, did that include Renesmee? Where was she? With Rosalie? I tried to remember her face – I knew that she had been beautiful – but it was irritating to try to see through the human memories. Her face was shrouded in darkness, so poorly lit___ What about Jacob? Was he fine? Did my long-suffering best friend hate me now? Had he gone back to Sam's pack? Seth and Leah, too? Were the Cullens safe, or had my transformation ignited the war with the pack? Did Edward's blanket assurance cover all of that? Or was he just trying to calm me? And Charlie? What would I tell him now? He must have called while I was burning. What had they told him? What did he think had happened to me? As I deliberated for one small piece of a second over which question to ask first, Edward reached out tentatively and stroked his fingertips across my cheek. Smooth as satin, soft as a feather, and now exactly matched to the temperature of my skin. His touch seemed to sweep beneath the surface of my skin, right through the bones of my face. The feeling was tingly, electric – it jolted through my bones, down my spine, and trembled in my stomach. Wait,I thought as the trembling blossomed into a warmth, a yearning. Wasn't I supposed to lose this? Wasn't giving up this feeling a part of the bargain? I was a newborn vampire. The dry, scorching ache in my throat gave proof to that. And I knew what being a newborn entailed. Human emotions and longings would come back to me later in some form, but I'd accepted that I would not feel them in the beginning. Only thirst. That was the deal, the price. I'd agreed to pay it. But as Edward's hand curled to the shape of my face like satin-covered steel, desire raced through my dried-out veins, singing from my scalp to my toes. He arched one perfect eyebrow, waiting for me to speak. I threw my arms around him. Again, it was like there was no movement. One moment I stood straight and still as a statue; in the same instant, he was in my arms. Warm – or at least, that was my perception. With the sweet, delicious scent that I'd never been able to really take in with my dull human senses, but that was one hundred percent Edward. I pressed my face into his smooth chest. And then he shifted his weight uncomfortably. Leaned away from my embrace. I stared up at his face, confused and frightened by the rejection. â€Å"Urn†¦ carefully, Bella. Ow.† I yanked my arms away, folding them behind my back as soon as I understood. I was too strong. â€Å"Oops,† I mouthed. He smiled the kind of smile that would have stopped my heart if it were still beating. â€Å"Don't panic, love,† he said, lifting his hand to touch my lips, parted in horror. â€Å"You're just a bit stronger than I am for the moment.† My eyebrows pushed together. I'd known this, too, but it felt more surreal than any other part of this ultimately surreal moment. I was stronger than Edward. I'd made him say ow. His hand stroked my cheek again, and I all but forgot my distress as another wave of desire rippled through my motionless body. These emotions were so much stronger than I was used to that it was hard to stick to one train of thought despite the extra room in my head. Each new sensation overwhelmed me. I remembered Edward saying once – his voice in my head a weak shadow compared to the crystal, musical clarity I was hearing now – that his kind, our kind, were easily distracted. I could see why. I made a concerted effort to focus. There was something I needed to say. The most important thing. Very carefully, so carefully that the movement was actually discernible, I brought my right arm out from behind my back and raised my hand to touch his cheek. I refused to let myself be sidetracked by the pearly color of my hand or by the smooth silk of his skin or by the charge that zinged in my fingertips. I stared into his eyes and heard my own voice for the first time. â€Å"I love you,† I said, but it sounded like singing. My voice rang and shimmered like a bell. His answering smile dazzled me more than it ever had when I was human; I could really see it now. â€Å"As I love you,† he told me. He took my face between his hands and leaned his face to mine – slow enough to remind me to be careful. He kissed me, soft as a whisper at first, and then suddenly stronger, fiercer. I tried to remember to be gentle with him, but it was hard work to remember anything in the onslaught of sensation, hard to hold on to any coherent thoughts. It was like he'd never kissed me – like this was our first kiss. And, in truth, he'd never kissed me this way before. It almost made me feel guilty. Surely I was in breach of the contract. I couldn't be allowed to have this, too. Though I didn't need oxygen, my breathing sped, raced as fast as it had when I was burning. This was a different kind of fire. Someone cleared his throat. Emmett. I recognized the deep sound at once, joking and annoyed at the same time. I'd forgotten we weren't