Women and Economics during Colonial America and Before and After Essay - 1

Women and Economics during Colonial America and Before and After American Revolution - Essay Example That writing reflects the struggles, anguishes and the tragedies within her family, local scandals and her viewpoint of the politics. The story raises question about the scenario of the colonial America. That makes us interested to examine the social and economic role of the women in colonial America, and the change in pattern of the society and the emerging role of female in social and economic perspective1. (Ulrich, 1991) In the colonial period of America, especially the mid and late 17th century the women of America used to lead monotonous lives full of work and duties. The women from the poorer families had to take less workload than the women belonging to the wealthier families2. The matter of fact is that the society used to evaluate the work of a woman according to their contribution to their own family3. (Courtney, and Ranger, 1999; Eldridge, 1997, p.62) As the British had colonized America the American society followed the social customs and rituals of the British society. The males of the families had to perform the out home duties such as earning, farming etc. On the other hand their female counterpart had to engage themselves in household chores such as cooking, child breeding, childcare, home decorating, housekeeping etc. The hardworking wives were granted the rank of goodwives. Those who performed the activities such as caring domestic animals and vegetable gardens, producing unique delic ious foods, stitching clothes, producing candles, soaps for home consumption etc could get the mark of excellence from their husbands and relatives as good women4. (Wightman Fox, Richard and Robert B. Westbrook, 1002, p.125; DuBois, and Dumenil, 2005, p. 77) The women used to form the networks of female friends and the relatives (obviously female) regarding the household duties. Through the network formation they used to make some exchanges

Teen Pregnancy Essay Example for Free

Teen Pregnancy Essay Today in this society so many teenagers are having sex and not realizing the outcome of what is going too happened after they have done it? Not all parents are in their kids business enough when they should be. Wondering where your kids are at all times when they are in their early teenage years are one of the good ways you can keep track of what they do on daily basics. Most of the time kids don’t do the right thing and they are most likely to not return from school on time either and that’s why parents need to understand their kids and for the kids to try to understand the parents and know that their parents are not putting them down they just care. see more:short informative speech examples Teenage pregnancy is increasing rapidly in our country. In fact, Manila has the highest teen birth rate in the Philippines. There are factors that contribute to this increasing problem. Teen pregnancy comes with effects that can cause serious problems. Teenage pregnancy is a growing problem that can be prevented by using contraceptives. Teenage pregnancy is a growing problem. It can cause many emotional effects. Being pregnant can cause a teenage mother to wonder how and why she got pregnant in the first place. A teenage mom is also affected emotionally by realizing that she has to carry the child for nine months, and the father does not. He gets to go out and do whatever he wants to do. Finances are more problems for the teenage parents to have to face. They have to have a job to support the child. Most teen families end up on welfare. According to Kristie A. Klusaw, states that â€Å"Pre Marital Sex is a huge problem in the society today.† Klusaw also states that â€Å"teenagers are not waiting to get married to have sex.† And by doing that, this is clearly a cause of teen pregnancy. Meenakshi Madhur also added that â€Å"Sex is a very strong biological need. However sex after marriage has a purpose of not only evolution but also amedium of expressing love between couples.† Inside the â€Å"The Unplanned Pregnancy Book† written by Dorrie Williams-Wheeler it says in there that â€Å"There are reasons of teen pregnancy, the first one is Psychological Factors, the immature and irresponsible behavior arising due to complex teenage psychology is another important cause of teenage pregnancies. â€Å"Teenagers often go through a number of emotions because of their own transition from childhood and peer pressure.† Williams-Wheeler added. In addition to that, Williams-Wheeler also said that that thee second cause of teen pregnancy is â€Å"Lack of Discipline and Control, factors like alcohol and substance abuse accompanied by unrestricted interaction with the opposite sex can ignite the sparks of lust and passion in youngsters very easily ultimately leading to teenage pregnancy.†

air pollution :: essays research papers

Air Pollution   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The moment you step out of the house and are on the road you can actually see the air getting polluted. A cloud of exhaust from a truck, smoke filling the sky above a factory chimney, fly ash generated by thermal power plants, and even a cloud of dust behind a speeding car can pollute the air. Air pollution is aggravated because of four developments: increasing traffic, growing cities, rapid economic development, and industrialization. Natural phenomenon such as an erupting volcano or even someone smoking a cigarette can also cause air pollution. The major air pollutants are acid rain, smog, fly ash, and indoor air pollutants. Acid rain is caused by when exhaust from burning fossil fuels combine with water vapor in the atmosphere and falls as rain or snow. Acid rain causes extensive damage to water, forest, soil, resources, and even human health. Many lakes and streams have been contaminated by acid rain and this had lead to a diminished population of fish. Acid rain has lead to the international limitations of sulphur and nitrogen oxide. Smog is a combination of various gases (a large part of this gas is produced when fuels are burnt) with water vapor and dust. Smog forms when heat and sunlight react with these gases and fine particles in the air. Its occurrence is often liked to heavy traffic, high temperatures, and calm winds. Smog is seen as a yellowish fog over cities. Severe smog has been covering the city of Los Angeles California since the 1940’s.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Fly ash is produced at thermal power plants. Fly ash consists of silica, alumina, oxides of iron, calcium, and magnesium and toxic heavy metals like lead, arsenic, cobalt, and copper. Disposal of fly ash is very hazardous to the land, creates health hazards, and creates environmental danger. When fly ash gets out into the natural draining system it results in siltation and clogs the system; it reduces the ph balance and portability of water. It also interferes with the process of photosynthesis in plants and thus disturbs the food chain. Today fly ash can be made into bricks and used as building material and was used in the construction of The American Embassy in India. Indoor air pollutants include tobacco smoke, hair sprays, perfume, glues, pesticides, parasites, fungi, formaldehyde, asbestos, and radon. All of these can be found in homes whether it’s under the sink or in the air.

