Communication Clashes and Aircraft Crashes Essay

One of the most risky clashes and blunders man would ever have is flying a huge airplane with breezy heads and irate mouths. This occurred in one of the trips of the Korean Airlines especially the Korean Airlines flight 2033, an Airbus A300 which happened four years prior. Guided by Captain Barry Woods, a Canadian national and co-directed by a Korean national Chung Chan Kuy. The conflicted between the two began when the Airbus was moving toward a downpour slicked air terminal when Co-pilot Chung asked Captain Woods to â€Å"go around† on the grounds that he is reluctant to land the specialty because of lacking separation of Runway 6 of Cheju Airport in South Korea. The chief wouldn't fret his Co-pilot’s concern in regards to the runway and advised his Co-pilot to get off while flying the through a hurricane with up to 30 mph blasting breezes. On the runway, Co pilot Chung pulled the plane off when the plane has contacted the ground that made the Pilot Woods enraged about what Chung has done and educated the cockpit group to open the cockpit window and get their departure slides. Being in the incomprehensibly important issue circumstance made these two pilots unaware of whatever positions they have. They even neglected to keep the standard working techniques, conventions or rules that the cockpit group ought to follow during crisis circumstances. In this episode, the Co-pilot insubordinates his boss by not following the captain’s call or dynamic them conflict putting their passengers’ life in danger. The Co-pilot’s activity in this circumstance floated the pilot’s choice in handling the specialty securely and made it increasingly hazardous for the lives of their travelers due to exploitative rebellion the Co-pilot has caused. Chung may have believed that arrival the specialty in a tricky and short runway would prompted unintentional landing so he chose to pull off the plane without his captain’s orders making them contend on this issue. Envisioning the circumstance while on board an ambushed airbus, the cockpit group may have been reluctant to set down the airplane because of the seething tempest and miscounted the runway causing the two pilots to differ whether to land or prematurely end the arrival. Being load up on a grieved plane activated wild clashes or contradictions as a result of the strained and uncomfortable circumstance. In whatever circumstance man would be, group or staff, particularly those on board the plane or boat possibly, the staff ought to have the impulse to be quiet in whatever circumstance they may be and rehearse the standard working techniques or conventions that they had experienced during trainings and execute the crisis methodology adequately and effectively to dodge further mishaps and they ought to consistently adhere to guidelines given by their bosses regardless of what happen in light of the fact that they were prepared to do as such. References Lethal Words †Communication Clashes and Aircraft Crashes, (1994), Steven Cushing, University of Chicago Press http://www. airdisaster. com/cvr/kal2033. shtml http://www. airfleets. net/vcrash/crash_report_Korean%20Air_HL7296. htm http://www. planecrashinfo. cpm/1994/1994-50. htm

Warren court Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Warren court - Essay Example Reapportionment alludes to the forces of the political foundation for example the administrative part of the legislature to the democratic regions being redrawn as indicated by the evaluation at regular intervals. The court, after an extended procedure of dynamic come to an end result after around one year after it was contended. It is accepted that the court was driven by Justice Brennan into holding that the issue was justiciable for example it tends to be set up for legal audit. The examination will concentrate on the decisions during Warren court. It will look at the equalization of forces between the legal and authoritative parts of government, and extensively manage the forces of the legal executive of audit of political activities. The investigation will consider the decisions of the Warren court by and large and investigate how the decisions formed the change from the Supreme Court's political inquiry principle, which is comprehended to imply that a bureaucratic Court may decline to manage for a situation where both of the grounds; that the Constitution has accommodated another part of the central government to choose the topic, that there are lacking gauges for the court to apply or that the Court feels it is judicious not to meddle. The Warren Court unequivocally abrogated these rules, and managed cases in which most choices that have molded the U. S.