alone. And then I realized that the way I was curved around Edward now was not exactly polite for company. Embarrassed, I half-stepped away in another instantaneous movement. Edward chuckled and stepped with me, keeping his arms tight around my waist. His face was glowing – like a white flame burned from behind his diamond skin. I took an unnecessary breath to settle myself. How different this kissing was! I read his expression as I compared the indistinct human memories to this clear, intense feeling. He looked†¦ a little smug. â€Å"You've been holding out on me,† I accused in my singing voice, my eyes narrowing a tiny bit. He laughed, radiant with relief that it was all over – the fear, the pain, the uncertainties, the waiting, all of it behind us now. â€Å"It was sort of necessary at the time,† he reminded me. â€Å"Now it's your turn to not break me.† He laughed again. I frowned as I considered that, and then Edward was not the only one laughing. Carlisle stepped around Emmett and walked toward me swiftly; his eyes were only slightly wary, but Jasper shadowed his footsteps. I'd never seen Carlisle's face before either, not really. I had an odd urge to blink – like I was staring at the sun. â€Å"How do you feel, Bella?† Carlisle asked. I considered that for a sixty-fourth of a second. â€Å"Overwhelmed. There's so much. †¦Ã¢â‚¬  I trailed off, listening to the bell-tone of my voice again. â€Å"Yes, it can be quite confusing.† I nodded one fast, jerky bob. â€Å"But I feel like me. Sort of. I didn't expect that.† Edward's arms squeezed lightly around my waist. â€Å"I told you so,† he whispered. â€Å"You are quite controlled,† Carlisle mused. â€Å"More so than expected, even with the time you had to prepare yourself mentally for this.† I thought about the wild mood swings, the difficulty concentrating, and whispered, â€Å"I'm not sure about that.† He nodded seriously, and then his jeweled eyes glittered with interest. â€Å"It seems like we did something right with the morphine this time. Tell me, what do you remember of the transformation process?† I hesitated, intensely aware of Edward's breath brushing against my cheek, sending whispers of electricity through my skin. â€Å"Everything was†¦ very dim before. I remember the baby couldn't breathe___† I looked at Edward, momentarily frightened by the memory. â€Å"Renesmee is healthy and well,† he promised, a gleam I'd never seen before in his eyes. He said her name with an understated fervor. A reverence. The way devout people talked about their gods. â€Å"What do you remember after that?† I focused on my poker face. I'd never been much of a liar. â€Å"It's hard to remember. It was so dark before. And then†¦ I opened my eyes and I could see everything† â€Å"Amazing,† Carlisle breathed, his eyes alight. Chagrin washed through me, and I waited for the heat to burn in my cheeks and give me away. And then I remembered that I would never blush again. Maybe that would protect Edward from the truth. I'd have to find a way to tip off Carlisle, though. Someday. If he ever needed to create another vampire. That possibility seemed very unlikely, which made me feel better about lying. â€Å"I want you to think – to tell me everything you remember,† Carlisle pressed excitedly, and I couldn't help the grimace that flashed across my face. I didn't want to have to keep lying, because I might slip up. And I didn't want to think about the burning. Unlike the human memories, that part was perfectly clear and I found I could remember it with far too much precision. â€Å"Oh, I'm so sorry, Bella,† Carlisle apologized immediately. â€Å"Of course your thirst must be very uncomfortable. This conversation can wait.† Until he'd mentioned it, the thirst actually wasn't unmanageable. There was so much room in my head. A separate part of my brain was keeping tabs on the burn in my throat, almost like a reflex. The way my old brain had handled breathing and blinking. But Carlisle's assumption brought the burn to the forefront of my mind. Suddenly, the dry ache was all I could think about, and the more I thought about it, the more it hurt. My hand flew up to cup my throat, like I could smother the flames from the outside. The skin of my neck was strange beneath my fingers. So smooth it was somehow soft, though it was hard as stone, too. Edward dropped his arms and took my other hand, tugging gently. â€Å"Let's hunt, Bella.† My eyes opened wider and the pain of the thirst receded, shock taking its place. Me? Hunt? With Edward? But†¦ how? I didn't know what to do. He read the alarm in my expression and smiled encouragingly. â€Å"It's quite easy, love. Instinctual. Don't worry, I'll show you.† When I didn't move, he grinned his crooked smile and raised his eyebrows. â€Å"I was under the impression that you'd always wanted to see me hunt.