Angiosperms and Gymnosperms

PRACTICAL 6 Seed Plants (Gymnosperms and Angiosperms) OBJECTIVES: 1. To describe the features of seed plant life cycle and the concept of the dominant generation. 2. To describe the life histories and related reproductive structures of gymnosperms and angiosperms. 3. To summarize the features that distinguish gymnosperms and angiosperms. 4. To discuss the advantages of seed plants to dominate land and their evolutionary adaptations on land. EXPERIMENT 1: Gymnosperms INTRODUCTION:Gymnosperms (720 species in 65 genera) are ancient seed plants that include ginkgos (Division Ginkgophyta), cycads (Division Cycadophyta), conifers (Division Coniferophyta), and gnetophytes (Division Gnetophyta). The term gymnosperm derives from the Greek wood roots gymnos, meaning â€Å"naked†, and sperma, meaning â€Å"seed†. They are naked-seeded plants meaning that the ovule, which becomes a seed, is exposed on the sporophyte at pollination. Mature seed are not enclosed in a fruit as are tho se of flowering plants. Gymnosperms are best known for their characteristic cones, called strobili.These strobili display sporangia and their subsequently developing ovules and pollens. Gymnosperms do not require water for sperm to swim to reach the egg as do seedless plants. Instead, immense amount of windblown pollen are produced. Most gymnosperm cones, including the familiar pine cone, are complex whorls of leaflike, woody scales around a central axis. The smallest cones include those of the junipers (Juniperus) which have flesh scales fused into a structure resembling a berry. The larger cones may weigh 45 kg and are produced by cycads.In most gymnosperm species, the female megastrobilus is larger and distinctive from the male microstrobilus. MATERIALS: 1. Living or preserved specimens of * Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba) * Cycad (Cycad sp. ) * Pine (Pinus sp. ) 2. Prepared slide of gymnosperms 3. Compound microscope 4. Dissecting microscope 5. Slide and coverslip 6. Forceps 7. Distilled water PROCEDURE: A ginkgo: 1. A prepared slide of male strobilus of Ginkgo biloba is examined. The microsporophyll, microsporangium, and strobilus axis are identified. 2. A prepared slide of female strobilus of Ginkgo biloba is examined.The megasporophyll, megasporangium, and strobilus axis are identified. A cycad: 1. A female cycad is examined. The leaves, megasporophylls, megasporangia and developing seed are identified. 2. The pollen cone bears on male cycad. Pollinated cone is examined and microsporophyll, microsporangia, and pollen grains are identified. A pine: 1. A male cone and female cone of Pinus sp. are obtained. 2. A prepared slide of longitudinal section of female cone is examined. The megasporophyll, megasporangia, and ovule are looked. 3. A prepared slide of longitudinal section of male cone is examined.The microsporophyll, microsporangia, and pollen grains are looked. 4. Fertilization occurs after the pollen tube penetrates the megasporangium and allows sperm to ent er the archegonium and fuses with the egg. The zygote will form after fertilization. A prepared slide of the developing embryo of Pinus sp. is examined. 5. Mature seed cone is obtained. The seed with wing attached to the ovuliferous scale is found. 6. The anatomy of pine leaf one needle is examined. The following: epidermis, stoma, photosynthetic mesophyll, endodermis, phloem, xylem, and resin duct are identified.RESULTS Cross section of Ginkgo Biloba Cross section of Cycad Cross section of female pine Cross section of male pine EXPERIMENT 2: Angiosperms INTRODUCTION: Angiosperms are the most abundant, diverse, and widespread of all land plants. They are successful because they are structurally diverse, have efficient vascular systems, share a variety of mutualisms (especially with insects and fungi), and have short generation times. Flowering plants are important to human because our world economy is overwhelmingly based on them.Indeed, we eat and use vegetative structures (roots, stems and leaves) as well as reproductive structure (flowers, seeds, and fruits). You will find that many of the vegetative structures are quite similar to those of more ancient plants shown. The roots, stems, and leaves of flowering plants function just as those of ferns and cone bearing plants. Flowers and fruits, however are unique adaptations of angiosperms. Biologists believe that the extraordinary adaptiveness of these structures has led to the proliferation of the incredible diversity found among flowering plants. MATERIALS: 1.Living specimens of angiosperms (dicots & monocots) with roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits and seeds. (Imperata cylindrical, zea mays, Carica papaya, Phaseolus sp. ) 2. Prepared slide of angiosperms (dicots & monocots) 3. Compound microscope 4. Dissecting microscope 5. Slide and coverslip 6. Forceps 7. Distilled water PROCEDURE: Roots: 1. A root of dicots and monocots are obtained for morphology and anatomy study. 2. The root systems of representati ve dicot and monocot are looked. 3. Cross section of dicot root shows the central stele is surrounded by a thick cortex and epidermis.The following: epidermis, cortex, parenchyma cells, starch grains, pericycle, endodermis, phloem, and xylem are identified. 4. Cross section of monocot roor shows this root has a vascular cylinder of xylem and phloem that surrounds a central pith. The following: epidermis, cortex, endodermis, Casparian strip, pith, phloem, and xylem are identified. 5. A prepared slide of the roots for some other species is obtained and their structure is identified. Stems: 1. The longitudinal section of shoot tip of representative dicot and monocot is studied.The following: leaf, leaf primordium, apical meristem, ground meristem, axillary bud, vascular bundle, and pith are identified. 2. A dicot and monocot is obtained and a cross section of the stems is made and the arrangement of vascular bundles is examined. The anatomy between this dicot and monocot is compared. 3 . For both type of plants, epidermis, cortex, phloem, xylem, cambium, pith, and vascular bundle are identified. Leaves: 1. Fresh specimen provided in lab is looked. Flowering plants show a variety of morphology to identify, such as, leaf arrangements and leaf venation. 2.Using fresh prepared slide or prepared slide of some flowering plants, the structure of the leaves is studied. The leaves have common features: cuticle, air space, lower epidermis, upper epidermis, palisade mesophyll, spongy mesophyll, and vascular bundle are noticed. Flowers: 1. The longitudinal section of some flowers is looked. The parts of a flower: stigma, pistil, style, ovary, sepal, receptacle, peduncle, petal, filament, stamen, and anther are named. 2. A prepared slide of a cross section of mature anther (lily anther) is examined. Sections of the four microsporangia are found.Pollen grains within a microsporangium is looked. 3. A prepared slide of a cross section of an ovary (lily ovary). The several ovules are found. Megaspore mother cell within megasporangium is looked. The megasporangium develops is studied. The placenta, integuments, microphyle, egg cell, central cell, and polar nuclei are identified. 4. The demonstration slide of double fertilization is observed and the zygote, primary endosperm nucleus, and central cell of the female gametophyte are identified. Fruits and seeds 1. A sample of dry, dehiscent fruits (peanuts) is obtained.The fruit wall, cotyledon, plumule of embryo, embryo, radical, cotyledon, and seed coat are identified. 2. A sample of simple flesy fruits (tomato, a berry) is obtained. Pericarp, mesocarp, endocarp, locule, seed and placenta are identified. 3. A prepared slide of corn grain (Zea mays), a caryopsis fruit is examined. The pericarp of a corn grains is tightly united and inseparable from the seed. The pricarp, endosperm, cotyledon, coleoptiles, plumule bud, embryo, radical, and coleorhizae are identified. RESULTS Cross section of root Cross section of stemCross section of leaves Cross section of flower Cross section of seed DISCUSSION For the lower vascular plants the important evolutionary development was in the water and food conducting tissues of the sporophyte. As we move on through the plant kingdom the next important development was the seed. The free living gametophyte is a vulnerable phase of the life cycle. Reproduction by seeds is a less chancy procedure and has other advantages for plant survival and dispersal. Seeds can be remarkably tolerant of environmental extremes heat, cold and drought.Unlike free-living gametophytes seeds can postpone their development until conditions are right. And, of course, we find them very convenient for plant propagation. Already in the coal-measure forests there were plants that reproduced by seeds. Some were the so-called â€Å"seed ferns†. Others were the ancestors of the plants we now know collectively as â€Å"gymnosperms†. In these plants the seeds are not enclosed i n an ovary, as in the flowering plants; they grow on the surface of a modified leaf in a strobilus or cone. â€Å"Gymnosperm† means naked seed. Alternation of generations is still involved in the reproduction of these plants.They are all heterosporous: the microspores are shed as pollen, whereas the megaspore germinates in the strobilus to produce the female gametophyte. The archegonia in this gametophyte get fertilized by sperm from the male gametophyte and the zygote grows to produce an embryo which is enclosed in a seed coat of tissue from the parent plant. Gymnosperms were the dominant land plants in the age of dinosaurs, the Cretaceous and  Jurassic periods. The surviving gymnosperms in the Coniferophyta, Cycadophyta and Ginkgophyta are similar in their woody habit and pattern of seed development but are not closely related.The characteristic feature of angiosperms is the flower. Flowers show remarkable variation in form and elaboration, and provide the most trustworth y external characteristics for establishing relationships among angiosperm species. The function of the flower is to ensure fertilization of the ovule and development of  fruit  containing  seeds. The floral apparatus may arise terminally on a shoot or from the axil of a leaf (where the  petiole  attaches to the stem). Occasionally, as in  violets, a flower arises singly in the axil of an ordinary foliage-leaf.More typically, the flower-bearing portion of the plant is sharply distinguished from the foliage-bearing or vegetative portion, and forms a more or less elaborate branch-system called an  inflorescence. There are two kinds of reproductive cells produced by flowers. Microspores, which will divide to become  pollen grains, are the â€Å"male† cells and are borne in the  stamens  (or microsporophylls). The â€Å"female† cells called megaspores, which will divide to become the egg cell (megagametogenesis), are contained in the  ovule  and enc losed in thecarpel  (or megasporophyll).The flower may consist only of these parts, as in  willow, where each flower comprises only a few stamens or two carpels. Usually, other structures are present and serve to protect the sporophylls and to form an envelope attractive to pollinators. The individual members of these surrounding structures are known as  sepals  and  petals  (or  tepalsin flowers such as  Magnolia  where sepals and petals are not distinguishable from each other). The outer series (calyx of sepals) is usually green and leaf-like, and functions to protect the rest of the flower, especially the bud.The inner series (corolla of petals) is, in general, white or brightly colored, and is more delicate in structure. It functions to attract  insect  or  bird  pollinators. Attraction is effected by color,  scent, and  nectar, which may be secreted in some part of the flower. The characteristics that attract pollinators account for the popularity of flowers and flowering plants among humans. While the majority of flowers are perfect or  hermaphrodite  (having both pollen and ovule producing parts in the same flower structure), flowering plants have developed numerous morphological and  physiological  mechanisms to reduce or prevent self-fertilization.Heteromorphic flowers have short carpels and long stamens, or vice versa, so animal  pollinators  cannot easily transfer pollen to the pistil (receptive part of the carpel). Homomorphic flowers may employ a biochemical (physiological) mechanism calledself-incompatibility  to discriminate between self- and non-self pollen grains. In other species, the male and female parts are morphologically separated, developing on different flowers. POST-LAB QUESTIONS: 1. How to distinguish between a male and female cone of pine?The male cone will form at the bottom of the tree and it is much smaller than the female and the male produces the pollen grains and the female produces the ovule and forms at the top of the tree. 2. Explain the characteristics of gymnosperm seeds to aid in dispersal. Many gymnosperms have winged seeds that aid in dispersal. Generally, gymnosperms have heavy seeds so the wings only assist in moving the seed a short distance from the parent plant. 3. List some uses for conifers. Economically, conifers are very important as they are a major source of timber.The majority of the world’s sawn timbers come from conifers. Exploitation of this resource from wild growing forests is still going on in many parts of the world, but there is an obvious trend especially in the developed world to phase this out and use more sustainable planted or seeded resources. There are many species with highly different wood properties, some of these are extremely valuable and used for fine cabinet making or expensive applications in construction. Wood from conifers is also an important source of pulp for paper and cellulose fibres such as rayon.Conifer s also very important in horticulture, especially in regions with a temperate climate. Several species have yielded hundreds of different cultivars and new ones are constantly appearing on the market. In some countries conifers have a role to play in traditional medicine and in religious ceremonies and, of course, our Christmas trees can be seen as a form of this kind of use. A few conifers even have edible seeds; well known are those of certain pines. 4. Lists the common characteristics of seeds plants. i. They have vascular tissue ii.They use seeds to reproduce iii. They all have body plans that include leaves, stems, and roots. 5. Contrast between dicots and monocots, the two classes of flowering plants. Monocots| Dicots| Herbaceous| May be woody or herbaceous| Embryo with single cotyledon| Embryo with 2 cotyledons| Flower parts in multiple of three| Flower parts with multiple of 4 or 5| Parallel-veined leaves| Net-veined leaves| Bundles of vascular tissue are scattred throughout the stem| Vascular bundle in the stem forms rings| Roots are adventitious| Root develop from radicle| . Discuss the features of plant flowering fruits and seeds. Seeds  develop from ovules in the ovary, and at maturity consist of an  embryo  and a reserve food supply surrounded by a protective covering, the  seed coat. The diversity of flowering plants assures diversity among their seeds, but, unlike fruits, which have numerous variations, structural plans for seeds are few. The reserve food can be stored either in or out of the embryo and the  cotyledons, the seed leaves can remain either below ground or be elevated above the surface when germination occurs.Fruits are ripened ovaries containing seeds with sometimes additional flower or inflorescence tissues associated with them. Only angiosperms produce flowers and fruits. From a botanical viewpoint, many of the foods we eat as vegetables are fruits, for examples, tomatoes, green beans, squash, eggplant, and peppers. Fru its apparently arose as a means not only of protecting the seeds, but as a way to ensure their dispersal. REFERENCES 1. http://faculty. unlv. edu/landau/gymnosperms. htm 2. http://www. kew. org/plants/conifers/uses. html 3. http://edhelper. com/ReadingComprehension_37_251. html

Terrorism Can Be Defeated If We Tackle Its Root Causes †Poverty and Injustice

In today’s world, the issue of terrorism has been prevalent. Due to the expanse and connectivity of the Internet, some believe that terrorism is now an entrepreneurial arena with the Internet as its global recruiting station. Poverty and injustice are some of the root causes of terrorism, but these are not the only factors that trigger terrorism. Hence, terrorism may be defeated or abated if we tackle other factors such as religious influence. A minority believes that tackling poverty cannot defeat terrorism. They believe that terrorist groups eschew from recruiting the poor. A high level of educational attainment is seen as signal of one’s commitment to a cause and determination, it also indicates his ability to prepare for an assignment and carry it off. Additionally, terrorist groups may offer more benefits than what one may get in reality; this may also attract more educated but unprincipled individuals into terrorism. For example, well-educated individuals may be eager to participate in terrorist groups if they think that they will assume leadership positions if they succeed. On the other hand, poverty stricken individuals may be targets for the spread of terrorism. Some these individuals are desperate to even stake their lives on immoral acts just to provide financial sustenance for their family. As a result, these individuals become easy prey for terrorist groups. Terrorists groups preach their idea of providing salvation to these troubled people, effectively convincing them to do to their bidding. They promise to reward the victim’s family with money to mitigate their situation of poverty. In most cases, the victim becomes a suicide bomber, a martyr bent on avenging his fate believing that his family will be rewarded for his act of bravery. Many believe that by alleviating poverty, terrorism can be solved. Based on an observation by Gary Becker, a professor at the University of Chicago Business School. He saw that nations or regions that are experiencing rapid growth appear to have lower incidences of terrorism. This led Becker to believe that political activism and violent activity becomes less appealing to individuals when their economic opportunities expand. People are open to more options and are less likely to resort to desperate measures. Hence, terrorism may be reduced if poverty is lessened. Some believe that getting rid of injustices cannot solve terrorism. Though the government may believe that their actions are fair and justified the public and especially extremist groups may not. These extremist groups live by their own ideology, which is seldom paralleled by the government’s actions. Take for example, The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. They are a separatist organization formerly based in northern Sri Lanka They sought to create an independent Tamil State in the north and east of Sri Lanka. This campaign spiraled into the Sri Lankan Civil War as the Sri Lankan government refused to agree to their demands. In this case, it is almost impossible to defeat terrorism by righting injustices. However, many argue that by righting injustices, terrorism can be reduced. In some cases, the origin of the intention of terrorism is when injustices take place. When a particular community feels that they are wrongly accused or that the law is unfair some of them take matters into their own hands. They believe that force is the only way to change biased laws. I acknowledge that it is difficult to change the mindset of extremist groups, as they are extremely demanding. However, terrorism can be reduced if we treat everyone with equality. Take for example, when pictures of American soldiers abusing prisoners in Saddam's notorious prison were released. There was a global outcry against these animalistic acts. By reducing these crimes, it reduces the hatred that people might feels towards the Americans. It also lessens the chance of normal civilians becoming terrorists. Hence, by tacking the injustices, fewer civilians would feel mistreated and terrorism can be reduced. I believe that the greatest player in terrorism is religious influence. These religious influences come in the form of extremist views on very sensitive issues. Some feel that religion is used to brainwash terrorists. An example can be seen from the case of Nidal Malik Hasan. He was an Army major and then turned into a mass murderer, fatally shooting twelve people on America’s largest military base. Many believed that Hasan’s path began to take a twist when he attended the Dar Al-Hijrah mosque in Falls Church. Coincidentally, two of the 9/11 hijackers attended this mosque too. Although there was no evidence that the mosque had preached extremist views to Hasan, many argue that he was being brainwashed. It is difficult to stamp out religious influence of this kind as evidence is weak and interference with religious places can lead to conflict. With the large network of the Internet, religious views can be spread through these media networks. There is a plethora of YouTube videos and sermons that can be downloaded from the Internet, leaving the viewer with visions of carnage dancing in their heads. These terrorist groups garner attention via the Internet. This can be seen when Al-Qaeda posted footages of roadside bombings, the decapitation of American hostage Nick Berg, and the kidnapping of Egyptian and Algerian diplomats prior to their execution. The government can be vigilant by actively banning or censoring such websites. Video-sharing such as Youtube should act responsibly and remove these inappropriate videos. By taking down such videos, the outreach of religious influence through the Internet can be tapered. Albeit terrorism is difficult to be defeated by attempting to stamp out the ramification of religious influence, acts of terrorism can be reduced through the Internet. To conclude, I believe that terrorism must be tackled not only from the aspect of injustice and poverty but also the religious aspect. Although terrorism cannot be totally defeated we can reduce the acts of terrorism by holistically solving problems such as injustice, poverty and the spread of extremist views through religious influences.

