A Critical rationale for the delivery of the PE, School Sport and Club Essay

A Critical rationale for the delivery of the PE, School Sport and Club Links (PESSCL) initiative - Essay Example Inadequate delivery of professional services to the members of public. Lack of support for health education on the part of some teachers, parents and administrators (Reidy, 2008, p. 31) Recent findings suggest that some trends such as drug and alcohol use are major contributory factors to increased health challenges in the world. Other factors that have made the situation worse include tobacco use which predisposes to users to cancer. Also, sexual behaviours, and dietary behaviours have contributed to more serious issues. U.K. has continued to fight health issues by coming up with different approaches to regulation, enforcement and incentives for compliance. There are different priorities and policies which have resulted in various differences existing between the health services systems. In addition there are private health sectors that which are considerably smaller to cater for the financially well up (Campbell, 2011, p. 40). For instance, in England most health care is provided for by the National Health Service which is accounted for in the Department of Health’s budget. Each of these systems provide health care and ambulance services for emergencies especially when patients are not able to use public means of transport. More so dental services are provided through private dental practices and dentists have no mandate to inflate the standard rate to offer the services. Other most outstanding features of UK health services are lower waiting time for the patients. This ensures that there is no delay while patients wait for services. This is a big contrast in relation to most African countries which lack such clearly defined medical services and schemes. Children are subject to higher incidences of exposure to health issues due to their behaviour and physiology. 1in every 10 children suffer from diagnosable mental health conditions. More so, most children in U.K. suffer from obesity which is a condition

Apple lnc

Apple lnc Apple lnc, is an American multinational corporation that designs and manufactures consumer electronics and computer products. The companys well-known products include the Macintosh computers, the IPod and the iPhone. This company was established in Cupertino, California on April 1, 1976. On January, 1977, the company had been incorporated as the name called Apple Computer, lnc. for over 30 years. The company have decided to change their companys name to Apple lnc.. Apple lnc. operates more than 250 retail shops in nine countries and an online store. It has about 35,000 employees in the whole world and had worldwide annual sales of $32.48 billion dollars at the end of the year 2008. (Seekingalpha.com,2009) According to the research in 2009, Apple lnc. has a high market share for about 7.96%. (www.apple.com ,2009) 1.2 Theory Product: Business must make sure that their products are meeting the needs of their customers. Their product must be suitable for their customers. (HALL,D, et al, P75) Price: The pricing policy that a business chooses is often a reflection of the market at which it is aiming. Prices will not always be set at the level which will maximize sales or short-run profits. (HALL,D, et al, P75) Promotion: There is a number of promotional methods a business can use including above the line promotions. (HALL,D, et al, P75) Place: This refers to the means by which the product will be distributed to the consumer. (HALL,D, et al, P75) Market segmentation: Breaking down a market into sub-groups with similar characteristics is known as Market Segmentation. (HALL,D, et al, P75) 1.3 Aims Fortunately, the report will recommend the theory of Marketing and Business. Thirdly, the next purpose of this report is to try to explain one of the ads for IPod.(Figure 1) Then, this report is going to investigate why the Ads has been product like its style and type. According to this report, the writer is going to state how this Ad work in the market. Finally, the final goal is to predict the future development of Apple lnc. 3. Findings 3.1 Color First of all, it is clear that there are many different background colors in IPods ads, such as pink, red, blue and yellow. It is a random color for the background in all of the IPods ads and the color will never changeless. On the basis of this ad, the background color is pink, a color which is very romantic. 3.2 Spokesman IPods ads never use the same spokesman. The person in the ads are always in black whether they are men, women or children. In this ad, there is a pretty girl in the ad who is in black and this become another selling point. The consumer will never find out who the man or woman is because it is in black. 3.3 Production This is an ad for IPod nano, which is one of the most important product in Apple lnc. IPod nano is a MP3 which is very small and fashion. Thus, in their ads it is always a white IPod nano in the spokesmans hands or pockets. Therefore, black and white become a contrast color so that it can be easy to see that the colors of IPod and person are completely different from each other. Consumers can see different person with different IPod nano, but not other MP3 or MP4. 3.4 Catchphrase The catchphrase for this ad is, The best just got better. 3.5 Price According to the internet, the price of IPod nano is higher than other MP3s. For an 8GB IPod nano, it will cost the consumers $149 dollars or more than 1000 yuan and 16GB IPod attend to a price at $179.00 dollars.(APPLE STORE, US) 4. Discussion 4.1 Color According to Color Wheel Pro See Color Theory in Action, Red is the color of fire and blood, so it is associated with energy, strength, power, determination as well as passion desire and love. Red is a very emotionally intense color. It enhances human metabolism, increases respiration rate, and raises blood pressure. Red also brings text and images to the foreground. Pink is a color which is an embranchment of red, it means signifies romance, love, and friendship which is denotes feminine qualities and passiveness. (Color Wheel Pro) This ads background color is pink so that consumers can notice that this production is filled with energy and power which is very suitable for the youth. Contributed to there are many kinds of background color, the place can change to every kind of places. Every color represents a place, which means that the consumer can use the IPod nano anywhere and anytime they like. 4.2 Spokesman Spokesman, definition from Ansewers.com, Spokesman is a man who speaks on behalf of another or others. (Spokesman, Dictionary) Consumers can not recognize the spokesman in this ad because she is in black. The company does not care about whether the spokesman is famous or not because their propagandistic main point is their production, IPod. The black color stand for every kinds of person can use IPod. There are no circumscriptions whether the consumers are old or young, boy or girl. It means that everyone can use IPod anyplace. 4.3 Marketing mix 4.3.1 Price According to Business Studies (Hall, D et al), Price will not always be set at the level which will maximize sales or short-run profits. It means that IPod should have different of prices level for the consumers to buy. The price can not be the same because every consumer has their own demand. The demand will decrease if the price never changes or the product is always the same as before. Compare with other MP3s, IPods price is higher than other products. According to store.apple.com, for an 8GB IPod nano, it will cost you $149 dollars and 16GB IPod attend to a price at $179.00 dollars.(APPLE STORE, US) The price urge IPod to be the best brand in MP3. Relative to other MP3s in China, it can be easy seen that the price is very high so that it become valuable production in China. 4.3.2 Place According to Business Studies (Hall ,D et al), Place refers to the means by which the product will be distributed to the consumer. The main idea in this Ad depend on consumers is able to use IPod nano everywhere. The size and weight become the superiority of IPod which is better than any other MP3. The Ad show this idea from the place where the consumers put their IPod in. 4.3.3 Promotion According to Business Studies (Hall ,D et al), there is a number of promotional methods a business can use including above the line promotions. The Apple lnc. dose the same work on promotion as other companies. Sometimes they hold sales promotion in retail space, therefore, it become a chance to get sponsorship for their advertising. Sale promotion is a function which the consumers prefer to attend because they will buy products in low price. Sales at the expense of profits is a good way to make profits. 4.4 Catchphrase The catchphrase for this ad is, The best just got better. This is a sentence which is short but deep thinking. The word best and better can be easily change in to anything as the company like. The consumers become able to put more interest in the product which the company what to sell. 5. Recommendations To summarize, This Ad is suitable for IPod because of its exquisite idea. Based on the above discussion, IPod will become the youths first choice because its fashion and superiority. The fact have proved that Ipod is now the best mp3 for the youth. Never theless, if the company do not compare with others, its lifecycle will be end. Apple lnc. is reviving by brought up new products and changing target market. From different kinds of Ipods, it definitely shows that expand target market is very necessary for every company. The Ad has play an important role in attracting consumers and increasing market share. Because of its superiority Ad, IPod has become one of the best MP3 in the world. However, the developing market are never fully explored in a short period of time, it is still a good chance for Apple lnc. to expand their company size and making good advertisement might be a good choice. In a word, there is a good way for all the company to expand themselves and the target market. 6. References http://seekingalpha.com/article/115797-apple-inc-f1q09-qtr-end-12-27-08-earnings-call-transcript?source=front_page_transcriptspage=-1 (access at 2009) http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2008/10/21results.html (access at 2009) http://baike.baidu.com/view/14874.htm (access at 2009) http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_ipod/family/ipod_nano?mco=MTAyNTQzMjM (access at 2009) http://www.answers.com/topic/spokesman (access at 2009) Hall, D., R, Jones, C. Raffo, A. Anderton (2008 4th p75), publication: British Library Cataloguing

Essays --

Trade-studies are used to figure out the best possible approach. Trade studies functions includes improving a particular aspect of the system design to figure out the best approach to be used given a well-defined set of technical choices and parameters [1]. The inputs of the trade study are the DDP of competing technical solutions or just one widely variable solution. These inputs can consist of models of those technical solutions, the stakeholder’s priority ranked operational requirements, system life-cycle considerations, and other data. The output of a trade-study is a decision on which technical route to follow based on the desired characteristics of the system within the alternatives being studied. The trade-study will also document the justification of the decision. The goal of this section is to explain the process that provides the trade study its justifying power, a little more detail on those inputs and outputs, when and how many trade studies are conducted, what t he sensitivity analyses are, and how alternatives are analyzed are related to trade-studies. AoA and trade-st...

