Better Place Company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Better Place Company - Essay Example In essence, the objective of this company was to reduce and eventual riddance of automobile industry’s over dependence on oil. The mission of Better Place Company is to make the world a better place by 2020 through successful adoption of electrical vehicles use. The intended change will create a significant difference in the environment by reducing the amount of emissions. The automobile industry stands to gains from Better Place Company in numerous ways, which include providing flexible and readily available products for the consumers such as service plans, accessible charge spots and switching stations. Moreover, the absence of Better Place Company in the automobile industry will significantly reduce and weaken the inter connections amongst the primary players in the industry. 1.3 Stakeholders Better Place Company enjoys an intensive niche of stakeholders in the electric vehicle manufacture and marketing environment across numerous countries, which include Israel, United States, Denmark, Canada, Australia, and Japan. Some of the Better Places’ stakeholders include diverse governments, national electric utility, and venture capital and battery firms. In addition, the car manufacturers and the corporate sector forms part of the Better Place Company’s stakeholders base. 1.3.1Significance of the Stakeholders The company depends on the stakeholders to run its activities. Running financial activities of any company requires capital and from the case study, Better Place Company gets its capital from the stakeholders. For instance, in 2007, the company raised $200 million from venture capital funding and $350 million in 2010 from different governments across the globe. The amount summed up to $1.25 billion making it the second largest start-up in th e history of company venture capital funding. On equal measure, stakeholders such as utility, battery and manufacturer companies play a significant role in helping Better Place in achieving its objective of widespread of Electric Vehicle adoption. The companies link the consumers with the car companies consequently reducing the hurdle of limited mobility, which undermines the adoption of electric vehicles. This linkage influences the consumers’ mindset to adopt the electric vehicles (JOHNSON, SCHOLES, & WHITTINGTON, 2008). Moreover, the linkage creates easy platform of improving services offered to consumers due to the competition amongst the firms. The healthy interdependence between the company and the stakeholders propels the growth of the company factors such as competition from other small companies motivate Better Place to offer exemplary services to maintain its market niche. Consider the following diagram indicating the interdependence between the stakeholders and the Better Place Company. Better Place Stakeholders On the other hand, the government through its policies influenced the standards and incentives, which enhanced provision of the bulky of increased activity in both the hybrid and EVs markets. In other words, the governmental incentives to the service companies such as Better Place expanded the respective market niches, consequently market competition. This move enabled the Better Place company to achieve its objective of wide spread adoption of EVs. 2.0 Industry and scenario analyses The steam engine technology, initially developed and adopted for industrial applications was progressively tailored to personal vehicles by middle of 18th century into the automobile industry due to increased population in cities. Increased demand for

Business strategy report on Ford Company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Business strategy report on Ford Company - Essay Example Ford Motor Company is a reliable name in the industry since the year 1903. It has now become a global name and has significant shares in different parts of the world. As per Healey (2012), it has 172000 employees globally and 65 plants across the world. It serves 50 markets and employees 65000 employees in Europe. The firm has two main brands Lincoln and Ford and is divided into two departments namely the auto sector and the financial services sector. Under the former it manufactures service cars, trucks, SUVs and vehicle parts. However, as per Naughton and Webb (2012),over 28% of its sales come from the European market, which is suffering for the past five years due to economic downturns. This in turn has affected the firm and it has broken off from the European industry by announcing the shut down of 3 prominent plants in the European region. According to Ramsey (2012), the firm claims that it will be running an annual loss of $ 1.5 billion in Europe. According to Castonguay (2012) , though the closer of these plants will cause the elimination of 5700 jobs directly, it will save the firm $ 500 million. It will decrease the production capacity by 18% and thus cut costs also (European Commission 2012). As per Ford, the market is predicted to fall even more and it was the only feasible solution that they could come up with to curtail their costs and answer their investors. This is a bold step that the firm is planning to take as no other firm in the industry has done so as yet.... This is a bold step that the firm is planning to take as no other firm in the industry has done so as yet. However, Ford is sure that this will work for the firm as an identical model of reducing cost by cutting labour in an attempt to reduce the production capacities has worked in North America (European Commission 2012). The firm needs to take this step as a large part of its revenue depends on the European market. However, there is fierce opposition by the labour union as the firm had earlier committed to build a facility in Genk but instead is going to build one in Spain. The workers need to be compensated and the firm has to face the union before it can take this measure (Ford, 2012). 1.2.1 Purpose of Ford The mission statement of the firm is: People working together as a lean, global enterprise for automotive leadership, as measured by: Customer, Employee, Dealer, Investor, Supplier, Union/Council, and Community Satisfaction. (Ford Motor Company Mission Statement 2012) The firm also aims to restructure itself in an aggressive disposition with the aim to operate with profitability at the on going demand altering the product mix as per the needs of the market, at the same time, work as a single team with the focus on improving the balance sheet. However, currently the firm is not in line with its mission as it is operating below profit and has not been able to alter its product mix with the changing demand (4-traders, 2012). The firm’s focus is not profitability in Europe and has been pressed down by the socio political environment (Thorpe, Slade and Bender, 2009). 1.3 Pestle analysis 1.3.1 Political / legal environment The political and legal environment governing the auto industry in Europe is quite

Recycling Model for Waste Reduction

Recycling Model for Waste Reduction CE 1.1) Since the early schooling days, my teachers have noticed that I tend to always orient towards the chemical processes and the design-oriented aspects of control systems. And well, they were very right because later I recognize my passion of being a Materials Engineer. As it was a tough competition to get admitted in a reputed engineering university. Hence, soon after the completion of my secondary education from the Al-Falah Boys College, I studied hard and was able to ace the admission exam of the engineering university. My efforts pay off and I was able to get admitted in Dawood College of Engineering and Technology Karachi, Pakistan. From here, I studied Bachelor of Metallurgy and Material Engineering. I stayed here during the time period from 2009 till 2012. During my stay here, I have performed various practical and research-based projects in order to fulfill the requirement of my degree. In few of the non-technical subjects, I also have conducted various types of surveys . This project of Methodology used in EPAS Waste Reduction Model was performed by me as my final year project at Dawood University. This project was completed within the assigned deadline of 11 months. I have performed this project along with another group mate under the guidance of my supervisor. BACKGROUND: CE 1.2) Being a materials engineer, it is mandatory to know about the processes and the tools utilized in various processes. This project is also the illustration of various metal objects that has to be recycled using the Waste Reduction Model that is being used in EPAs. In this research, I have studied the complete methodology and studied the step by step process and stages. It is an important factor to recycle the metal objects so that they can be reutilized for various purposes. However, for some metals, the recycled version is not as pure as the original one and hence has the limited number of applications. In this study, I have studied three types of metals and their impacts. CE 1.3) Before starting the project and presenting my idea to the supervisor, I and my team member decided to conduct the beforehand research so that during the proposal defense we are very lucid with the concepts. Hence, we downloaded the related literature from the authentic websites such as Google scholar, ACM and IEEE digital libraries. We also have gone through the basic articles regarding the specifications and characteristics of specific metals. Though there were many questions in my mind unanswered which I later clarified from a supervisor. These all articles, research papers, and literature were cited properly while preparing the thesis for our project. Moreover, while performing on this project we make sure to follow an ethical and professional code of conduct. CE 1.4) When we were done with the initial home, we presented our project idea to our supervisor. He asked us few of the very basic questions to check our concepts. We were easily able to answer them all because of our initial research. The supervisor was glad about our preparation and with few additions, he approved our project. He further advised us to start with the preparation of the project milestone and the organizational plan. His advice was later proved to be very beneficial as because of this we were able to keep a check on the progress of our project. We also were assigned a co-supervisor who can guide us in the case of the unavailability of supervisor. CE 1.5) To ensure the progress and timely completion of the project, we have to submit the monthly progress reports. Along with these monthly project reports, we have to presently on a quarterly basis. And upon completion of the complete project, a detailed thesis was submitted citing all the references all along. These documents and the presentations were prepared using the Microsoft Word and PowerPoint. To ensure the safety, these files were submitted in the pdf format later. The complete project reporting mechanism is shown below in the chart. Project Reporting Mechanism: PERSONAL ENGINEERING ACTIVITY: CE 1.6) While studying the impact and the results of reproduction and recycling, we have studied each and every phase involved in the complete cycle. I divided the project into different stages to ensure its completion within the allocated time. These stages involve the following: Studying the literature Process cycle development Collection of dumped metal Transportation Stage Recycling Stage Separation of end products and recycled products Transportation to the retailed facility Studying the recycling emission factor Results analysis Documentation phase However, at different stages of the project, I was stuck. There my supervisors helped me a lot and guided me. At a stage, I also consulted a professor from another university to get better exposure. CE 1.7) In this project we have discussed the three metal forms including the aluminum cans, steel cans, and the copper wires. Aluminum cans are made of aluminum sheet bars. The supply of raw materials for the production of aluminum embrace limestone and salt, which must be extracted and elated; Crude oil, which must be extracted, refined and transported; which must be produced by respective first and transported materials. All the processes of mining emissions from the combustion of fossil fuels for the electricity and transport processes and non-energy production processes. These inputs are required to produce alumina (which is the main commercial mineral aluminum), aluminum castings, castings, plates and rolls for the manufacture of aluminum cans. CE 1.8) This module for the career episode is the illustration of the overall cyclic process which is shown in the figure1 below. The above figure shows the recycle cycle for the Aluminum ingot and cans in WARM. In order to recycle these cans, the aluminum objects are collected from wastes and are transported to the recycling plants. These metal pieces are transported to the metals manufacturing facility. Raw materials are added into this used metal. On undergoing the recycling process, the recycled metal is again transported to the retail facility upon separation of the end products and by-products.   After the usage of the product, the cycle repeats. The combustion of this metal (Aluminum cans) emits ash residue which is transported to the landfill. CE 1.9) The cyclic process explained previously was for the residual of aluminum cans. This recycling process is almost same as in the case of the steel cans and the copper wires. The complete cyclic process is shown in figure 2 and 3 respectively. Steel boxes are defined as three parts welded HOT steel rolled in a blast furnace and basic oxygen oven or electric arc furnace (for recycling cans) boxes. The production of steel cans involves the extraction of iron ore and lime. These raw forms are utilized in order to develop cast iron, sheet metal and lastly the manufacture of steel boxes. Figure 1: Life Cycle of Aluminum Can CE 1.10) Copper is comparable to other metals examined by the EPA, the vigor used in the ore, the commerce unit and the production and dealing out of the fuels used in production. The industrialized procedure begins with the extraction of the raw material. The ore melted and refined; the utilization of limestone electricity in this part of the results of the process is not very low energy CO2 emission process (USGS, 2004a). The refined copper melts in bars, which are led in the copper wire coils, which are annealed to facilitate the ductility and conductivity. The wire can be coated with either the good quality steel or with any good insulating material. Figure 2: Life Cycle of Steel Cans Figure 3: Life Cycle of Copper Wires CE 1.11) After defining the detailed processes we moved towards the analysis of results. The aim of the project was to define and find out the process energies at various stages for both the recycled objects and the original one. From observations, it was concluded that the process energy made for the original aluminum cans is approximately 184.74 per ton whereas this energy in case of the recycled aluminum can drop at the 36.24 per ton. However, the transportation energy for the original and recycled one is evaluated to be 0.91 and 0.44 respectively. Same parameters were observed for the steel cans and the copper wires as well. For steel cans, process energy and transportation energy for the virgin inputs are found to be 31.58 and 4.60 respectively. While in the case of the recycled steel cans these values drop as 11.78 and 4.03. For copper wires, transportation energy is 2.17 and the process energy is 101.05 for the recycled one, however, for the new metals these values were 0.46 a nd 122.52. CE 1.12) The optimum results were obtained as a result of this study and the project was completed in the allocated time efficiently. While, there are some limitations on the trial process. The factors that have been developed by aluminum bars of energy and greenhouse gas emissions here can be used from an aluminum bar, energy and the associated emission products processing aluminum bars produced for some (other than aluminum cans) as a substitute to produce an aluminum end product Probably quite significant. For example, the energy of aluminum cans associated with the processing of the aluminum ingots can generate about 25 percent of the total life cycle energy for the production of virgin aluminum cans. SUMMARY CE 1.13) This project was a great learning experience for me. I have learned various perspectives of recycling process with the help of different research articles. I was able to make this project a success due to continuous support and help of my supervisor and the team-mate. Working in collaboration with my team member, I have learned the effective skills of working as a team.