Gun Control2 essays

Gun Control2 essays "In order to reduce gun vilolence in the U.S., there should be stricter gun regulation." Violence and crime in today's society is inevitable. Human nature is full of hatred, jealousy, and chaos. Throwing guns into the equation adds security for some, and vulnerability for others. Gun regulation is a topic of debate that has been going on for years and looks to be going on for many more to come. Although, each side of the issue seems to have a possibility of security for all, a healthy median of both sides proves to be hard to come by. On the side of no gun regulation, advocates explain that a concealed handgun provides safety, and that people who defend themselves (with guns) may indirectly benefit other citizens. Cab drivers and drug dealers who carry guns produce a benefit for cab drivers and drug dealers without guns (Lott 18). This theory seems like it could be quite effective, but it brings questions of whether drug dealers would even obey gun regulation laws if imposed, since they are already braking the law by dealing drugs. One might ask why do drug dealers need guns? The answer is quite simple, most violent acts are due to drug and alcohol abuse (Write 313). The ability to carry a concealed weapon provides safety to the insecure and vulnerable. Erika Schwartz (the first runner-up in the 1997 Miss America pageant) made her decision to carry a gun after becoming a victim of a carjacking. Other women carry a weapon due to their fear of rape. Laurence Rockefeller's reason to pack heat is because he carries large sums of money and feels that a gun will protect him from becoming a victim of a mugging (Lott 23). Advocates of no gun control say that the current gun regulation of a waiting period to help potential murders time to "cool off" is a total waste of time. Any one who leaves the scene of an argument, drives to a gun shop, buys a weapon, loads it with ammunition, and returns to kill the ...

Statement of purpose Essay Example

Statement of purpose Essay Example Statement of purpose Essay Statement of purpose Essay End : To achieve my career goals, I need to learn much more about current developments and techniques in finance, financial markets and financial applications, and acquire hands-on experience of financial analysis. 3rd last: I hope I can apply my knowledge to gain practical corporate experience in areas such as capital management, mergers and acquisitions, risk management, quantitative market nalysis, pricing and sales strategies for stability and maximum returns on capital. th: By learning to understand finance, I believe I will be learning to understand the very fabric that keeps the world of finance and risk knitted together. This is a subject I have always had a strong desire to study and this could be the perfect opportunity to fine-tune my skills before stepping out into the real financial world. Statement of purpose By brisingr21 Statement of Purpose Essay Example Statement of Purpose Essay Statement of Purpose Essay Statement of Purpose My name is Carlos Nieva. I received the degree of Bachelor of Science in Electronics and Telecommunications in the fall of 1998 from ITESM (Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey), Mexico. I received the degree of Master of Science in Electrical Engineering in the fall of 2002 from NMSU (New Mexico State University). My advisor and co-advisor during my Master’s degree studies were Dr. Jaime Ramirez-Angulo and Dr. Paul Furth, respectively. The topic of my Master’s degree thesis is â€Å"Low-voltage, class AB and high slew rate two-stage operational amplifiers†. The curricular focus of my bachelor degree is in electronics and communications. During my undergraduate studies I took several courses covering topics in electronic design, analog and digital communications and microwave devices such as transmission lines and antennas. The curricular focus of my Master’s degree was strongly based in analog circuit design using CMOS technology. My circuit designs were implemented with a point fivemicrometer CMOS technology. My thesis proposes a new op-amp architecture that operates at very low voltages and offer higher speed performance compared to classical op-amp architectures. The thesis project includes the circuit design, spice simulations, the chip layout design and the chip testing at the laboratory. The chip layout design was sent to the MOSIS service for fabrication. During my Master’s degree I took courses in CMOS analog, digital, RF and mixed signal design. Other complementary courses taken for the completion of the degree were in the areas of microwave engineering, DSP and communication systems. The areas of research that I am interested in are classified into one of the following categories. One area of interest is the circuit implementation of data wireless communication systems and DSP systems. The second area of interest is the development of circuits for RF and high-speed mixed signal applications. Some examples for this area of interest are RF front ends, mixers, PLL, frequency synthesizers, VCO, filters and data converters. A third area of interest is the development of circuits for microwave applications such as radar, remote sensing and satellite broadcasting. The research experience I obtained during my Master’s degree studies helped me develop the skills I consider very useful to perform research. I was able to clearly understand the basic concepts behind the circuit designs, summarize information from related bibliography and compare existing designs to the design proposed in my thesis. After finishing the research for my Master’s degree, I feel that I have the necessary tools to start a research project that will lead to an original contribution in the area of Electrical Engineering. I know that to channel my research efforts I need to find the correct PhD program with the most successful and experienced faculty to guide me through this journey. During my Master’s degree studies at NMSU, I was a teaching assistant throughout all my studies. The courses that I taught were Basic Electrical Networks laboratory, Introduction to VLSI laboratory and Digital VLSI design laboratory. In those two years of teaching courses for undergraduate students I realized that it gave me a lot of satisfaction seeing my students learn from my lectures. I tried to focus my lectures on concepts that I, from my personal experience as an undergraduate student, consider hard for the student to understand. So after giving my lecture, I felt satisfied knowing that my tudents had understood such concepts faster and through a lesser effort than is normally required. After completing my Master’s degree studies I am convinced that teaching and research is what I enjoy the most and that it is the activity I would like to dedicate the rest of my life. Now I am looking for a PhD degree program that will help me to further develop my experience in research and teaching. After completing my PhD degree in Electrical Engineering my plans are to obtain a Professor’s position at a recognized University, to build a research program with close ties to industry, and to teach classes related to my research field. Fortunately I have two years of experience working for industry and I think I may employ that experience to offer my students an insight of what is happening outside Academia. Furthermore, my relationship with industry will continue to develop through my PhD studies because I was awarded with a GEM fellowship (National Consortium for Graduate Degrees for Minorities in Engineering and Science, Inc), which is an organization that in combination with an industry sponsor will support my graduate studies and will offer me summer internships with the sponsor. In my case the industry sponsor is Intel Corporation. With this opportunity in hand, I will be able to increase my industrial experience and at the same time establish important industry relations that will help me later, as a College Professor, to find funds for my research.

Introducing Social Video From CoSchedule - CoSchedule Blog

Introducing Social Video From Blog Getting your followers attention on social media isn’t exactly easy. People’s feeds are busy  with cat memes, status updates, and notifications galore. And when you’re one  out of 100 folks vying for their attention†¦ Every social message you create needs to be a thumb-stopper. Every social message you create needs to be a thumb-stopper.Which is why we’ve added another weapon to your social scheduling repertoire: Introducing: Social Video From   With Social Video you can: Schedule, share, and manage all of your social media videos (directly in ) Connect with your audience in a more engaging  way Stand out in busy news feeds (with stellar video and a little Best Time Scheduling science) And start taking advantage of the 8 billion+ views social videos get every day! How Does Social Video Work? Schedule, Share, And Manage All Your Social Videos In One Place Manage your social promotion directly in the calendar you already love. No more bouncing from one account to the next- upload your video once and share to all your favorite networks. Simply upload your video one time  and share it to all your social networks. Add copy/text to accompany your social videos, and easily preview messages before  they go live. Never worry if a video will display correctly or if it meets a specific social network requirement. has all those deets right in the calendar, and we’ll let you know if you need to make an edit. Add A Lil Life To Your Social Strategy Connect with your audience by adding some spunk, personality, and humor with social videos. Nearly 76% of Facebook  users and 82% of Twitter users watch one video a day (or more). So, why not optimize your videos for better results? Heres a few tips for making stellar social videos: Keep videos short and  grab your viewers attention early: 30-60 seconds videos get the most attention And add your hooks  early on- according to Facebook research, nearly 50% of a videos value is delivered within the first 10  seconds (or less). Heres an example of a  short video (18 seconds long) with a mouth-watering  hook: Art of Birthday Cake Posted by Tasty on Wednesday, September 7, 2016 Don’t rely on sound: Your videos need to be engaging without  turning up the volume. Use captions and visual story-telling (think old silent film style). Most  videos  are  viewed from a mobile device- thus,  your viewers could be anywhere a waiting room, on the subway, in a library, etc.  Be kind and  give them the option for sound. Use autoplay to draw attention with MOTION  in your followers news feeds: Its the easy button for your viewers. Your video is already playing, so they might as well stop and watch it. ;) Adding bright colors, quick transitions, and people in the first few seconds is also a great way to catch their eye and increase engagement. Heres an example  of a video with no sound and quick transitions. Tide Pods provide a great clean in an easy-to-use form. Posted by Target on Friday, August 26, 2016 Recommended Reading: Wistia:  Crafting a Social Video Strategy Twitter: 5 Best Practices for Promoting Social Video Stand out in busy news feeds: Upload your show-stopping videos into , mix in some  Best Time Scheduling magic, and you’ve got one sick game plan. Now not only can you  add eye-catching videos to combat busy  news feeds, but you’ll be sending them out at the best time possible (double whammy). There’s no need to guess when  it comes to scheduling your social videos. Use best time scheduling to share your messages at the best times for each network  every time you post. You can rest assured that ALL your social promotion (videos included)  will be sent at great times and that they’ll be seen by the right people.