Netflix Case

Davor Ramesa k0956979 Netflix case Executive summary What is Netflix’s strategy in the on-line movie rental market? What are Netflix’s sources of competitive advantage? Identify the competences key to the success of Netflix’s strategy and explain why. Netflix was a late entrant to the movie rental market and it was a first mover in the on – line movie rental market. Netflix’s strategy in the movie rental market is differentiation from traditional movie rental stores. Instead of attracting customers to a retail location, Netflix offered home delivery of DVDs through the mail. Why only DVDs? In 1998, most available movies were in VHS cassette format but Netflix concentrated on using only DVDs because its marketing strategy was to develop cross promotional programs with the manufacturers and sellers of DVD players, providing a source of content for the customers. Also, there was no competition in that niche market and DVDs were small and light which made them perfect for mail delivery. Netflix had several sources of competitive advantage. For starters, Netflix’s website included a search engine that allowed customers to easily sort through its selection by title, actor, etc. Using these search engine customers could easily and quickly find a movie that they would like instead of looking on shelves of a retail store. Netflix was using the US Postal Service to deliver DVDs directly to a customer’s home. It was more convenient for customers. They used similar pricing to that offered by traditional video stores in the beginning but what gave them the competitive advantage was moving to a subscription prepaid service. And, soon afterwards they offered unlimited rentals to customers because they were targeting another group of customers – ones that wanted the convenience of watching a movie at any time and change them unlimited during a month. Netflix’s engineers developed a proprietary recommendation system. They have done so because mostly the new movies were being rented and they wanted to balance customers demand. How did this system work? Upon signing into a new account for the first time, customers took a survey to identify their favorite movie genres, as well as rate specific movie titles. This survey gave enough data to Netflix’s engineers to build a base and understand better customer’s preferences. Also, Netflix’s size and growth rate generated a positive †network effect† from its large customer – generated rating system. Because it had the largest collection of movie ratings in the world, customers recognized that they were more likely to have their tastes and preferences accurately reflected from Netflix’s site. The key to success in Netflix’s strategy was hiring Ted Sarandos as chief content office to manage content acquisition. He managed (due to his relationships) to negotiate direct revenue – sharing agreements with nearly all the majors studios. So Netflix was able to improve its relationships with its suppliers. The benefit was not just lower acquisition costs but the promotion of lesser known movies. So, customers had the benefit of large variety of movies. Also, using the proprietary recommendation system and the national inventory Netflix was able to replicate almost perfect inventory. This gave them a serious competitive advantage, since retail stores needed three or five times the copies of a movie to satisfy the same customer demand. Assess Netflix’s performance? Use multiple performance measures (strategic and financial). Table below shows (in 000$) Netflix’s performance using 2 financial ratios in year 1998 and 2006. (source : Netflix 2006 10-k) As we can see from the table, in year 1998 Netflix had poor performance. We can see that it was losing 16. 84 thousands of dollars to subscription (sales= revenue of subscription). Net profit margin was not any better a -18. 940$ . We can see that their operating profit margin was 0. 69 thousands of dollars and net profit margin was 0,04 thousand of dollars in 2006. Why was there such a change in profitability? Answer lies in the number of total subscribers which has grown from 107 000 in 1999 to 6 316 000 in 2006. (source: Netflix 2006 10-k). Number of subscribers was constantly growing since 1998 due to good strategy decisions like : proprietary recommendation system , hiring of Ted Sarandos and opening more distribution centers. All of these moves had one purpose: to add value to their product by increasing customer’s satisfaction. How does Netflix’s strategy compare to Blockbuster? Compare and contrast each’s value chain. Factors which determine the value of the product: Price – of the movie Delivery Time – how long do the customers wait for getting the movie Convenience – what actions do the customers have to do to get the movie Other factors(recommendation system, availability of new movies) Late fees Although prices of Netflix and Blockbuster for a single DVD rental are now the same (10$ per movie-source: http://reviews. cnet. com/4520-11445_7-6325775-1. html), Netflix had an additional value because it offered unlimited rental with the same pricing (an example: you pay monthly fee and you can exchange movies, so you can watch several different DVD†s for the price of one). If you want to rent a movie from a Blockbuster retail store, you can do it in a relatively short time (time you need to get to a retail store) as management proclaimed 10 minute drive for 70% of US population. Delivery time for Netflix is their disadvantage in comparison to Blockbuster, it takes a day or two. Convenience – Netflix has the advantage here since you can order movies from the comfort of your home by using the internet. Blockbuster doesn’t have a recommendation system like Netflix. It only has an employee that can recommend movies to a customer. Netflix has advantage here since it can recommend a movie accordingly to the taste of each customer. New movies are available pretty much the same for both companies. Late fees – in 2005. Blockubuster decided to abolish late fees which gave them an advantage over Netflix, increasing customer satisfaction but also gave them significant costs: 60 milion $ marketing + 600 million dollar of revenue loss. What challenges and opportunities does Netflix face? What are the major risks? Major challenge for Netflix’s online DVD rental business is VOD (video on demand). VOD offers additional value to the customer – no waiting period, since it uses streaming technology to provide customers a movie with no waiting period. This is also an opportunity for Netflix since it has the possibility to implement this new technology into its core business but there are several cons of doing so. First issue is that this feature would cannibalize the core business because Netflix would replace stream of positive cash flows with another. Also Netflix found no way to differentiate itself against competitors like MovieLink and Vongo. Another major risks or challenges for Netflix are cable and satellite providers which offer pay-per-view system, providing HD on demand. For now these services had two primary limitations: technology and content availability. Another major challenge is the entry of Blockbuster in the DVD online rental market. As a bigger company Blockbuster has the financial funds to attract more subscribers using heavy marketing. This entry directly enters Netflix’s niche market and now Netflix has to find a way to differentiate. For starters, what would be Netflix’s entry strategy to these new markets? It could ship the DVDs from USA but this option would have serious disadvantages like import tariffs, shipping costs, long delivery time which would lead to customer dissatisfaction and a very small market share with probably losses rather than profits. If Netflix would open a subsidiary in Europe it would not have problems like the latter but it would need investors since financing the whole subsidiary may present a problem for Netflix. Another issue is that Europe, as a difference to the US, is consisted of many small independent countries with their own laws and import tariffs so this could be a problem as well. Another problem is the customers preferences. If Netflix would try to ship movies from the US (which would also present shipping costs) the European customers might not like US movies that much. They might prefer European movies better. Another issue is that Netflix doesn’t have an established relationship with any European movie studio. So they would lose the competitive advantage that they have in the US. Another problem is the language barrier. In many countries like Germany, Italy, or Spain, movies are synchronized into their mother tongue. So customers might not be willing to rent these movies in the English language. Another issue is the competition in Europe which perhaps would be more competent than Netflix since they know better the customers needs, laws, and other issues mentioned already. Netflix as a company started with an emerging technology – DVD, then. Now the new technology is Blu- ray and as the VHS format was replaced by DVD there are good chances that Blu-ray will replace DVD format. Because Blu-ray technology gives a better resolution than a DVD customers might be willing to switch so Netflix should start to fill its inventory with blu-ray discs and maybe like they did in the past with VHS promote and rent only Blu-ray discs. The goal for Netflix’s is to find the best media (low cost, high quality) for watching a movie or even better – no media at all. Netflix’s, as I see it, biggest threat to DVD rental business is online video streaming. Why? With this technology customers have no waiting period and complete convenience. And these are very important factors when customers are making their decision about watching a movie. Decisive competence key for Netflix is the recommendation system and they should use it with online video streaming.

Unity Bank

Oct-Nov 2006: Smaller company acquires a market leader June 2007: major integration: systems & operations Unity’s integration goals: †¢ Save $60 million worth of IT expenses within 3 years on staff and infrastructure †¢ Wants to be the world’s #1 provider of share registry services †¢ Maximize shareholder wealth CIO, Stuart Irving worries: †¢ Lack of due diligence because of legal problems †¢ Hart Scott Rodino Act prevented proper communications †¢ Unknown bugs within Delta’s operations might affect the integration’s timeline & budgetary goals †¢ Present a short and efficient integration to the investors †¢ OVERVIEWUNITY Strengths †¢ †¢ Very efficient technologically Professional and experienced staff members Good incentives, innovative projects: keeps staff motivated and stimulated Remarkable ability to attract talented professionals Family oriented work environment †¢ †¢ Weaknesses Small player in US market Difficulty hiring entry level programmers because BLAIR uses COBOL †¢ Strengths Delta has more clients and is a bigger brand in the US LEADER: uses object-oriented programming language †¢ †¢ †¢ DELTA Weaknesses Technological challenges Limited capabilities Duplication of resources due to systems’ limitations Failed integrations in the past Clients can’t view portfolio of investments †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ PROBLEM STATEMENT A. Determine the enterprise platform? B. Staff motivation issues C. Create a new organizational structure? D. Attract star performers? E. Start building the infrastructure for the new organization? DISCUSSION OF KEY ISSUES A. Determining the enterprise platform Delta has 4 different systems Clients/Employees on different systems No consistency in user experience Leader: Delta’s attempt to consolidate all of its systems Unity has one system: BLAIR Written in COBOL (hard to find employees /training costs) Issue: What is the best way to integrate the two organizations?Clients can’t view their investments as a portfolio Clients experience differences in services because of the different systems Inefficient Staff and infrastructure is costly/Creates wasted resources A. Determining the enterprise platform SCENARIO 1: US Demand increases SCENARIO 2: Stock decreases because of previous integration failures NEGATIVE: Integration is too timely to show investors that it’s a successful integration SCENARIO 3: Increase in Delta star-performer resignation POSITIVE: Easier to hire entry level programmers, develop new features and customize system SCENARIO 4: US Demand Decreases ALTERNATIVE 1: Upgrade Leader to BLAIR’s capabilities: $45 million POSITIVE: Ability to easily hire entry level programmers.NEGATIVE: Less funds to test and develop Leader. Taking a risk of using a new system with remaining users. NEGATIVE: Leader hasn’t been tested in the field ALTERNATIVE 2: Use BLAIR to provide services under Delta’s brand POSITIVE: BLAIR has been tested in the field and proved to be efficient POSITIVE: The use of BLAIR will shorten the integration time. NO EFFECT NEGATIVE: BLAIR is proven to be inefficient in US market NEGATIVE: Difficulty hiring entry level programmers and developing new features. ALTERNATIVE 3: Keep both systems temporarily POSITITVE: Both systems are tested in their fields and employees are experienced NEGATIVE: Costly. Inefficient.NEGATIVE: The goal of the acquisition is not achieved POSITIVE: Allow Unity to retain star performers and evaluate them further NEGATIVE: Less funds to maintain both systems and infrastructures DISCUSSION OF KEY ISSUES B. Delta’s staff – motivation issues Staff is not unified No effective communication Lack of information flow from Delta to Unity Decreased team work Feeling of â€Å"Unity vs. Delta† among employees Fence sitters Skeptical about new managementâ €™s promises Fear of uncertainty DISCUSSION OF KEY ISSUES C. Creating a new IT Organizational Structure Issue: How to create an efficient integration team? Unity or Delta? Who should be in control?Delta employees knew their systems Unity is the acquirer If things are left as they are: Cost inefficient/Timely Trainings Duplicated jobs/salaries Affected by disengaged staff Can’t be sure who is a star performer DISCUSSION OF KEY ISSUES D. Attracting star performers Limitations of due diligence Unity is only familiar with upper management of Delta’s staff Disengaged/demoralized employees Unclear who is a top performer Not sure how to motivate a staff until their services are no longer needed B. Staff motivation C. Organizational structure D. Attracting star performers ALTERNATIVE 1: Create team-oriented incentive programs/ competitive environment ALTERNATIVE 2: Integration task force 50/50 staff SCENARIO 1: Demand increases SCENARIO 2: Stock decreases because of previo us integration failuresSCENARIO 3: Increase in Delta star-performer resignation SCENARIO 4: Sales decrease POSITIVE: Funds available to support programs POSITIVE: Competitive environment will speed up the process of integration POSITIVE: Staff is no longer demoralized and disengaged – able to assist with a speedy integration NEGATIVE: Staff is demoralized and disengaged – unable to assist with a speedy integration NEGATIVE: Increase in employee apathy and willingness to accept severance and look for employment elsewhere. POSITIVE: Allows to identify remaining star performers and retaining them NEGATIVE: Difficult to create and maintain a strong integration task forceNEGATIVE: Decrease in funds to support programs. POSITIVE: Staff is no longer demoralized and disengaged – able to meet demand NEGATIVE: Delta staff demoralized and unable to meet demand POSITIVE: People eager to keep jobs, demand met NO EFFECT ALTERNATIVE 3: Keep it Unity: all supervisors NEGATIVE: More Delta employees disengaged and looking to resign NEGATIVE: More Delta employees disengaged and looking to resign NEGATIVE: Trust in Unity decreases ALTERNATIVE 4: Issue contract expirations depending on deadlines NEGATIVE: People eager to keep jobs – unethical conduct increases – no longer family oriented environment DISCUSSION OF KEY ISSUES E.Starting to build the infrastructure for the new organization Unity and Delta ran completely different phone systems, networking hardware, office servers, and PC systems Hardware changes were imperative in order for the organization to operate as a single unit How to decrease duplication of expenses on resources? Buildings/Hardware/Maintenance expenses must decrease Organization has to operate as a single unit Reductions = Savings Building the infrastructure for the new organization ALTERNATIVE 1: Create an expense evaluation team: Delta and Unity 50/50 SCENARIO 1: Demand increases SCENARIO 2: Stock decreases because of prev ious integration failures SCENARIO 3: Increase in Delta star-performer resignation SCENARIO 4: Sales decrease POSITIVE: Staff is able to evaluate and determine the best use of resource allocation NEGATIVE: Resources consolidated/ difficulty meeting demand POSITIVE: Assist in decreasing duplicated expenses thus amplifying earningsPOSITIVE: Ability to hire entry level replacements will decrease company’s wage expense NEGATIVE: More Delta employees disengaged and looking to resign POSITIVE: Assist in decreasing duplicated expenses thus amplifying earnings ALTERNATIVE 2: Geographic integrations: Keep Unity supervisors POSITIVE: Getting rid of redundant assets could increase earnings temporarily NEGATIVE: Unclear if this integration strategy will be successful NEGATIVE: Unclear if this integration strategy will be successful NEGATIVE: Trust in Unity decreases ALTERNATIVE 3: Close down all Delta buildings NEGATIVE: Resources consolidated/ difficulty meeting demand NEGATIVE: More De lta employees disengaged and looking to resign NEGATIVE: Trust in Unity decreases