The Army Tattoo Policy Whats Allowed and Whats Not

The Army Tattoo Policy Whats Allowed and Whats Not The Army Tattoo Policy has been reviewed and it’s now a bit more accommodating.Prior to now, the policy was so strict that people who were tattooed had great difficulty getting enlisted into the army.Highly skilled, trained and qualified recruits could not be enlisted into the army because of the tattoos they had on their body and most of the tattoos were contrary to the tattoo policy of the army.The newly revised tattoo policy is still a bit strict but when compared with the previous policy, it can be said to be liberal.The revision of the army’s tattoo policy, however, didnt just happen out of the blue.In recent times, body art such as tattoo and branding have gotten so popular that a huge percentage of the population now embrace it wholeheartedly and of course the army is part of a nations population.According to a survey carried out by Statista, 4/10 adults in the United States between the ages of 18 69, have tattoos and it gets more interesting, only 39% do not have tattoos with 19% of them considering having one. Thats fascinating and it shows the culture shift in the United States. Source: StatistaDespite obvious reluctance, this has caused the military to soften on its tattoo policies.With a huge percentage of the adult and youth getting tattooed on a daily basis it was becoming quite hard for the army to recruit the adequate number of soldiers they wanted to recruit, this is because many of them had tattoos that the policies didnt favor.Due to this, the volume of recruits who were fit for service and had to be rejected for having tattoos that werent permitted were quite much and if things were left to continue at that rate, it would be hard for the military to have new enlistment especially as tattooing is gaining popularity and spreading like a wildfire.The results of a survey carried out by Pew Research stated that 38% of young adults between the ages of 18 to 29 have tattoos.This is certainly what the military had to take into consideration regarding its new tattoo policy.The problem wasnt just with getting new recruits; soldiers already enlisted into the military were also developing an interest in the body art.In a question and answer section with soldiers, it was discovered that a huge percentage of the soldiers felt that the armys tattoo policy was too strict and needed to be more accommodating.Deliberations were done and the military agreed that it was time to soften the policies.Even though the policies of the military is not dictated by the soldiers, it’s only proper to listen to them and put their opinion into consideration especially in matters like this where it is a socially acceptable norm.The decision to soften the tattoo policies is also beneficial to the military, the soldiers and recruits.The military can now enlist more recruits, the chances of people getting recruited into the army are now higher than it was before and the serving soldiers can explore just a little bit more.The army does not limit the number or size of tattoos anymore, with the Air Force dropping its 25% rule which doesnt permit tattoos which cove r over a quarter of the visible parts of a soldiers body.In 2016, the Navy as well began to lift prohibitions against sailors having tattoos on their sleeves, neck, and ears.The current body art culture of the United States helped moved the military to take such steps and place a structure in place that was capable of helping it adjust to the trend.In a NavyTimes interview, Navy Master Petty Officer Mike Stevens stated: We have to ensure that we dont miss opportunities to retain and recruit the best and smartest men because of policies that dont reflect the realities of our Nation.Despite the fact that the Armys Tattoo Policy has been reviewed, it is still quite strict and there are still certain regulations concerning tattoos. For example:The Marines do not allow quarter-sleeve or half-sleeve tattoos that are visible, even when they can only be seen in training clothes like shorts or T-shirts.Additionally, body art on the neck, hand, wrists, and neck are prohibited.However, the new policies allow Marines with non-compliant tattoos to get a prior service waiver at Marine recruiting stations, instead of the previous way to getting one in complex application processes.Now lets take a broader look at what the armys tattoo policy entails what is permitted and what is not permitted by the policy.WHAT IS NOT ALLOWED?Despite the fact that the armys tattoo policy has been slightly relaxed in order to provide room for new recruits, there are still certain rules guiding soldiers in getting a tattoo.Although soldiers are permitted to have tattoos, below are some things that are not allowed by the army as far as getting tattoos is concerned.It is important to note that the prohibition of certain types of tattoo is not without cause.The army is an organization and it is important for the unity of the Force to be reflected in the appearance of the soldiers.Even though the unique personality of each Soldier is respected, drawing unnecessary attention to oneself in the army i s not tolerated.This is because the soldiers despite being individuals are considered to be a part of something bigger and the interest of the army must be put ahead of personal preferences.It’s on this basis that the army has a policy guiding getting tattooed while in active service.Certain types of tattoo are not allowed in the army. Below is a list of the types of tattoos that are not allowed.1. Indecent TattoosThe army does not allow tattoos that are morally indecent.A soldier is the peoples hero and shouldnt have any tattoo that is disgusting, vulgar or repulsive to the moral sense of the society and corrupts the mind of people.Although the armys definition of what is considered to be an indecent tattoo is vague, it is safe to say that tattoos that are trigger lust, incite negative thoughts and contrary to the morals of the society can be considered indecent.2. Racist TattoosTattoos with racist undertones are not allowed in the army.This included tattoos that revolve around p hilosophies that attempt to demean or encourage hatred and violence to a particular group of people based on race, national origin and ethnicity.Racism is not tolerated in the international scene and it is totally out of place for a soldier who should enforce and maintain peace to be affiliated with anything that promotes violence against a particular group of people.3. Extremist TattoosAny tattoo that symbolizes, promotes and depicts a philosophy or supports an organization (such as extreme religious organizations or terrorist organizations) is considered to be an extremist by the army.Extremist tattoos include tattoos that promote intolerance or violence towards a particular group of people, a tattoo that encourages segregation, discrimination and possible violence based on the gender, race, religion, and origin of a person.Such tattoos may be designed as logos, symbols or quotes of the extreme group or organization.Many extremist organizations are responsible for terrorist activi ties in the world. A report showed that 328 extremist groups or organizations were responsible for terrorist attacks in 2016.And responsibility for 37% of the terrorist attacks in 2017 was claimed by extremist terrorist organizations.Below is the graph showing the death rate caused by extremist terrorist activities. Source: State.govThis is why the army frowns at any tattoo that promotes the beliefs of extremist organizations.These organizations are giving the military a tough time globally.It’s inappropriate for an insider in the army to be affiliated or have anything that may link them or show their affinity to these extremist organizations.4. Sexist TattoosThe army does not allow tattoos that in any way demean or degrades a person or group of persons based on their gender.The army exists to serve everyone, the gender notwithstanding.It doesnt favor one gender over the other, therefore, doesnt tolerate any tattoo that demeans or degrades a particular gender.Asides the above types of tattoo explained, the army also frowns at certain practices and location of the tattoo on the body of the soldiers.Below are some of the places that shouldnt be tattooed on the body of the soldier.Tattoos are not allowed on the sleeves, the legs and arms of the soldiers. The tattoo must not be visible on any part of the body of the soldier that is exposed while wearing any of the military uniforms.The army bans having a tattoo on the head, neck, and face. Tattoos above the shirt collar (class A) are not allowed. Tattoos below the wrist bone are allowed.Tattoos that hamper the professional appearance of the military are not allowed. A soldier is not expected to draw unnecessary attention to him based on his appearance; he is supposed to fit in with the others without looking odd.Any tattoo that is visible around the hand should not be wider than two inches and only one visible tattoo is allowed on the hand.Visible tattoos that are below the knee and elbow should not be bigger than the size of the extended hand of the wearer.Tattoos below the knees and elbow should not exceed a total number of four.Covering up of inappropriate tattoos with makeup and bandage is highly prohibited.The violation of any of these policies attracts a penalty. It is not only when being recruited into the army that t he tattoo policy applies it is still important for soldiers in active service.On a yearly basis, each soldier is checked by the commanders to see if they have acquired new tattoos which contradict the policy.Tattoos concealed by the physical fitness uniform of the soldiers wont be checked because the check will be done while the soldiers are in their physical fitness uniform.If any soldier is found with an inappropriate tattoo, there is a punishment prescribed by the Uniform Code of Military Justice.The soldier may be asked to remove the tattoo in order to remain in active service.WHAT IS ALLOWED?You may be wondering if all the above are prohibited by the army, what else is left to be allowed in the tattoo policy. Well, the following is allowed under the armys tattoo policy.As stated earlier the army tattoo policies used to be a lot stricter until recently when they were relaxed because of the discontent of soldiers with the policy and the fact that tattoo is now more socially accep table than they were in time past.A recent study shows that in America there are 21,000 tattoo parlors and 42% of the adult populations have one or more tattoos on their body. In fact, the United States has the third largest tattooed populace. Take a look at the chart below. Source: StatistaBelow is another chart showing the results of an opinion poll about tattoo carried out in the United States. Source: Tattoo ConnectionThis increased interest in tattoo has also spread into the army and that is why the army tattoo policy was revised.Currently, the following is permissible under the army tattoo policy.1. The army allows soldiers to have a ring tattoo on each hand. The tattoo must however not exceeds the lowest knuckle area which is where the ring naturally rests.2. Permanent makeup tattoo such as tattooed eyeliner and eyebrows are allowed provided it does not go against the armys makeup rules.This, however, applies to only women because the rule says that only women are allowed to use makeup which must be modest.3. A tattoo is allowed on parts of the body that is covered by briefs. For men, the groin region can be tattooed while for the women the breast and the pelvic region that is concealed by underwear can be tattooed.Generally, tattoos that are not visible when the army uniform is worn are not prohibited.Much attention is paid to the areas that are exposed while wearing t he uniforms because the tattoos can affect the decent professional appearance of the soldier.TATTOO VALIDATIONAlthough the army permits certain kinds of tattoo and on certain parts of the body, there is still a need for the commander to validate the tattoo and submit an official file concerning the tattoo to the military.Commanders are mandated and expected to validate the current tattoos of soldiers that are below the knee and the elbow.Pictures of the tattoo as well as the description of the shape, color, and size of the tattoo must be included in an official memorandum.While taking the picture of the tattoo, it must be taken with a good camera so that the picture quality is clear.A nylon black and white ruler is what must be used to measure the size of the tattoo.This is the measurement technique provided by the military and any other measurement that doesnt tally with the result of the ruler provided by the military will be disregarded.While taking a picture of the tattoo, the e ntire region where the tattoo is located must be photographed to facilitate easy identification of the part of the body that the tattoo is located in.Tattoo of soldiers that are not above the neckline of the T-shirt, or on the arm and leg should not be included in the memo. Only the tattoos on areas of interest are documented.After this is done, it must be submitted into the Armys Military Human Resource record of the soldier with the tattoo. After the submission, the soldier with the tattoo will be given a copy of the record for him to keep.The commanders are expected to do this check on an annual basis to ensure that no soldier gets a new and inappropriate tattoo without the knowledge of the army.WHAT HAPPENS IF A SOLDIER DISOBEYS THE ARMY TATTOO POLICY?As stated earlier in the article, any member of the army that defies the Army Tattoo Policy will be punished according to the law of the Army.Here’s a bit of what the disciplinary procedure entails for any soldier that defaults:F irst, it’s important to note that soldiers are advised to talk with the head of their units before getting a new tattoo, this is to ensure that they don’t get any tattoo that contradicts the tattoo policy of the army.Secondly, soldiers who had a tattoo before being enlisted into the army will not be punished because chances are that the existing tattoos dont defy the armys policy in any way.If however the soldier adds or edits the tattoo and changes it to anything that violates the policy, then he will be punished. Depending on the gravity of the offense, the punishment may just be a reprimand or a query.But if the tattoo out rightly violates the army tattoo policy, the commander will first counsel the defaulting soldier of the existing tattoo rule.If the military has zero tolerance for the tattoo that the soldier has, he will be ordered to have it removed.The cost of removing or erasing the tattoo wont be paid by the military unlike other health bills, it will be paid for by th e soldier from his pocket, and this on its own is a disciplinary action.If however, the soldier refuses to get rid of the tattoo, whatever may be the reason for the refusal, the commander will initiate an administrative separation proceeding for the defaulting soldier.Most often, removal of the tattoo is mandatory if the tattoo is contrary to the army tattoo policy and if the soldier wishes to remain in active service in the army.No matter how harsh this punishment may appear, it is in favor of the army. Having a soldier representing what is contrary to the beliefs of the army is not in the best interest of the military.It is in the best interest of the military for such disobedience to be nipped in the bud before it spreads like a wildfire to the other soldiers.Not punishing disobedience could be interpreted by the others as a sign that selective obedience is permissible.CONCLUSIONIn 2009 the army carried out a survey that showed 90% of combat soldiers, have a minimum of one tattoo , a greater average than that of the general population of 4/10.This isnt a surprise though, as servicemen for years have always had some sort of body art majorly to commemorate a fallen colleague, or as a show of honor to a unit.Various forms of tattoos have been used by military men and women, most of which include patriotic symbols like an Eagle, the American flag or tattered flags, which usually represent a fallen warrior.These things have made body art a major part of the army, and asides from the current trend, soldiers see it as a way to express certain emotions with regards to their unit in the army or in honor of a fellow soldier.However, the military has always had strict rules regarding body art, and in order to stay afloat with current trends, revisions were made on previous prohibitions of certain types and locations of tattoos.This does not mean that the United States army accepts every kind of body art or mutilation as weve already seen above.But these revisions were majorly in order not to miss out on efficient recruits who already have some sort of body art.For persons planning to be a part of the American army, these policies and revisions are very vital to consider as there are heavy penalties for ignoring these rules.But for soldiers who are already a part of the military the rules concerning tattoos are already set in stone and must be adhered too.