Journal 4 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Journal 4 - Assignment Example Ms Kim Eunja and her husband are amongst the sufferers who are scared of returning because of the risks posed by the radiation. Many villagers like Ms Kim do not wish to return but they explain that they do not have any option left. This is because the government has declared that after next March, evacuation of the temporary residence provided to these villagers as well as the monthly stipend that is being given to them would end. Furthermore, the compensation for returning and for rebuilding their homes has just been set to half the worth of the property that existed before the accident. Also, it has been announced that the people who would return earlier would be given an additional bonus worth nine thousand dollars. The steps of the government and the nuclear power plant industry have been criticized by Mayor Yukei Tomitsuka under whose jurisdiction the village of Miyakoji lies. He has argued that injustice is being done against the villagers who should be provided with a better compensation. Despite of these complaints, there has been no offer made by the government and the nuclear industry as yet. The villagers feel that they are being forced to return to Miyakoji without the negative aspects being considered and compensated

Angelica Kauffmann PowerPoint Presentation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Angelica Kauffmann - PowerPoint Presentation Example According to Sortais (1910): Angelica showed a great aptitude for music and singing, and some of her fathers friends strongly urged her to give up painting, but in vain. This episode in her life she has represented in a picture, showing herself, between Painting and Music, bidding farewell to Music. There was no question it was in painting that she showed much progress. And before she even completed her twelfth year, she had become a notability, with bishops and nobles for her sitters. The bishop of Milan summoned her to paint his portrait. Due to her immense talent and personal charms, Francis the III of Este, Duke of Modena and Governor of Milan, declared himself her protector. Also, Cardinal Roth invited her to Constance and commissioned her to paint his portrait (Sortais 1910). Kauffman lost her father in 1782; and in 1795, her husband. These blows to her personal life did not deter her to continue with her passion in painting and continued at intervals to contribute to the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture, the academy’s purpose of which is to professionalize the artists working for the French court and give them a stamp of approval, her last exhibit being in 1797. She has produced a few of her works after this time. On a fateful day, November 5, 1807, she died in Rome. She was honored by a wonderful funeral under the direction of Canova, an Italian sculptor who became famous for his marble sculptures. Numerous prominent personalities were in attendance during her funeral procession, following her to her tomb, including the entire Academy of St. Luke, several ecclesiastics and virtuosi, with two of her pictures carried in procession. Kauffman was an advocate of neo-classicism in her works. What neo-classicism depends on most fundamentally is a consensus about a body of work that has achieved canonic status, or that which asserts a compendium of the greatest works of artistic merit

Strategic Marketing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words - 3

Strategic Marketing - Assignment Example The theoretical underpinnings have been used to analyse the marketing strategies of Unilever. The company has successfully positioned its brands in such a manner that it is a household name in almost every household across the globe. The company also has portrayed a strong responsibility towards the betterment of the society and has taken its CSR activities to a new level. Unilever has also developed innovative strategies that would allow them to reach to every cross section of the population across all income levels. In the end recommendations have been provided that the company can adopt for its betterment. The marketing concepts have evolved over the past few decades. Previously when there were lesser options and the competition was monopoly or monopolistic the customers had little say over the pricing strategies or even the quality of products. However in the present world the market structure has changed from monopolistic to perfect competition whereby the customers have the power of making or breaking an organisation. The marketing strategies are thus formed keeping in mind the role of customer. The organisations aim to maximise customer satisfaction and design strategies to that effect. Apart from developing marketing strategies that would be customer friendly and also facilitate the increase of market share of the firm, multinational companies (MNC) have to undergo Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) so that a favourable image of the firm can be maintained. Marketing orientation is considered a concept that takes into account customer orientation, competitor orientation, inter-functional coordination, organisational structure and long term creation of value for shareholders. The concept pledges to deliver superior performance of the company by way of satisfying customers needs. Therefore a company philosophy that focuses on identifying and meeting the

Leading Public Organizations - Public Administration Essay

Leading Public Organizations - Public Administration - Essay Example In addition, they may differ in their abilities to cope up with the unforeseen situations. This holds even more relevant for public administration in organizations. Hence, it requires a coordinating function to deal them effectively so that the out put production would be maximum in any firm. Among all the role players in public administration, leader is very significant one who initiates the process of thinking towards new ideas or innovations and accordingly fixes the responsibilities of various employees in different sections (Hickman, 2009). He also makes them aware about the objectives and goals of the organization and gives them timely targets. The main challenge for a leader in an organization is to manage the communication process to different individuals or groups of individuals who have diverse nature. At the same time, conflict management and ethical decision making also become very complex when leader initiates the process of dealing the individuals or groups of diverse n ature. Let us analyze them one by one. Communication process is one of the most important factors that decides the success of any public organization with employees of diverse nature (Ivancevich, 2009). Leadership in public sector faces a big challenge in the form of large size of groups of individuals of diverse nature and hence their employee coordination is a tough task. The individuals or groups of individuals differ significantly in their critical thinking nature and perception about the decisions of the organization and hence clarity in communication is must for the higher coherence among the employees and the leaders may concentrate on easy way of dissemination of information using the latest technology. The employees must feel that they are integral part of the organization for getting optimum results, this can happen only when they are informed about the objectives and work plan of the organization. If a leader uses any single mode of communication, the employees may not be able to perceive it in same manner. Hence it is necessary to identify the right mode and time of communication process according to the nature of the individuals or groups. The effective communication process once implemented in public administration in organizations with special emphasis on crisis management communication, there is a vast scope for critical thinking and skill development among the employees of diverse nature (Shockley-Zalabak, 2005). There are different ways of communication process that can be well utilized to inform about the present status and future requirements of the organization. The advent of information technology is of immense help in dissemination of information to the employees of different tiers. In some studies, it was found that the use of a Computer-mediated Communication (CMC) system in-group conflict management has become a reasonable success (Hampden-Turner, Charles and Fons Trompenaars. 2000). The group working relations coding system (GWRCS) w as found to be useful to examine group interaction patterns that characterize the conflict management process. It was also noticed that an intellective task conflict can be well managed by a high confrontiveness where as cognitive task conflict requires a moderate confrontiveness strategy. Similarly, effective team building also promotes the communication pro

Analysis for Higher Learning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Analysis for Higher Learning - Essay Example As the report declares the movie â€Å"Higher Learning† is a drama about different issues of university student life, especially as they relate to all kinds of prejudice: sexual, racial, social included. Racial prejudice is one of the main themes. At the start of this movie, we can see one of the movie’s main characters, Remy, who is an outcast and misfit, ignored by another students. We also find Kristen, who has a little bit racial discrimination and isn’t sure of her own identity yet, and Malik, who is an African American confused about his own identity. Each of them ironically share some of the same prejudices toward each other and others. Each of them value some of the same things about life but do not realize they have anything in common. This essay stresses that when Malik gets on the elevator and meets Kristen by chance, Kristen reflexively grabs her bag, even though they have never seen each other. Malik notices and shakes his head to himself, accustomed to the scenario. This is the introduction to racial tension in the movie. The point that we should consider is why Kristen did that. If she had personally had a bad experience with a black person, it would be understandable. But what is more likely is that Kristen had the fear of being alone with a black man because of her preconceived bias and her lack of relationships with black people in her primarily caucasion neighborhood near Disneyland.

Leading Public Organizations - Public Administration Essay

Leading Public Organizations - Public Administration - Essay Example In addition, they may differ in their abilities to cope up with the unforeseen situations. This holds even more relevant for public administration in organizations. Hence, it requires a coordinating function to deal them effectively so that the out put production would be maximum in any firm. Among all the role players in public administration, leader is very significant one who initiates the process of thinking towards new ideas or innovations and accordingly fixes the responsibilities of various employees in different sections (Hickman, 2009). He also makes them aware about the objectives and goals of the organization and gives them timely targets. The main challenge for a leader in an organization is to manage the communication process to different individuals or groups of individuals who have diverse nature. At the same time, conflict management and ethical decision making also become very complex when leader initiates the process of dealing the individuals or groups of diverse n ature. Let us analyze them one by one. Communication process is one of the most important factors that decides the success of any public organization with employees of diverse nature (Ivancevich, 2009). Leadership in public sector faces a big challenge in the form of large size of groups of individuals of diverse nature and hence their employee coordination is a tough task. The individuals or groups of individuals differ significantly in their critical thinking nature and perception about the decisions of the organization and hence clarity in communication is must for the higher coherence among the employees and the leaders may concentrate on easy way of dissemination of information using the latest technology. The employees must feel that they are integral part of the organization for getting optimum results, this can happen only when they are informed about the objectives and work plan of the organization. If a leader uses any single mode of communication, the employees may not be able to perceive it in same manner. Hence it is necessary to identify the right mode and time of communication process according to the nature of the individuals or groups. The effective communication process once implemented in public administration in organizations with special emphasis on crisis management communication, there is a vast scope for critical thinking and skill development among the employees of diverse nature (Shockley-Zalabak, 2005). There are different ways of communication process that can be well utilized to inform about the present status and future requirements of the organization. The advent of information technology is of immense help in dissemination of information to the employees of different tiers. In some studies, it was found that the use of a Computer-mediated Communication (CMC) system in-group conflict management has become a reasonable success (Hampden-Turner, Charles and Fons Trompenaars. 2000). The group working relations coding system (GWRCS) w as found to be useful to examine group interaction patterns that characterize the conflict management process. It was also noticed that an intellective task conflict can be well managed by a high confrontiveness where as cognitive task conflict requires a moderate confrontiveness strategy. Similarly, effective team building also promotes the communication pro

Management (individual influence on the organization) Essay

Management (individual influence on the organization) - Essay Example For instance, while developing plans, the roles of individuals along with their leadership styles also their decisions, will deeply control how they plan their tactics for the future. In specific the behavioral and the cognitive styles of leadership have deeply affected the organizations of today. With reference to some of the experts in the field, an independent leadership style gives in positive energy to the triumph of a corporation whilst a dramatic imagination, the tendency to believe in provisions of metaphors rather than expressions, as a rule generates a better level of leadership decisions. There are a lot of instances of where the disparity amid triumph and collapse of a business entity has been unswervingly accredited to the leadership style of its higher management. Complete organizational tasks bring about a limitless level of patience for dissatisfaction mainly as leaders set a soaring accent on the outcomes. Nevertheless, the efficient leader recognizes that realizing these outcomes impose joint efforts for which the leader ought to be people orientated. So, the value of leadership styles towards the success of a corporation cannot be modest. Thriving leaders have to be efficient altering agents. They have to be able to come to terms with the varying outlook of their elements.

Presidential nomination Essay Example for Free

Presidential nomination Essay My first reaction to this paper was that I wanted to know more. The fact that Fremont rose to national prominence even though his mother was not married to his father seems unusual for the time period and as though it offers hope to others who come from single-parent families. I also liked that he was kicked out of finishing school and went on to explore the West and run for President of the United States. Though he did not win, it again shows that the American dream—that anyone can grow up to be leader of the free world—was alive and well. The explorations that Fremont conducted added greatly to the growth of the nation and I find it intriguing that he was a Southerner who opposed slavery and ran against Lincoln for the presidential nomination. It makes it interesting to contemplate how the country might have been changed if Fremont had defeat Lincoln to become the Republican nominee for president. I wonder if having a Southerner in the White House might have prevent the South from seceding. This was an interesting look at the way one man can help to change the course of history and helped give a better view on how the people alive during the westward expansion and the Civil War were all intertwined.