Mother Of Invention Essays - Science And Technology, Engineering

Mother Of Invention Essays - Science And Technology, Engineering Mother Of Invention Necessity is the mother of invention or is it? The real mother of invention is not necessity, but curiosity. From the discovery of electricity, the invention of the light bulb, car, airplane, and air conditioning to Global Positioning Satellite systems curiosity has been the reason behind the invention. One of the greatest discoveries ever was the discovery of electricity. Ben Franklin has been given the most credit for the discovery of electricity. Before the legendary kite experiment in 1752 electricity was a known force of nature, but it had not been thoroughly studied. Even after that Franklin did not know what potential his discovery of electricity had. It is said that he once tried to kill a Christmas turkey with electricity, but accidentally made contact with the current and received a nice shock. As time progressed Franklin created more and more electrical devices including the battery and the lightening rod (Thinkquest.org). These inventions were discovered through theories and hypothesis that Franklin thought might be true and he tried them and they worked. All of these things are nice, and today people probably would have difficulty living without them, but at the time in the mid-1700's people had no need for electricity. There is another wonderful invention called the incandescent light bulb. Thomas Edison was a professional inventor. He wanted to see if he could create a better way to light a home that with candles or lamps. And so Edison invented the incandescent light bulb. Edison tried to come out with an invention every ten days. This invention came about in October 1879 (Thomas Edison birthplace Museum). Although people wanted another way to light their homes they did a fine job by using torches and lamps. They had a want for something better, but not a need for a light bulb. The invention of the air conditioning unit is a very popular one here in Phoenix. This again was not a necessity; in fact even today it is not a necessity it is actually a luxury. In 1902, after earning a Master's degree in Electrical Engineering from Cornell University Willis Carrier invented the first air conditioner. He wanted to see if there was a more efficient way of cooling air and making the air cleaner than what the current ventilation systems could do. This was a great invention because before the air conditioner people had good ventilation systems to cool off buildings and this worked somewhat. The air that came in would smell like the vents and the air wasn't really cooled. But with the air conditioning not only could you control the air temperature, but you could also control the humidity. This was good for scientific experiments (MIT's Invention Demention website). Even though the air conditioning was a great invention, it is not a necessity. People can and do live with out air conditioning units in both cars and homes, they may sweat a lot but they do live. Another great invention was that of the car. At the time that the car was invented people got around by horse and carriage, or by foot. This was the socially accepted means of travel and people did not need anything more than a way to get from point a to point b. In 1896 Henry Ford built his first automobile. Ford wanted to see if he could make a faster means of travel. In 1903 Ford established the Ford Motor Company. He revolutionized the world with his assembly lines, and the low cost of his cars. His first car the Model T is very well known and for around $200 was affordable. Ford paid their workers an unheard of $5 a day which meant that a worker could afford to buy the cars that they made (National Inventors Hall of Fame website). Although I like my car a lot and I know that many people couldnt function without their cars, but when Ford invented the car if you wanted to get somewhere you either walked or you rode a horse making the car not a necessity. The invention of the airplane was a revolutionary one. The Wright brothers invented the airplane in 1903. The Wright's wanted to see if it was possible for man to

Declaration of Independence importance essays

Declaration of Independence importance essays The Declaration of Independence, signed on July 4th 1776, is one of the most important documents in American history. It helped to define Americas values and its freedom, as it still stands today. The people of the 13 colonies had been trying to revolt from the power of Great Britain for 14 months while proclaiming their allegiance to the crown. In 1776, after the Second Continental Congress met, a decision was made that the only definite way to declare independence would be a statement to the British king. The colonists wanted to make clear exactly why they decided to take this action, and carefully presented their arguments in the Declaration. The Declaration of Independence can be divided into four parts. The first part is an introduction which explains why the colonies wished to declare their independence, and the necessity of independence for a successful new country. The second part describes the unalienable rights, which are not granted by governments, but instead guaranteed to mankind at birth. However, the colonists felt that the current British government was violating these natural born rights, and that the settlers could create a much more effective government to run the new country. They stated that one of the main purposes of their government was to secure and protect these rights. Furthermore, the new government would be based on the consent of the governed, which should be the sole source of the government's authority. If the colonies government violated the peoples vision of a stable government, then it would be their right to overthrow it. The third part of the document is a list of grievances and compl aints against King George III, who represented all of the British actions. These grievances are examples of actions that violated the criteria for a good government as stated in the second part of the Declaration of Independence. These grievances justify separation from the King's t...