General Mills Analysis - 1563 Words

Financial Analysis: General Mills Inc. The following financial analysis is primarily focusing on the performance of General Mills Inc for the year 2010 when compared to 2009, but a historic trend of the past 5 financial years is also being taken into account. Balance Sheet Analysis: The Current Assets for GIS decreased for FY10 by nearly 2% compared to FY09, primarily due to a decline in quick assets, namely cash and cash equivalents. The company experienced a terrific growth period in FY08 when current assets grew by around 16%. Since then though, the company has witnessed slight reduction in the current assets portfolio. The Fixed Assets for GIS follow the same pattern as Current Assets, peaking in FY08 and then dwindling again. The†¦show more content†¦The short term liquidity position for the company peaked in FY09, which was still disturbing as it stood below 1X the ability to meet its short term liabilities. The dip for FY10 is again due to a decline in its cash and cash equivalents, or quick assets, which were utilized to pay taxes. The cash ratio and quick ratio follow a similar pattern and are at levels which put the company at risk, as well as major stakeholders. Working Capital is again in the red zone, dropping more than 75% from FY09 to FY10. However, the historic trend for the company is not very impressive, with working capital dropping as low as -$3 billion. The Operating Cash Flow Ratio is somewhat more reassuring, standing at 18.13 in FY10 from 14.67 a year earlier. This implies that for every dollar of current liability, the operations are providing $18 of revenue to cover the expense. However, operations are not primarily meant to cover just short term obligations, but also long term costs. Thus it cannot be justified that operations are very adequate to meet ST obligations. Leverage Ratios: General Mills Inc. is a highly leveraged company. 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The World Needs Teams And People Working As A Group

The true is the world needs teams and people working as a group. It looks a lot difficult to develop many of the experiments humanity have been developing without the cooperation of different hands or without discussions caused by distinct point of view. Even in basic things people need to feel that they are sharing a goal. There is not point if 10 doctors go into a surgery to save the patient’s life and they are not synchronizing to do the procedure. There are no ways to win a war if the soldiers are no fighting for the same propose. There is plenty of risk if a flight crew work separated following different instructions. These are just few examples to recognize the important role played by teams in society. However, teams and teamwork†¦show more content†¦Due to the fact, there are successful and unsuccessful teams, organizations are in today’s world hurry and they have the compromise to deliver projects on time and make them fit in a budget suggested. That i s one reason why companies use teamwork’s in order to achieve their compromise at time and with the successful required. However, not always working as a team is the answer. There is a phenomenon called â€Å"team scaling fallacy† where it was noticed that increasing team size can lead into loosing coordination and demotivation between team members, this is due to the miscommunication when information is passed through many people and the interpretation is different. Another factor than can lead to the phenomenon is the risk of conflicts among team members, like the suppression of ideas in order to promote their own. Finally the division of responsibilities that can be seen as an efficiency factor, can be a disadvantage at the moment of integrate the work. In conclusion teamwork is an important tool for the challenges organizations are facing, but when a good researching, planning and organization is not made, those teams can face some problems, such as the phenomenon mentioned before that can lead into unsuccessful develop of the problem In organization there are many things that conform success teams, managers need to deal not just with the company’s global vision but with every individual’s vision. In order to