† I laughed in a short burst of humor (part of me listened in wonder to the pealing bell sound) as his words reminded me of cloudy human conversations. And then I took a whole second to run quickly through those first days with Edward – the true beginning of my life – in my head so that I would never forget them. I did not expect that it would be so uncomfortable to remember. Like trying to squint through muddy water. I knew from Rosalie's experience that if I thought of my human memories enough, I would not lose them over time. I did not want to forget one minute I'd spent with Edward, even now, when eternity stretched in front of us. i would have to make sure those human memories were cemented into my infallible vampire mind. â€Å"Shall we?† Edward asked. He reached up to take the hand that was still at my neck. His fingers smoothed down the column of my throat. â€Å"I don't want you to be hurting,† he added in a low murmur. Something I would not have been able to hear before. Tm fine,† I said out of lingering human habit. â€Å"Wait. First.† There was so much. I'd never gotten to my questions. There were more important things than the ache. It was Carlisle who spoke now. â€Å"Yes?† â€Å"I want to see her. Renesmee.† It was oddly difficult to say her name. My daughter, these words were even harder to think. It all seemed so distant. I tried to remember how I had felt three days ago, and automatically, my hands pulled free of Edward's and dropped to my stomach. Flat. Empty. I clutched at the pale silk that covered my skin, panicking again, while an insignificant part of my mind noted that Alice must have dressed me. I knew there was nothing left inside me, and I faintly remembered the bloody removal scene, but the physical proof was still hard to process. All I knew was loving my little nudger inside of me. Outside of me, she seemed like something I must have imagined. A fading dream – a dream that was half nightmare. While I wrestled with my confusion, I saw Edward and Carlisle exchange a guarded glance. â€Å"What?† I demanded. â€Å"Bella,† Edward said soothingly. â€Å"That's not really a good idea. She's half human, love. Her heart beats, and blood runs in her veins. Until your thirst is positively under control†¦ You don't want to put her in danger, do you?† I frowned. Of course I must not want that. Was I out of control? Confused, yes. Easily unfocused, yes. But dangerous? To her? My daughter? I couldn't be positive that the answer was no. So I would have to be patient. That sounded difficult. Because until I saw her again, she wouldn't be real. Just a fading dream†¦ of a stranger†¦ â€Å"Where is she?† I listened hard, and then I could hear the beating heart on the floor below me. I could hear more than one person breathing – quietly, like they were listening, too. There was also a fluttering sound, a thrumming, that I couldn't place___ And the sound of the heartbeat was so moist and appealing, that my mouth started watering. So I would definitely have to learn how to hunt before I saw her. My stranger baby. â€Å"Is Rosalie with her?† â€Å"Yes,† Edward answered in a clipped tone, and I could see that something he'd thought of upset him. I'd thought he and Rose were over their differences. Had the animosity erupted again? Before I could ask, he pulled my hands away from my flat stomach, tugging gently again. â€Å"Wait,† I protested again, trying to focus. â€Å"What about Jacob? And Charlie? Tell me everything that I missed. How long was I†¦ unconscious?† Edward didn't seem to notice my hesitation over the last word. Instead, he was exchanging another wary glance with Carlisle. â€Å"What's wrong?† I whispered. â€Å"Nothing is wrong† Carlisle told me, emphasizing the last word in a strange way. â€Å"Nothing has changed much, actually – you were only unaware for just over two days. It was very fast, as these things go. Edward did an excellent job. Quite innovative – the venom injection straight to your heart was his idea.† He paused to smile proudly at his son and then sighed. â€Å"Jacob is still here, and Charlie still believes that you are sick. He thinks you're in Atlanta right now, undergoing tests at the CDC. We gave him a bad number, and he's frustrated. He's been speaking to Esme.† â€Å"I should call him†¦,† I murmured to myself, but, listening to my own voice, I understood the new difficulties. He wouldn't recognize this voice. It wouldn't reassure him. And then the earlier surprise intruded. â€Å"Hold on – Jacob is still here?† Another glance between them. â€Å"Bella,† Edward said quickly. â€Å"There's much to discuss, but we should take care of you first. You have to be in pain___† When he pointed that out, I remembered the burn in my throat and swallowed convulsively. â€Å"But Jacob – â€Å" â€Å"We have all the time in the world for explanations, love,† he reminded me gently. Of course. I could wait a little longer for the answer; it would be easier to listen when the fierce pain of the fiery thirst was no longer scattering my concentration. â€Å"Okay.