HMS Nelson in World War II

HMS Nelson in World War II HMS Nelson (pennant number 28) was a Nelson-class battleship that entered service with the Royal Navy in 1927. One of two ships of its class, Nelsons design was a result of the limitations imposed by the Washington Naval Treaty. This resulted in the entirety of its main armament of 16-inch guns mounted forward of the battleships superstructure. During World War II, Nelson saw extensive service in the Atlantic and Mediterranean as well as aided in supporting troops ashore after D-Day. The battleships final wartime service occurred in the Indian Ocean where it aided the Allied advance across Southeast Asia. Origins HMS Nelson  can trace its origins to the days after World War I. Following the conflict  the Royal Navy began designing its future classes of warships with the lessons learned during the war in mind. Having taken losses among its battlecruiser forces at  Jutland, efforts were made to emphasize firepower and improved armor over speed. Pushing forward, planners created the new G3 battlecruiser design which would mount 16 guns and have top speed of 32 knots. These would be joined by the N3 battleships carrying 18 guns and capable of 23 knots. Both designs were intended to compete with warships being planned by the United States and Japan. With the specter of a new naval arms race looming, leaders gathered in late 1921 and produced the  Washington Naval Treaty. The worlds first modern disarmament agreement, the treaty limited fleet size by establishing a tonnage ratio between Great Britain, the United States, Japan, France, and Italy. Additionally, it restricted future battleships to 35,000 tons and 16 guns. Given the need to defend a far flung empire, the Royal Navy successfully negotiated the tonnage limit to exclude weight from fuel and boiler feed water. Despite this, the four planned G3 battlecruisers and four N3 battleships still exceeded the treaty limitations and the the designs were cancelled. A similar fate befell the U.S. Navys  Lexington-class battlecruisers and  South Dakota-class battleships. Design In an effort to create a new battleship that met the required criteria, British planners settled on a radical design which placed all of the ships main guns forward of the superstructure. Mounting three triple turrets, the new design saw A and X turrets mounted on the main deck, while B turret was in a raised (superfiring) position between them. This approach aided in reducing displacement as it limited the area of the ship requiring heavy armor. While a novel approach, A and B turrets often caused damage to equipment on the weather deck when firing forward and X turret routinely shattered the windows on the bridge when firing too far abaft. HMS Nelson in the years before World War II. Public Domain Drawing from the G3 design, the new types secondary guns were clustered aft. Unlike every British battleship since HMS Dreadnought (1906), the new class did not possess four propellers and instead employed only two. These were powered by eight Yarrow boilers generating around 45,000 shaft horsepower. The use of two propellers and a smaller power plant was done in an effort to save weight. As a result, there were worries that the new class would sacrifice speed. To compensate, the Admiralty utilized an extremely hydrodynamically efficient hull form to maximize the vessels speed.  In a further attempt to reduce displacement, an all or nothing approach to armor was used with areas either being heavily protected or not protected at all.  This method had been utilized earlier on the five classes that comprised the US Navys Standard-type battleships (Nevada-,  Pennsylvania-,  New Mexico-,  Tennessee-, and Colorado-classes). Those protected sections of the ship utilized an internal, inclined armor belt to increase the relative width of the belt to a striking projectile. Mounted aft, the ships tall superstructure was triangular in plan and largely built of lightweight materials. Construction and Early Career The lead ship of this new class, HMS Nelson, was laid down at Armstrong-Whitworth in Newcastle on December 28, 1922. Named for the hero of Trafalgar, Vice Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson, the ship was launched September 3, 1925. The ship was completed over the next two years and joined the fleet on August 15, 1927. It was joined by its sister ship, HMS Rodney in November. Made flagship of the Home Fleet, Nelson largely served in British waters. In 1931, the ships crew took part in the Invergordon Mutiny. The following year saw Nelsons anti-aircraft armament upgraded. In January 1934, the ship struck Hamiltons Reef, outside Portsmouth while en route to maneuvers in the West Indies. As the 1930s passed, Nelson was further modified as its fire control systems were improved, additional armor installed, and more anti-aircraft guns mounted aboard. HMS Nelson (28) Overview:Nation: Great BritainType: BattleshipShipyard: Armstrong-Whitworth, NewcastleLaid Down: December 28, 1922Launched: September 3, 1925Commissioned: August 15, 1927Fate: Scrapped, March 1949Specifications:Displacement: 34,490 tonsLength: 710 ft.Beam: 106 ft.Draft: 33 ft.Speed: 23.5 knotsComplement: 1,361 menArmament:Guns (1945)9 Ãâ€" BL 16-in. Mk I guns (3 Ãâ€" 3)12 Ãâ€" BL 6 in. Mk XXII guns (6 Ãâ€" 2)6 Ãâ€" QF 4.7 in. anti-aircraft guns (6 Ãâ€" 1)48 Ãâ€" QF 2-pdr AA (6 octuple mounts)16 Ãâ€" 40 mm anti-aircraft guns (4 Ãâ€" 4)61 Ãâ€" 20 mm anti-aircraft guns World War II Arrives When World War II began in September 1939, Nelson was at Scapa Flow with the Home Fleet. Later that month, Nelson was attacked by German bombers while escorting the damaged submarine HMS Spearfish back to port. The following month, Nelson and Rodney put to sea to intercept the German battlecruiser Gneisenau but were unsuccessful. Following the loss of HMS Royal Oak to a German U-boat at Scapa Flow, both Nelson-class battleships were re-based to Loch Ewe in Scotland. On December 4, while entering Loch Ewe, Nelson struck a magnetic mine that had been laid by U-31. Causing extensive damage and flooding, the explosion forced the ship to be taken to the yard for repairs. Nelson was not available for service until August 1940. While in the yard, Nelson received several upgrades including the addition of a Type 284 radar. After supporting Operation Claymore in Norway on March 2, 1941, the ship began protecting convoys during the Battle of the Atlantic. In June, Nelson was assigned to Force H and began operating from Gibraltar. Serving in the Mediterranean, it aided in protecting Allied convoys. On September 27, 1941, Nelson was hit by an Italian torpedo during an air attack forcing it to return to Britain for repairs. Completed in May 1942, it rejoined Force H as flagship three months later. In this role it supported efforts to resupply Malta. Amphibious Support As American forces began to gather in the region, Nelson provided support for the Operation Torch landings in November 1942. Remaining in the Mediterranean as part of Force H, it aided in blocking supplies from reaching Axis troops in North Africa. With the successful conclusion of fighting in Tunisia, Nelson joined other Allied naval vessels in aiding the invasion of Sicily in July 1943. This was followed by providing naval gunfire support for the Allied landings at Salerno, Italy in early September. HMS Nelson at Mers-el-Kebir during Operation Torch, 1942. Public Domain On September 28, General Dwight D. Eisenhower met with Italian Field Marshal Pietro Badoglio aboard Nelson while the ship was anchored at Malta. During this time, the leaders signed a detailed version of Italys armistice with the Allies. With the end of major naval operations in the Mediterranean, Nelson received orders to return home for an overhaul. This saw a further enhancement of its anti-aircraft defenses. Rejoining the fleet, Nelson was initially held in reserve during the D-Day landings. Ordered forward, it arrived off Gold Beach on June 11, 1944, and began providing naval gunfire support to British troops ashore. Remaining on station for a week, Nelson fired around 1,000 16 shells at German targets. Departing for Portsmouth on June 18, the battleship detonated two mines while en route. While one exploded approximately fifty yards to starboard, the other detonated beneath the forward hull causing considerable damage. Though the forward part of the ship experienced flooding, Nelson was able to limp into port. Final Service After assessing the damage, the Royal Navy elected to send Nelson to the Philadelphia Naval Yard for repairs. Joining westbound convoy UC 27 on June 23, it arrived in the Delaware Bay on July 4. Entering dry dock, work began to repair the damage caused by the mines. While there, the Royal Navy determined that Nelsons next assignment would be to the Indian Ocean. As a result, an extensive refit was conducted which saw the ventilation system improved, new radar systems installed, and additional anti-aircraft guns mounted. Leaving Philadelphia in January 1945, Nelson returned to Britain in preparation for deployment to the Far East. HMS Nelson (left) with HMS Rodney, undated. Public Domain Joining the British Eastern Fleet at Trincomalee, Ceylon, Nelson became the flagship of Vice Admiral W.T.C. Walkers Force 63. Over the next three months, the battleship operated off the Malayan Peninsula. During this time, Force 63 conducted air attacks and shore bombardments against Japanese positions in the region. With the Japanese surrender, Nelson sailed for George Town, Penang (Malaysia). Arriving, Rear Admiral Uozomi came aboard to surrender his forces. Moving south, Nelson entered Singapore Harbor on September 10 becoming the first British battleship to arrive there since the islands fall in 1942. Returning to Britain in November, Nelson served as flagship of the Home Fleet until being moved into a training role the following July. Placed in reserve status in September 1947, the battleship later served as a bombing target in the Firth of Forth. In March 1948, Nelson was sold for scrapping. Arriving at Inverkeithing the following year, the scrapping process began

Learning Styles Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Learning Styles - Term Paper Example Cooperative learning finds the students working effectively in groups. The result is productive learning and if this cooperative learning is planned well the benefits are innumerable. The students should be allowed to work on topics of their own choice. This manner the student’s social and academic ability would improve. The teacher can group the students based on their ability and learning skill. Therefore every group would have a top student, a middle student, and a struggling student. Examination of certain strategies in teaching would enhance better learning. As Felder and Soloman said, â€Å"when planning and developing instructional material, strive for a balance of teaching styles to match various learning styles†.The four basic styles of teaching include formal authority, demonstrator or personal model, facilitator and delegator. Formal authority epitomizes the teacher who adopts a centered approach for the teacher feels responsible for providing and calculating the impartation of knowledge which the student is to obtain and assimilate. The relationship between the teacher and student as well as between the students is not given importance. Teachers who use the formal authority method concentrate more on the content of the lesson while the student is expected to receive this content. The teacher enlightens the content and materials in a manner that enables the students to receive the crux of the lesson and appreciate the essence of the whole time spent in learning.

Pro-life and Prochoice campaigns and the ethical dilemmas within them Annotated Bibliography

Pro-life and Prochoice campaigns and the ethical dilemmas within them. - Annotated Bibliography Example For instance, most countries have been involved in many series of debates concerning the issue of abortion, euthanasia, corporate punishment, death punishment, and/or assisted suicide among many others. Lee claims that in more than one case, people end up failing to come to consensus, a situation that leads to lack of conclusive responses, which the whole issue a decision of an individual’s choice. The connotation â€Å"pro-life† that goes hand in hand with â€Å"pro-choice† are general episodes, which seeks to expound whether an individual is willing to carry out a certain agenda commonly, termed as an ethical dilemma. Since this expansion tends to involve the issue of ethics, it is very engulfing and poses serious challenges when it comes into making the final decision. This section talks about the Pro-Life spectrum, which is an issue that seeks to determine people’s thinking towards life especially when abortion is the subject. Under this spectrum, people engage themselves in a series of campaigns where they seek to publicize to everyone including the recently conceived human being has a right to equal live. As such, abortion should be condemned and termed as a crime of the highest order, as it is similar to committing murder (Lee 2).

Finance Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Finance - Assignment Example This affects the interest rates. An interest rate is at the very basic the cost money. It’s how much you pay to receive money and how much you earn to sell money. Banks basically help determine the interest rate. While each bank may offer different interest rates to customers, the basic rate or the discount rate is determined by the Central Bank (Mathieu, 1995, p. 64). This is the rate at which the central bank lends to all other banks. And the central bank sets this rate by considering factors such as the demand and supply of money, interest rates, exchange rates, balance of payments and the growth rate. The financial sectors set the interest rate which affects the exchange rate of a currency. A high interest rate means that the currency essentially â€Å"costs† more. It also means that if foreign investors put their money in local accounts they will get higher returns. This is known as hot money inflow. As more investors buy the local currency, the currency appreciates. While high interest rates lead to hot money inflows it also means that the country’s exports are now more expensive for foreigners. This means that if previously an American had to pay $1 for PKR 80, now they might have to pay $80/70 since $1 is now equal to PKR 70 and not PKR 80. This means that if previously an item in Pakistan cost PKR 800, the American had to pay $800/80=$10. But now since PKR has appreciated he has to pay $800/70=$11.43. So it costs him more now and depending on the elasticity of demand, he might buy less or not buy at all. So an appreciation of currency is not necessarily a good thing. On the other hand imports become cheaper. E.g. if a barrel of oil cost $100, a Pakistani importer had to pay PKR 100x80=PKR 8000 per barrel. But now he has to pay PKR 100x70= PKR 7000 per barrel. However as imports increase this can create inflationary pressures in the economy and on the balance of payments. If exports are greater than imports, all things held

A mix CD with Songs that Inspire Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