The Stimulus and Rhythms of Atalanta :: Atalanta Gymnastics Dance Dancing Essays

The Stimulus and Rhythms of Atalanta The stimulus which, I thought would be most thought provoking and appealing was Atalanta. I found the idea of characterising a dynamic, strong vivacious woman appealing due to my strong background in theatre and acting. This enabled me to perceive hidden depths of Atalanta's character, which were not evident at first sight. Therefore, I chose this stimulus because I believed that Atalanta would be an interesting and challenging character to portray through the medium of dance. Another reason why I chose this stimulus, was the use of the cloth and costume to portray "how rhythms can be created by repeating and opposing shapes" and how "certain lines indicate motion". Due to my previous experience as a rhythmic gymnast, I was able develop original and unusual movements, because I was used to using cloth and ribbons as a means for demonstrating highly complex physical movements After receiving the stimulus, I first of all researched Atalanta. Using a variety of resources such as and the Internet, I found that Atalanta derived from Greek legend, and was a strong athletic competitor, whom no man could beat at running. This was emphasised in my dance through the use of sustained running movements and the use of pauses to emphasis the importance of the poses. This also helped to reflect the stillness of the wooden sculpture. Analysis and further research led me to conclude that the pose and expression of the sculpture Atlanta are portraying her determination and power. This was evident in the strong and dynamic movements of my dance, as well as the use of facial expressions, bodily expressions and focus. My bodily expressions were natural, controlled with an upright posture, thus helping to portray her purpose as an athlete in a race. The facial expressions portrayed her determination, thus demonstrating her strong and vivacious character, and the embodiment of power, which Atalanta represents. The combination of body and facial gestures shared in the mood and theme of both the dance and the music. Focus aided my facial expressions. It was important for the focus to be strong, not looking at the floor at any time, but either looking out into the space such as when doing an arabesque but also facing inwards to concentrate on a move, for example the running movements from the pictures. Through the use of Stanslavki's 'method-acting' I used my research to characterise a strong female woman, which was then transposed into movements. To achieve the dimensions of Atalanta's character, I profiled her, so that when I was dancing, I would embody the character, this enabled me to access her personality quickly.

Jaws vs Saving Private Ryan Essay

This paper seeks to compare and make a critical analysis of the political and social values in the United States as reflected in film. The premise is that the elements of identity and self-perception can be seen in the types of movies during specific periods. Two Steven Spielberg films will be used for this purpose: â€Å"Jaws† which was shown in 1975 and â€Å"Saving Private Ryan† which was played in theaters in 1998. First, let me tackle the movie â€Å"Jaws†. The film has a simple but absorbing plot – it shows how a peaceful summer town called Amity Island is turned upside down with the attacks by a Great White Shark. The new Chief of Police, Martin Brody, is one of the first persons to learn of the first attack, and has a gut feel that the incident should not be taken lightly, so he planned to have the beaches closed. Nevertheless, the first incident is brushed aside by the town Mayor since their locality depended so much on the revenues from tourists during the summer. Thus, Brody’s intuitions are disregarded and eventually, another shark attack ensues. As the story goes along, more incidents happen pointing to the fact that there is a shark frequenting the Amity Island beach. Shark hunters from all over the country gather together to catch the killer shark, where a big Tiger Shark is caught but was later found to be a dud. With the Mayor’s consent, a contractor/shark hunter named Quint, is hired to catch the shark and Brody goes along with him together with Hooper, an ichthyologist, who specializes in sharks. The three of them get to work together to catch the Great White Shark, although unfortunately, Quint also becomes one of its victims. In the movie’s climactic moments, Brody is able to feed an oxygen tank (used by divers) to the Great White Shark and shoot at it at the moment when it was already aiming to make him one of its meals. The tank explodes inside the shark, and its flesh splatters all over the area turning the dark blue sea into red. Hooper, whom Brody presumed dead, then emerges from the waters and they both become ecstatic because they have succeeded in killing the Great White Shark, and their mission has finally ended. Since the movie was shown in 1975, it was not surprising that the values shown in the film were reflective of the contemporary cultural and social values during that time. At the initial part of the film, a group of teenagers are shown gathered around a campfire. One teenager is shown smoking something which is presumably Marijuana. As the camera pans right, a couple is shown kissing. In the foreground, some teens are gathered together passing around one stick which again seemed to be marijuana. Then a teenage boy with a can of beer in his hand is focused; he was smiling at someone outside the fire, a girl who was also smiling back at him. Boy approaches the girl, girl runs for the beach, boy follows but passes out before he even gets to undress. This is the girl who becomes the first victim of the shark attack. The use of marijuana was rampant in the 1970s. Drug use was a new concept at that time and drug addiction was not considered an urgent concern then. It was the time of the hippies, sexual promiscuity and assertion of individuality. It was also in the ‘70s when the abortion rate was at its highest point in the US. Sexual liberation reached its peak levels to the detriment of the young adults during that time. This is shown in the way that the teenage girl was inviting the boy to swim in the beach, but undressing along the way further enticing the boy to follow her. The sexual overtones were evident being part of a culture that was more sexually predisposed during the said period. Although the concept of feminism was already brought up in the 1960s through the Women’s Liberation Movement, the 1970s saw a second wave of feminism which took place. However, this brand of feminism was not meant to be that successful yet as it was more slanted towards activism and asserting immediate social transformation. Hence, the portrayal of women in this film â€Å"Jaws† was still that of the inferior gender. An example of this is the typical housewife, like the wife of Brody who was portrayed as the one who kept the house and took care of the children. The character of Brody’s wife was portrayed as one who was supposed to be submissive, to cheer her husband up, to support him and be there for the kids. Another scene is shown where a media man was shouting instructions to a woman who was taking down notes like a secretary. Being a secretary is synonymous to being a servant or a slave, which was how women were regarded in the early times. Women are also depicted as sexual objects as seen in the way a girl was shown screaming on the beach because she was placed by a guy on his shoulders, and she was thrilled with being on top. Being viewed as a sex object is also tantamount to treating a woman on unequal terms. In the town meeting at the mayor’s office, the men (and some elderly people) are shown sitting down with the women standing at the back all throughout, thereby implying that women were still regarded as the less knowledgeable race – part of the audience but their opinion not really highly regarded. Actually, much of the important positions in the town were held by men, and most of the movie’s scenes were, for the most part, dominated by men. This implied a continued gender partiality which pervaded the social systems in the early days of government and is still seen on the film. Conversely though, the teenage girl shown as the one initiating the sexual move in the initial portions of the film shows that there were already some hints that the social culture was already changing, and that the film’s director was seeing signs alluding to the inevitability of feminism. This goes to show that concepts of feminism and gender equality were still in the process of being materialized and it would take a few more years for its full development and adoption into society. In terms of political insights, the movie also tackled the issue of the Chief of Police’s seeming helplessness under the Mayor’s authority. Despite the danger of possible shark attacks, the mayor denied Brody’s request to close the beach because of the anticipated loss of revenues. This denoted the irony of electing public officials who, instead of upholding the welfare of the local residents to whom they owe their place in public office, allowed even more lives to be endangered. Now, pertaining to the movie â€Å"Saving Private Ryan†, the movie as mentioned earlier, was shown in theaters in 1995, but the majority of the settings were in June 1944 in France, which was the beginning of World War II. The film starts with an old man going to a military cemetery with his family, and he breaks down as he faces one of the white crosses. His identity is not revealed nor is the name of the soldier who was buried on the grave he was facing. His face is held in close-up and a foreshadowing technique is used to bring up what happened in the past. Capt. John Miller (Tom Hanks) heads an infantry of soldiers who were sent to Omaha Beach in France as part of the US Military troops to fight against the French and the Germans in World War II. His troops are almost cut in half but they get to survive. Later on, Capt. Miller is given a mission by the Chief of Staff of the US Army, which is an instruction to find Private James Francis Ryan (Matt Damon) of Iowa and bring him back to his mother at all costs. This was because Private Ryan’s three brothers who were also soldiers have all passed away, and it was deemed imperative to bring him back alive for his mother, who had no other family left but his only living son. Capt.  Miller succeeds in finding Private Ryan but ends up having two of his men killed, and later on, he himself ends up sacrificing his life. Private Ryan is the old man who carries the guilt of having had three men to sacrifice their lives for his safety. He cries at the foot of Capt. Miller’s grave telling him that he tried to live his life well just so he may become worthy of the sacrifices they made for his sake. The genre of the film is mostly action, although there were emotional scenes as in the time when Capt.  Miller was trying to hide his sorrow from his other soldiers because of the death of his men. Leadership in the army is difficult because he always had to show his team that he was strong and always in full control of the situation. Other emotional scenes were: 1) one of his timid soldiers crying because he wasn’t able to do anything for his comrades because of his cowardice; 2) the army vehicle coming to the house of the Ryan’s where the news on the death of the 3 soldiers were to be informed to their mother; and 3) the time Capt.  Miller died. As a 1995 film, I could say that the movie tried to veer away from politics and other social issues and sought to focus on the theme of the horrors of war. Since almost 95% of the film was set in the 1940s during the war, the presence of women in the film was totally inappropriate, and hence most of the scenes were dominated by men. The film dealt with the fight scenes between US soldiers and their enemies, the goal of accomplishing their mission and finally, being able to save Private Ryan. No references were made to feminism or sexual issues, and there were no romantic scenes, or allusions to anything sexual in nature. There was one scene however when, there was a French song being played over the phonograph and translated by one of the soldiers who could understand the language. It was a melancholic love song and somehow, the conversation was directed to a memory remembered by one of the soldiers. It was about a woman who had big breasts and it was just one of those things that men talked about just to have a good laugh. Other than this, there were no other issues raised pertaining to gender inequality or incidents of treating women as inferior. The only time women were shown in the film was 1) at the beginning and ending, when Private Ryan was heading for the Army cemetery with his family; and 2) in the World War II scenes when a family was taken hostage by some French soldiers. In both instances, the women were shown as merely part of a family, but nothing was implied as to what role they had to play or what duties they were expected to perform. In other words, the director preferred to stay in a â€Å"safe zone† on the feminism issue. Regarding politics, no particular reference was made to the US government whether at the national or local levels, although the hierarchy in the military was certainly illustrated as the army soldiers had to follow the orders of their superiors at all times, even if it may cost them their lives. Such portrayal showed the strictness within the military – â€Å"obey before you question†, a popular adage among the uniformed personnel, is still practiced up to now. The making of a war film in the US during this time was perhaps influenced by the Gulf War, the war against Somalia, and later on against Haiti during the 1990s. It was also the rise of the internet, the beginning of the Information Age and the emergence of the Third Wave of Feminism. Although these three concepts were not tackled in this movie, it is particularly significant that Director Steven Spielberg chose not to inject modernity into this film. Instead, it sought to capture the violence, carnage and cruelty of war, and the devastation – both physical and emotional – which it creates in the hearts and minds of its victims. The emotional scars made by the war are irreversible, and the lives lost as a consequence of war can be very painful for those who are left behind. Comparing the two movies together, it can be said that Spielberg was good in eliciting fear from the viewer in both films – one due to the suspense from the shark attack, and the other because of the violence depicted during the time of war. Spielberg was excellent at showing the gore and aggression in two different film genres. Although movies are only make-believe representations of the real thing, Spielberg did a good job with regards to Jaws, where the editing is said to have been instrumental in making the illusion of the Great White Shark look very authentic. The boat scenes and the chase scenes between the humans and the shark were filled with suspense as the film approached its climax. In like manner, the war scenes in Saving Private Ryan are an improved version of the bloodiness portrayed in Jaws. Here, the soldiers who have been shot, the mangled bodies, detached limbs, and blood gushing from the wounds of the injured soldiers just seemed so real, you could almost smell and taste the blood gushing out. The climax of the movie was reached as the lead actor faced a tank with only a pistol on his hand. Similarly, both of the movies had happy yet tragic endings. In Jaws, the lead actor, Brody becomes triumphant as he succeeds in making the oxygen tank bit by the shark to explode and thus tear the shark to pieces. However, Quint, who is the shark hunter and who was actively in pursuit of the culprit, was not that lucky because he too was made into a meal by the shark. Conversely, the lead actor in the film Capt. Miller dies because of a gunshot on the chest which he takes in while protecting Private Ryan. The protected soldier, Private Ryan, gets to live his life well, until his old age and is eternally grateful to his benefactors (Miller and his 2 soldiers) for giving him the importance that he didn’t think he deserved. In comparing the social and cultural issues during the two periods, it can be said that the status of women in society has significantly evolved from Jaws to Saving Private Ryan. Moreover, the issues of feminism and gender equality have improved considerably from the older to the more recent film. As the quality of film-making was enhanced, so did the social and cultural issues become better in status. Politics and sexual issues which are considered sensitive concerns were not touched on in the 2nd film, perhaps due to the awakened realizations related to the current times – matters which were not taken into account during the filming of Jaws.