Sunshine Chapter 4 Free Essays

string(323) " could ride a bicycle, could you ride a super-mega-thor-turbo-charged several million something-or-other motorcycle, the kind you can hear from six blocks away that you’d have to stand on tiptoe to straddle, the first time you tried\? I felt the power gathering below the nape of my neck, between my shoulder blades\." Desperately I tried to think of anything – anything – my grandmother’s ring, which was the color of these eyes. My grandmother. Sunlight is your element. We will write a custom essay sample on Sunshine Chapter 4 or any similar topic only for you Order Now But it was darkness here, darkness barely lessened by candlelight. The candlelight was only there so that my weak human eyes could be more easily drawn by mesmeric vampire eyes. But I remember light, real light, daylight, sunlight. Hey, Sunshine. I am Sunshine. Sunshine is my name. I remembered a song Charlie used to sing: You are my sunshine My only sunshine I heard him singing it. No, I heard me singing it. Thin, wavering, with no discernable tune. But it was my voice. The light in the green eyes snapped off, and I fell backward as if I’d been dropped. I turned, and scuttled for my corner. I burrowed under my blanket, and I stayed there. I must have slept again. Silly thing to do. Was there a sensible thing to do? Perhaps I fainted. I woke suddenly, knowing it was four a.m., and time to go make cinnamon rolls. But this time when I woke I knew at once where I was. I was still in that ballroom, still chained to that wall. I was still alive. I was so tired. I sat up. It would be dawn soon. The candles had burned out while I slept, but there was dim gray light coming through the windows. I could see some pink starting on the horizon. I sighed. I didn’t want to turn around and look at him. I knew he was still sitting in the middle of the wall; I knew he hadn’t moved. I knew it as I knew that Bo’s gang had been frightened. The blood from my split lip had stuck my mouth together and when I licked it unstuck and yawned it split again, with a sharp rip of pain that made my eyes water. Damn. I touched my breast dubiously. It was clotted and sticky. The slash had been high, where it was only skin over bone; I hadn’t, after all, lost much blood, although it was a long gash, and messy. I didn’t want to turn around. He had let me go, last night. He had remembered that he didn’t want Bo to win. Perhaps my singing had sounded like the singing of a â€Å"rational creature.† But the sight of my blood ha d almost been too much for him. I didn’t want to show him my front again; maybe the scab would be too much of a come-on. I sucked at my lip. With my back to him, wrapped in my blanket, I watched the sun rise. It was going to be another brilliant day. Good. I needed sunlight now, but I also needed as many hours as possible before sunset. How long could I afford to wait? Charlie would be brewing the coffee by now. The sun was bright on the water of the lake. This would have to do. I stood up and dropped my blanket. If the vampire had been telling the truth, I was safe from him now till sunset. I turned around and looked at the sunlight coming in the two windows I had to choose from. For no explicable reason I preferred the window nearer him. I avoided looking at him. I stepped into the block of friendly sunlight, and knelt down. I pulled my little jackknife from my bra, and held it between my two hands, fingers extended, palms together as if I was praying. I suppose I was. I hadn’t tried to change anything in fifteen years. I’d only ever done it with my grandmother, and after she’d gone, I stopped. Perhaps I was unsettled by what I had done to her ring. Perhaps I was angry with her for leaving, even though the Wars had started and lots of people were being separated from members of their families as travel and communication became increasing erratic and in some areas broke down completely. The postcards from my father stopped during the Wars. But I knew my gran loved me, knew that she wouldn’t have left me again if she hadn’t had to. I still stopped trying to do the things she taught me. It was as if our time by the lake was a different life. My life away from the lake, away from my gran, was the life my mother had chosen for me, in which my father’s heritage did not exist. Although I went to school with several kids from important magic-handling families, and some of them liked to show off what they could do, I was never really tempted. I oohed and aahed with the ordinary kids; and my last name, Charlie’s last name, gave nothing away. By the time the Wars ended, I was a teenager, and perhaps I’d convinced myself that the games by the lake with my gran had only been children’s games, and if I remembered anything else I was dreaming. (Or the hypes or trippers I’d had had been unusually good.) It’s not as though my gran ever came back and reminded me otherwise. But my gran was right about my heritage not going away because everyone was pretending it didn’t exist. I hadn’t been near that place, that somewhere inside me, for fifteen years, but when I went back there that morning, kneeling in the sunshine, it wasn’t just there, it had changed. Grown. It was as if what my gran had done – what we had done together – was plant a sapling. It didn’t matter to the sapling that we’d then gone away and left it. It went on with becoming a tree. My heritage was the soil it had grown in. But I had never done anything this difficult, and I hadn’t done anything at all in fifteen years. Did you really never forget how to ride a bicycle? If you could ride a bicycle, could you ride a super-mega-thor-turbo-charged several million something-or-other motorcycle, the kind you can hear from six blocks away that you’d have to stand on tiptoe to straddle, the first time you tried? I felt the power gathering below the nape of my neck, between my shoulder blades. That place on my back burned, as if the sunlight I knelt in was too strong. There was an unpleasant sense of pressure building, like the worst case of heartburn you can imagine, and then it exploded, and shot down my arms in fiery threads, and there was an almost audible clunk. Or maybe it was audible. I opened my hands. My arms felt as weak as if I’d lifted a boulder. There was a key lying in my right palm. â€Å"You’re a magic handler – a transmuter,† said the vampire in that strange voice I no longer always found expressionless. I heard him being surprised. â€Å"Not much of one,† I said. â€Å"A small stuff-changer only.† The kids from the magic-handling families taught the rest of us some of the slang. Calling a transmuter a stuff-changer was pretty insulting. Almost as bad as calling a sorcerer a charm-twister. â€Å"I thought you couldn’t look at me in sunlight.† â€Å"The sound and smell of magic were too strong to ignore, and your body is shading your hands,† he said. I extended the foot with the shackle on it. This was the real moment. My heart was beating as if†¦there was a vampire in the room. Ha ha ha. My hand was shaking badly, but I found the odd little keyhole, fumbled my new key in it, and turned it. Click. â€Å"Well done,† he whispered. I looked out the window. It was maybe seven o’clock. I had about twelve hours. I was already exhausted, but I would be running for my life. How far could adrenaline get me? I had a vague but practical idea where I was; the lake itself was a great orienter. All I had to do was keep it on my right, and I would come to where I’d left my car eventually†¦probably twenty miles, if I remembered the shape of the shore correctly. If I stayed close to the lake I could avoid the bad spot behind the house, and I would have to hope there weren’t any other bad spots between me and my car that I couldn’t get around. Would I be able to change my shackle key into a car key? I doubted the vampires would have folded up my discarded clothing with the key in the jeans pocket and left it for me on the driver’s seat. Surely I could do twenty-odd miles in twelve hours, even after the two nights and a day I’d just had. I turned to the vampire. I looked at him for the first time that day. For the first time since I’d bled on him. He had shut his eyes again. I stepped out of the sunlight and his eyes opened. I stepped toward him, knelt down beside him. I felt his eyes drop to my bloody breast. My blood on his chest had crusted; he hadn’t tried to wipe it off. Or lick it up. â€Å"Give me your ankle,† I said. There was a long pause. â€Å"Why?