A mix CD with Songs that Inspire - Essay Example It also received a Golden Satellite Award nomination for â€Å"Best original Song in a Motion Picture†. It was nominated for the 2000 Grammy Award for â€Å"Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals†, losing to â€Å"I Still Have That Other girl† by Burt Bacharach and Elvis Costello. One of the features of the song is when Carey and Whitney Houston sing a section of the song in thirds; they have done this and still kept in tune. The lyrics of When You Believe consist of ten stanzas starting with a painful and seemingly hopeless situation gradually evolving into a more favorable one. The persona (who can be practically anyone) can begin to hope and believe in himself, thus enabling him to achieve. The first stanza goes thus: The speaker accepts that the fertile ground for miracles to happen is the presence of hope which is frail, yet hard to obliterate. He firmly states that when one believes, success is just around the corner. There are times in life when prayers remain unanswered and fear on all sides threaten to overwhelm. These are times when hope flies to other climes like summer birds before the onset of winter. But this is just a feeling as shown by the next stanza wherein the speaker wonders why he has not succumbed to failure. His heart overflows with words of gratitude that he never thought he would need to say. Of course, miracles such as these do not always take place when one asks for them. He admits that it is easy to give in to one’s fears. There are times when one cannot think straight because of the pain or see one’s way through the rain. (Rain here is used a s a metaphor meaning a state of suffering). It is then when a small but still resilient voice can be heard, saying that love can provide relief, love is the solution. The lyrics do not say whose voice it is, but the concluding paragraph hints that the voice is God’s voice. Everyone who is alive on this planet goes through difficult times. The song

E- Business report (2625words) and Analysis messages(500 words) Essay

E- Business report (2625words) and Analysis messages(500 words) - Essay Example An example of mobile marketing is safaricom which is a company based in Africa where goods and services can be purchased by customers using just a key in their mobile handsets. The focus in E-business is also laid on short messages services, but includes such methods like use of emails amongst other channels. Mobile marketing is an emerging issue in today’s developed and developing economies and as such should be properly addressed as it has a positive impact on e-marketing. Similar to mobile marketing, e-marketing greatly relies on the use of the internet to market and promote goods and services. E-business has made this process of e-marketing easier as it has allowed consumers to access internet activities through their handsets without having to use the traditional desktops and laptops commonly used in the past by individuals. Advancements in e-business have seen a change ‘towards the use and application of mobile phones among organizations and people who wishes to pa ss messages for various purposes and intended audiences. Today, many organizations are adopting me-marketing because they are seeing as an efficient way of marketing their products effectively than the earlier methods they used. However, in spite of e-business being an emerging issue in today’s businesses, using mobile channels is still a challenging issue to those who have not known the dos and don’ts of e-business. Laws and consumer behavior which were witnessed decades ago have drastically changed towards e-business. The mobile marketing forms currently being adopted are direct e-business, modern enabled marketing and traditional media marketing (Pasqua & Elkin, 2013). In e-business, the strongest potential towards service is always inclined towards the messages servicing whereby the voice services always become a commodity. Therefore, I consider e-business to be an effective marketing tool because it is

MySQL Information Technology Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

MySQL Information Technology - Research Paper Example The database of MySQL enables the users to develop a structure of relational database somewhere in the web-server so as to store information and do the necessary computing. When compared with the Microsoft Access, MySQL facilitates the users by organizing tables for them. Amongst other elements, the PHP serves as the queries. User’s forms play the role of individual web pages that contain fields. A combination of all these features allows the user to develop wonderful projects upon web which are very difficult to create without the use of MySQL. â€Å"The SQL part of â€Å"MySQL† stands for â€Å"Structured Query Language.† SQL is the most common standardized language used to access databases and is defined by the ANSI/ISO SQL Standard† (MySQL, 2011). Since the year 1986, SQL Standard has been evolving. Today, users can choose from numerous versions of SQL. MySQL is absolutely freely downloadable from the Internet and licensed by the GNU General Public Lic ense (GPL). GLP sets the rules for the use of MySQL in various situations. One of the most fundamental elements of MySQL that distinguish it from the conventional databases is its open source nature. Being open source, anybody can make use of and make alterations in the MySQL software. The source code can be altered as per the requirement of individual users. In a vast majority of cases, when a user already has a web-page or is getting one, PHP and MySQL are supported by the host. Servers which they are normally linked with include Linux. A user may check out the Dreamhost if he wants to gain the support of PHP and MySWL while getting his page. Some users have a difficult time dealing with the MySQL database because of their lack of prior interaction with the WYSIWYG interface which is afforded by the Microsoft Access. Therefore, when they have to develop tables, they either use SQL Statements for it or else, make use of some open source tool that can be downloaded from the Internet . Such tools are commonly referred to as the PHPMyAdmin. PHPMyAdmin provides the users with a user friendly interface which makes it easy for them to develop tables and forward their queries by providing the required information. This becomes particularly convenient for a user when he is tired or does not want to indulge in the lethargic SQL Statements. MySQL is significantly different in its properties, characteristics and uses from Microsoft Acess. After the creation of tables, it becomes very easy to use MySQL. MySQL far exceeds Microsoft Access in terms of both reliability and speed. In a relational database, data is kept in individual tables instead of one storeroom. This promotes flexibility and enhances the speed of the process. Microsoft Access is not much more than a system of desktop database. Small organizations can do with up to 20 users of Microsoft Access at one time, but hits as many as 10000 per day require a much more efficient and stronger system that is provided b y MySQL. The tables in MySQL can use real data unlike Microsoft Access. Need a text field that can hold over four billion characters? Not a problem, just use the LongText data type. Want the field to hold that many characters and be case-sensitive? Easy, just use the LongBlob data type. Need to store numbers from 0 to 18,446,744,073,709,551,615 (for those of you who are curious, that would be over 18 Quintillion), then use the BigInt data type. Indeed, 18 quintillion is a big integer. (Blue Moose

E- Business report (2625words) and Analysis messages(500 words) Essay

E- Business report (2625words) and Analysis messages(500 words) - Essay Example An example of mobile marketing is safaricom which is a company based in Africa where goods and services can be purchased by customers using just a key in their mobile handsets. The focus in E-business is also laid on short messages services, but includes such methods like use of emails amongst other channels. Mobile marketing is an emerging issue in today’s developed and developing economies and as such should be properly addressed as it has a positive impact on e-marketing. Similar to mobile marketing, e-marketing greatly relies on the use of the internet to market and promote goods and services. E-business has made this process of e-marketing easier as it has allowed consumers to access internet activities through their handsets without having to use the traditional desktops and laptops commonly used in the past by individuals. Advancements in e-business have seen a change ‘towards the use and application of mobile phones among organizations and people who wishes to pa ss messages for various purposes and intended audiences. Today, many organizations are adopting me-marketing because they are seeing as an efficient way of marketing their products effectively than the earlier methods they used. However, in spite of e-business being an emerging issue in today’s businesses, using mobile channels is still a challenging issue to those who have not known the dos and don’ts of e-business. Laws and consumer behavior which were witnessed decades ago have drastically changed towards e-business. The mobile marketing forms currently being adopted are direct e-business, modern enabled marketing and traditional media marketing (Pasqua & Elkin, 2013). In e-business, the strongest potential towards service is always inclined towards the messages servicing whereby the voice services always become a commodity. Therefore, I consider e-business to be an effective marketing tool because it is

Smart Phones by Conch Republic Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Smart Phones by Conch Republic - Case Study Example Currently the company has its smart phone model in the market which has already earned company a good chunk of revenues. However, with the passage of time, Conch Republic keeps on investing more money in its research and development activities so that its major products continue to exist in the market without getting obsolete. As a result, the company has developed a new model of the existing smart phone which has different new features but the most popular one is that of Wi-Fi tethering. The company has planned to terminate the production of the existing smart phones in next two years, but have made the financial viability of the introduction of new smart phones. The proposed smart phones are estimated to have the useful life of around five years. The company has already incurred around $750,000 and $200,000 on the development of the prototype and the marketing campaign of the new smart phones respectively. However, both of these costs are not included in the investment appraisal co mputation of the new smart phones because they are assumed to be the sunk cost. Sunk costs are those which do not matter whether a certain project is either accepted or rejected, in this way, these two costs would have no impact upon the decision to accept or reject the new smart phone. ... Therefore, in the computation of net cash flows, the impact of loss of contribution in the existing smart phone model due to introduction of new smart phones, are also included and they are considered as a cash outflows. Assumptions All the amounts included in the computation are US Dollars ($). Taxes are assumed to be paid to the authorities in the year in which the tax liability of Conch Republic arises. Impact of inflation is ignored. Discount factor for Conch Republic is estimated to be 12%. Depreciation rates are assumed to 5-years MACRS. Conch Republic is assumed to pay tax at the rate of 35%. Investment Appraisal The project of introduction of new smart phones by Conch Republic has been mainly appraised with the help of traditional investment appraisal techniques which are Discounted Payback Period, Profitability Index, Internal Rate of Return and lastly but the most famous one, Net Present Value. The most important factor which is common in all the above mentioned techniques is the use of discounted cash flows so that the impact of time value of money can managed appropriately (Brigham et al, 2008). The main stream presentation of the computation of the overall investment appraisal of the new smart phones is attached at the end of this discussion along with workings of changes in working capital and loss of contribution of the existing smart phones due to launch of new smart phones. 1. Discounted Payback Period (PBP) Discounted Payback Period mainly depicts the duration in which the initial investment of any project is likely to be recovered (Eckbo, 2008). For the proposed new smart phones, the discounted payback period is found to be 3.94 years which means that in around 3.94 years, there is likelihood that the initial investment of $38.5 million is