Science Report on Spinosaurs

DATE: January 24, 2013 NAME: Carl Kallies SCIENCE REPORT: Dinosaurs – Spinosaurus The Spinosaurus is my favorite of all the dinosaurs. It was made famous in the movie Jurassic Park 3, one of my favorite movies. Scientists estimate Spinosaurus to be 40 to 56 feet or 12 to 17 meters from head to tail. Spinosaurus’ body looks a lot like that of T-Rex, but there are a couple of obvious differences. Of course, T-Rex didn’t carry that large sail-like fins made of 6-foot spines.And the front arms of the Spinosaurus are heavier and longer than T-Rex’s arms. Some scientists think this means that Spinosaurus used them for walking, while others say these strong front arms could really get a grip on dinner. The head of Spinosaurus was longer, more narrow, and not as heavily built as that of T-Rex. Whoever named this beast wasn’t having the most creative day. Spinosaurus means â€Å"spiny lizard. † There were large spines extending from the vertebrae alon g its back.And when I say large, I mean they could grow up to 6 feet long! Most researchers believe that the spines were covered with a membrane of skin that filled in the spaces between the spines, sort of the way webbing fills in the spaces between the â€Å"toes† of a duck This made a sail-like fin that could have helped control body heat. Some researchers think that the sail could have been extended or collapsed at least to some extent. Perhaps then the sail could be used to get some other dino’s attention.Spinosaurus was discovered in 1912 by a German paleontologist. Ernst Stromer found the first and most complete specimen in Egypt. Sadly, this specimen was destroyed during the bombing of Munich in WWII. No Spinosaurus since Stromer’s first find have been as complete. The long narrow snout of Spinosaurus contained jaws full of sharply pointed teeth. Unlike the steak knife serrations of T-rex teeth, Spinosaurus teeth were smooth and round.Because of the rese mblance to the bite of crocodiles, where the upper teeth of the Spinosaurus interlock with the lower teeth, scientists think Spinosaurus might have had a diet consisting primarily of fish. To add weight to the fish diet theory, acid etched Fish scales have been found in Spinosaurus stomachs. While their bodies are well-adapted for meat, their particular variety may have been of the swimming type. I think that the Spinosaurus is one of the best dinosaurs ever discovered.

Bobby Sands essays

Bobby Sands essays Bobby Sands was born in 1954 in Rathcoole, a loyalist community in North Belfast as the first child of John and Rosaleen Sands. He was followed by two sisters, Marcella and Burnadette, and a brother, Sean. The first years of Bobbys life were spent qui ly at Abbots Cross in the Newtonabbey area of North Belfast. However, the anti-Catholic attitudes raised their heads and the Sands family was forced to move in 1962 to another predominately Protestant ghetto in Belfast. Growing up in these areas led to e nature of hate that most Catholics have being in the segregated areas of Belfast. Bobby shared the same experiences, and had the same feelings. At the age of fifteen, Bobby quit school and began work as an apprentice coach builder and joined the national union of vehicle builders. In 1968, Bobby was forced out of his job due to anti-Catholic resentment. His sister Burnadette says, Bobby went work one day and these fellows were standing there cleaning guns. One fellow said to him, Do you see these here, well, if you dont youll get this. Then Bobby found a note in his lunchbox telling him to get out.1 These events would change his life In 1972, the Sands family was forced to move again when their house was sold to a Protestant couple without their concent. The family moved to a Catholic housing settlement in West Belfast. It was here that Bobby first heard about the IRA and joined up Bobbys life changed dramatically. My life now centered around sleepless nights and stand-bys dodging the Brits and calming nerves to go out on operations. But the people stood by us. The people not only opened the doors to their homes to lend us a h d but opened their hearts to us. I learned that without people we could not survive and I learned that I owe them everything.1 In October of 1972, Bobby was arrested. Four handguns were found in a house that he was staying at....

Who Can Write My Essay for Money

Who Can Write My Essay for Money You may ask, Who can write my essay for money? Websites abound for writing papers for profit. However, as a student, you do not simply want someone to write an essay for you to submit for your course assignment. You want a quality essay that adheres to your teacher’s instructions and that is original, that is, non-plagiarized. Therefore, you must exercise some good judgment in what site you utilize for your writing needs. First, visit the site offering essays for money. Does the site clearly state prices in relationship to the educational level of the buyer, the kind of service needed, cost per page, and time-frame for the order? Are you offered a free quote? In addition, does the service guarantee an original essay, free of plagiarism? Is there a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page? Under what circumstances can you receive a refund or request a revision? How is your order placed and paid for? What is the privacy policy? Finally, make certain that you are easily able to contact the service. Does it have an online chat feature with stated hours of access? Does it provide an email address and a toll-free number? Does it provide a physical address? In addition, read several pages on the Website. Check for how well the site utilizes the conventions of writing. The articles on the site should be free of mechanical errors. Each section of a Web page should have a stated purpose, and the information in that section should support that purpose. Another indication of the quality of the service is what the service says about its writers. You do not want just anyone writing your essay. You will want an experienced writer who knows how to write on a scholarly level and how to use quality sources, such as found in peer-reviewed journals, for example. The experienced academic writer also understands the most commonly used writing style formats, such as APA, MLA, Harvard, and Chicago/Turabian. Does the site name some of the discipline areas it can address, as well as the kinds of writing it can provide? For example, the site may state that it provides original papers for literature, psychology, sociology, medicine, finance, and marketing, to mention a few. It may also say that it can provide essays, research papers, reports, literature reviews, and other coursework related writing, including presentations. Plus, the site should provide samples of papers it has produced, plus testimonials from customers. There are many reasons for purchasing an essay. Simply make certain that you are employing a reputable company in satisfying your writing needs. After all, the final outcome is to receive a good grade for your coursework. You can request us: Please write my essay for money and we will find the best academic expert for you.

Cardiovascular Respiratory System During Exercise Physical Education Essay

Cardiovascular Respiratory System During Exercise Physical Education Essay A good understanding of anatomy and physiology is the basis of all medicine. Without knowing how the body works, how it is made up and how it can go wrong, we cannot even begin to design effective treatments and interventions, including surgery or new pharmaceutical drugs. The body has many different systems which help to maintain the body’s normal function. Three of these functions are; the cardiovascular system, respiratory system and the musculoskeletal system. In this assignment I will be looking at how these three systems work both at resting and during exercise. Cardiovascular System Wilmore, J.H; Costill, D.L (2004) states that the cardiovascular system consists of; the heart, which acts as a pump, blood vessels acting as a system of channels and it also consists of blood which acts as a fluid medium. The cardiovascular system has three main functions: Transports oxygen and nutrients to the body’s cells and transports carbon dioxide and waste products from the b ody’s cells. Protects the body from infection and loss of blood. Helps to regulate pH balance of the body, body temperature and the balance of fluid. (Plowman, A. S; Smith, D.L; 2010). Below is a diagram which shows the circulation of the cardiovascular system. http://agingresearch.buffalo.edu/assets/images/chf_circulatory_system.jpg (Image from http://agingresearch.buffalo.edu/†¦/chf_circulatory_system.jpg) As the diagram above shows the heart pumps oxidized blood to the body so the nutrients can be distributed to the cells and remove the waste which is then returned to the heart and then into the lungs to be oxidized again to return to the body. Response to Exercise Exercise uses up a lot of energy, which the cells derive from oxidizing glucose. Both glucose and oxygen have to be delivered by the blood. This means that the heart has to work harder to pump more blood through the body. This means it has to beat faster in order to achieve a higher throughput. The cardiova scular system responds to exercise by increasing the activity level. The adrenal gland increases the production of the hormones adrenaline and nor adrenaline. These have direct effects on the heart. These hormones cause an increase in the heart rate and the force with which the heart contracts each beat. This increases the total amount of blood that is circulated in the body every minute. That increase in blood circulation is required to meet the increased demand for nutrients and oxygen that the muscles and other tissues. There are several types of exercise and they all affect the cardiovascular system in a similar way, an example of some of these are; short term light to sub maximal aerobic, long term moderate to heavy sub maximal aerobic, incremental aerobic, static exercise and resistance exercise. For the purpose of this essay I will be looking at and comparing; short term to sub maximal aerobic exercise and heavy sub maximal aerobic exercise and how they affect the cardiovascu lar system. img010img011 This image shows the graphs of the changes in the cardiovascular system during light exercise (left) and moderate to heavy exercise (right).