† he said at last. â€Å"I don’t like bullies,† I said. â€Å"Honor among thieves. Take your pick.† He shook his head, slowly. â€Å"It is – † There was an even longer pause. â€Å"It is a kind thought.† I wondered what depths he’d had to plumb to come up with the word kind. â€Å"But it is no use. Bo’s folk encircle this place. The size of the clear area around this house is precisely the size of the area Bo thinks can be kept close-guarded. He will not be wrong about this. You will be able to pass that ring now, in daylight, while all sane vampires are shielded and in repose, but the moment I can move out of this place, so will my guards be moving.† And you aren’t, of course, at your best and brightest, I added silently. I stood up and stepped back into the sunlight and felt it on my skin, and thought about the big tree where a tiny sapling used to be. There are a lot of trees and tree symbolism in the magic done to ward or contain the Others, because trees are impervious to dark magic. And then I thought about traps, and trapped things, and about when the evil of the dark was clearly evil, and when it was not quite so clearly evil. There was a very long pause, while I felt the sunlight soaking through my skin, soaking into the tree that up till a few minutes ago I hadn’t known was there, felt the leaves of my tree unfurl, stretch like tiny hands, to take it in. I was tired, I was scared, I was stupefied, I’d just done an important piece of magic, I was tranced out. I thought I heard a wind in the leaves of my tree, and the wind had a voice, and it said yesssssssssss. â€Å"Then you’ll have to come with me,† I said. There was another silence, but when he spoke his voice struck at me as if it might itself draw blood. â€Å"Do not torment me,† he said. â€Å"As I have been merciful to you – as merciful as I can be – do not tease me now. Go and live. Go.† I looked down at him. He was not looking at me, but then I was standing in the sunlight again. I stepped out of the sunlight but he still did not look at me. â€Å"I’m sorry,† I said. â€Å"I am not teasing you. If you will not let me try the shackle on your ankle, give me your hand instead.† I held my hand out – down – toward him, still sitting cross-legged on the floor. More priceless sunlit moments passed. â€Å"Would you rather die – er – whatever – like a rat in a trap?† I said, more harshly than I meant. â€Å"I haven’t noticed you getting any better offers.† I didn’t see him move, of course. He was just standing there, standing beside me, his hand in my hand. It was the first time I had seen him standing. His hand felt as inhuman as the rest of him looked: the right shape and everything, but all wrong. Wrong in some fathomless, indefinable, turning-the-world-on-its-end way. Also there was the smell. Standing beside him it was almost overwhelming. Mind you, he smelled a lot better than I did, I needed a bath like you don’t want to imagine – there isn’t much that stinks worse than fear – but he didn’t smell human. He didn’t smell animal or vegetable or mineral. He smelled vampire. I took a deep breath anyway. Then I stepped back into the sunlight, still holding his hand, drawing it after me. His arm unbent and let me do it. The sunlight struck his hand, halfway up the wealed forearm. Some subtle change occurred – subtle but profound. The feeling of his hand in mine was no longer a – a threat to everything that made me human. The hand became a – an undertaking, an enterprise, a piece of work. Maybe not that much different from flour and water and yeast and a rapidly approaching deadline of hungry, focused customers. I felt the power moving through me. It did not come in fiery threads this time, but in slow, fat, curly ripples. The ripples made me feel a little peculiar, as if there was an actual thing, or things, moving around in my insides, shouldering my liver and stomach aside, twisting among my bowels. I tried to relax and let the ripples wiggle and squirm as they wished. I had to know if I could do this, do what I was offering to do, for a long time. Possibly till sunset. Possibly twelve hours or more. Could I bear this invasion that long, even though I was inviting it? What if I overestimated my strength, like a diver overestimating how long she could hold her breath? I was demented. The most impressive thing I had ever done before today was turn a very pretty ring into an ugly botch. And I would have this vampire’s†¦er†¦life totally in my hands. I was trying to save the life of a vampire. The ripples spread through me, first balancing themselves cautiously like kids standing on a teeter-totter, then slowly, gently, finding spaces where they could settle themselves down on various bits of my inner anatomy, like the last customers during the early breakfast rush finding the last available seats. Most of me was already full of things like heart and spleen and kidneys, but there were gaps where the power could fit itself in, attach itself to its surroundings. Tap into me. I felt very†¦full. As the connections were made – as the power made itself at home – the ripples began to change. Now they felt like the straps of a harness being settled in place, buckles let out a little here, taken in a little there. When they were done, it felt like a good fit. I thought I could do it. I sighed. I could no longer see my tree, because I had become it, embodied it, it grew in me, its sap my blood, its branches my limbs. The power wrapped round it like ropes and cables, flew from its boughs like banners and streamers. Perhaps the next time there was wind in my hair, it would rustle like leaves. Yessssssss. I held out my right hand, and he put his left hand into it. I drew him – all the rest of him – into the bright rectangle in front of the window. Vampire skin looks like hell in sunlight, by the way. Maybe bursting into flames is to be preferred. Anyway. I felt my harness take its load. The pull was steady and even, the weight heavy but bearable. I hoped. â€Å"Okay,† I said. â€Å"Back up again. I want both hands free to get that shackle off, and – um – we’ll need to stay in contact while we – um – do this sunlight thing.† I didn’t know vampires were ever clumsy. I thought grace came with the territory, like fangs and a complexion that looks really bad in daylight. They’re always oilily supple in the books. But he staggered back into the shadow, leaned against the wall with a thump, dropped my hands, dropped his own hands to thud against the wall next to him. â€Å"What in creation are you?† he said. â€Å"That is no small stuff-changer trick. It is not possible. It is not possible. I have been standing in sunlight and I know it is not possible.† It was nice to know I wasn’t the only one of us feeling demented. I knelt to get at his shackle. I was relieved when the key worked for his cuff too; I guessed I was going to have to be pretty careful of my strength to be a successful sun-parasol for the undead for the next twelve hours. I was not thinking about any more of the implications of my offer than I had to. The main thing – the only thing – was: I couldn’t leave him behind. I didn’t care who or what he was. I couldn’t walk out of this cage and leave some caged thing behind me. If I could help it. And, for better or worse, I could. Apparently. The skin of his ankle looked terrible. I couldn’t tell if the†¦peeling†¦was anything more than just chafing. I was careful not to touch it. My ankle didn’t seem any the worse for wear, but there hadn’t been any antihuman wards on my shackle that I’d noticed. Oh yes: they exist. They’re not a lot talked about among humans, but they exist. â€Å"What are you? Who are you?† he repeated. â€Å"What family are you from?† I broke the cuff open. â€Å"My name is Rae Seddon, but what you’re looking for is Raven Blaise. Seddon is Charlie’s name – my stepfather’s name – but my mother stopped me using Raven or Blaise as soon as we left my dad.† â€Å"You’re a Blaise,† he said, still leaning against the wall, but staring down at me as I knelt at his feet. â€Å"Which Blaise?† â€Å"My father is Onyx Blaise,† I said. â€Å"Onyx Blaise had no children,† barked the vampire. â€Å"Had?