Environmental Impact of Ship Breaking Industry

Environmental Impact of Ship Breaking Industry Introduction: We are going to look into Ship breaking industry around the world and its impact on the environment, health and safety, social values and human rights issues. Ship breaking is the course of dismantling an archaic vessels structure for scrapping or recycle, mean to be conducted at a pier or dry dock to dismantling ship, it includes various activities, from removing all gears, parts and equipment to cutting down the ships substructure. Ship breaking is a difficult course of action due to the structural complication of ships. There are thousands of people involved in this industry. So many issues come up during breaking ships which remains beyond our knowledge. We are trying to demonstrate these serious issues and overcome these problems. Increasing demand of raw materials for re-rolling mills and other purposes and negative impacts on coastal environments, ship breaking activities present both challenges and opportunities for coastal zone management in a holistic manner. These activities are example of both the potentialities and the dangers of an increasingly globalised economy. It has achieved a good fame for being profitable but it cost huge environmental damage. A variety of disposable materials and refuse are being discharged from scrapped ships are often mixed with the beach soil and sea water which in turn has a negative impact on our coastal environment and biodiversity. However, accidents are normal phenomena in the ship breaking yards. Over the years more than 1000 workers have lost their lives and were seriously injured. Due to unconsciousness and lack of government patronization, the activities are facing several internal and e xternal problems. Considering all these facts, a distinct and well-balanced policy is necessary for sustainable ship breaking activities. Aims Objectives: There are some aims and objectives have been set to conducting this research: Aims †¢ Solve the serious issues †¢ Set proper guidelines †¢ Make awareness of the workers †¢ Keep the child workers away †¢ Awareness of the government †¢ Finding pros/cons Objectives †¢ Finding the problems †¢ Co-operate with the local authority †¢ Training for the workers †¢ Education for all †¢ Collecting data and analyze them †¢ Implement the outcomes of the research Environmental pollution: According to the report of Jim Puckett (International Conference on the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships, 2009), the Beaching Method whereby ships are run grounded on ocean beaches for cutting and breaking apart in the intertidal zone can never be achieved in a manner which is environmentally noise or shielding of human health. Careful analyses of the intrinsic characteristics of beaching operations are conclusive that no amount of prescriptive improvements or protections can remedy the four fatal characteristics of intertidal beaching operations: * there is the impossibility of containing pollutants on a tidal beach where hulls of ships are often breached accidentally or by cutting, or toxic paints erode or are abraded sending persistent organic pollutants, heavy metals and oils onto the beach and into the seawater; * due to a shifting and soft wet tidal sand surface, there is the impossibility of rapidly bringing emergency response equipment, including fire-fighting equipment and vehicles, ambulances and cranes alongside the ship, to assist or remove persons hurt inside the hull; * the impossibility of allowing cranes to work alongside to lift heavy cut sections of a ship and thereby preventing heavy cut sections from being subject to gravity, shifting or falling directly into workers or into the marine environment; and * There is the absolute incompatibility of conducting hazardous waste management operations (which is what they are as long as ships contain hazardous wastes) in the ecologically delicate and vital coastal zone. Puckett revealed that these fatal flaws of the beaching method inevitably will result in causing avoidable death and pollution and thus make a mockery of the application of Regulation 19 of this Convention. No amount of band-aid guidelines and criteria can cure the malignancy inherent in beaching operations. To ask Parties to prevent adverse effects to human health and the environment from massive toxic ships on an intertidal beach already makes the fulfilment of this objective impossible. However the worst outcome is that by not drawing a clear line at the outset, this fatally flawed method will be legitimized, millions of dollars will be thrown into trying to mitigate the inherently inappropriate and dangerous working platform and the IMO will have succeeded in perpetuating death and pollution for many years to come. Hazardous activities: Ship breaking activities are being condemned as the whole process entails a series of risky tasks and as a depot of hazardous substances, which pose threats to the ambient environment and working people. Depending on their size and function, scrapped ships have an unloaded weight of between 5,000 and 40,000 tonnes (an average of 13000+), 95% of which is steel, coated with between 10 and 100 tonnes of paint containing lead, cadmium, organ tins, arsenic, zinc and chromium. Ships also contain a wide range of other hazardous wastes, sealants containing PCBs; up to 7.5 tonnes of various types of asbestos; several thousand litres of oil (engine oil, bilge oil, hydraulic and lubricant oils and grease). Tankers additionally hold up to 1,000 cubic meters of residual oil. Most of these materials are defined as hazardous waste under the Basel Convention. In Asia old Ships containing these materials are being cut up by hand, on open beaches, under inhumane working conditions. Experts are unanimo us in their opinion that ship breaking is a high-risk industry. Paul J. Bailey criticized in his ILO discussion papers (2000) that By any standards, the demolition of ships is a dirty and dangerous occupation. The ship breaking hazards generally fall into two categories: intoxication by dangerous substances and risk of accidents on the plots. Violations of Human and labour rights: Be short of professional health and safety standard, personal or limited of training protection equipment provided. †¢ Limited or no access to emergency services, compensation when a worker is injured or killed on the job, and treatment. †¢ Less than bare minimum wages. †¢ Child labour uses. †¢ Wide range of working hours without right to overtime, annual leaves or sick. †¢ Short of job security: there is no pay where no work. †¢ No right to form or join or any trade union. In the most of the shipyards, workforces are being privileged of their human rights. They work under dangerous situation however they have no right of entry to job security, a take-home pay or safety kit. OHS, accidents and diseases: Over the last twenty years more than 400 workers have been killed and 6000 seriously injured according to the Bangladeshi media. These are the ones that have been reported. The explosion of the Iranian tanker TT Dena on 31st May 2000 alone is said to have caused 50 deaths. To this toll, the thousands of cases of irreversible diseases which have occurred and will continue to occur due to the toxic materials that are handled and inhaled without any precautions or protective gear need to be considered. On average, one worker dies in the yards a week and everyday a worker is injured (End of Life Ships: the Human Cost of Breaking Ships). It seems like nobody really cares: ship breaking workers are easily replaceable to the yard owners: if one is lost they know another 10 is waiting to replace him due to the lack of work. The Government collects the taxes and turns a blind eye. Workers are not aware of hazards to which they are exposed. The overwhelming majority of workers wear no protecti ve gear and many of them work barefoot. There is hardly any testing system for the use of cranes, lifting machinery or a motorized pulley. The yards re-use ropes and chains recovered from the broken ships without testing and examining their strength. There is no marking system of loading capacity of the chains of cranes and other lifting machineries. Consequently, workers suffer from lung problems which cause temporary loss of working capacity. The hatches and pockets of vessel may contain explosive or inflammable gases. The cutters, if they understand from experience, drill small holes in order to release gases or fumes. This still however, often cause severe explosions. Gas cutters and their helpers, cut steel plates almost around the clock without eye protection. This leaves their eyes vulnerable to effects of welding. They do not wear a uniform and most dont have access to gloves and boots. Those that are unskilled carry truck able pieces of iron sheets on their shoulders and th ere are no weight limits to the sheets they carry. Usually, these workers carry weights far above the limit prescribed in the Factories Act and Factories Rules. The beaches are strewn with chemicals and toxic substances, small pieces of pointed and sharp iron splinters causing injuries. Workers enter into the areas without wearing or using any protective equipment. Occupational health and safety is clearly not a priority for the owners and as for the workers their desperate need to find employment to support their families means that their livelihoods take precedence over their lives. Treatment and compensation: When there is an injury some immediate treatment may be given but there is no long term treatment for those who have a long term or permanent injury. In terms of compensation, only a nominal amount of compensation given and often only when there is public pressure. When a worker becomes disabled by a major accident, he gets a maximum of 10 to 15 thousand taka (1 USD=71 taka) and forced back to his home district. In most cases a worker will only get transportation costs to go back to their home district. When a worker killed in an accident, the contractor, who is responsible for the workers, will only pay the costs of sending the body back to the victims family and arranging for their burial. In the case of local workers from the area, if they die on the job, their family receives more than 50,000 taka as compensation. This is mainly due to the fact that the yard owners and contractors cannot avoid the locals who yield some power and pressure them. Prior to 2006, the labour laws in Ba ngladesh had a lot of limitations. The Workers Compensation Act 1965, only 30,000 taka was proposed for a 100% disable worker and 21,000 taka for dead workers family. The recently passed Labour Law Act 2006 now stipulates that a 100% disabled worker will receive 100,000 taka and a deceased workers family will receive xxx taka. Child labour: In Bangladesh, most poor families are more or less dependent on the childrens income for survival. The Bangladesh Shishu Adhikar Forum (BASF) has identified 430 risky jobs. Within these 67 professions are classified as very much risky and 11 are classified as dangerous. Ship breaking is falls in the latter. YPSAs baseline survey in 2003, 10.94% of the labour force is made up with children (age up to 18). Most of 5the children come from the northern regions of Bangladesh. It was noticed that ship breaking contractors prefer to recruit children as they are less expensive than their adult counterparts. The children work mainly as gas cutters assistants and move small iron pieces from one place to another. They either work in the yard from sunrise to sunset or do the night shift. On average they receive 50-60 BDT a day for their efforts. There are no educational or recreational facilities. Conclusion: Nobody seems to really care about the workers and their families. Neither the ship owners, nor the exporting countries, the ship breakers or the local governments. They are simply numbers that can be replaced. There is an urgent need to interconnect the reality on the ground, the dominating economic interests of the shipping industry and the discussions taking place at the international level, in order to change the working and environmental conditions on the yards. References: Akther, M. et al, YPSA (2005). Workers in Shipbreaking industry: a base line survey of Chittagong (Bangladesh), chapter 4, pp. 29-36. Bailey, P. J. (2000). Is there a decent way to break up ships? Sectoral activities programme discussion paper, International Labour Organization (ILO). Retrieved at 03:00 (GMT) Aug 22, 2009, from http://www.ilo.org/public/english/dialogue/sector/papers/shpbreak/index.htm Dr. Hossain, Md. M. M. Islam, M. M. (2006). Ship Breaking Activities and its Impact on the Coastal Zone of Chittagong, Bangladesh: Towards Sustainable Management, Young Power in Social Action (YPSA). pp 13-17 Vardar, E. et al, Greenpeace-FIDH (2005), End of life ships: the human cost of breaking ships, Human rights report, Puckett, J. (2009). The NGO platform on Ship breaking on the Beaching Method, Presented at the International Conference on the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships.

Chasing Ghosts :: Personal Narrative Writing

Chasing Ghosts A rather unnatural wind would blow through our town. We used to sit around the Sunday dinner table and recite prayers from the Bible after my mother had cleared the dishes. But first, in silence we would stare at the dark brown swirls of color in the wood, resting our chins on crossed arms. We could hear the grate and grind of metal forks and knives against plates as my mother soaped the dishes in the kitchen. The hiss of the faucet would stop, and after the sound of her cotton apron’s catching on the splintery wall, the apron left hung to dry, she would emerge from the swinging door, the kitchen light flashing like a strobe into the dining room with each swoop of the door’s swing, yawning open then snapping back shut, on and off, on and off. She would seat herself back at the table, her chair complaining with a low creak and moan as she sat. My father, meanwhile, would be off staring into the cornfield, always inspecting those rows that stood at-the-ready, motionless for miles. Would you like to read tonight, Luke? I know this is one of your favorite stories. This was not a question, so much as a command disguised as thrilling proposition. With silent obedience I would thumb to the desired verse, flipping page by page in order to stall for as long as possible. The whole time she would watch me, her head clamped into rigid position as if her graying hair, having pulled itself into a tight bun, had also cinched itself around her neck muscles. After an interminably long interval, she would utter words of salvation and great joy. Thank you Luke. That was wonderfully read. We would transfer ourselves onto the couch by the television. Father Morrissey would be on. Out the corners of my eyes, I would catch patches of light and color throbbing across the screen. I would stare out the window into the silent boredom that would drape itself over the town with every nightfall. My father would catch me, Luke, watch the television, you will not do this Christian family shame, but I knew that he was as indifferent as I was. From past the miles of drab houses and empty fields and speechless crops, I would wait for it, for anything, to come. At night, while our parents slept, my brother and I would talk.