Philosophy and Social Justice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Philosophy and Social Justice - Essay Example A social system is said to be just if its values are contrary to those systems that foster suffering, abuse, oppression, tyranny, discrimination, and prejudice. A just social system incorporates the government since solely the government does the distribution of services and resources. These services include education and health services. When the government provides a quality education, dependable health services and equitable distribution of resources to the populace without favor then we say we have a socially just society. A society where every citizen, whether rich, poor, powerful, or powerless is given an equal chance to thrive either in social, or economic aspects. In conclusion, a socially just society upholds the rights of its citizens as provided in the constitution. These rights may include right to shelter/housing, freedom of speech, freedom of association, equitable economical empowerment among others (Daniels, 2005). According to the Theory of Justice (Veil of Ignorance), Rawls argument is from a principled reconciliation of fairness and liberty. Ideologies of justice are used to guide the conduct of the parties. These groups face a little shortage, and they are not purely egoistic or naturally altruistic. They have a mission they seek to achieve, but prefer to achieve them through collaboration with others on mutually suitable conditions. Rawls gives a form of fairness in the choice within groups using principles of justice that are mutually acceptable. In such limitations, Rawls believes that the involved groups would find his preferred ideologies to be attractive, winning out over varied alternatives such as right-libertarian and utilitarian accounts. Rawls claims that ignorance to certain issues in the society will create fairness in the society; this he calls the original position. If a person does not know his future in his own imagined society, he is likely not giving

Sustainable Fashion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Sustainable Fashion - Essay Example The paper "Sustainable Fashion" concerns the project of designing a cohesive collection based on a specific inspiration by using sustainable fabric. Sustainable fashion is a fashion that aims to be environmentally friendly. It is part of the larger trend of "ethical fashion,". It is not a new trend that is has been said `Sustainable Fashion is not a short-term trend, but one that could last multiple seasons. ‘Vogue, May 2007. While environmentalism used to be distinct in fashion through a percentage of sales being donated to a charitable cause, most of the fashion designers have recently adopted the idea of sustainability. They are using more environment friendly materials and methods in clothing production. Designers claim that they are trying to incorporate these sustainable practices into modern clothing, rather than producing "dusty, hippy-looking clothes." Sustainable fashion is essentially more expensive than clothing produced by conventiona methods. Regarding the Sharpen Sustainable Fashion by Gwitt A. and Rissanen T. from week 4, it is easy to relate the idea of sustainable fashion with some elements. ‘While achieving sustainability is the goal of sustainable development, the word ‘sustainability' has several meanings in the today's world and is frequently reduced by associating it with ‘environment.' Some people define sustainability as the balance between three elements: economy, environment, and social equity. However, since human are struggling with ecological balance in every aspect.

Contemporary Social Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Contemporary Social Theory - Essay Example It is not possible to discard the classical theories because modern theories have to branch out of them and as the society is a continuous story, classical theories remain forever relevant. Also we require social theories that could combine and understand many cultures and regional specialities. To understand the demography, social class structure, population, law and justice matters, sociological network and sociological geography it is necessary to have easily applicable social theories. It enables culture mapping, research, social justice and the requirements of a social welfare state. It is necessary to analyse the complexities of contemporary societies, and to understand the present social world. It is necessary to theorise communication between social systems, social interaction, and hierarchies. It is also significant to understand the configuration of power points like global trends, media and shifting political issues. Mills argues that social theory has to be combined with social imagination that shows how the personal issues could affect the large scale social structures: â€Å"Issues have to do with matters that transcend these local environments of the individual and the range of his inner life. They have to do with the organisation of many such milieux into the institution of a historical society as a whole, with the ways in which various milieux overlap and interpenetrate to form the larger structure of social and historical life,† Mills (1959, p.15). Interpreting September 11th in terms of social theory is not easy. Calhoun et al (2002, P.24) argue: â€Å"The terrorist attacks have stimulated public soul-searching. Both attacks and responses to them have raised a host of questions about social organisations, basic social institutions, and how people mobilize amid crises.† Harrington covers both classical and contemporary social theories in his book Modern Social Theory. Harrington

Information Technology Malware Management in the Enterprise Essay

Information Technology Malware Management in the Enterprise - Essay Example Every business or an enterprise ought to follow this classic approach with the â€Å"just-on-time† feature that entails malware information assessment and handling (IATAC, 2009). Background Malware problems are ever growing and continue to be a nuisance for computer users. Manufactures of malware programs have continued to increase over the years and by 2010, there were 14 million different malware programs recorded. An astonishing 60,000 sections of malicious code was being discovered every single day. A rather recent work known as the Koobface surfaced, its purpose was to target people on social networks and it’s created profited by making 2 million dollars in one year. A worm known as the Mariposa has been known to create the largest network of zombie machines on the entire planet. Experts, despite making their best efforts, could not calculate its exact size however they were able to pinpoint the number of computers that became infected by Mariposa which was over 12 million. What the worm did was drop spyware that stole susceptible information from the individuals who suffered, which includes bank account numbers and credit card credentials. This idea was completely planned by a solitary hacker in Spain who happened to make a blunder by chance that uncovered him and he was arrested (Milosevic, 2010). Forms of Malware Web attacks are counted amongst the foremost subtle and dangerous ways cyber criminals use. For instance, if you are searching any sites which may seem good and harmless but at the backend they are uploaded with various harmful malware which secretly get downloaded in the browser’s PC. It can happen as such that cyber criminals square measure all their probabilities and then they frame a hijack process. Mostly the advertising banners on these sites are used for such reasons hence it is extremely important that enterprises must place security barriers between the company’s system and internet arrangement (Baloch, 2011 ). Other forms within which malware can be formed include: Botnets Instant electronic messaging Phishing tries Skype malware Gaming malware Redirects If an administrator fails to execute an immediate action once he/she has recognized the entry of malware, then it can be ascertained that a door has been opened for criminals to siphon personal information from the computer. In the fight against the malicious software system, it isn't enough to treat individual infected machines. Enterprise Strategy for fighting Malware Too often, organizations create the error of treating malware infections as a series of irregular occurrences. Anytime a bug is discovered, IT merely cleans up or rebuilds the affected host and the whole system moves on with routine operational tasks. Nonetheless this approach does not permit the enterprise to stay up with progressively aggressive and innovative attack techniques used by malware authors. It is this time when management needs to take corrective action to bypass malware defenses, evade detection, and resist efforts to get rid of it (Zeltser, 2011). In fact, combating malware whether it is a big or a small enterprise atmosphere requires locating suspicious programs on servers and workstations and then executing the strategy for removing them. However it can also be done in the manner to conjointly investigate the areas infected and detecting the departments which interfere with the utilization of malware on the

Summary Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Summary - Assignment Example The new smart phones are in approach of anyone these days. There are many other forms of applications like multimedia, games applications through which a person can pass his/her time. Therefore, in real they can keep information of their credit cards, tickets and can have storage of electronic cash and much more than this. In simple it also plays a role of electronic wallet. The article highlights and discusses about the technologies which are now leading to the highest peak of growth in the 3rd generation of mobile networking. Some of the new mobile and terminals technologies discussed by the authors in the article are discussed below: Mobile networks and their development: Most of the mobile services are based on the second generation (2G) and these services made possible to transfer the data and services through wireless telecom network e.g. (GSM) as â€Å"Global System for Mobile communications†, (GPRS) as â€Å"Global Packet Radio Service†, (HSCSD) as â€Å"High S peed Circuit Switched Data†, (SMS) as â€Å"Short Message Service† and many other. The International Telecommunication Union system changed the standard in 2000, called International Mobile Telecommunications. The main idea of this change was to make enable the services such as, (video streams, animations, pictures, etc.). According to the authors, as the advancement is continuously being made in the ground of mobile networking, the plans have started on the development of 4G which will be completed by 2012. One of the main reasons for the differences in networks generation is of the capacity available to the customers. The current 2G is providing the capacity of min of 14.4 kbps and max to 57.6 kbps and then 3G network will be having the capacity of more than 2Mbps. 2G has a big hand in supporting the E-Commerce through WAP technology which brought in Internet to the handsets. Another rising technology is Bluetooth. It can be used for small transmission of information on ad hoc basis form point to point (Tsalgatidou, Veijalaninen, Markkula, Katasonov, and Hadjiefthymiades, 2003). Mobile Terminals: Smart-phones are the name given to the new introduction of mobiles. And this is because their features can be added or deleted or can even be modified. In most of the new smart-phones, GPRS, Bluetooth and MMS services are available and also the availability of inbuilt or attachable camera with the high color display resolution is there. Internal memory of megabytes is another added innovation in these mobiles for high storage which also is supported by external memory chip normally known as memory card. The Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) has played an important role in putting a standard in mobiles, its services and applications. Java, MMS and XHTML are the most important technologies of OMA. In order to provide extra securities to mobile services, MeT was established to provide high security and more innovations to mobile transaction (Tsalgatidou et al., 2 003). Positioning systems of LBS: LBS, â€Å"Location Based Services†, require a specific positioning for mobile terminals. Geocoding is a system which offers positions for mobile terminal and is divided into three main classes: satellite positioning, network-based positioning and, local positioning. All these different positioning systems differ in their techniques, features and reliability. Satellite Positioning: Satellite positioning system is a system which uses satellites revolving around the earth and

Statement of the Problem for my dissertation Research Paper

Statement of the Problem for my dissertation - Research Paper Example A number of research studies about the RET programs have shown variations in changes and radical improvements relating to the teachers. There is some form of agreement that RET programs are excellent for the instructors as it broadens the intellect during study and empowers the teachers with sufficient acquaintance on how to work on research. The NGSS practices have been established to be the best to educators and students since they enhance learning through students’ engagements such as enabling them to vigorously explore the scientific knowledge. This knowledge is supposed to be acquired in class by practicing actual scientific or engineering research (NGSS Lead States, 2013). Most of the findings put forward that science teachers are required to go through comprehensive assessment to establish if they have embraced research as an imperative factor that improves their teaching practices. (Musante, 2006). Background on RET programs What are RET programs? In the course of RET programs teachers discover the way scientists do research in STEM fields. In addition, teachers play a role in the environment of scientific research (Grove, Dixon, Pop, 2009, Ononye et al., 2007). RET programs more often than not distribute teachers in research laboratories for a period that ranges from six weeks to two months to make possible their participation in scientific research in the true world (Pop, Dixon & Grove, 2010). The (STEM) fields as well as faculty of computer science and engineering in colleges to make information and acquaintance associated to these fields accessible to students. Features of RET programs Teacher participation in the RET program is very important in terms of teachers’ knowledge and scientific research. Research Experiences for Teacher (RET) has stirred up professional development amongst teachers and students themselves. In effect, it has improved the teaching and learning practices in classroom. RET programs vary considerably depending o n the specialization of the teachers. Moreover, other research methods such as discussions, observations and interviews are geared toward improving the understanding of scientific research practice while some focus on basic skills of solutions for mathematical and scientific problems (Schulte, 2009). Research on RETs As in every profession, research and experience still remain a fundamental characteristic in the field of education. Research in this case comprises the knowledge and skills bestowed by observation and proceedings gained by exploring a given aspect. Most of the findings suggest that science teachers are required to go through comprehensive assessment to determine if they have embraced research as an important factor that improves their teaching practices. This is because most teachers are conversant with class tests in contrast to research practices, which are perceived to expose them to many skills needed during actual professional exploration (Goreham, 2010). Effects on teacher’ practice Several studies have shown that teachers who used an online support system are at an advantage of translating their research experience into their own classroom teaching after participating in the RET (Hardre, Nanny, Refai, & Slater, 2010). It is worth noting; however, after the teachers had research