Ranganathan Science Library

Ranganathan Science Library SHIYALI RAMAMRITA RANGANATHAN Brief overview of Ranganathans life According to Gopinath, in Memorabilia Ranganathan, Shiyali Ramamrita Ranganathan, often referred to as S. R. Ranganathan, was born August 9, 1892 in Tamil Nadu, in southern India. He lost his father early in childhood, and he also married his first wife at a young age. Ranganathan and his second wife had one child. After a long, impressive career, Ranganathan died at the age of 80 on September 27, 1972. Education and career Documentation Research and Training Centre, 1962 http://www.isibang.ac.in/library/portal/Pages/photo.htm Ranganathan as a student, 1913 http://www.isibang.ac.in/library/portal/Pages/photo.htm Leaving Mathematics and teaching had not been easy for SRR. His colleagues and the principal had given him great moral support. The year was 1924. http://www.isibang.ac.in/library/portal/Pages/photo.htm Before Ranganathan influenced the world of library science (he is said to have coined the term), he earned his Masters degree in Mathematics and a degree from a teachers college. From 1917 to 1921, he retained a position at Presidency College in Madras, India, teaching math and physics. According to Gopinath, students loved Ranganathans lively teaching style and often applauded after his lectures. When a better paying library position opened at the Madras University Library, Ranganathan reluctantly applied and, with no previous library education or experience, was surprisingly accepted. After a week, out of boredom he tried to resign. Instead, he was sent to London for nine months where he learned library science and began to design his own classification scheme, among other concepts that he later wrote about, including his Five Laws of Library Science. He stayed at Madras University until 1945, after reorganizing the library, creating a library science school, and influencing much o f southern India. After his so-called retirement, he went to Banaras Hindu University and Dehli University, created and served on numerous professional committees and boards, as well as promoting public library legislation. From 1954-1957, Ranganathan stayed in Zurich, where he continued his work in library science. Then he went to Bangalore where â€Å"the pinnacle of†¦his entire life was†¦the founding of the Documentation Research and Training Centre under the auspices of the Indian Statistical Institute† (p. 2423). This institute exists today offering courses and degrees in information and library science (see drtc.isibang.ac.in/ for more information). Major contribution to librarianship S. R. Ranganathan, also known as the Father of Indian Librarianship, contributed more than 60 books and over 1,500 articles. He wrote on library management, book selection, reference service, library buildings and furniture, and the â€Å"chain procedure to deriving subject index entries† (Gopinath, 2003, p.2427), among other topics. But, one of his biggest contributions to librarianship was his â€Å"Five laws of library science† that continues to be a guide for library management and operation today. 1. Books are for use. 2. Every reader his/her book. 3. Every book its readers. 4. Save the time of the reader; save the time of the library staff. 5. The library is a growing organism. These five ideas shape many aspects of libraries. The following ideas derived from Ranganathans five laws are presented in a lecture from Atherton (1973) that she gave at the Documentation Research and Training Centre in Bangalore: Readers should know what information is available; libraries should know what their readers want; readers should have access to library material, catalog searches should lead the reader to their desired material; the organization systems of a library should be designed for efficiency; as information grows, so do libraries. All of these laws persist in importance in terms of the mission of the library and the services it provides for its patrons. Various versions of the five laws of library science can be seen in As electronic information becomes more pervasive, these laws still apply as an over-arching philosophy and guide to connecting patrons with information. Yet â€Å"new violations have emerged† with the growth of the web and other online resources (Cloonan Dove, 2005, p.59). Information architects and other information scientists look to Ranganathans ideas (Steckel, 2002). In 2004, Noruzi published a set for the Web: Web resources are for use. Every user his or her web resource. Every web resource its user. Save the time of the user. The Web is a growing organism. These modern challenges to maintain the ideals of library science are the major working in the fields of information and library sciences. Major contribution to cataloging S. R. Ranganathans most important contribution to cataloging was his Colon Classification scheme. Three main types of classification used are enumerative, as is the Library of Congress Classification, in that it â€Å"attempts to assign designations for all the single and composite concepts required in the system†; hierarchical, as mostly describes the Dewey Decimal Classification scheme; and faceted classification that confine their explicit lists of designations to single, unsubdivided concepts† (Taylor, 2006, p. 393). Facets are aspects of the book (or any information object) that can be used as an area for classification. In Ranganathans Colon Classification scheme, he determined there were five facets: personality, matter, energy, space, time that are â€Å"used to analyze a class or subject and to construct a composite class notation for it† (p. 395). In the PMEST formula, each facet is separated by different punctuation marks and informs which type of facet is coming next: , (comma)personality ; (semicolon)matter : (colon)energy . (period)space ‘ (apostrophe)time Taylor (p.395) gives the example of notation for a book on â€Å"the eradication of virus in rice plants in Japan, 1971† as J , 381 ; 4 : 5 . 42 ‘ N70†¦The breakdown of the notation is: Jagriculture(main subject) 381rice plant(personality) 4virus disease(matter) 5eradication(energy) 42Japan(space) N701970s(time) Considered â€Å"analytic-synthetic How does it compare to Dewey? Less biased Better for classifying complex items, new subjects â€Å"does not assign fixed slots to subjects in sequence† (p. 394). Current use of Colon Classification The faceted approach of Colon Classification makes it ideal for computer use. Faceted class notation â€Å"is especially important for online retrieval†¦as a complement to verbal retrieval methods y subject headings or keywords.† (p. 396) Because facets are used, as opposed to hierarchy, a user can easily search by facets. â€Å"Rather than deciding ahead of time what the ‘proper trees, the computer can construct a tree on the fly based on the users interaction† (Weinberger, 2007, p. 81). The users begin the search with one facet and then narrow it with other facets. â€Å"The result is a system that lets [the users] become data squirrels, jumping from branch to branch† (Weinberger, 2007, p. 81), with new branches being created by the users queries. As explained by Glassel (1998), â€Å"each term in a Yahoo! notation string contains individual words which have meaning on their own, but once combined with other words into a string, a context is created , providing a deeper meaning. In this way it is much like a faceted classification† ( ¶ 11). Here is an example of how the classification of a book based on its facets can easily migrate to a search engine. Using a books subjects: Research in the cure of the tuberculosis of lungs by x-ray conducted in India in 1950s, the CC notation is L,45;421:6;253:f.44N5. And as words, the notation is translated as: Medicine,Lungs;Tuberculosis:Treatment;X-ray:Research.India1950 (Chan, 1994, p.391). This translation are keywords in a search that, if matched to controlled subject headings would likely result in positive hits. Annotated bibliography of Ranganathans principle works. Ranganathan, S. R. (1933). Colon Classification. Madras: Madras Library Association. (1st edition). An introduction to the colon classification system using five facets (personality, matter, energy, space, and time) Ranganathan, S. R. (1962). Elements of Library Classification. Bombay: Asia Publishing House. Ranganathan, S.R. (1963). Colon classification : basic classification (6th ed.). New York: Asia Publishing House. Ranganathan, S.R. (1963). The five laws of library science (2nd ed.). New York: Asia Publishing House. Introduction to his five deceptively and elegantly simple â€Å"laws of library science† that affect every aspect of the library. User-centered approach Ranganathan, S.R. (1967). Prolegomena to library classification (3rd ed.). London: Asia Publishing House. 640-page book rules and guidelines Timeline Dewey born (1851) LCC developed (1852) Colon Class. designed (1924) 5 Laws of LS (1928) Ranganathan dies (1972) 1850-1875 1901-1929 1950-1979 1876-1900 1930-1949 1980-present DDC developed (1876) Ranganathan born (1892) Dewey dies (1931) CC, LC, and DD class. systems modified, still used Appendix A CANONS FOR THE IDEA PLANE 1.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Canons for Characteristics a)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Canon of Differentiation b)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Canon of Relevance c)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Canon of Ascertainability d)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Canon of Permanence 2.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Canons for Succession of Characteristics a)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Canon of Concomitance b)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Canon of Relevant Succession c)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Canon of Consistent Succession 3.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Canons for Array a)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Canon of Exhaustiveness b)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Canon of Exclusiveness c)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Canon of Helpful Sequence 4.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Canons for Chain a)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Canon of Decreasing Extension b)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Canon of Modulation d)   Ã‚  Ã‚   Canon of Consistent Sequence 5.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Canons for Filiatory Sequence a)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Canon of Subordinate Classes b)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Canon of Coordinate Classes CANONS FOR THE VERBAL PLANE 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Canon of Context 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Canon of Enumeration 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Canon of Currency 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Canon of Reticence CANONS FOR THE NOTATIONAL PLANE 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Canon of   Synonym 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Canon of Homonym 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Canon of Relativity 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Canon of Uniformity 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Canon of Hierarchy 6.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Canon of Non-Hierarchy 7.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Canon of Mixed Base 8.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Canon of Pure Base 9.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Canon of Faceted Notation 10. Canon of Non-Faceted Notation 11. Canon of Co-Extensiveness 12. Canon of Under-Extensiveness CANONS OF MNEMONICS 1.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Canon of Alphabetical Mnemonics 2.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Canon of Systematic Mnemonics 3.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Canon of Seminal Mnemonics PRINCIPLES FOR HELPFUL SEQUENCE 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Principle of Later-in-Time 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Principle of Later-in-Evolution 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Principles of Spatial Contiguity a)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Principle of Bottom Upwards b)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Principle of Top Downwards c)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Principle of Left to Right d)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Principle of Clockwise Direction e)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Principle of Counter-Clockwise Direction f)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Principle of Periphery to Centre g)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Principle of Centre to Periphery 4.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Principles of Quantitative Measure a)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Principle of Increasing Quantity b)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Principle of Decreasing Quantity 5.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Principle of Increasing Complexity 6.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Principle of Canonical Sequence 7.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Principle of Literary Warrant 8.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Principle of Alphabetical Sequence POSTULATES 1.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Postulate of Five Fundamental Categories 2.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Postulate of Basic Facet 3.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Postulate of Isolate Facet 4.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Postulates for Rounds of Manifestation a)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Postulate of Rounds for Energy b)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Postulate of Rounds for Personality and Matter c)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Postulate of Rounds for Space and Time 5.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Postulates for Levels of Manifestation a)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Postulate of Level 6.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Postulates for Facets a)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Postulate of First Facet b)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Postulate of Concreteness c)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Postulate of Facet Sequence Within a Round d)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Postulate of Facet Sequence Within the Last Round e)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Postulate of a Level Cluster PRINCIPLES FOR FACET SEQUENCE 1.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Wall-Picture Sequence 2.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Whole-Organ Principle 3.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Cow-Calf Principle 4.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Act and-Action-Actor-Tool Principle References Atherton, P. (1973). Putting knowledge to work: An American view of Ranganathans five laws of library science. Dehli: Vikas Publishing House. Chan L. M. (1994). Cataloging and classification: An introduction (2nd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill. Cloonan, M.V., Dove, J.G. (2005, April 1). Ranganathan Online. Library Journal, 130(6), pp. 58-60. Retrieved on July 22, 2008, from http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdf?vid=9hid=103sid=3d1ade8a-3357-4c16-8584-676fda875d4d%40sessionmgr9 Garfield, E. (1984, February 6). A tribute to S. R. Ranganathan, the Father of Indian library science: Part I life and works. Current Comments, 6, 37-43. Retrieved on July 21, 2008, from http://www.garfield.library.upenn.edu/essays/v7p045y1984.pdf Glassel, A. (1998). Was Ranganathan a Yahoo!? End Users Corner.  Retrieved July 21, 2008, from http://scout.wisc.edu/Projects/PastProjects/toolkit/enduser/archive/1998/euc-9803.html Gopinath, M.A. (Ed.) (1994), Memorabilia Ranganathan. Bangalore: Sarada Ranganathan Endowment for Library Science. Gopinath, M.A. (2003). Ranganathan, Shiyali Ramamrita. In M. A. Drake (Ed.) Encyclopedia of Library and Information Science (2nd ed.) (pp. 2419-2437). New York: Marcel Dekker. Noruzi, A. (2004). Application of Ranganathans Laws to the Web. Webology, 1(2). Retrieved July 21, 2008, from http://www.webology.ir/2004/v1n2/a8.html Spiteri, L. (1998). A simplified model for facet analysis. Canadian Journal of Information and Library Science, 23, pp. 1-30. Retrieved July 22, 2008, from http://iainstitute.org/pg/a_simplified_model_for_facet_analysis.php Stekel, M. (2002, October 7). Ranganathan for IAs : An introduction to the thought of S.R. Ranganathan for information architects. Boxes And Arrows. Retrieved July 21, 2008, from http://www.boxesandarrows.com/view/ranganathan_for_ias Taylor, A. G. (2006). Introduction to cataloging and classification (10th ed.). Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited. Weinberger, D. (2007). Everything is miscellaneous: The power of the new digital disorder. New York: Henry Holt and Company. July 16, 2008, 11:23 AM, Erin M. OToole, recommended in an email to use the following resources: LIS encyclopedias and dictionaries online reference works available in the LIS Subject Guide at http://www.library.unt.edu/research-tools/subject-guides/library-information-science/electronic-resources/dictionaries-encyclopedias the UNT Library Catalog at http://iii.library.unt.edu the 3 LIS databases listed in a row starting with Library and Information Science Abstracts (LISA) on this webpage: http://irservices.library.unt.edu/ais.cfm?alpha=L favorite search engine and keyword Google Images Search at http://images.google.com

Life Struggles of Phoenix in Eudora Weltys A Worn Path Essays -- Worn

Life Struggles of Phoenix in Eudora Welty's A Worn Path "A Worn Path," by Eudora Welty is a heartbreaking story about the heroic trip of an old African American woman, Phoenix. The readers won't find out right away the plot of the story or why Phoenix won't give up her exhausting trip to town-the conflict of this story-especially on a very cold day. The title, "A Worn Path," indicates that Phoenix has obviously walked down this path many times before-also the fact that she can cross a creek with her eyes closed confirms the title's message. Her trip is full of obstacles, from bushes of thorns that get caught in her dress, to her crossing of a creek. These elements complicate the conflict and increase the readers' curiosity about the plot. Phoenix can't trust her eyes, choosing instead to walk along with her eyes closed and sense her way with the help of her cane. While needed rest forces her to stop for a while, she has a vision of a little boy handing her a slice of marble cake. So many questions arise in the minds of the readers. Who was the little boy? Is she halluci...