The Ethical Dilemma of Euthanasia Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive Ar

The Ethical Dilemma of Euthanasia An incredibly controversial issue clouds the minds of millions of people everyday as death confronts them. The problem revolves around the ethics of euthanasia. Should medical assisted suicide be outlawed in all situations or under certain circumstances, could it be considered ethical? Do humans violate nature’s course with science and advanced technology by playing God? Why should doctors and families witness their loved ones suffer when the solution of euthanasia promises a painless death? Authors Andrea E. Richardson and David Miller of the articles â€Å"Death with Dignity: The Ultimate Human Right† and â€Å"From Life to Death in a Peaceful Instant† reflect upon their experiences and feelings on these questions. In â€Å"Death with Dignity: The Ultimate Human Right,† Richardson introduces the reader to the depressing story about his father. His father, a good family man, had been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, which kept him in the hospital for weeks at a time. For this man, the painful and paralyzing experience destroyed both his joints and internal organs. Richardson sneaks the idea of euthanasia into his introduction by saying, â€Å"For others-for those like my father- death is an event clearly visible on the horizon. It is an event that is forecasted, feared, and at times yearned for† (Richardson, 42). Richardson then talks about the history of euthanasia by discussing the tribal ideals and medical techniques used thousands of years ago. â€Å"The discovery that certain berries had lethal effects was used as a means of humane euthanasia for people who were very ill or badly injured† (Richardson, 42). The author explains how medicine has evolved to the point where the... ...ge a person’s fate. Richardson supports his argument with various cases and concrete facts. He presents his case in both an interesting and informative manner because he didn’t just concentrate solely on his feelings of his father. Miller on the other hand focuses on his feelings towards his grandmother without supporting his cases with a sound argument. He makes his story too personal while ignoring the other side of the coin. This comes off as both arrogant and non-professional. Overall, these two articles support the pros of euthanasia, giving the reader a solid background to the ethical dilemma facing human beings today. Works Cited Miller, David. â€Å"From Life in Death in a Peaceful Instant.† The Humanist (May/ June 2000) 27 Richardson, Andrea E. â€Å"Death with Dignity: The Ultimate Human Right?† The Humanist (July/ Aug 2002) p. 42-43

Why I Want a Wife – Introduction

Why I Want a Wife – Introduction 2/This article was written in 1972. Does it still describe the role of most ‘wives' today? If so, why has nothing changed? If not, how have things changed? In 1972, it was believed that a ‘good’ wife was a married woman who completed and satisfied all needs involving her housework, children and most importantly, her husband. A good wife was normally a house wife.Now, fast forward to 2012 forty years to the present – the general customs and expectations still stand, but many wives nowadays have lives, essentially. Back in the 70’s, most married women were housewives. Many wives stayed home to care for their housework, children, and husband. Their duties revolved around those three ideas. But as time passed, traditions have changed. Most women have jobs and hardly considered housewives. Sure, they will tend to their kids and spouse but many of them now have lives.Instead of being of the housework being a priority, the real work replaces it. Another weighing factor would be women’s rights. Instead of the husband viewed as the main bread maker, some wives have stepped up to plate with a higher salary. Back then, the male worked and the wife stayed home, therefore the male would earn the income. The last contributing factor to the change in modern day wife roles is the later marriage. People are marrying later leading to having children at an older age.By this point, the females would have had time to peak at their jobs and remain a steady pace when the child is brought into the world. Not as many sacrifices has to be made for the child oppose to giving birth at a younger age. Even though the role of wives has come a long way since the early 70’s, the general outline still remains: care for the husband and kids and to maintain the house. And though many adjustments have been made the credentials in order to become a good wife is still near, impossible to reach. Related article: â€Å"My Ideal Wife†