Summary Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Summary - Assignment Example The new smart phones are in approach of anyone these days. There are many other forms of applications like multimedia, games applications through which a person can pass his/her time. Therefore, in real they can keep information of their credit cards, tickets and can have storage of electronic cash and much more than this. In simple it also plays a role of electronic wallet. The article highlights and discusses about the technologies which are now leading to the highest peak of growth in the 3rd generation of mobile networking. Some of the new mobile and terminals technologies discussed by the authors in the article are discussed below: Mobile networks and their development: Most of the mobile services are based on the second generation (2G) and these services made possible to transfer the data and services through wireless telecom network e.g. (GSM) as â€Å"Global System for Mobile communications†, (GPRS) as â€Å"Global Packet Radio Service†, (HSCSD) as â€Å"High S peed Circuit Switched Data†, (SMS) as â€Å"Short Message Service† and many other. The International Telecommunication Union system changed the standard in 2000, called International Mobile Telecommunications. The main idea of this change was to make enable the services such as, (video streams, animations, pictures, etc.). According to the authors, as the advancement is continuously being made in the ground of mobile networking, the plans have started on the development of 4G which will be completed by 2012. One of the main reasons for the differences in networks generation is of the capacity available to the customers. The current 2G is providing the capacity of min of 14.4 kbps and max to 57.6 kbps and then 3G network will be having the capacity of more than 2Mbps. 2G has a big hand in supporting the E-Commerce through WAP technology which brought in Internet to the handsets. Another rising technology is Bluetooth. It can be used for small transmission of information on ad hoc basis form point to point (Tsalgatidou, Veijalaninen, Markkula, Katasonov, and Hadjiefthymiades, 2003). Mobile Terminals: Smart-phones are the name given to the new introduction of mobiles. And this is because their features can be added or deleted or can even be modified. In most of the new smart-phones, GPRS, Bluetooth and MMS services are available and also the availability of inbuilt or attachable camera with the high color display resolution is there. Internal memory of megabytes is another added innovation in these mobiles for high storage which also is supported by external memory chip normally known as memory card. The Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) has played an important role in putting a standard in mobiles, its services and applications. Java, MMS and XHTML are the most important technologies of OMA. In order to provide extra securities to mobile services, MeT was established to provide high security and more innovations to mobile transaction (Tsalgatidou et al., 2 003). Positioning systems of LBS: LBS, â€Å"Location Based Services†, require a specific positioning for mobile terminals. Geocoding is a system which offers positions for mobile terminal and is divided into three main classes: satellite positioning, network-based positioning and, local positioning. All these different positioning systems differ in their techniques, features and reliability. Satellite Positioning: Satellite positioning system is a system which uses satellites revolving around the earth and

Learning Agreement Essay Example for Free

Learning Agreement Essay In R Tours, I was assigned in the Inbound Department and I learned a lot from there. One of the main duties in the department is the inbound operation. The inbound operation consists of several tasks. First to create interesting and excellent tour packages, then, promote them locally and internationally and finally handling them. We may receive request or booking by telephone, fax, letter or email from individuals, local and international groups. Most of the time a normal booking will have information on the type of tour package chosen, the length of stay, the number of people and additional services required such as a buffet set up instead of an a la carte menu or providing the welcome drink in the airport instead of the hotel. Normally we reply by thanking the person or the foreign company involves and we include all the necessary information such as the detailed itinerary, the cost of the tour and most important our confirmation for handling the tour. Then we will wait to get a confirmation from them before starting to make all arrangements and preparations. The confirmation includes the date and time of arrival, the flight number if they are arriving by airplane, names plus passport numbers of clients and the rooming list. It is only after receiving the confirmation that we begin to work on arranging and preparing the booking of hotels, restaurants, transportation vehicles, museum tickets and sometimes airlines tickets if they are intend to fly to the south of the country. We also, arrange the visas and prepare the travel insurance. We assign people who are going to take care of the group such as tour leader, tour guide and driver. Then we prepare the reservation forms and we send them to our suppliers. The reservation form includes the services requested and the number of pax and sometimes more information according to the kind of supplier. In a case of a hotel for example, the reservation form will include extra information such as the date of checking in and out, the number and what type of room and type of payment. Suppliers may be hotel, resort, motel, museum, restaurant, theme park, car rental, motor-coach company, a marina, a diving center or anything else. During peak season we have difficulties in getting the right accommodation or some other services that was mentioned in the tour package, in this kind of situation we, must think of an alternative and inform the client about the changes and finally when both of us agree we proceed with the arrangement. The next task is to handle the group from the first day to the last day. The most important rule with the western group is being punctual because they are used to it and they do not like to wait for anything or anybody even from their own group. Make sure everything goes according to the itinerary timing. All the employees and suppliers involve must take this into consideration. In case of lateness they may complaint and even ask for refund for that particular service. All the time make sure that everything is ready in advance. For example, during the arrival day, the tour guide and the motor coach must be present at the airport at least one hour before the plane lands and provide the tour guide with a small board having the name of the group to make it easier for the group to find him. We need to monitor the group every single day and keep in touch with the tour leader. All the international groups have their tour leader and building an excellent communication or relation with him or her is really important because the tour leader is the one in charge of the entire group and he or she plays a very important role to insure that the tour is conducted as planned. Carrying daily briefing with him or her helps to find out what happened the day before and if any change has to be done for the next day. In the department we need to carry meetings to resolve any kind of problem during the tour. I learned to build strong relation with our suppliers to minimize the problem and complications. In the beginning I was facing many problems of getting what I wanted and it used to take days of negotiation before getting it. I realized that certain suppliers such as five star hotels or dine dining restaurants were not responding positively to our request because they were preferring to deal directly with the customers or with reputed tour operator company. According to their opinion, we were not qualified or capable of bringing much business and I was really disappointed by their discrimination and behavior but my personal and communication skills helped me to accomplish whatever I wanted from them. It is sad to realize that they are used to work this way, they dont easily cooperate with small companies and I needed to win their trust. Finally they decided to really do business with me and everything was working smoothly after that. I think and believe that these hotels or any other suppliers should cooperate and build a better relationship with the small tour operators in order to benefit from each other. I definitely agree that we were not in the same level as those large tour operators such as Z Tours but we proved to these hotels income as well. However, I was pleased that after many months of hard work, we were able to increase the number of bookings with them month after month. During my time spent in R Tours, I learned to better understand the procedure of handling tour packages. Now I am more confident of myself and well prepared due to all the experience that I had acquired while working there. I would like to conclude by saying that inbound operation is about using your capabilities, trying your strength in all the different tasks involves and be able to solve any problem happening during the tour by relating to your learning experience at the work place.

Project Management Success Factors

Project Management Success Factors Introduction Project is a temporary, unique and novel endeavor having a clear finish date (Project Management Institute, 2013). Project success has been a hot topic of debate for the last few decades. A lot of research and study has been done in this respect but the results are elusive rather than conclusive. The fundamental reason behind this is the unique nature, size and complexity of a project. Project success is a perceived concept and there is a wide divergence of opinions concerning this. Early research on project success was done keeping into account the golden triangle of time, budget and required levels of quality (Belassi, 1996). Failure to meet this expectations/standards, the project was considered as a failure. However, in the last two decades, the focus has been more on organizational and management success. The assessment of project success is done by different interest groups- (Stockholders, managers, customers and employees). Therefore, assessment of project success must be done in accordance to different views (Stuckenbruck, 1986) (Baccarini, 1999) identified the two distinct sources of project success: Project Management Success Emphasizes on project process and the successful accomplishment of golden triangle (cost, time and quality). Also, it addresses the way a project was conducted. Product Success- Deals with the effects of products final outcome. Project success is of prime most importance as a vast majority of the projects fail, incurring huge amounts of losses (resources and time). To overcome this, prominent researchers have adopted a two-dimensional method of addressing project success, namely project success criteria and success factors. PROJECT CRITICAL SUCCESS CRITERIA AND CRITICIAL SUCCESS FACTORS   Ã‚   Project success criteria are the set of guidelines and standards used to review the success or failures of a project. These are dependent on a lot of factors/variables and will be subject to variation in perception by different stakeholders. Traditionally, project success criteria were dependent on the golden or iron triangle (cost, time and quality). Conversely, it was later on discovered that success criteria couldnt be measured based on these factors alone as the perception of project success varies from person to person. Furthermore, research also shows that it is impossible to generate a standard specification of success criteria apposite for all projects. Assessment of project was done on different criterias, including utility of the final project, client satisfaction, and the probability of making use of the finished project (Slevin Pinto, 1986). Although different researches have different opinions, there is a general consensus regarding the result areas, which covers the en tire issue of project success in the broadest sense. Some of the key elements of project success criteria are as follows: Stakeholders Appreciation. User Appreciation. Appreciation by contracting partners. Appreciation by project personnel. Appreciation by users. Client appreciation. Time. Quality. Cost. Project efficiency. Project management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities to meet the project requirements. (Project Management Institute, 2013). A lot of significant research work has been carried out in the field of project management to identify and determine the critical success factors. Eminent researchers , Pinto and Slevin were the first to develop a Project management tool, named Project Implementation Plan (PIP) and identification of critical success factors (Slevin Pinto, 1986). These factors were widely accepted and also used by other researchers (Scott-Young Samson, 2004) . Furthermore, it was also realized that due to complexities and subtleties of projects, this method wasnt very effective and the Project implementation tool (PIP) was used to examine the Critical success Factors (CSF) over different project life cycles (Pinto Prescott, 1998) (Adams, 1978) (King Cleland, 1983). The various Critical Success Factors associated with the dif ferent project life cycles are as follows: Project Initiation or Conceptualization Phase: (Success factors- Definition of goals, project objectives, project summary and client appreciation). (Morris Hough, 1987) Project Planning Phase : (Success factors- Scope definition, project strategy, selection of team members, work breakdown structure (WBS), resource allocation, client acceptance and management support). (Cleland King, 1983) (Belassi, 1996) Project Execution Phase: (Success factors- Scheduling, technical works, trouble-shooting, monitoring and feedback, innovation and quality control) (Morris Hough, 1987) Project Closing or Terminating Phase: (Success factors- Client feedback, work review, technical tasks, client consultation, project reports.) (Belassi, 1996) Furthermore, the success factors can also be divided into major groups covering all the aspects and elements of project management (Westerveld, 2002). These are as follows: Management of Human Resources: (Team and leadership, Project manager, stakeholder Management) Project Process: (Planning, scheduling, controlling, monitoring, quality and risk) Organizational Factors: (Resources , policy , organizational structure) Technical Factors: (Procurement, Contractor, technical works and novelty) External Factors: (Skilled human resources, experience, project size, project uniqueness, management support structure, political stability, environment and other natural hazards) Thus, it can be concluded that project success criteria emphasizes more on the result oriented areas, whereas; success factors focus more on the organizational areas of a project (Westerveld, 2002). At the same time, they both act as excellent guidelines for the management team to formulate and device their strategy, implementing and executing them in order to achieve direct or indirect project success. Also, researchers have found that that human resource management accelerates projects success more than technical skills (Scott-Young Samson, 2004). Project managers play a pivotal role when it comes to successful delivery of projects. Due to the complexity and uniqueness associated with each project, it is of outmost importance for a project manager to develop and adopt a multi-dimensional approach. As the project manager has to focus on multiple variables, it is essential for the project manager to get his management team onboard as quickly as possible and define project goals, sco pe and execution plan. A project manager must realize and understand the client and organizations expectations and design a bespoke plan of action taking into account the success criteria and success factors.