† â€Å"Wait, wait, wait,† Alice trilled from the doorway. She danced across the room, dreamily graceful. As with Edward and Carlisle, I felt some shock as I really looked at her face for the first time. So lovely. â€Å"You promised I could be there the first time! What if you two run past something reflective?† â€Å"Alice – ,† Edward protested. â€Å"It will only take a second!† And with that, Alice darted from the room. Edward sighed. â€Å"What is she talking about?† But Alice was already back, carrying the huge, gilt-framed mirror from Rosalie's room, which was nearly twice as tall as she was, and several times as wide. Jasper had been so still and silent that I'd taken no notice of him since he'd followed behind Carlisle. Now he moved again, to hover over Alice, his eyes locked on my expression. Because I was the danger here. I knew he would be tasting the mood around me, too, and so he must have felt my jolt of shock as I studied his face, looking at it closely for the first time. Through my sightless human eyes, the scars left from his former life with the newborn armies in the South had been mostly invisible. Only with a bright light to throw their slightly raised shapes into definition could I even make out their existence. Now that I could see, the scars were Jasper's most dominant feature. It was hard to take my eyes off his ravaged neck and jaw – hard to believe that even a vampire could have survived so many sets of teeth ripping into his throat. Instinctively, I tensed to defend myself. Any vampire who saw Jasper would have had the same reaction. The scars were like a lighted billboard. Dangerous, they screamed. How many vampires had tried to kill Jasper? Hundreds? Thousands? The same number that had died in the attempt Jasper both saw and felt my assessment, my caution, and he smiled wryly. â€Å"Edward gave me grief for not getting you to a mirror before the wedding,† Alice said, pulling my attention away from her frightening lover. Tm not going to be chewed out again.† â€Å"Chewed out?† Edward asked skeptically, one eyebrow curving upward. â€Å"Maybe I'm overstating things,† she murmured absently as she turned the mirror to face me. â€Å"And maybe this has solely to do with your own voyeuristic gratification,† he countered. Alice winked at him. I was only aware of this exchange with the lesser part of my concentration. The greater part was riveted on the person in the mirror. My first reaction was an unthinking pleasure. The alien creature in the glass was indisputably beautiful, every bit as beautiful as Alice or Esme. She was fluid even in stillness, and her flawless face was pale as the moon against the frame of her dark, heavy hair. Her limbs were smooth and strong, skin glistening subtly, luminous as a pearl. My second reaction was horror. Who was she? At first glance, I couldn't find my face anywhere in the smooth, perfect planes of her features. And her eyes! Though I'd known to expect them, her eyes still sent a thrill of terror through me. All the while I studied and reacted, her face was perfectly composed, a carving of a goddess, showing nothing of the turmoil roiling inside me. And then her full lips moved. â€Å"The eyes?† I whispered, unwilling to say my eyes. â€Å"How long? â€Å"They'll darken up in a few months,† Edward said in a soft, comforting voice. â€Å"Animal blood dilutes the color more quickly than a diet of human blood. They'll turn amber first, then gold.† My eyes would blaze like vicious red flames for months? â€Å"Months?† My voice was higher now, stressed. In the mirror, the perfect eyebrows lifted incredulously above her glowing crimson eyes – brighter than any I'd ever seen before. Jasper took a step forward, alarmed by the intensity of my sudden anxiety. He knew young vampires only too well; did this emotion presage some misstep on my part? No one answered my question. I looked away, to Edward and Alice. Both their eyes were slightly unfocused – reacting to Jasper's unease. Listening to its cause, looking ahead to the immediate future. I took another deep, unnecessary breath. â€Å"No, I'm fine,† I promised them. My eyes flickered to the stranger in the mirror and back. â€Å"It's just†¦ a lot to take in.† Jasper's brow furrowed, highlighting the two scars over his left eye. â€Å"I don't know,† Edward murmured. The woman in the mirror frowned. â€Å"What question did I miss?† Edward grinned. â€Å"Jasper wonders how you're doing it.† â€Å"Doing what?† â€Å"Controlling your emotions, Bella,† Jasper answered. â€Å"I've never seen a newborn do that – stop an emotion in its tracks that way. You were upset, but when you saw our concern, you reined it in, regained power over yourself. I was prepared to help, but you didn't need it.† â€Å"Is that wrong?† I asked. My body automatically froze as I waited for his verdict. â€Å"No,† he said, but his voice was unsure. Edward stroked his hand down my arm, as if encouraging me to thaw. â€Å"It's very impressive, Bella, but we don't understand it. We don't know how long it can hold.