Business Plan †Book cafe Essay

1.0 Summary Profile Business Name: GRYFFINDOR BOOK CAFÉ Type of Business: A Book Cafà © Legal Structure: Partnership Address: No. 17, Ground Floor, Parramatta Road, Broadway Gryffindor Book Cafà © operated under a partnership between 3 people. It is classified to be within the hospitality industry, with its main focus is in serving people. The partners view the Cafà © industry Australia to be lucrative due to the growing demands of coffee. Gryffindor Book Cafà © will be operated within the University zone amongst the University of Sydney and University of Technology Sydney, in Broadway. Hence, the cafà © will be in close proximity to its target market. To differentiate our cafà ©, we will embark upon a unique physical appearance, which sets it apart from local cafà ©s, provide free reading materials, such as local and foreign newspapers, different types of magazines, books and novels. We will be providing a cafà © for customers in which, they can relax and escape from the daily pressures of work and offers a place to converse with mates over a cup of coffee. Furthermore, aside from the cold and hot drinks available, the business will also provide complementary side dishes, such as cakes. Hence, Gryffindor Book Cafà © will offer a variety of choices to our customers. Gryffindor Book Cafà © will gain its competitive advantage in the market by the quality of its products, warm customer service provided by our staff and the uniqueness of our facilities, which offers an escape from the everyday rustics. Furthermore, the main promotional strategy employed by the business is the word of its satisfied customers and the various discounts the business will offer. 2.0 Critical Success Factors for the Survival of the Business  · Efficient and concise management – Good management allows operations of the business to be well coordinated.  · Detailed planning – A well-planned business would clearly lists its goals and objectives and clearly identify the methods to be implemented.  · To constantly monitor and evaluate the business’s performance to ensure efficiency and hence maximise profits.  · Quality financial management – to ensure a healthy cash flow within the business.  · Well-planned marketing strategy – to be able to provide the goods and services demanded by consumers and to be able to reach potential customers.  · Sufficient capital – in order to pay its debts and continue operations and increase sales.  · A strong competitive advantage to distinguish the business within the market.  · Entrepreneurship spirit – continuous dedication from the owners/management is needed to operate the business effectively and profitably.  · Entrepreneur’s background knowledge and experience greatly contribute to the success of the business as it aids its operations.  · Location is a vital element to a small business, which must be of easy access to its customers. 3.0 Executive Summary Gryffindor Book Cafà © recognises the importance of prompt and amiable customer service in the hospitality industry. It is a small business that provides high quality coffee and hot and cold beverages with cakes, muffins and  cookies. It differentiates itself from other cafà ©s by its unique services of providing reading materials, i.e. newspapers and magazines from different countries, which the business incorporates as their prime function. Operating as a partnership between Angelene Alburquerque, Nicole Tsui and Jeff Chan, Gryffindor Book Cafà © belongs in the private sector and in the tertiary industry. It is located in Broadway, along George St. where it is easily accessible for its target market. The following business plan will analyse in details the situational analysis of the business in its establishment, and the operational, marketing and financial plans that it will implements in its start up. 4.0 Situational Analysis 4.1 Business Name: Gryffindor Book Cafà © 4.2 Prime Function: Gryffindor Book Cafà © provides:  · Hot drinks – coffee, cappuccino, lattes, etc.  · Cold beverages  · Milkshakes  · Cakes  · Pastries  · Cookies  · Reading materials – i.e. newspapers, magazines and books 4.3 Vision Statement To be the best cafà © with a difference with a reputable image supported by:  · High quality products  · Impeccable customer service 4.4 Mission Statement Gryffindor Book Cafà © is dedicated to:  · Providing customers impeccable service within a warm, friendly environment and comfortable facilities supported by promptness, quality and style  · Serve customers with the best cafà © products in the market at a value price  · Continually find improvement in our are of operations and service  · Be socially responsible by complying to a code of conduct, which would ensure fairness to its stakeholders  · Be environmentally conscious by using earth-friendly materials 4.5 Goals Ø Financial Goals · Maximising sales and profit · Business stability · Progressive growth Ø Personal Goals · Job security · Increase self-confidence · Improving managerial skills · Professional recognition · Increase power and Influence Ø Social Goals · Comply with ethical conducts · Provision of local employment · Sponsoring local events 4.6 Business Objectives Time Period: 12 months  · To break even with revenue and total costs in the duration of 10 months  · Reduce cost by efficiency by 10%  · Increase market share by 15% through effective marketing strategies 4.7 Business Ownership/Legal Structure Gryffindor Book Cafà © will operate as a partnership between Miss Angelene Alburquerque, Miss Nicole Tsui and Mr. Jeff Chan. Advantages and disadvantages operating as a partnership are as follows. ADVANTAGES · Low start up cost · Workload and responsibility is shared · Business profits are not taxed, but personal income only · Funds and talents of the partners are combined · Lower cost involved compared to operating a company · If one partner dies, business operations may continue DISADVANTAGES · Unlimited Liability · Conflicts between partners may arise · Liable for all debts, including debts held by other partners · Incompatible characteristics, making it difficult to find a suitable partner continue 4.8 Industry Analysis Australian coffee consumption is running at an all-time high. In September, economic forecaster BIS Shrapnel reported that we consume about 2.4 kilograms per person per year, double that of 30 years ago. (Tea consumption, by contrast, is on the slide.) And cafes, says Sean Edwards, managing director of cafe-industry organization CafeBiz, are â€Å"a $7.5 billion industry in Australia†. 4.9 Competition There are two general competitors in our cafà © market. They are the multinational specialty beverage chains, such as Starbucks and Gloria Jeans, and the local coffee houses or cafes, both with an established clientele and a quality product. There is a dramatic distinction among the customers of each of these outlets. Ø Michelle’s Patisserie Michael Patisserie is a pure Australian company, which mainly sells bakery products in the Australian community. Michael Patisserie is now a national system with around 270 outlets throughout Australia and is averaging new store openings of approximately 1 per week. Company Strengths  · Well-known products in Australia  · Recognized franchise  · Offering bakery bakes  · Specialty coffee roasting, coffee retailing and coffee training  · Easy accessible location Ø Starbucks Starbucks is an international corporation, which is the leading premium coffee cafà © in the world, with more than 23 branches locates in Sydney. Due to its distinguishable reputation of Starbucks will be a threat to Gryffindor Book Cafà ©. Company strengths  · Experienced in premium coffee  · High quality of services  · Famous establishment  · Lower production cost  · Recognizable franchise Ø Gloria Jean’s Coffee Gloria Jean Coffee is another large cafà © franchise in Australia, with stores in most major shopping centers and has almost 70 branches located in the Sydney region. With the renowned celebrity compared to our brand new cafà ©, it becomes a great challenge for the business to establish a certain market position. Company Strengths  · Standardized quality products  · Well-located place  · Eminent celebrity  · Employee-trained Local Cafà ©s Although small, a very tough competitor for our cafà © is the established local cafà ©s. Their previous experience in the industry would certainly be beneficial in further developing their cafes, which will greatly disadvantage Gryffindor Book Cafà ©. The quality of beverages served at an established cafe will surpass any of the regional or national chains. Company Strengths  · Plenty of product choices  · Easy access  · Consistent menus  · Quality product  · Well-serviced The competitive edge of Gryffindor Book Cafà © over the local cafes is based on the attributes of:  · Foreign newspapers and magazine service  · Consistent menu  · Quality product  · Discount purchases 4.10 Competitive Advantage Statement â€Å"Aside from our deliciously baked cakes and tantalising freshly brewed coffees, which is of the highest quality around, Gryffindor Book Cafà © guarantees the best customer service in the business.† SWOT Analysis Strengths · Business & management master’s degree held by each partner – intensive knowledge · Strong motivation and commitment held by each partner as personal success is dependent on the business’s performance · Focus on excellent service in satisfying customer’s needs · Well defined goals and objectives · Employs a variety of marketing strategies to reach customers · Unique facilities, which sets it apart from its competitors · Ability to provide personalized service Weaknesses · Undercapitalisation · Minimal experience in the hospitality industry · Minimal experience in making and preparing foods and drinks Opportunities · Increase market share · Take over dissatisfied customers from  their businesses · Increase variety of products · Positive forecasting Threats · Competitors – i.e. Transnational corporation (E.g. Starbucks & Gloria Jeans) · Unpredictable downturn in economy · Changes in government policies/laws · External government department controls – i.e. showing up unexpected 4.11 Economic Conditions Economic conditions will greatly affect the business. For example, changes in interest rates will affect the business’s bank loan. A change in unemployment may see a reduction of sales from the business, as customers are not willing to spend. Furthermore, economic conditions determine price levels. For instance, prices must be set lower during a recession. 4.12 Socio-Cultural Conditions Australia is multicultural and is therefore important for the business to treat everyone fairly without any bias. The business can use this factor as an advantage by offering foreign reading materials to cater for the majority of our customers. For example, English, Chinese, Japanese and Korean. Additionally the business must continue to monitor the changing trends in society in order to provide the goods and services that customers want and be able to change. 4.13 Legal-Political Conditions In order to legally establish a cafà ©, the business must be registered and it is important to apply a food licence from the council. Moreover, the quality of food and drink is extremely important to qualify and be permitted to open. Furthermore, laws such as the Fair Trading Act and Occupational Health and Safety regulations greatly effects the conducts of business and influences its operations. 4.14 Technological Conditions Gryffindor Book Cafà © must maintain its technological edge amongst its competitors. Therefore, we can introduce some high-technology machine (coffee maker) to improve the quality of our products and efficiency of the operations in long run. In short run, we may provide on-line order service for take-away service, such as order-on-net service, and improve our record keepings by the latest softwares, which would simplify managerial tasks. 4.15 Natural Environment Conditions Through the use of recyclable products, the business would project an environmentally-friendly image and avoid wastage. Furthermore, the business can utilise methods of saving water and the use less electricity. Consequently, this may not only protect the environment, but also reduce operating expenses. 5.0 Operations Plan 5.1 Location Gryffindor Book Cafe will be located in Broadway, along Parramatta Road, which is in close proximity with out target market. The physical size of the cafà © approximately measures to be 1600 square feet and is opposite Victoria Park, which encompasses a peaceful, scenic view of the area. The reason for this location is essentially due to the two universities in the area. 5.2 Furnishings Our cafà © will mainly use wood to be our main ornamentation and use French windows to emphasise Victoria Park’s green landscape to our customers as they read. Being a cafà © which provides reading resources, the lighting must be sufficient in order to protect our customer’s health, upholding our social responsibility. Moreover, we will furnish the cafà © with snug sofas to provide contented seats for reading convenience and just relaxing. A local professional will be contracted out of the business to handle the furnishing of the place. 5.3 Operating Hours Monday – Wednesday 7:00am – 6:30pm Thursday – Friday 7:30am – 8:00pm Saturday 7:30pm – 4:00pm Sunday Closed 5.4 Cafà © Floor Layout 5.5 Details of Production and Service Ø Food Preparation  · Beverages and hot drinks are to be prepared as it is ordered  · Muffins and cakes are baked freshly on a daily basis  · Some products will be ordered from local producers i.e. cakes Ø Service  · Customers approach the counter to make their order, which they have the choice to eat in or to take away.  · Reading materials are available to the customers, such as books that are old and new and magazines, which are distributed throughout the cafà © in shelves lining the wall.  · Current local and international newspapers, particularly from Asia are available to customers to read, which are positioned at the counter as they order, for easier and more convenient access.  · Staff would walk around to customers offering reading materials and ensuring that they are satisfied with the food and service.  · Smoking is prohibited in our cafà © to facilitate fresh air supply. 5.6 Stakeholders Ø Internal Stakeholders – The partners are the internal stakeholders of the business and has a responsibility for towards one another to perform their part in the business to the best of their ability. They are also the internal customers of the business, as each of their workload is vital for all partners to be able to perform their job efficiently. – Employees – the business must provide a safe working environment, to comply with Occupational Health and Safety regulations and provide training. Ø External Stakeholders – Customers – the business is responsible in providing high quality products, a safe environment and fair service. – Community – the business must be environmentally friendly, and will provide recyclable takeaway containers. – Government – the business will pay its due taxes, and will behave ethically in recording profits and expenses. – Suppliers – the business must pay its debts.  § John Fairfax Holding Limited – supplies newspapers and magazines  § Maxims – supplies food and drinks products 5.7 Proposed Organisational Chart 5.8 Method of Employee Participation in Decision Making  · The flatter structure encourages direct communication between employees and employers, which allows more input from staff and ideas to reach management at a more efficient manner.  · A suggestion box positioned behind the counter would be available for all staff to insert ideas as they work, which will be discussed in meetings.  · Include staff in meetings and allow for contribution  · Employ participatory planning, to include the staff, which will be affected by the plans made and/or will be asked to implement them.