I am a Wimp :: Personal Narrative Essay Example

I am a Wimp I am sitting alone on the "N" train. I am in my usual spot: back car, second floor, first window seat. It is cold inside. It is wet outside. I'm tired. My thoughts are playing themselves out in-between the lyrics on my walk-man. For Friday, I am mellow. The two sides of my personality are trying to communicate, and I have decided to simply sit down and listen to the conversation. My weekday self goes to high school in Manhattan. I am often tired and try simply to get through the day. I usually do not have fun during the week. I like my friends, but there is no time to have a good time together. I feel inadequate at my high school. Many students do just as much work as I do and make it look easy. My "week" self is often frustrated. In comparison, my weekend self is rested and happy. I leisurely groom myself in the morning. My weekend friends are impressed that I travel so far to get to school. They are impressed that I get good grades. But overall they are impressed that I am allowed to leave for lunch and that I actually go back to classes. My weekend self buys into the hype, and is very proud. I realize part of the equation is location. My weekday self spends its days on Madison Avenue, while my weekend self spends its days in Queens. Even though I have lived my entire life in this neighborhood I have always felt a little out of place. It's a tough neighborhood and I'm not afraid to say I am a wimp. I enjoy the freedoms of the Upper East Side. The only attitude I receive is from rich women who wish teenagers would stop crowding their streets and talking too loudly. If I give someone a look, I am not afraid they are going to follow me or "jump" me. The kids in my neighborhood rarely finish school. Most go to an alternative high school or get their G.E.D. after dropping out. They eventually get decent jobs, but few receive college educations. In the end, few adults in my neighborhood enjoy their jobs. I fear this will happen to most of my weekend friends. Location also affects my identity in other ways. I am a Wimp :: Personal Narrative Essay Example I am a Wimp I am sitting alone on the "N" train. I am in my usual spot: back car, second floor, first window seat. It is cold inside. It is wet outside. I'm tired. My thoughts are playing themselves out in-between the lyrics on my walk-man. For Friday, I am mellow. The two sides of my personality are trying to communicate, and I have decided to simply sit down and listen to the conversation. My weekday self goes to high school in Manhattan. I am often tired and try simply to get through the day. I usually do not have fun during the week. I like my friends, but there is no time to have a good time together. I feel inadequate at my high school. Many students do just as much work as I do and make it look easy. My "week" self is often frustrated. In comparison, my weekend self is rested and happy. I leisurely groom myself in the morning. My weekend friends are impressed that I travel so far to get to school. They are impressed that I get good grades. But overall they are impressed that I am allowed to leave for lunch and that I actually go back to classes. My weekend self buys into the hype, and is very proud. I realize part of the equation is location. My weekday self spends its days on Madison Avenue, while my weekend self spends its days in Queens. Even though I have lived my entire life in this neighborhood I have always felt a little out of place. It's a tough neighborhood and I'm not afraid to say I am a wimp. I enjoy the freedoms of the Upper East Side. The only attitude I receive is from rich women who wish teenagers would stop crowding their streets and talking too loudly. If I give someone a look, I am not afraid they are going to follow me or "jump" me. The kids in my neighborhood rarely finish school. Most go to an alternative high school or get their G.E.D. after dropping out. They eventually get decent jobs, but few receive college educations. In the end, few adults in my neighborhood enjoy their jobs. I fear this will happen to most of my weekend friends. Location also affects my identity in other ways.

Eliots Inferiority Exposed in Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock and Sweeney Among the :: Love Song J. Alfred Prufrock

Eliot's Inferiority Exposed in Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock and Sweeney Among the Nightingales "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" tells the story of a single character, a timid, middle-aged man. Prufrock is talking or thinking to himself. The epigraph, a dramatic speech taken from Dante's "Inferno," provides a key to Prufrock's nature. Like Dante's character Prufrock is in "hell," in this case a hell of his own feelings. He is both the "you and I" of line one, pacing the city's grimy streets on his lonely walk. He observes the foggy evening settling down on him. Growing more and more hesitant he postpones the moment of his decision by telling himself "And indeed there will be time." Prufrock is aware of his monotonous routines and is frustrated, "I have measured out my life with coffee spoons":. He contemplates the aimless pattern of his divided and solitary self. He is a lover, yet he is unable to declare his love. Should a middle-aged man even think of making a proposal of love? "Do I dare/Disturb the universe?" he asks. Prufrock knows the women in the saloons "known them all" and he presumes how they classify him and he feels he deserves the classification, because he has put on a face other than his own. "To prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet." He has always done what he was socially supposed to do, instead of yielding to his own natural feelings. He wrestles with his desires to change his world and with his fear of their rejection. He imagines how foolish he would feel if he were to make his proposal only to discover that the woman had never thought of him as a possible lover; he imagines her brisk, cruel response; "That is not what I meant, at all." He imagines that she will want his head on a platter and they did with the prophet John the Baptist. He also fears the ridicule and snickers of other men when she rejects him. Prufrock imagines "And would it have been worth it, after all," and if she did not reject him it would bring him back to life and he could say

The replacement is stored

In compression, the algorithm looks for repeating patterns in the source alphabet and encodes these patters as new symbols in a translated alphabet.The new alphabet is composed of symbols that are longer (composed of more bits) than the symbols in the source alphabet. The compression arises when repeating patterns in the old alphabet are replaced by a single symbol in the new alphabet. The replacement is stored in a dictionary that contains all mappings of the old alphabet patterns into the new alphabet symbols.The decompression algorithm simply does the reverse process of the compression algorithm. The algorithm takes a look at the input stream in the new alphabet and looks up the dictionary for its corresponding pattern in the old alphabet.Unlike Huffman coding, LZW compression does not use probability analysis and computation on the source data, needing only to look at repeating patterns in the source alphabet. LZW works best on streams that contain multiple repeating patterns suc h as text files.Huffman coding on the other hand works best on streams where there is a disparity in relative frequencies between symbols. In LZW, a dictionary is used to map patterns in the old alphabet to symbols in the new alphabet, the dictionary being constructed from repeating patterns.In Huffman, symbol mappings are based on the frequencies of the symbols in the source alphabet. Additionally, the bit length of the new symbols in LZW is constant while the bit length for the new symbols in Huffman is variable, depending on the frequency of the source symbols.Wireless Mobile Ad-hoc Networks (MANET) and Wireless Sensor Networks are two similar kinds of wireless technology. A MANET is a self-configuring network the result being an arbitrary topology. There is no fixed infrastructure between the nodes and their only relationship to each other is their proximity to one another.However, that may not be true for sensor networks. Some sensor network protocols specify a specific topolog y. In the case of IEEE 802.15.4, it allows for two kinds of topologies, a ring topology and a peer to peer topology.Another difference is complexity. The nodes of sensor networks are generally much simpler than in MANETs. Sensor nodes typically include only a transceiver module for communication, a sensor and a microcontroller.This is because of the relatively simpler uses for the sensor such as data collection and gathering. In contrast, nodes of a MANET will generally be more complex, being made up of complete laptops, PDAs or other high level communication devices.A third difference is in the data rates. Sensor networks are generally low data rate systems while MANETs have higher data rates. Bit rates in MANETs like 802.11 are measured in Mbps while those in 802.15.4 and Zigbee are in kbps only. Fourth is power consumption, MANET nodes are designed to be mains powered or only to be reliant on batteries for a short amount of time (generally a few hours).On the other hand, sensor n etworks will generally use low power components to stretch the power of the battery for weeks or months on end. Lastly, in MANETs, nodes are envisioned to be constantly sending data to one another while in sensor networks, nodes are expected to be in a sleep or quiet mode for most of the time.This is due to the amount of data exchanged in MANETs compared to sensor networks which may only need to throw data to the server on specified times.If we take the example of the ZigBee sensor network protocol, we can see three layers from the OSI model at work in the ZigBee protocol. In the ZigBee protocol, its uses the IEEE 802.15.4 standard for the PHY and MAC portion of the DLL layer. The ZigBee specification on the other hand serves as the upper layers for the wireless sensor network.

Political Elite Revised Essay

Do you want to belong to the elite? Or do you sometimes feel that, in a way, you belong to the elite? Without its political meaning, the elite simply refer to a group that possesses superior qualities than the rest. It is the â€Å"cream of the crop†. In one way or another, some of us may have already experienced belonging to the elite, such as when we became part of an important club in school or belonged to the top of the class. In the book Concept and Issues in Comparative Politics, Frank Wilson explained that when applied to politics, the term elite acquires a negative connotation to mean a â€Å"small group who conspire to monopolize power and use it for their benefit†. However, without this political meaning, term elite refers to those who are active in political processes. Thus, Wilson stresses that not only the politicians belong to the elite, but also the opinion leaders and influence wielders and the senior civil servants. While politicians seek and hold elective or appointed government positions, influential figures participate in the process by shaping the ideas and preferences of others. This makes the media and business group as parts of the political elite. Bureaucrats or senior civil servants are also one of the components of the elite because they are involved in the policy- and decision-making processes in the government. Can a person enter the circle of the elite by moving his or her way up in the bureaucracy? Yes, if the person’s career achievements merit him or her to be recruited into the elite. Basically Wilson suggests two ways of recruitment to the elite: by achievement and by ascription. Recruitment by achievement does not only refer to technical skills, but also pertains to interpersonal, leadership or money-making skills. This is in stark contrast with the ascriptive mode of recruitment wherein a person automatically becomes a member of the elite because he or she was â€Å"born with silver spoon in the mouth,† so to speak. Also, Wilson points out that recruitment by achievement is characteristic of developed political systems, while recruitment by ascription is more common in traditional societies. However, it is not uncommon to find elites by birth who also developed the necessary skills to lead by achievement. For example, George W. Bush did not become the US President simply because he is the son of George H. W. Bush; but his first-hand observation of his father’s former job, the Bush’s network of influence, and the name recall surely helped in his campaign. Wilson also classifies elites into open and closed elites. The US is considered as one of the most open political recruitment processes because of the system of primary elections. One does not have to be a dedicated party worker to get nominated and eventually elected. According to Wilson, it also explains why movie stars could become elected officials, as well. Most democratic societies have open elites hence outsiders have multiple opportunities to enter the elite circle; but there are also democratic societies which require aspiring politicians to serve apprenticeships in local or party politics. This is to prevent just anybody, especially those who are only famous, to get elected without any political experience.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   On the other hand, closed elites are characteristic of authoritarian regimes wherein membership to the elite is controlled. In practice, however, there are also democratic regimes which also have closed elites, in a sense that ruling elites may hinder other members of the society from obtaining enough political leverage to become one of the political elite. For instance, I want to get in the elite circle because I have sufficient background, knowledge and skills to become a leader, but the circle is controlled and very elitist (snobbish). Do I have other options if I do not get recruited through achievement? Yes, by ascription such as by marrying a member of the elite, as Wilson stresses, or stage a revolt or a coup d’etat to overthrow the ruling elite.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Nevertheless, violent successions of the elites usually happen when there is no predictability or long-established rules in the change of leadership. In most advanced political systems, there are approved procedures in the transition and legitimation of leadership that would render the blood spill unnecessary. However, even if Wilson contends that unpredictable successions are common to authoritarian regimes and third world countries, he also cites examples to the contrary. He takes particular exception to the Party politics in China which has proven that orderly manner of succession is possible, even in an authoritarian system. To add to this example are a number of â€Å"illiberal democracies† in Asia wherein rulers could maintain their hold in power, yet such undemocratic rule were long accepted by the people.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Wilson also adds that there are other ways to make the elite’s hold on power legitimate such as tradition, charismatic appeal, accepted rational processes, and more importantly, capability of the political elite to deliver its promises to the people. The capability to perform to improve the welfare of the people could be a more powerful factor for legitimacy than election, and thus could make people’s obedience possible even if the rule is considered undemocratic. However, whether in democratic or authoritarian regimes, any elite that would exercise coercive force to command obedience from the people is bound to fail – and that is when we observe violent or tense transitions of political power.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Still, there is always a certain elite or a small group that would be most directly involved in the political processes. Even erstwhile socialist regimes which claimed to promote equality among the people have been ruled by elites, and have in fact used their position to perpetuate themselves in power. The widely-held notion of democracy is that of a representative democracy. As such, it has been a nagging controversy in the studies of elite that even the most democratic systems are not truly democratic because political leadership is in the hands of a representative elite that would never mirror the general citizenry. Wilson has provided enough empirical evidence that those who usually get recruited into the elite are from the middle and upper classes, educated, from dominant societal groups, and male. Even if the elite would recruit from the ranks of the masses, those who would enter the elite would soon acquire the certain values and perspectives that are characteristic of the elite. Thus they get absorbed into the system – and could not possibly reform the system. As such radicals view that only by changing the system itself, say, by supplanting a genuinely socialist one, that political elitism would end. The above proposition is grounded on the assumption that elitism is bad, as Wilson has scrutinized effectively. Breaking down this assumption brings us to the sub-assumptions that firstly, political elites always rules in its own best interests; and that   secondly, the best political representation of a particular group is made by people who are from that group. Wilson debunks these assumptions for lack of sufficient empirical evidence. In the first instance, political elites ruling only on their interests can always be checked in democratic societies. In democratic systems wherein the succession of political power is determined by elections, the ruling elites would have to bend to the wishes of important portions of the population because they would ultimately need their support come election time. Of course, it is also possible that the political elite sincerely care for the people; that is why we now have welfare states and taxation systems that really hurt the rich and benefit the poor. The argument that one can best represent the interests the group where he or she comes from, at all times, may not always hold true since as Wilson explained in the text, new entrants to the elite may change their values by virtue of their position thus may render them useless in advancing his original group or class. A very concrete example would be the socialist Russian revolution which catapulted the working class into power, which in the long run only became a self-seeking and self-defensive class of its own.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Thus Wilson argues that a pluralist democracy, wherein various interests are articulated and political competition prevents domination of political power of a single set of elites, holds the answer to the controversy that bedevils the political elite. As such, the rule of the elites, per se, is not bad – as long as it is in the context of a working pluralist democracy.