† I considered that for a portion of a second. At any moment, would I snap? Turn into a monster? I couldn't feel it coming on†¦. Maybe there was no way to anticipate such a thing. â€Å"But what do you think?† Alice asked, a little impatient now, pointing to the mirror. â€Å"I'm not sure,† I hedged, not wanting to admit how frightened I really was. I stared at the beautiful woman with the terrifying eyes, looking for pieces of me. There was something there in the shape of her lips – if you looked past the dizzying beauty, it was true that her upper lip was slightly out of balance, a bit too full to match the lower. Finding this familiar little flaw made me feel a tiny bit better. Maybe the rest of me was in there, too. I raised my hand experimentally, and the woman in the mirror copied the movement, touching her face, too. Her crimson eyes watched me warily. Edward sighed. I turned away from her to look at him, raising one eyebrow. â€Å"Disappointed?† I asked, my ringing voice impassive. He laughed. â€Å"Yes,† he admitted. I felt the shock break through the composed mask on my face, followed instantly by the hurt. Alice snarled. Jasper leaned forward again, waiting for me to snap. But Edward ignored them and wrapped his arms tightly around my newly frozen form, pressing his lips against my cheek. â€Å"I was rather hoping that I'd be able to hear your mind, now that it is more similar to my own,† he murmured. â€Å"And here I am, as frustrated as ever, wondering what could possibly be going on inside your head.† I felt better at once. â€Å"Oh well,† I said lightly, relieved that my thoughts were still my own. â€Å"I guess my brain will never work right. At least I'm pretty.† It was becoming easier to joke with him as I adjusted, to think in straight lines. To be myself. Edward growled in my ear. â€Å"Bella, you have never been merely pretty.† Then his face pulled away from mine, and he sighed. â€Å"All right, all right,† he said to someone. â€Å"What?† I asked. â€Å"You're making Jasper more edgy by the second. He may relax a little when you've hunted.† I looked at Jasper's worried expression and nodded. I didn't want to snap here, if that was coming. Better to be surrounded by trees than family. â€Å"Okay. Let's hunt,† I agreed, a thrill of nerves and anticipation making my stomach quiver. I unwrapped Edward's arms from around me, keeping one of his hands, and turned my back on the strange and beautiful woman in the mirror.

Operational security Working Title Essay

Operational security is an extremely important part of our everyday lives while in a deployed enviroment. This fact is amplified that much more when the deployment includes being stationed in a country where the enemy could go undetected, as our foes do not wear a uniform. In a war where there is no front, and as part of our out reach with the citizens of the country that we are occupying, it would be incredibily easy for our enimes to merge themselves into our everyday dealings. With that knowledge, it becomes ever more imnportant to maintain a hold of items that could easily be aquired by our foes. These items include papers, documents, unlocked computers, and identification cards. If left unattended or unacounted for, a potential for a security breach is very likely. With a breach of security the enemy could potentially obtain information that could lead to getting a step up on our forces, and in a worst case scenario beconme directly responsible for the death of military personnel. Likewise is true for the misplacement of the militraty identification card. If left in the wrong hands, the identification card presents an oppurtunity for frodulent entry, and/or duplication. In some replications of military identification cards, detection can be difficult, if not impossible to untrainned persons. Due to the difficulty of detection, and the relative ease in which someone can obtain United States militray uniforms, it would be all too easy to impersonation a service memember. This could lead to all sorts of additional security problems. History has been laced with examples of people mascurading about in uniforms, doing all sorts of damages to their opposition. When an infringment of opperational security occurs, it is made that much more severe when the infraction goes unreported. Being blindsided by such a potentially devestating situation adds to the damages that could become of such an incident. Without the knowledge of a situation being out to the proper channels, it prevents proper preperation in case the infringment would turn out to become something more than a simple mistake; and transforms into a full scale disaster of an occurance. The easiest solution to preventing an unprepared operational security hit, aside from maintaining proper operational security is by reporting the incident as soon as it becomes known and by not obstructing any inquires