† I said, just as sharply. â€Å"Do you know he is dead?† The vampire shook his head, impatiently, but then went on shaking it again and again, as if bothered by gnats. Gnats might like vampires: they go for blood. But I didn’t think that was the problem here. â€Å"I don’t know. I don’t know. He disappeared – â€Å" â€Å"Fifteen years ago,† I said. The vampire looked at me. â€Å"Onyx Blaise had – has – no children.† How do you know? I wanted to say. Is my dad another of your old enemies? Or†¦your old friends? No. No. I hadn’t seen him since I was six, but I couldn’t believe that of my gran’s son. â€Å"He has at least one,† I said. The vampire slid slowly down the wall to sit on the floor next to me. He started to laugh. Vampires don’t laugh very well, or at least this one didn’t. He half looked – sounded – like something out of a bad horror film – the sort of horror film that isn’t scary because you don’t believe it, it’s so crude, where was their special effects budget? – and half didn’t. The second half was like the worst horror film you’d ever seen, the one that made you think about things you’d never imagined, the one that scared you so much you threw up. This was worse than the goblin giggler, my second guard, from Bo’s gang. I clamped my hands around the empty shackle and waited for him to stop. â€Å"A Blaise,† he said. â€Å"Bo’s lot brought me a Blaise. And not just a third cousin who can do card tricks and maybe write a ward sign that almost works, but Onyx Blaise’s daughter.† He stopped laughing. Then I decided maybe silence was worse after all, at least when it followed that laughter. â€Å"Your father didn’t educate you very well. If I had killed you and had your blood, the blood of Onyx Blaise’s daughter, the blood of someone who can do what you just did, I could have snapped that shackle as if the steel were paper and the marks on it no more than a – a recipe for cinnamon rolls, and taken the odds against me with Bo’s gang, even after the weeks I’ve been here, even against all the others you haven’t seen, silent in the woods, watching. And I would have won. That’s what the blood of someone from one of the families can do, and a Blaise†¦The effect doesn’t last – a week at the most – but a lot can be done in a few nights.† He sounded almost dreamy. â€Å"On Onyx Blaise’s daughter’s blood I could get rid of Bo for good. I still could. All I would have to do is keep you here one more day, and wait till sunset. I’m weak and sick and I see double in this damned day light, but I’m still stronger than a human. All I would have to do is keep you here†¦Ã¢â‚¬  His voice trailed off. I didn’t move. There was a small wispy thought in the back of my mind. It seemed to be something like: oh, well. A little closer to consciousness there was a slightly more definite thought, and it said, well, we’ve been here before, several times, in the last couple of days. We’re either going to lose for good now, or we aren’t. I sat very still, as if I were trying to discourage a cobra from striking. More minutes of sunlight streamed past us toward nightfall. At last he said: â€Å"But I am not going to. I suppose I am not going to for some reason similar to whatever insane reason has made you decide to free me and take me with you. What happens when your power comes to its end, in five minutes or five hours? Well, I know that the fire is swift.† I moved. Slowly. Distracted, in spite of everything, by that I know. Not I believe or I guess but I know. Something else not to think about. I continued to move very slowly. Took my hands off the empty shackle. Slid the key into my bra again. It could stay a shackle key for now. I was not, perhaps, fully convinced that the cobra had lowered its hood. I felt his eyes on me again. â€Å"I did warn you that names have power,† he said. â€Å"Even human names, although this was not what I was thinking of when I said it.† â€Å"I’ll remember not to tell any vampires my father’s name in the future,† I said. I glanced out the window. We’d lost about half an hour since I’d made the key. I shivered. My glance fell on my corner; the sack looked plumper than it had when I last looked – before Bo’s gang had come the second time. More supplies, presumably. I would need feeding to get me through this day, although I didn’t at all feel like eating now, and neither of us had pockets to carry anything in. I went over to the sack and picked it up. Another loaf of bread, another bottle of water, and something heavy in a plastic bag. I pulled the heavy thing out†¦heavy and squishy. A big lump of red, bleeding meat. I gave a squeak and dropped it on the floor, where it obligingly went splat. The vampire said, â€Å"It is beast. Cow. Beef. I believe they have forgotten to cook it for you.† â€Å"I don’t like cooked meat either,† I said, backing away from it. â€Å"I – I – no thanks. Er – would it do you any good?† Another of his pauses. â€Å"Yes,† he said. â€Å"It’s all yours,† I said. â€Å"I’ll stick to bread.† I saw him, this time. Did he mean for me to be able to see him, was it hard for him to move in daylight even early in the morning and in shade, or was he merely luxuriating in being free from the chain? Or had he moved so little in the last†¦however many days and nights that even he felt a little stiff? He walked as slowly as a weary human might walk around the big rectangle of light on the floor, around it to my corner, although he still walked with a sinuousness no human had. He bent and picked up the drippy parcel. I thought, is he going to suck it dry or what? I didn’t see. It was like when he drank water. One moment there was water, the next moment there was not. One moment there was a big piece of bloody meat in a white plastic bag, and the next moment the white plastic bag, ripped open, was drifting toward the floor, and the meat had disappeared. Vampires sometimes like their blood with a few solids, I guess. Maybe it was like having rice with your curry or pasta with your sauce. I decided against trying to tie the sack round me somehow, and ate most of the new loaf instead, although it tasted like dust and ashes, not wholly because it was more store bread. (I spared a brief thought about how vampires might go shopping for human groceries. Groceries for humans, that is.) Then I picked up the water bottle. It would come with us. We had to get going. We were leaving. We were on our way. We were going now. And I was scared out of my mind. What had I let myself in for? The mere thought of remaining in constant physical contact with a vampire was abhorrent, and he was right, what about when whatever-it-was ran out? But I couldn’t force him to come with me. He had decided it was worth the risk. So how fast was the fire, anyway? Supposing it came to that. I didn’t need an answer to that: not fast enough. Nothing like as fast as a nice clean beheading. And if you’re touching a vampire when he catches fire†¦ Okay, okay, wait, said a little voice in my head. How did you get here? You got here by making the best of a whole Carthaginian hell of a series of bad choices. And remember he doesn’t feel horrible when you’re doing your sun-parasol trick. He feels more like†¦helping Charlie do the books when Mom’s sick. Or dealing with Mr. Cagney. Mr. Cagney was one of our regulars at the coffeehouse, and he was convinced that the rest of the world existed to give him a bad time. He was the only one of our regulars who couldn’t manage to say anything nice about my cinnamon rolls. That didn’t stop him from eating them, however, and listening to him complain on a day he had arrived too late and they were sold out had resulted in our always having one set aside for him. Dealing with Mr. Cagney was an effort. A big, tiring, thankless effort. On the whole I thought I preferred the vampire. He was watching me. â€Å"You can change your mind.† Then he said something that sounded almost human for the first time: â€Å"I half wish you would.† I shook my head mournfully. â€Å"No. I can’t.† â€Å"Then there is one more thing,† he said. I was beginning to learn that I probably wouldn’t like anything he said after one of his pauses. I waited. â€Å"You will have to let me carry you till we are well away from here.† â€Å"What?† How to cite Sunshine Chapter 4, Essay examples