The Return: Shadow Souls Chapter 41

â€Å"Stefan!† Elena screamed and knew that she sounded like a madwoman when she screamed it. There was no answer. She was running. Following the light. â€Å"Stefan! Stefan!† An empty cell. A yellowed mummy. A pyramid of dust. Somehow, subconsciously, she suspected one of these things. And any one would have caused her to run out to fight Bloddeuwedd with her bare hands. Instead, when she reached the right cell, she saw a weary young man, whose face showed that he had given up all hope. He lifted a stick-thin arm, rejecting her utterly. â€Å"They told me the truth. You were exported for aiding a prisoner. I'm not susceptible to dreams anymore.† â€Å"Stefan!† She fell to her knees. â€Å"Do we have to go through this every single time?† â€Å"Do you know how often they re-create you, bitch?† Elena was shocked. More than shocked. But the next moment the hatred had faded from his face. â€Å"At least I get to look at you. I had†¦I had a picture. But they took that, of course. They cut it up, very slowly, making me watch. Sometimes they made me cut it. If I didn't cut it, they would – â€Å" â€Å"Oh, darling! Stefan, darling! Look at me. Listen to the prison. Bloddeuwedd is destroying it. Because I've stolen the other half of your key from her nest, Stefan, and I am not a dream. Do you see this? Did they ever show you this?† She held out the hand with the double fox ring on it. â€Å"Now – now – where do I put it?† â€Å"You are warm. The bars are cold,† Stefan said, clutching her hand and speaking as if reciting out of a children's book. â€Å"Here!† Elena cried triumphantly. She didn't need to take the ring off. Stefan was holding her other hand, and this lock worked like a seal ring. She placed it straight into a circular depression in the wall. Then, when nothing happened, she turned it right. Nothing. Left. The cell bars slowly began to lift into the ceiling. Elena couldn't believe it and for an instant thought she was hallucinating. Then when she turned sharply to look at the ground she saw that the bars were already at least a foot above it. Then she looked at Stefan, who was standing again. Both of them fell back to their knees. They would have both gotten down and wriggled like snakes if necessary, the need to touch was so great. The horizontal struts on the bars made it impossible for them to hold hands as the bars lifted. Then the bars were over the top of Elena's head and she was holding Stefan – she was holding Stefan in her arms! – appalled to feel bones under her hands, but holding him, and no one could tell her he was a hallucination or a dream, and if she and Stefan had to die together, then they would die together. Nothing mattered but that they not be separated again. She covered the unfamiliar, bony face with kisses. Strange, no half-grown, gone-to-the-wild beard, but vampires didn't grow beards unless they had them when they became vampires. And then there were other people in the cell. Good people. People laughing and crying and helping her create a makeshift litter out of stinking blankets and Stefan's pallet and no one screamed when lice jumped on them because everyone knew that Elena would have turned and ripped their throat out like Saber. Or rather, like Saber, but as Ms. Courtland had always said, with feeling. To Saber it was just a job. Then somehow – things had begun to become disconnected – Elena was watching Stefan's beloved face and gripping his litter, and running – he didn't weigh anything – up a different corridor than the one she'd fought and shouldered and pushed and floundered in on her way in. Apparently all the Shi no Shi's salmon had chosen the other corridor to swim up. Undoubtedly there was a safe place for them at the end on that side. And even as Elena wondered how a face could be so pure, and handsome, and perfect, even when it looked almost like a skull, she was thinking, I can run and stoop. And she bent over Stefan and her hair made a shield around them, so that it was just the two of them inside it. The entire outside world was shut out, and they were alone, and she said in his ear: â€Å"Please, we need you to be strong. Please – for me. Please – for Bonnie. Please – for Damon. Plea – â€Å" She would have gone on naming all of them, and probably some over and over, but it was too much already. After his long deprivation, Stefan was in no mood to be contrary. His head darted up and Elena felt more than the usual pain because he was at the wrong angle, and Elena was glad because Stefan had struck a vein down its length and blood was flowing into his mouth in a steady stream. They had to go a little more slowly now, or Elena would have tripped and colored Stefan's face maroon like a demon's, but they were still jogging. Someone else was guiding them. Then, very suddenly they stopped. Elena, eyes shut, mind locked on to Stefan's, would not have looked up for the world. But in a moment they were moving again, and there was a feeling of spaciousness all around Elena and she realized that they were in the lobby and she had to make sure everyone knew. It's on the left side of us now, she sent to Damon. It's close to the front. It's a door with all sorts of symbols above. I believe I'm familiar with the species, Damon sent back dryly, but even he couldn't hide two things from her. One was that he was glad, actually glad to feel Elena's elation, and to know that it was he, in the main part, that had brought it about. The other was simple. That if there was a choice between the life of himself and the life of his brother, he would give his own life. For Elena's sake, for his own pride. For Stefan. Elena didn't dwell on these secret things she had no right to know. She simply embraced them, let Stefan feel them in all their raw vibrancy, and made sure there was no feedback to tell Damon that Stefan knew. Angels were singing in heaven for her. Black Magic rose petals were scattering around her body. There was a release of doves and she felt their wings. She was happy. But she was not safe. She only learned it as she entered the lobby, but they were very lucky that the Dimensional Door was on the side it was. Bloddeuwedd had methodically destroyed the other side until it had collapsed into a mound that was nothing but splintered wood. Elena and Bloddeuwedd's feud might have started out as a quarrel between a hostess who thought her guest had broken the house rules and a guest who just wanted to run away, but it had become a war to the death. And given the way vampires, werewolves, demons, and other folk down here in the Dark Dimension reacted, it had created a sensation. The Guardians had their hands full keeping people out of the building. Dead bodies lay strewn on the street. Oh, God, the people! The poor people! Elena thought, as this at last came into her field of view. As for the Guardians, who were keeping this place clear and fighting Bloddeuwedd on her behalf – God bless you for that, Elena thought, envisioning a standing-room-only lobby as they tried to race with Stefan across the floor. As it was, they were alone. â€Å"Now we need your key again, Elena,† Damon's voice, just above her, said. Elena gently pried Stefan off her throat. â€Å"Just for a moment, my darling. Just for a moment.† Looking at the door, Elena was confounded for several moments. There was a hole, but nothing happened when she put the ring in it and pushed, jammed, or twisted left or right. Out of the corner of her eye she saw some dark shadow above her, dismissed it as irrelevant, and then had it come screaming at her like a dive-bomber, steel talons reaching for her. There was no roof. Bloddeuwedd's talons had methodically ripped it away. Elena knew it. Because somehow Elena suddenly saw the whole of the situation, not just her part in it, but as if she were someone outside her body, who understood many more things than puny little Elena Gilbert did. The Guardians were here to prevent collateral damage. They could or would not stop Bloddeuwedd. Elena knew that, too. All the people running down the other corridor had been doing what an owl's prey normally does. They had been dashing for the bottom of their burrow. There was an enormous safe room there. Somehow, Elena knew it. But now, blurrily but definitely, Bloddeuwedd saw the ones she had been after in the first place, the nest robbers, the ones who had forever put out one of her huge round orange far-seeing eyes, and cut her so deeply that the other eye was filling with blood. Elena could feel it. Bloddeuwedd could see they were the ones who had caused her to smash her beak. The criminals, the savages, the ones she would tear to pieces slowly, slowly, a limb at a time, switching from one to another as she clutched five or six in one set of claws, or as she watched them, unable to run from lack of limbs, writhing beneath her. Elena could sense it. Beneath her. Right now†¦they were directly beneath Bloddeuwedd. Bloddeuwedd dove. â€Å"Saber! Talon!† shouted Sage, but Elena knew that there would be no distraction now. There would be nothing but killing and tearing, slowly, and screams echoing off the single lobby wall. Elena could picture it. â€Å"It won't open, damn it,† shouted Damon. He was manipulating Elena's wrist to move the key in the hole. But no matter how he pulled or pushed, nothing happened. Bloddeuwedd was almost upon them. She accelerated, throwing telepathic images before her. Sinew stretching, joints cracking, bone splintering†¦ Elena knew – NOOOOO! Elena's cup of rage ran over. Suddenly she saw everything she needed to know in one great sweeping epiphany. But it was too late to get Stefan inside the door, so the first thing she shouted was â€Å"Wings of Protection!† Bloddeuwedd, barely six feet away, slammed into a barrier that a nuclear missile could not have harmed. She slammed into it at the speed of a racing car and with the mass of a medium-sized airplane. Horror exploded beak first against Elena's wings. They were clear green at the top, dotted with flashing emeralds, and shading into a dawn pink covered with crystals at the bottom. The wings enwrapped all six humans and two animals – and they did not move by one millimeter when Bloddeuwedd smashed into them. Bloddeuwedd had made herself roadkill. Shutting her eyes, and trying not to think of the maiden who had been made of flowers (and who had killed her husband! Elena told herself desperately) with dry lips, and wetness trickling down her cheeks, Elena turned back to the door. Put the ring in. Made sure it was flush. And said, â€Å"Fell's Church, Virginia, USA, Earth. Near the boardinghouse, please.† It was well after midnight. Matt was sleeping on the bunker's cot, while Mrs. Flowers slept on the couch, when they were suddenly wakened by a thump. â€Å"What on earth?† Mrs. Flowers got up and stared out the window, which should have been dark. â€Å"Be careful, ma'am,† Matt said automatically, but couldn't help adding, â€Å"What is it?† – as always, expecting the worst and making sure the revolver with the blessed bullets was ready. â€Å"It's†¦light,† Mrs. Flowers said helplessly. â€Å"I don't know what else to say about it. It's light.† Matt could see the light, throwing shadows on their bunker floor. There was no sound of thunder, and hadn't been since he woke up. Hastily he ran to join Mrs. Flowers at the window. â€Å"Did you ever†¦?† exclaimed Mrs. Flowers, lifting her hands and dropping them again. â€Å"Whatever could it mean?† â€Å"I don't know, but I remember everybody talking about ley lines. Lines of Power in the ground.† â€Å"Yes, but those run along the surface of the earth. They don't point upward, like – like a fountain!† Mrs. Flowers said. â€Å"But I heard that wherever three ley lines come together – I think Damon said – they can form a Gate. A Gate to where they were going.† â€Å"Dear me,† said Mrs. Flowers. â€Å"You mean you think one of those Gateway things is out there? Maybe it's them, coming back.† â€Å"It couldn't be.† The time Matt had spent with this particular old woman had made him not only respect her, but love her. â€Å"But I don't think we should go outside, anyway.† â€Å"Dear Matt. You are such a comfort to me,† Mrs. Flowers murmured. Matt didn't really see how. It was all her stored food and water they were using. Even the fold-up cot was hers. If he had been on his own he might have investigated this†¦extraordinary thing. Three spotlights shining out of the ground at an angle so that they met just about at the height of a human being. Bright lights. And getting brighter every minute. Matt sucked in his breath. Three ley lines, huh? God, it was probably an invasion of monsters. He didn't even dare to hope. Elena didn't know if she had needed to say USA or Earth, or even if the door could take her to Fell's Church, or if Damon would have to give her the name of some gate that was close to it. But†¦surely†¦with all those ley lines†¦ The door opened, revealing a small room like an elevator. Sage said quietly, â€Å"Can you four carry him if you have to fight, too?† And – after a second to unravel what this meant – three shrieks of protest, in three different feminine tones, came. â€Å"No! Oh, please, no! Oh don't leave us!!† – Bonnie, begging. â€Å"You're not coming home with us?† – Meredith, straight-from-the-shoulder. â€Å"I order you to get in – and make it quick!† – Elena. â€Å"Such a dominant woman,† murmured Sage. â€Å"Ah, well, it seems the Great Pendulum has swung again. I am only a man. I obey.† â€Å"What? Does that mean you're coming?† Bonnie cried. â€Å"It means I am coming, yes.† Gently, Sage took Stefan's wasted body in his arms and stepped into the little cubicle inside the door. Unlike the first keys Elena had used today, this one seemed to work more like a voice-activated elevator†¦she hoped. After all, Shinichi and Misao had each only needed one key for themselves. Here, a number of people might want to go to the same place at once. She hoped. Sage back-kicked Stefan's old bedding away. Something rattled on the ground. â€Å"Oh – † Stefan reached helplessly for it. â€Å"It's my Elena diamond. I found it on the floor after†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Plenty more where that came from,† Meredith said. â€Å"It's important to him,† Damon, who was already inside, said. Instead of crowding farther into the elevator, the little room that might disappear at any second, that might be gone for Fell's Church before he could turn back, he walked out into the lobby, looked closely at the floor, and knelt. Then, quickly, he reached down and then got up and hurried into the little room again. â€Å"Do you want to hold it or shall I?† â€Å"You hold it†¦for me. Take care of it.† Anyone who knew of Damon's track record, especially with regards to Elena or even an old diamond that had belonged to Elena, would have said Stefan had to be a madman. But Stefan wasn't mad. He clasped his hand over his brother's that held the diamond. â€Å"And I'll hold on to you,† he said with a faint, wry smile. â€Å"I don't know if anyone is interested,† Meredith said, â€Å"but there is a single button on the inside of this contraption.† â€Å"Push it!† cried Sage and Bonnie, but Elena cried more loudly, â€Å"No – wait!† She'd spotted something. Across the lobby, the Guardians had been unable to stop a single, apparently unarmed citizen from entering the room and crossing the floor at a high-paced graceful glide. He must have been over six feet tall, wearing an entirely white tunic and breeches, which matched his long white hair, alert foxlike ears, and the long flowing silky tail that waved behind him. â€Å"Shut the door!† bellowed Sage. â€Å"Oh, my!† breathed Bonnie. â€Å"Can someone tell me what the hell is going on?† snarled Damon. â€Å"Don't worry. It's only a fellow prisoner. A silent fellow. Hey, you got out, too!† Stefan was smiling and that was enough for Elena. And the intruder was holding out something to him that – well, it couldn't be what it looked like – but it was getting quite close now and it looked like a bouquet of flowers. â€Å"That is a kitsune, is it not?† Meredith asked, as if the world had gone mad around her. â€Å"A prisoner – † said Stefan. â€Å"A THIEF!† shouted Sage. â€Å"Hush!† said Elena. â€Å"He can probably hear even if he can't speak.† By then the kitsune was upon them. He met Stefan's eye, glanced at the others and held out the bouquet, which was heavily sealed in plastic wrap and some kind of long stickers with magical-looking inscriptions on them. â€Å"This is for Stefan,† he said. Everyone, including Stefan, gasped. â€Å"Now I must deal with some tiresome Guardians.† He sighed. â€Å"And you must press the button to make the room go, Beauty,† he said to Elena. Elena, who had momentarily been fascinated by the whisking of a fluffy tail around silken breeches suddenly blushed scarlet. She was remembering certain things. Certain things that had seemed very different†¦in a lonely dungeon†¦in the dark of artificially formed night†¦. Oh, well. Best to put a brave face on it. â€Å"Thank you,† she said, and pushed the button. The doors began to close. â€Å"Thank you again!† she added, bowing slightly to the kitsune. â€Å"I'm Elena.† â€Å"Yoroshiku. I am – â€Å" The door shut between them. â€Å"Is it that you have gone crazy?† Sage cried. â€Å"Taking a bouquet from a fox!† â€Å"You're the one who seems to know him, Monsieur Sage,† Meredith said. â€Å"What's his name?† â€Å"I do not know his name! I do know he stole three-fifths of the Seine Cloister Treasure from me! I know that he is expert, but expert at cheating at the cards! Ahh!† The last was not a cry of rage but an exclamation of alarm, for the little room was moving sideways, plunging downward, almost stopping, before it resumed its former steady motion. â€Å"Will it really take us to Fell's Church?† Bonnie asked timidly, and Damon put an arm around her. â€Å"It'll take us somewhere,† he promised. â€Å"And then we'll see. We're a pretty able set of survivalists.† â€Å"Which reminds me,† Meredith said. â€Å"I think Stefan looks better.† Elena, who had been helping to buffer him from the dimensional elevator's motion, glanced up at her quickly. â€Å"Do you really? Or is it just the light? I think he should be feeding,† she said anxiously. Stefan flushed, and Elena pressed fingers to her lips to stop them trembling. Don't, darling, she said voicelessly. Every one of these people have been willing to give their life for you – or for me – for us. I'm healthy. I'm still bleeding. Please don't waste it. Stefan murmured, â€Å"I'll stop the bleeding.† But when she bent to him, as she had known he would, he drank.