made into the infraction. If the knowledge of an unintentinal security breach is made aware to the proper channels, the necesary steps in prevention can occur. Being prepared helps to reduce significant amounts of damages that can be done if left otherwise unprepared, and unknowledgable of any of the specifics of the nature of the breach of security. With that being said, it is without a doubt not the best course of action to keep such things ‘in-house’, or attempt to ‘cover up’ infrindgments of opperational security. By attempting to cover up an event as significant as an operational security breach, one can also infrindge on the Army Values. The army values are a guide line for behavior and conduct. As follows are the defenition of each values and a brief description as how each are affected by attempted cover ups; Loyalty Bear true faith and allegiance to the U.S. constitution, the Army, and other soldiers. Be loyal to the nation and its heritage. By not reporting critical information, one is indirectly being disloyal to his fellow troops. Withholding information also shows a lack of faith in anyone who could be in a position to aid in the dilema. Another element of loyalty comes from our individual loyalty to the greater good of our Army and our country. Rensis Likert said â€Å"The greater the loyalty of a group toward the group, the greater is the motivation among the members to achieve the goals of the group, and the greater the probability that the group will achieve its goals.† This is true in the Army today. Our loyalty to the United States of America and the values we hold dear make us a fierce fighting force. I personally am loyal to the death to both the U.S. Army and my country. Loyalty is the foundation of any good friend ship and also had the ability to turn a group of common men i nto a fierce fighting team. Duty Fulfill your obligations. Accept responsibility for your own actions and those entrusted to your care. Find opportunities to improve oneself for the good of the group. Fulfilling the Letter and Intent of Jefferson’s Order. The Corps of Discovery never wavered from its mission. Additionally, Lewis, Clark, and several of the men kept journals. Sergeant Ordway was the only one to make daily entries. Respect Rely upon the golden rule. How we consider others reflects upon each of us, both personally and as a professional org. Respect is one of the army’s seven values but it is also one of the most important factors in our daily life.Sure you can get thru this life without having respect but it makes it very hard.without having respect for one another we put ourselves at the bottom of the list for everything.Also if we dont show respect how can we recieve respect back and without recieving the respect from our peers or those set above us how can we ever move ahead in this life.Respect is one of the easiest things to do simply holding a door open for someone is showin them respect.In that aspect courtesy goes a long ways. This is a simple essay to write since respect spans every part of our daily life like when we get in our car and drive to the store,jogging in the park even.pretty much everywhere we go and communicate with other people respect is involved.It is for this reason that respect is so important cus u never know when the person you hold the door for is the person deciding to accept your application for a new job or even getting you that promotion that you have been waiting so long for.anization. Selfless Service Put the welfare of the nation, the Army, and your subordinates before your own. Selfless service leads to organizational teamwork and encompasses discipline, self-control and faith in the system. Adversity Along the Way. Hard physical labor characterized every day, but the Corps of Discovery conquered every navigational hazard and overcame a variety of physical ills – boils, blisters, bunions, sunstroke, dysentery, fatigue, injuries, colds, fevers, snakebites, ticks, gnats, toothaches, headaches, sore throats, bad mosquitoes, and prickly pear cactus. Honor Live up to all the Army values Importance of Character. Lewis and Clark were very thorough in selecting only the best men for the mission – those who would work together for the good of the group and pull their own weight. Integrity Do what is right, legally and morally. Be willing to do what is right even when no one is looking. It is our â€Å"moral compass† an inner voice. Degree of Freedom. Many times the men were on their own as the captains performed their duties. On the return trip, Lewis and Clark divided the Corps of Discovery into five separate detachments (under the commands of Lewis, Clark, Ordway, Gass, and Pryor) to accomplish independent missions. Only two men were discharged from the expedition – Reed for desertion and Newman for mutinous conduct. Personal Courage Our ability to face fear, danger, or adversity, both physical and moral courage.