George brenard shaw Essay Example For Students

George brenard shaw Essay On the night of July 26th, 1856 one of the greatest playwrights in history, George Bernard Shaw, was born. George’s mother, Lucinda Elizabeth Gurly, was an aristocrat, while his father, George Gurly, was a poor alcoholic. Shaw had two sisters, Elinour Agness, who died of tuberculosis at age 20, and Lucinda Frances who died of starvation at age 40. Both were spinsters and had no children. In Dublin the theatre was the only thing that actually interested, and had something to offer to Shaw. George also went to many schools while living in Dublin, including the Wesleyan Connexional School, but said he learned little from schools and was self-educated. In 1876, mother, daughters, son left their father behind and moved to London to seek a more cultured way of life. They lived at 13 Victoria Grove, a middle class area in London. Shaw found work at Edison’s Telephone Company at a wage of two shillings and a sixpence, and in his spare time taught himself to write. After a while he was promoted to head of his department with a wage of 80 pounds. Soon enough Shaw admitted that he was not a working man, and he wanted to be a writer. December 23rd 1880, the family moved to Fitzroy Street. This enabled Shaw to visit the museum library, where he learned the most for his education. Unemployed, he could not afford to eat at the local restaurants and ate instead at the vegetarian eatery where he could buy a good and nourishing meal. He became a vegetarian in 1881 and kept his vow never to eat flesh again. He believed that all living things were equal and deserved to be treated with the same respect. Shaws visits to museum library brought him into contact with the great people alive during that time such as, William Morris, Ruskin, and the Bloomsburry gang. These people were just as smart as he was, thus allowing Shaw to associate with them and become socially active. A keen on boxer; in 1883 Shaw joined the Queensburry Amateur Boxing Championships, and took part in the Middle ; Heavyweight matches. This was a great way of keeping healthy, while he exercised his brain at the library. With his good looks and refined personality, women fell at his feet. Jenny Patterson, Alice Locket, May Morris, Edith Bland, Eleanor Marx and Annie Besant, each fell in love with him. But Shaw was not interested in marriage, being too busy writing plays. In 1888 The Star Newspaper employed him as a music critic, and he used the pen name Corno de Bassetto. By this time Shaw was beginning to be noticed throughout London for his writing, providing him with many job opportunities. However between 1873 and 1883 he wrote five novels, all of which were rejected by every publisher in London. Instead he decided to write plays, the first performance of Widowers House appeared in London in 1892 and Arms and The Man performed in London ; New York, in 1894. While he was not writing, Shaw discovered Karl Marx and read his book Das Kapital, during which, grew his interest in history ; civilization. After reading Why are the Many Poor?, he joined the Fabian Society on 16th May 1884, later becoming one of it’s leaders. By joining the Fabian Society he met his life long friends, Sydney and Beatrice Webb. Next Shaw was hired by The Pall Mall Gazette hired him between 1885-88, to review books. Then Edwin Palmer, founder of the Magazine of Music, employed Shaw as his music critic. Soon after that Shaw began to write the plays that made him a very, very wealthy man. These plays included Arms and the Man, Candida, Don Juan in Hell, Getting Married, Heartbreak House, The Apple Cart, and his last play Why She Would Not. Shaw continued to live his life writing plays until the day he died. .uc84761b392a8b732510b7d4cd059196a , .uc84761b392a8b732510b7d4cd059196a .postImageUrl , .uc84761b392a8b732510b7d4cd059196a .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uc84761b392a8b732510b7d4cd059196a , .uc84761b392a8b732510b7d4cd059196a:hover , .uc84761b392a8b732510b7d4cd059196a:visited , .uc84761b392a8b732510b7d4cd059196a:active { border:0!important; } .uc84761b392a8b732510b7d4cd059196a .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uc84761b392a8b732510b7d4cd059196a { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .uc84761b392a8b732510b7d4cd059196a:active , .uc84761b392a8b732510b7d4cd059196a:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uc84761b392a8b732510b7d4cd059196a .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .uc84761b392a8b732510b7d4cd059196a .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uc84761b392a8b732510b7d4cd059196a .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uc84761b392a8b732510b7d4cd059196a .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .uc84761b392a8b732510b7d4cd059196a:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uc84761b392a8b732510b7d4cd059196a .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .uc84761b392a8b732510b7d4cd059196a .uc84761b392a8b732510b7d4cd059196a-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uc84761b392a8b732510b7d4cd059196a:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Lizzie Borden Argumentative Essay On November 2nd 1950, while pruning an apple tree, George fell of a ladder and died of complications at the age of 94.During his lifetime George Bernard Shaw had many great achievements. In 1892 Shaw’s first play, Widower’s Houses, performed in London. Shaw continued to right plays such as Overruled, Man of Destiny , and Great Catherine. In 1926 he received the Nobel Prize for Literature. Even though he was awarded a large sum of money for winning the Nobel Prize he turned it down. After winning the Nobel Prize Shaw went on to write even more plays. In 1929 the first Shaw Festival was held at Malvern, and opened with The Apple Cart. One famous achievement that Shaw had, was his involvement in the Fabian Society. He joined the Fabian Society on Mary16, 1884, and grew to become one of it’s main spokesmen. Between 1889 and 1901 he wrote many pamphlets for the society including The Fabian Election Manifesto in 1892, and Socialism For Millionaires in 190. He also took the position as a political activist during World War 1, writing pieces such as The Rights of Man, and Common Sense About the War. Shaw was also a great believer in Marxism and was able to visit Russia and meet Stalin in 1931. In 1938 Shaw received an Oscar for Film of the Year, with Pygmalion, which was presented as My Fair Lady. The same year the world premiere of his play Geneva, was shown at Malvern. The life of George Bernard Shaw was one of magnificace and greatness, thus the world was able to benefit a great deal from his life. He helped shape the literary world and the United Kingdom. Due to his participation in the Fabian Society he was able to solidify the socialist movement in England, and was a major contributer to the government that Britain has today. In 1900 the Fabian Society merged with the ILP, to create the Labor Party, partly due to the works of Shaw. He was also a contributer to the way we think and act in western society today. Like in Britain, our society is starting to take a more socialist attitude in our government, thanks to the political activism of Shaw. George has shown the world the problems with class systems through his play Pygmalion, thus directing more attention to helping the poor. Today his legacy still lives on at Niagara on the Lake, where there is an annual Shaw festival, where his plays are shown to those interested in his masterpieces. Overall George Bernard Shaw was a great playwright, activist, politician, and overall good person. He stood up for what he believed in, whether it was vegetarianism or socialism, portraying a ver commendable trait. In the end his life can be summed up in one quote, â€Å"The world would be a better place, be it that it gave us more Bernard Shaws.†

Jimmy Carter Essays (306 words) - Jimmy Carter,

Jimmy Carter Jimmy Carter Economy can always make or break a president. President Jimmy Carter's was a Democrat whose administration, that lasted from 1977-1981, was burdened with a recessive economy from the beginning. Inflation was rising rapidly due to the worst oil embargo United States history has ever witnessed. All of these factors contributed to the national malaise sweeping over Americans. It was Carter's administration that began the process of deregulation and bureaucratic streamlining in hopes of courting moderate factions. He also expressed a desire to move the Democratic Party close to political middle ground to lessen the great divide. President Carter had many failures as well as attributes when it came to foreign policy. On November 4, 1979, in the United States Embassy in Iran, 52 Americans were seized by students who were angry with the Carter administration for allowing Iran's deposed shah into the United States to seek medical treatment. Carter's failure to negotiate their release and a devastating rescue attempt (in which eight United States Marines died) contributed to the nation's waning confidence in him. As well as the Iran hostage crisis, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan seemed to overwhelm his last two years of his administration, conveying an impression of the United States as weak and feeble. At the cornerstone of his foreign achievements was the accord Carter brokered between Prime Minister Menachem of Israel and President Anwar Sadat, of Egypt, that became known as the Camp David Accords of 1979. Another recognized achievement in foreign affairs was the signing of the Panama Canal Treaty in 1978. Though faced with an unstable economy, Carter succeeded in many other tasks. He managed to become an avid supporter of global peace and human rights. He raised $27 million to build The Carter Center, which envisioned ?conflict resolution? which promoted global peace and human rights.