The Lost Duke of Wyndham Chapter Six

Jack had always prided himself on being able to spot the irony in any situation, but as he stood in the Belgrave drawing room – correction, one of the Belgrave drawing rooms, surely there were dozens – he could find nothing but stark, cold reality. He'd spent six years as an officer in His Majesty's army, and if he'd learned one thing from his years on the battlefield, it was that life could, and frequently did, turn on a single moment. One wrong turn, one missed clue, and he could lose an entire company of men. But once he returned to Britain, he'd somehow lost sight of that. His life was a series of small decisions and insignificant encounters. It was true that he was living a life of crime, which meant he was always dancing a few steps ahead of the hangman's noose, but it wasn't the same. No one's life depended upon his actions. No one's livelihood, even. There was nothing serious about robbing coaches. It was a game, really, played by men with too much education and too little direction. Who would have thought that one of his insignificant decisions – to take the Lincoln road north instead of south – would lead to this? Because one thing was for certain, his carefree life on the road was over. He suspected that Wyndham would be more than happy to watch him ride away without a word, but the dowager would not be so accommodating. Miss Eversleigh's assurances aside, he was quite certain the old bat would go to extensive lengths to keep him on a leash. Maybe she would not turn him over to the authorities, but she could certainly tell the world that her long-lost grandson was gadding about the countryside robbing coaches. Which would make it damned difficult to continue in his chosen profession. And if he was truly the Duke of Wyndham†¦ God help them all. He was beginning to hope that his aunt had lied. Because no one wanted him in a position of such authority, least of all himself. â€Å"Could someone please explain†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He took a breath and stopped, pressing his fingers against his temples. It felt as if an entire battalion had marched across his forehead. â€Å"Could someone explain the family tree?† Because shouldn't someone have known if his father had been the heir to a dukedom? His aunt? His mother? Himself? â€Å"I had three sons,† the dowager said crisply. â€Å"Charles was the eldest; John, the middle; and Reginald the last. Your father left for Ireland just after Reginald married† – her face took on a visible expression of distaste, and she jerked her head toward Wyndham – â€Å"his mother.† â€Å"She was a Cit,† Wyndham said, with no expression whatsoever. â€Å"Her father owned factories. Piles and piles of them.† One of his brows lifted. Very slightly. â€Å"We own them now.† The dowager's lips tightened, but she did not acknowledge his interruption. â€Å"We were notified of your father's death in July of 1790.† Jack nodded tightly. He had been told the same. â€Å"One year after that, my husband and my eldest son died of a fever. I did not contract the ailment. My youngest son was no longer living at Belgrave, so he, too, was spared. Charles had not yet married, and we believed John to have died without issue. Thus Reginald became duke.† She paused, but other than that expressed no emotion. â€Å"It was not expected.† Everyone looked at Wyndham. He said nothing, â€Å"I will remain,† Jack said quietly, because he didn't see as he had any other choice. And maybe it wouldn't hurt to learn a thing or two of his father. A man ought to know where he comes from. That was what his uncle had always said. Jack was beginning to wonder if he'd been offering forgiveness – in advance. Just in case he decided one day that he wished to be a Cavendish. Of course, Uncle William hadn't met these Cavendishes. If he had, he might've revised that statement entirely. â€Å"Most judicious of you,† the dowager said, clapping her hands together. â€Å"Now then, we – â€Å" â€Å"But first,† Jack cut in, â€Å"I must return to the inn to collect my belongings.† He glanced around the drawing room, almost laughing at the opulence. â€Å"Meager though they are.† â€Å"Nonsense,† the dowager said briskly. â€Å"Your things will be replaced.† She looked down her nose at his traveling costume. â€Å"With items of far greater quality, I might add.† â€Å"I wasn't asking your permission,† Jack said lightly. He did not like to allow his anger to reveal itself in his voice. It did put a man at a disadvantage. â€Å"Nonethe – â€Å" â€Å"Furthermore,† Jack added, because really, he didn't wish to hear her voice any more than he had to, â€Å"I must make explanations to my associates.† At that he looked over at Wyndham. â€Å"Nothing approaching the truth,† he added dryly, lest the duke assume that he intended to spread rumors throughout the county. â€Å"Don't disappear,† the dowager directed. â€Å"I assure you, you will regret it.† â€Å"There's no worry of that,† Wyndham said blandly. â€Å"Who would disappear with the promise of a dukedom?† Jack's jaw tightened, but he forced himself to let it pass. The afternoon did not need another fistfight. And then – bloody hell – the duke abruptly added, â€Å"I will accompany you.† Oh, good God. That was the last thing he needed. Jack swung around to face him, lifting one dubious brow. â€Å"Need I worry for my safety?† Wyndham stiffened visibly, and Jack, who had been trained to notice even the smallest of details, saw that both of his fists clenched at his sides. So he'd insulted the duke. At this point, and considering the bruises he was likely to find staining his throat, he didn't care. He turned to Miss Eversleigh, offering her his most self-effacing smile. â€Å"I am a threat to his very identity. Surely any reasonable man would question his safety.† â€Å"No, you're wrong!† she cried out. â€Å"You misjudge him. The duke – â€Å" She shot a horrified look at Wyndham, and they all were forced to share her discomfort when she realized what she'd said. But she plowed on, determined girl that she was. â€Å"He is as honorable a man as I have ever met,† she continued, her voice low and fervent. â€Å"You would never come to harm in his company.† Her cheeks had flushed with passion, and Jack was struck by the most acidic thought. Was there something between Miss Eversleigh and the duke? They resided in the same house, or castle, as it were, with only an embittered old lady for company. And while the dowager was anything but senile, Jack could not imagine that there was any lack of opportunity to engage in a dalliance under her nose. He watched Miss Eversleigh closely, his eyes falling to her lips. He'd surprised himself when he kissed her the night before. He hadn't meant to, and he certainly had never done such a thing before whilst attempting to rob a coach. It had seemed the most natural thing in the world – to touch her chin, tilt her face up toward his, and brush his lips against hers. It had been soft, and fleeting, and it had taken him until this moment to realize just how deeply he wanted more. He looked at Wyndham, and his jealousy must have shown on his face because his newly discovered cousin looked coolly amused as he said, â€Å"I assure you, whatever violent urges I possess, I shall not act upon them.† â€Å"That is a terrible thing to say,† Miss Eversleigh responded. â€Å"But honest,† Jack acknowledged with a nod. He did not like this man, this duke who had been brought up to view the world as his private domain. But he appreciated honesty, no matter the source. And as Jack looked him in the eye, there seemed to develop an unspoken agreement. They did not have to be friends. They did not even have to be friendly. But they would be honest. Which suited Jack just fine. By Grace's calculations, the men ought to have returned within ninety minutes, two hours at most. She had not spent much time in a saddle, so she was not the best judge of speed, but she was fairly certain that two men on horseback could reach the posting inn in something less than an hour. Then Mr. Audley would need to retrieve his belongings, which could not take very long, could it? And then – â€Å"Get away from the window,† the dowager snapped. Grace's lips tightened with irritation, but she managed to return her expression to one of placidity before she turned around. â€Å"Make yourself useful,† the dowager said. Grace glanced this way and that, trying to decode the dowager's order. She always had something specific in mind, and Grace hated it when she was forced to guess. â€Å"Would you like me to read to you?† she asked. It was the most pleasant of her duties; they were currently reading Pride and Prejudice, which Grace was enjoying immensely, and the dowager was pretending not to like at all. The dowager grunted. It was a no grunt. Grace was fluent in this method of communication. She took no particular pride in this skill. â€Å"I could pen a letter,† she suggested. â€Å"Weren't you planning to respond to the recent missive from your sister?† â€Å"I can write my own letters,† the dowager said sharply, even though they both knew her spelling was atrocious. Grace always ended up rewriting all of her correspondence before it was posted. Grace took a deep breath and then let it out slowly, the exhale shuddering through her. She did not have the energy to untangle the inner workings of the dowager's mind. Not today. â€Å"I'm hot,† the dowager announced. Grace did not respond. She was hoping none was necessary. And then the dowager picked something up off a nearby table. A fan, Grace realized with dismay, just as the dowager snapped it open. Oh, please, no. Not now. The dowager regarded the fan, a rather festive blue one, with Chinese paintings in black and gold. Then she snapped it back shut, clearly just to make it easier for her to hold it before her like a baton. â€Å"You may make me more comfortable,† she said. Grace paused. It was only for a moment, probably not even a full second, but it was her only means of rebellion. She could not say no, and she could not even allow her distaste to show in her expression. But she could pause. She could hold her body still for just enough time to make the dowager wonder. And then, of course, she stepped forward. â€Å"I find the air quite pleasant,† she said once she had assumed her position at the dowager's side. â€Å"That is because you are pushing it about with the fan.† Grace looked down at her employer's pinched face. Some of the lines were due to age, but not the ones near her mouth, pulling her lips into a perpetual frown. What had happened to this woman to make her so bitter? Had it been the deaths of her children? The loss of her youth? Or had she simply been born with a sour disposition? â€Å"What do you think of my new grandson?† the dowager asked abruptly. Grace froze, then quickly regained her composure and resumed fanning. â€Å"I do not know him well enough to form an opinion,† she answered carefully. The dowager continued to look straight ahead as she answered, â€Å"Nonsense. All of the best opinions are formed in an instant. You know that very well. ‘Else you'd be married to that repulsive little cousin of yours, wouldn't you?† Grace thought of Miles, ensconced in her old home. She had to admit, every now and then the dowager got things exactly right. â€Å"Surely you have something to say, Miss Eversleigh.† The fan rose and fell three times before Grace decided upon, â€Å"He seems to have a buoyant sense of humor.† â€Å"Buoyant.† The dowager repeated the word, her voice curious, as if she were testing it out on her tongue. â€Å"An apt adjective. I should not have thought of it, but it is fitting.† It was about as close to a compliment as the dowager ever got. â€Å"He is rather like his father,† the dowager continued. Grace moved the fan from one hand to the other, murmuring, â€Å"Is he?† â€Å"Indeed. Although if his father had been a bit more†¦ buoyant, we'd not be in this mess, would we?† Grace choked on air. â€Å"I'm so sorry, ma'am. I should have chosen my words more carefully.† The dowager did not bother to acknowledge the apology. â€Å"His levity is much like his father. My John was never one to allow a serious moment to pass him by. He had the most cutting wit.