The Return: Nightfall Chapter 18

Matt woke, fuzzily, to find himself still behind the steering wheel of Elena's car. He stumbled into his house, almost forgetting to lock the car, and then fumbling with keys to unlock the back door. The house was dark; his parents were asleep. He made it up to his bedroom and collapsed on the bed without even taking off his shoes. When he woke again, he was startled to find it was nineA.M . and his mobile phone was ringing in his jeans pocket. â€Å"Mer'dith?† â€Å"We thought you were coming over early this morning.† â€Å"I am, but I've got to figure outhow first,† Matt said – or rather, croaked. His head felt twice its usual size and his arm at least four times too big. Even so, something in the back of his mind was calculating how to get to the boardinghouse without taking the Old Wood Road at all. Finally a few neurons lit up and showed him. â€Å"Matt? Are you still there?† â€Å"I'm not sure. Last night†¦God, I don't evenremember most of last night. But on the way home – look, I'll tell you when I get there. First I have to call the police.† â€Å"Thepolice ?† â€Å"Yeah†¦look†¦just give me an hour, okay? I'll be there in an hour.† When he finally arrived at the boardinghouse, it was closer to eleven than to ten. But a shower had cleared his head, even if it hadn't done much for his throbbing arm. When he did appear, he was engulfed in worried femininity. â€Å"Matt,what happened ?† He told them everything he could remember. When Elena, with set lips, undid the Ace bandage he had wrapped around his arm, they all winced. The long scratches were clearly badly infected. â€Å"They're poisonous, then, these malach.† â€Å"Yes,† Elena said tersely. â€Å"Poisonous to body and mind.† â€Å"And you think one of these can getinside people?† Meredith asked. She was doodling on a notebook page, trying to draw something that looked like what Matt had described. â€Å"Yes.† For just a moment Elena's and Meredith's eyes met – then both looked down. At last Meredith said, â€Å"And how do we know whether one is inside†¦someone†¦or not?† â€Å"Bonnie should be able to tell, in trance,† Elena said evenly. â€Å"Even I might be able to tell, but I'm not going to use White Power for that. We're going down to see Mrs. Flowers.† She said it in that special way that Matt had learned to recognize long ago, and it meant that no argument would do any good. She was putting her foot down, and that was that. And the truth was that Matt didn't feel very much like arguing. He hated to complain – he'd played through football games with a broken collarbone, a sprained knee, a turned ankle – but this was different. His arm felt in danger of exploding. Mrs. Flowers was downstairs in the kitchen, but on the family room table were four glasses of iced tea. â€Å"I'll be right with you,† she called through the swinging half-door that divided the kitchen from where they were standing. â€Å"Drink the tea, especially the young man who's injured. It'll help him relax.† â€Å"Herbal tea,† Bonnie whispered to the others, as if this were some trade secret. The tea wasn't all that bad, although Matt would've preferred a Coke. But when he thought of it as medicine, and with the girls all watching him like hawks, he managed to get over half of it down before the landlady came out. She was wearing her gardening hat – or at least a hat with artificial flowers on it that looked as if it had been used for gardening. But on a cookie tray, she had a number of instruments, all gleaming as if they'd just been boiled. â€Å"Yes, dear, I am,† she said to Bonnie, who had stood up in front of Matt protectively. â€Å"I used to be a nurse, just like your sister. Women weren't encouraged to be doctors then. But all my life I've been a witch. Gets kind of lonely, doesn't it?† â€Å"It wouldn't be so lonely,† Meredith said, looking puzzled, â€Å"if you lived closer to town.† â€Å"Ah, but then I'd have people staring at my house all the time, and children daring each other to run and touch it, or to throw a stone through my window, or adults peering at me every time I went shopping. And how could I ever keep my garden in peace?† It was the longest speech any of them had ever heard her make. It took them so by surprise that it was a moment before Elena said, â€Å"I don't see how you can keep your garden in peace outhere . What with all the deer and rabbits and other animals.† â€Å"Well, most of it isfor the animals, you see.† Mrs. Flowers smiled beatifically and her face seemed to light up from within. â€Å"They surely enjoy it. But they don't enjoy the herbs I grow for putting on scrapes and cuts and sprains and such. And perhaps they know I'm a witch, too, since they always leave me a bit of the garden for myself and maybe a guest or two.† â€Å"Why are you telling me all of this now?† Elena demanded. â€Å"Why, there've been times when I was looking for you, or for Stefan, when I thought – well, never mind what I thought. But I wasn't always sure you were our friend.† â€Å"The truth is that I've gotten solitary and unsociable in my old age. But now you've lost your young man, haven't you? I wish I had gotten up a little earlier this morning. Then I might have been able to speak to him. He left the money for a year's rental of the room on the kitchen table. I've always had a soft spot for him, and that's the truth.† Elena's lips were trembling. Matt hastily and heroically lifted his wounded arm. â€Å"Can you help at all with this?† he asked, peeling the Ace bandage away again. â€Å"Oh, my, my. And what sort of critter gave you these?† Mrs. Flowers said, examining the scratches while the three girls winced. â€Å"We think it was a malach,† Elena said quietly. â€Å"Do you know anything about those?† â€Å"I've heard the word, yes, but I don't know anything specific. How long ago did you get them?† she asked Matt. â€Å"They look more like tooth marks than claw marks.† â€Å"They are,† Matt said grimly, and he described the malach to her as best he could. It was partly to keep himself distracted, because Mrs. Flowers had picked up one of the gleaming instruments from the cookie tray and was starting to do things to his red and swollen arm. â€Å"Hold as still as you can on this towel,† she said. â€Å"These have already scabbed over, but they need to be opened and drained and cleaned out properly. It's going to hurt. Why don't one of you young women hold his hand to help keep his arm steady?† Elena started to stand but Bonnie beat her to it, almost leaping over Meredith to take Matt's hand in both of her own. The draining and cleaning were painful, but Matt managed to bear it without making a sound, even giving Bonnie a sort of sickly grin as blood and pus trickled out of his arm. The lancing hurt at first, but the release of pressure felt good, and when the wounds were drained and clean and then packed with a cold herbal compress, they felt blessedly cool and ready to heal properly. It was while he was trying to thank the old woman that he noticed Bonnie staring at him. In particular, at his neck. Suddenly she giggled. â€Å"What? What's funny?† â€Å"The bug,† she said. â€Å"It gave you a hickey. Unless you did something else last night that you didn't tell us about.† Matt could feel himself flush as he pulled his collar up higher. â€Å"I did tell you about it, and it was the malach. It had a sort of tentacle with suckers around my neck. It was trying to strangle me!† â€Å"I remember now,† Bonnie said meekly. â€Å"I'm sorry.† Mrs. Flowers even had an herbal ointment for the mark the sucker tentacle had left – and one for Matt's scraped knuckles. After she'd applied them, Matt felt so good that he was able to look sheepishly at Bonnie, who was watching him with big brown eyes. â€Å"I know, it does look like a hickey,† he said. â€Å"I saw it this morning in the mirror. And I've got another one lower down, but at least my collar covers that one.† He snorted and reached into his shirt to apply more ointment. The girls laughed – a release of the tension that they'd all been feeling. Meredith had started back up the narrow stairway to what everyone still thought of as Stefan's room, and Matt automatically followed her. He didn't realize that Elena and Bonnie were hanging back until he was halfway up the stairs, and then Meredith motioned him onward. â€Å"They're just conferring,† Meredith said, in her quiet, no-nonsense voice. â€Å"Aboutme ?† Matt swallowed. â€Å"It's about that thing Elena saw inside Damon, right? The invisible malach. And whether or not I've got one – inside me – right now.† Meredith, never one to soft-pedal anything, simply nodded. But she put a hand briefly on his shoulder as they entered the dim, high-ceilinged bedroom. Shortly after, Elena and Bonnie came up, and Matt could tell at once by their faces that the worst-case scenario wasn't true. Elena saw his expression and immediately went to him and hugged him. Bonnie followed, more shyly. â€Å"Feel okay?† Elena said, and Matt nodded. â€Å"I feel fine,† he said. Like wrestling alligators, he thought. Nothing was nicer than hugging soft, soft girls. â€Å"Well, the consensus is that you don't have anything inside you that doesn't belong there. Your aura seems clear and strong now that you're not in pain.† â€Å"Thank God,† Matt said, and he meant it. It was at that moment that his mobile phone rang. He frowned, puzzled at the number displayed, but he answered it. â€Å"Matthew Honeycutt?† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"Hold, please.† A new voice came on: â€Å"Mr. Honeycutt?† â€Å"Uh, yeah, but – â€Å" â€Å"This is Rich Mossberg of the Fell's Church Sheriff's Department. You called this morning to report a fallen tree midway down Old Wood Road?† â€Å"Yes, I – â€Å" â€Å"Mr. Honeycutt, we don't like prank calls of this sort. We frown upon them, in fact. It takes up the valuable time of our officers, and besides, it happens to be a crime to make a false report to the police. If I wanted to, Mr. Honeycutt, I could charge you with this crime and make you answer to a judge. I don't see just what you find so amusing about it.† â€Å"I wasn't – I don't findanything amusing about it! Look, last night – † Matt's voice trailed off. What was he going to say?Last night I was waylaid by a tree and a monster bug? A small voice inside him added that the Fell's Church Sheriff's officers seemed to spend most of their valuable time hanging around the Dunkin' Donuts in the city square, but the next words he heard shut it up. â€Å"In fact, Mr. Honeycutt, under the authority of Virginia State Code, Section 18.2-461, making a false police report is punishable as a Class 1 misdemeanor. You could be looking at a year in jail or a twenty-five-thousand-dollar fine. Do you findthat amusing, Mr. Honeycutt?† â€Å"Look, I – â€Å" â€Å"Do you, in fact,have twenty-five thousand dollars, Mr. Honeycutt?† â€Å"No, I – I – † Matt waited to be cut off and then he realized that he wasn't going to be. He was sailing off the edge of the map into some unknown region. What to say?The malach took the tree away – or maybe it moved by itself ? Ludicrous. Finally, in a creaky voice he managed, â€Å"I'm sorry they didn't find the tree. Maybe†¦somehow it got moved.† â€Å"Maybe somehow it got moved,† the sheriff repeated expressionlessly. â€Å"In fact maybe somehow it moved itself the way that all those stop signs and yield signs keep moving themselves away from intersections. Does that ring a bell, Mr. Honeycutt?† â€Å"No!† Matt felt himself flush deeply. â€Å"I would never move any kind of street sign.† By now the girls were clustered around him, as if they could somehow help by appearing as a group. Bonnie was gesturing vigorously, and her indignant expression made it clear that she wanted to tell the sheriff off personally. â€Å"In fact, Mr. Honeycutt,† Sheriff Mossberg cut in, â€Å"we called your home number first, since that's the phone you used to place the report. And your mother said that she hadn't seen you at all last night.† Matt ignored the little voice that wanted to snap,Is that a crime? â€Å"That was because I got held up – â€Å" â€Å"By a self-propelled tree, Mr. Honeycutt? In fact we had already had another call about your house last night. A member of Neighborhood Watch reported a suspicious car roughly in front of your house. According to your mother, you recently totaled your own car, isn't that right, Mr. Honeycutt?† Matt could see where this was going and he didn't like it. â€Å"Yes,† he heard himself say, while his mind worked desperately for a plausible explanation. â€Å"I was trying to avoid running over a fox. And – â€Å" â€Å"Yet there was a report of a brand new Jaguar lingering in front of your house, just far enough away from the streetlight to be – inconspicuous. A car so new that it had no license plates. Was that, in fact, your car, Mr. Honeycutt?† â€Å"Mr. Honeycutt's my father!† Matt said desperately. â€Å"I'm Matt. And it was my friend's car – â€Å" â€Å"And your friend's name is†¦?† Matt stared at Elena. She was making wait gestures, obviously trying to think. To sayElena Gilbert would be suicidal. The police, of all people, knew that Elena Gilbert was dead. Now Elena was pointing around the room and mouthing words at him. Matt shut his eyes and said the words, â€Å"Stefan Salvatore. But he gave the car to his girlfriend?† He knew he was ending his sentence so that it sounded like a question, but he could hardly believe Elena's coaching. Now the sheriff was beginning to sound tired and exasperated. â€Å"Areyou askingme , Matt? So you were driving the brand-new car of your friend's girlfriend. And her name is†¦?† There was a brief moment when the girls seemed to disagree and Matt hung in limbo. But then Bonnie threw her arms up and Meredith moved forward, pointing to herself. â€Å"Meredith Sulez,† Matt said weakly. He heard the hesitation in his own voice and he repeated, huskily but with more conviction, â€Å"Meredith Sulez.† Now Elena was whispering rapidly in Meredith's ear. â€Å"And the car was purchased where? Mr. Honeycutt?† â€Å"Yes,† Matt said. â€Å"Just a second – † He put the phone into Meredith's outstretched hand. â€Å"This is Meredith Sulez,† Meredith said smoothly, in the polished, relaxed tones of a classical music disk jockey. â€Å"Miss Sulez, you've heard the conversation so far?† â€Å"Ms.Sulez, please, Sergeant. I have.† â€Å"Did you, in fact, lend your car to Mr. Honeycutt?† â€Å"I did.† â€Å"And where is Mr.† – there was a shuffling of paper – â€Å"Stefan Salvatore, the original owner of the car?† He's not asking her where they bought it, Matt thought. He must know. â€Å"My boyfriend is away from town right now,† Meredith said, still in the same refined, unflappable voice. â€Å"I don't know when he'll be back. When he is, shall I have him call you?† â€Å"That might be wise,† Sheriff Mossberg said dryly. â€Å"These days very few cars are bought with cash on the line, especially brand-new Jaguars. I'd like your driver's license number, also. And, in fact, I'd very much like to speak to Mr. Salvatore when he returns.† â€Å"That may be very soon,† Meredith said, a bit slowly, but following Elena's coaching. Then she recited her driver's license number from memory. â€Å"Thank you,† Sheriff Mossberg said briefly. â€Å"That will be all for – â€Å" â€Å"May I just say one thing? Matt Honeycutt would never, ever remove stop signs or yield signs. He's a very conscientious driver and was a leader in his high school class. You can speak to any of Robert E. Lee High School's teachers or even the principal if she's not on vacation. Any one of them will tell you the same thing.† The sheriff didn't seem to be impressed. â€Å"You can tell him from me that I'll be keeping an eye on him in the future. In fact it might be a good idea if he stopped in the Sheriff's Department today or tomorrow,† he said, and then the phone went dead. Matt burst out, â€Å"Stefan's girlfriend? You, Meredith? What if the car dealer says the girl was a blond? How are we going to work that out?† â€Å"We aren't,† Elena said simply from behind Meredith. â€Å"Damon is. All we have to do is to find him. I'm sure he can take care of Sheriff Mossberg with a little mind control – if the price is right. And don't worry about me,† she added gently. â€Å"You're frowning, but everything is going to be fine.† â€Å"You believe that?† â€Å"I'm sure of it.† Elena gave him another hug and a kiss on the cheek. â€Å"I'm supposed to stop by the Sheriff's Department today or tomorrow, though.† â€Å"But not alone!† Bonnie said, and her eyes were sparkling with indignation. â€Å"And when Damon goes with you, Sheriff Mooseburger will end up being your best friend.† â€Å"All right,† Meredith said. â€Å"So what are we doing today?† â€Å"The problem,† Elena returned, tapping an index finger against her upper lip, â€Å"is that we've got too many problems at once and I don't want anybody – and I mean anybody – going out alone. It's clear that there are malach in the Old Wood, and that they're trying to do unfriendly-type things to us. Kill us, for one.† Matt basked in the warm relief of being believed. The conversation with Sheriff Mossberg had shaken him more than he wanted to show. â€Å"So we make up task forces,† Meredith said, â€Å"and we split the jobs between them. What problems do we need to plan for?† Elena ticked off the problems with her fingers. â€Å"One problem is Caroline. I really think someone should try to see her, at the very least to try and find out if she has one of thosethings inside her. Another problem is Tami – and who knows who else? If Caroline is†¦contagious somehow, she might have spread it to some other girl – or guy.† â€Å"Okay,† Meredith said, â€Å"and what else?† â€Å"Someone needs to contact Damon. Try to find out from him anything he knows about Stefan leaving, and also try to get him to go in to headquarters with us to influence Sheriff Mossberg.† â€Å"Well, you'd better be on that last team, since you're the only one Damon's likely to talk to,† said Meredith. â€Å"And Bonnie should be on it, so she can keep – â€Å" â€Å"No. No Calling today,† Bonnie pleaded. â€Å"I'm so sorry, Elena, but I just can't, not without a day of rest between. And besides, if Damon wants to talk to you, all you need to do is to walk – notinto the forest, butnear it – and call to him yourself. He knows everything that's going on. He'll know you're there.† â€Å"Then I should go with Elena,† Matt reasoned. â€Å"Since that sheriff is my problem. I'd like to go by the place where I saw the tree – â€Å" At once there was a protest from all three girls. â€Å"I said I'dlike to,† Matt said. â€Å"Not that we should plan for it. That's one spot we know is too dangerous.† â€Å"All right,† Elena said. â€Å"So Bonnie and Meredith will visit Caroline, and you and I will go Damon hunting, all right? I'd rather go Stefan hunting, but we just don't have enough information yet.† â€Å"Right, but before you go, maybe stop by Jim Bryce's house. Matt has an excuse to stop by anytime – he knows Jim. And you can check on Tami's progress as well,† Meredith suggested. â€Å"Sounds like plans A, B, and C,† Elena said, and then, spontaneously, they all laughed. It was a clear day, with a hot sun shining overhead. In the sunlight, despite the minor annoyance of Sheriff Mossberg's call, they all felt strong and capable. None of them had any idea that they were about to walk into the worst nightmare of their lives. Bonnie stood back as Meredith knocked at the front door of the Forbes home. After a while of no answer and silence inside, Meredith knocked again. This time Bonnie could hear whisperings and Mrs. Forbes hissing something, and Caroline's distant laughter. Finally, just as Meredith was about to ring the bell – the height of discourtesy between neighbor and neighbor in Fell's Church – the door opened. Bonnie neatly slipped a foot in, keeping it from being shut again. â€Å"Hi, Mrs. Forbes. We just†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Meredith faltered. â€Å"We just wanted to see if Caroline was any better,† she finished in a tinny-sounding voice. Mrs. Forbes looked as if she'd seen a ghost – and she'd spent all night running from it. â€Å"No, she's not. Not better. She's still – sick.† The woman's voice was hollow and distant and her eyes scanned the ground just over Bonnie's right shoulder. Bonnie felt fine hairs on her arms and the back of her neck stand up. â€Å"Okay, Mrs. Forbes.† Even Meredith sounded false and hollow. Then someone said suddenly, â€Å"Areyou all right?† and Bonnie realized it was her own voice. â€Å"Caroline†¦isn't well. She's†¦not seeing anyone,† whispered the woman. An iceberg seemed to glide down Bonnie's spine. She wanted to turn and run from this house and its aura of malevolence. But at that moment Mrs. Forbes suddenly slumped. Meredith was barely able to break her fall. â€Å"She's fainted,† Meredith said tersely. Bonnie wanted to say,Well, put her on the rug inside and run! But they could hardly do that. â€Å"We've got to take her inside,† Meredith said flatly. â€Å"Bonnie, are you okay to go?† â€Å"No,† Bonnie said just as flatly, â€Å"but what choice do we have?† Mrs. Forbes, small as she was, was heavy. Bonnie held her feet and followed Meredith, step by reluctant step, into the house. â€Å"We'll just put her on her bed,† Meredith said. Her voice was shaky. There was something about the house that was terribly unsettling – as if waves of pressure kept bearing down on them. And then Bonnie saw it. Just a glimpse as they stepped into the living room. It was down the hallway, and it could have been the play of light and shadow there, but it looked for all the world like a person. A person scuttling like a lizard – but not on the floor. On the ceiling.