† â€Å"I would not say that Mr. Audley is cutting,† Grace said. His humor was far too sly. â€Å"His name is not Mr. Audley, and of course he is,† the dowager said sharply. â€Å"You're too besotted to see it.† â€Å"I am not besotted,† Grace protested. â€Å"Of course you are. Any girl would be. He is most handsome. Pity about the eyes, though.† â€Å"What I am,† Grace said, resisting the urge to point out that there was nothing wrong with green eyes, â€Å"is overset. It has been a most exhausting day. And night,† she added after a thought. The dowager shrugged. â€Å"My son's wit was legendary,† she said, setting the conversation back to where she wished it. â€Å"You wouldn't have thought it cutting, either, but that was simply because he was far too clever. It is a brilliant man who can make insult without the recipient even realizing.† Grace thought that rather sad. â€Å"What is the point, then?† â€Å"The point?† The dowager blinked several times in rapid succession. â€Å"Of what?† â€Å"Of insulting someone.† Grace shifted the fan again, then shook out her free hand; her fingers were cramped from clutching the handle. â€Å"Or I should say,† she amended, since she was quite sure the dowager could find many good reasons to cut someone down, â€Å"of insulting someone with intention of their not noticing it?† The dowager still did not look at her, but Grace could see that she rolled her eyes. â€Å"It is a source of pride, Miss Eversleigh. I wouldn't expect you to understand.† â€Å"No,† Grace said softly. â€Å"I wouldn't.† â€Å"You don't know what it means to excel at something.† The dowager pursed her lips and stretched her neck slightly from side to side. â€Å"You couldn't know.† Which had to be as cutting an insult as any, except that the dowager seemed completely unaware she'd done it. There was irony in there somewhere. There had to be. â€Å"We live in interesting times, Miss Eversleigh,† the dowager commented. Grace nodded silently, turning her head to the side so that the dowager, should she ever choose to turn her head in her direction, would not see the tears in her eyes. Her parents had lacked the funds to travel, but theirs had been wandering hearts, and the Eversleigh home had been filled with maps and books about faraway places. Like it was yesterday, Grace remembered the time they had all been sitting in front of the fire, engrossed in their own reading, and her father looked up from his book and exclaimed, â€Å"Isn't this marvelous? In China, if you wish to insult someone, you say, ‘May you live in interesting times.'† Grace suddenly did not know if the tears in her eyes were of sorrow or mirth. â€Å"That is enough, Miss Eversleigh,† the dowager said suddenly. â€Å"I am quite cooled.† Grace shut the fan, then decided to set it down on the table by the window so she would have a reason to cross the room. Dusk hung only lightly in the air, so it was not difficult to see down the drive. She was not certain why she was so eager to have the two men back – possibly just as proof that they had not killed each other on the trip. Despite defending Thomas's sense of honor, she had not liked the look in his eyes. And she had certainly never known him to attack someone. He'd looked positively feral when he lunged for Mr. Audley. If Mr. Audley had been less of a fighting man himself, she was quite certain Thomas would have done him permanent harm. â€Å"Do you think it will rain, Miss Eversleigh?† Grace turned. â€Å"No.† â€Å"The wind is picking up.† â€Å"Yes.† Grace waited until the dowager turned her attention to a trinket on the table next to her, and then she turned back to the window. Of course the moment she did, she heard – â€Å"I hope it rains.† She held still. And then she turned. â€Å"I beg your pardon?† â€Å"I hope it rains.† The dowager said it again, so very matter-of-fact, as if anyone would wish for precipitation while two gentlemen were out on horseback. â€Å"They will be drenched,† Grace pointed out. â€Å"They will be forced to take each other's measure. Which they will have to do sooner or later. Besides, my John never minded riding in the rain. In fact, he rather enjoyed it.† â€Å"That does not mean that Mr. – â€Å" â€Å"Cavendish,† the dowager inserted. Grace swallowed. It helped her catch her patience. â€Å"Whatever he wishes to be called, I don't think we may assume that he enjoys riding in the rain just because his father did. Most people do not.† The dowager did not seem to wish to consider this. But she acknowledged the statement with, â€Å"I know nothing of the mother, that is true. She could be responsible for any number of adulterations.† â€Å"Would you care for tea, ma'am?† Grace asked. â€Å"I could ring for it.† â€Å"What do we know of her, after all? Almost certainly Irish, which could mean any number of things, all of them dreadful.† â€Å"The wind is picking up,† Grace said. â€Å"I shouldn't want you to get chilled.† â€Å"Did he even tell us her name?† â€Å"I don't believe so.† Grace sighed, because direct questions made it difficult to pretend she wasn't a part of this conversation. â€Å"Dear Lord.† The dowager shuddered, and her eyes took on an expression of utter horror. â€Å"She could be Catholic.† â€Å"I have met several Catholics,† Grace said, now that it was clear that her attempts to divert the subject had failed. â€Å"It was strange,† she murmured. â€Å"None had horns.† â€Å"What did you say?† â€Å"Just that I know very little about the Catholic faith,† Grace said lightly. There was a reason she often directed her comments to a window or wall. The dowager made a noise that Grace could not quite identify. It sounded like a sigh, but it was probably more of a snort, because the next words from her mouth were: â€Å"We shall have to get that taken care of.† She leaned forward, pinching the bridge of her nose with her fingers and looking extremely put out. â€Å"I suppose I shall have to contact the archbishop.† â€Å"Is that a problem?† Grace asked. The dowager's head shook with distaste. â€Å"He is a beady little man who will be lording this over me for years.† Grace leaned forward. Was that movement she saw in the distance? â€Å"Heaven knows what sorts of favors he shall demand,† the dowager muttered. â€Å"I suppose I shall have to let him sleep in the State Bedroom, just so he can say he slept on Queen Elizabeth's sheets.† Grace watched as the two men on horseback came into view. â€Å"They are back,† she said, and not for the first time that evening, wondered just what role she was meant to play in this drama. She was not family; the dowager was certainly correct in that. And despite Grace's relatively lofty position within the household, she was not included in matters pertaining to family or title. She did not expect it, and indeed she did not want it. The dowager was at her worst when matters of dynasty arose, and Thomas was at his worst when he had to deal with the dowager. She should excuse herself. It did not matter that Mr. Audley had insisted upon her presence. Grace knew her position, and she knew her place, and it was not in the middle of a family affair. But every time she told herself it was time to go, that she ought to turn from the window and inform the dowager that she would leave her to talk with her grandsons in private, she could not make herself move. She kept hearing – no, feeling – Mr. Audley's voice. She stays. Did he need her? He might. He knew nothing of the Wyndhams, nothing of their history and the tensions that ran through the house like a vicious, intractable spiderweb. He could not be expected to navigate his new life on his own, at least not right away. Grace shivered, hugging her arms to her chest as she watched the men dismount in the drive. How strange it was to feel needed. Thomas liked to say he needed her, but they both knew that was untrue. He could hire anyone to put up with his grandmother. Thomas needed no one. Nothing. He was marvelously self-contained. Confident and proud, all he really needed was the occasional pinprick to burst the bubble that surrounded him. He knew this, too, which was what saved him from being entirely insufferable. He'd never said as much, but Grace knew it was why they had become friends. She was possibly the only person in Lincolnshire who did not bow and scrape and say only what she thought he wished to hear. But he didn't need her. Grace heard footsteps in the hall and turned, stiffening nervously. She waited for the dowager to order her gone. She even looked at her, raising her brows ever so slightly as if in a dare, but the dowager was staring at the door, determinedly ignoring her. When the men arrived, Thomas walked in first. â€Å"Wyndham,† the dowager said briskly. She never called him anything but his title. He nodded in response. â€Å"I had Mr. Audley's belongings sent up to the blue silk bedroom.† Grace shot a careful look over at the dowager to gauge her reaction. The blue silk bedroom was one of the nicer guest bedchambers, but it was not the largest or most prestigious. It was, however, just down the hall from the dowager. â€Å"Excellent choice,† the dowager replied. â€Å"But I must repeat. Do not refer to him as Mr. Audley in my presence. I don't know these Audleys, and I don't care to know them.† â€Å"I don't know that they would care to know you, either,† commented Mr. Audley, who had entered the room behind Thomas. The dowager lifted a brow, as if to point out her own magnificence. â€Å"Mary Audley is my late mother's sister,† Mr. Audley stated. â€Å"She and her husband, William Audley, took me in at my birth. They raised me as their own and, at my request, gave me their name. I don't care to relinquish it.† He looked coolly at the dowager, as if daring her to comment. She did not, much to Grace's surprise. And then he turned to her, offering her an elegant bow. â€Å"You may refer to me as Mr. Audley if you wish, Miss Eversleigh.† Grace bobbed a curtsy. She was not certain if this was a requirement, since no one had any clue as to his rank, but it seemed only polite. He had bowed, after all. She glanced at the dowager, who was glaring at her, and then at Thomas, who somehow managed to look amused and annoyed at the same time. â€Å"She can't sack you for using his legal name,† Thomas said with his usual hint of impatience. â€Å"And if she does, I shall retire you with a lifelong bequest and have her sent off to some far-flung property.† Mr. Audley looked at Thomas with surprise and approval before turning to Grace and smiling. â€Å"It's tempting,† he murmured. â€Å"How far can she be flung?† â€Å"I am considering adding to our holdings,† Thomas replied. â€Å"The Outer Hebrides are lovely this time of year.† â€Å"You're despicable,† the dowager hissed. â€Å"Why do I keep her on?† Thomas wondered aloud. He walked over to a cabinet and poured himself a drink. â€Å"She is your grandmother,† Grace said, since someone had to be the voice of reason. â€Å"Ah yes, blood.† Thomas sighed. â€Å"I'm told it's thicker than water. Pity.† He looked over at Mr. Audley. â€Å"You'll soon learn.† Grace half expected Mr. Audley to bristle at Thomas's tone of condescension, but his face remained blandly unconcerned. Curious. It seemed the two men had forged some sort of truce. â€Å"And now,† Thomas announced, looking squarely at his grandmother, â€Å"my work here is done. I have returned the prodigal son to your loving bosom, and all is right with the world. Not my world,† he added, â€Å"but someone's world, I'm sure.† â€Å"Not mine,† Mr. Audley said, when no one else seemed inclined to comment. And then he unleashed a smile – slow, lazy, and meant to paint himself as the careless rogue he was. â€Å"In case you were interested.† Thomas looked at him, his nose crinkling in an expression of vague indifference. â€Å"I wasn't.† Grace's head bobbed back to Mr. Audley. He was still smiling. She looked to Thomas, waiting for him to say something more. He dipped his head toward her in wry salute, then tossed back his liquor in one shockingly large swallow. â€Å"I am going out.† â€Å"Where?† demanded the dowager. Thomas paused in the doorway. â€Å"I have not yet decided.† Which meant, Grace was sure, anywhere but here.