Finance and Cash Flow Items Essay

Finance and Cash Flow Items Essay Finance and Cash Flow Items Essay Financial Statements for Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. - Google Finance Page 1 of 1 +You Search Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive Calendar More nyse:wmt Finance Company Summary News Option chain Related companies Historical prices Financials Markets News Portfolios Stock screener Google Domestic Trends Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Add to portfolio More results Income Statement Balance Sheet Cash Flow Hide charts View: Quarterly Data | Annual Data Recent Quotes (30 days) You have no recent quotes 12 months 12 months 12 months 12 months In Millions of USD (except for per share items) ending 2013-01 ending 2012-01 ending 2011-01 ending 2010-01 -31 -31 -31 -31 Net Income/Starting Line 17,756.00 16,387.00 16,993.00 14,883.00 Depreciation/Depletion 8,501.00 8,130.00 7,641.00 7,157.00 Amortization Deferred Taxes Non-Cash Items Changes in Working Capital Cash from Operating Activities Capital Expenditures Other Investing Cash Flow Items, Total Cash from Investing Activities Financing Cash Flow Items Total Cash Dividends Paid Issuance (Retirement) of Stock, Net Issuance (Retirement) of Debt, Net Cash from Financing Activities Foreign Exchange Effects Net Change in Cash Cash Interest Paid, Supplemental Cash Taxes Paid, Supplemental -133.00 527.00 -1,060.00 25,591.00 -12,898.00 287.00 -12,611.00 -498.00 -5,361.00 -7,600.00 1,487.00 -11,972.00 223.00 1,231.00 2,262.00 7,304.00 1,050.00 465.00 -1,777.00 24,255.00

Compare and contrast the four distinct categories of presidential Essay

Compare and contrast the four distinct categories of presidential personality described in James Barber's habitual action patterns approach - Essay Example In the active positive presidential category, Barber described them as adaptive. They are also self-confident and flexible. They tend to create opportunities for actions and enjoy exercising their power. They usually do not take themselves too seriously. In addition, they are optimistic individuals. Power is considered as means to achieve beneficial results by this group. They spend much energy in their job and enjoy doing the job. The group is also productive, result-oriented, and successful in pushing programs through (Barber 6). A good example is George W. Bush. His character of taking action without too much caution as was the case with the Iraq invasion portrays a key characteristic of this group. The second group of active negative tends to be compulsive. They mainly tend to use power as a means of self-realization. This group expends a lot of energy on the job but derive little joy in the process. They are always preoccupied with whether they are succeeding or failing in their job. In addition, they tend to have low self-esteem. Mostly, they are rigid, pessimist, highly driven, and have problems when it comes to aggression and management. They usually want to get and retain power to prove to others that they are people to reckon with. A good example of active negative presidents is Woodrow Wilson. Wilson put much effort in his work but did not receive any emotional rewards. He rarely received satisfaction with the work he did. He was said to have a compulsive and perfectionist personality. The other group is passive positive. This group tends to be compliant and usually seek to be loved. They are easily manipulated. The have a low self-esteem, which they overcome by adopting an ingratiating personality. They are reactive, lack initiative, and are superficially optimistic. They spend less energy on the job but like doing the job. William Taft and Warren Harding are typical examples of

To what extent can Hesketts Service Profit Chain be supported by Essay

To what extent can Hesketts Service Profit Chain be supported by empirical evidence and other arguments - Essay Example The linkage in the chain which is in fact the prepositions are between profit and growth. These two are particularly inspired by customer loyalty. Very clearly, loyalty is the direct attribute of customer satisfaction. The reason behind a customer being extremely satisfied about the product or a service is the value of the services that were provided to the customers. Hence, it can be otherwise stated that Value is created by satisfied, loyal and productive employees. The Service-Profit Chain (SPC) is a conceptual framework, which describes a process for delivering superior service value (Heskett, Sasser, & Schlesinger, 1997). According to the framework, positive business outcomes result when service delivery activities lead to customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. However, managerial implementation of the SPC has remained problematic, primarily because of certain limitations in the modelling methods commonly employed. Providing managers with the ability to model this process in a way that is of practical value to decision makers would be a considerable contribution (Anderson, 2004). Based on the Service Profit Chain model, profitability and growth are determined primarily by maximizing the lifetime value of your customers, and that value is fully realized only when you earn the customer's loyalty. In one study, a 5% increase in customer loyalty produced profit increases from 25% to 85%. A loyal customer is one who obeys the three R's: Retention, Repeat Sales, and Referrals. Major corporations (many of which are household names) subscribe to the Service Profit Chain model and have achieved a level of success that is enviable. The diagram below outlines the links in the Service-Profit Chain. From the diagram given below, it can be clearly noticed that one of the most important links in this chain is the interface between the external service value and customer satisfaction. The external service value represents the service concept: the results for the customers. This is the interface of your installers, sales reps and managers, and your client (SENCORE). Now, the above diagram clearly suggests that customer loyalty is driven by customer satisfaction, customer satisfaction is driven by value, and value is driven by employee productivity, and so on. As already noticed the beginning of the chain is Internal Service Quality. It becomes clear that employee satisfaction and loyalty are directly proportional to the service they provide to your customers. The success of any business thus depends on how the organization cultivates its employees into a productive, passionate, quality-oriented team (SENCORE). Also,

Automated Teller Machine: Innovation in the Banking Industry

Automated Teller Machine: Innovation in the Banking Industry The banking industry occupies a very strategic position in the financial system of any economy, since there will no economic growth unless there is adequate channelling of savings into investment. The banks are responsible for increasing the level of savings and investments, granting of credit and generally influencing the level of supply of money in the economy. They also facilitate economic transactions between nations thereby encouraging and promoting trade, commerce and industry. Banks and banking is a very old profession but the modern-day banking practice as we know it today, started in the medieval days in Italian cities of Florence, Venice and Genoa. In Nigeria, banking officially had a formal legislative backing in 1952 (alford, 2010) and since then, there has been tremendous growth in the industry, which believed to have been fuelled largely by changes in technology and the banks ability to embrace these changes successfully by implementing novel ideas in their bid to control a large share of the market. The development of self service technology and the emerging of a number of new innovations are taking place in the area of retail payments known as electronic money. (Mohamad Al-Laham, 2009). This development is influencing the banking industry due to the increased use of Automated Teller Machines. This led to a new concept in the ATM, known as the Cash/Cheque Deposit Automated Teller Machine (ATM). The objective of this paper is to show that the development of the Cash/Cheque deposit Automated Teller Machine (ATM) should be viewed as an innovation in the banking industry in developing countries. We also aim to find out the approach and implementation procedures adopted by the organisation in managing the innovation, examine its benefits to the bank and finally, identifying the role played by the manager in the innovation. For the purpose of this paper, we use the introduction of Cash/ cheque deposit ATM by Skye Bank PLC., based in Nigeria as a case study. According to (eShekels Limited, 2006), the history of ATMs dated back to the USA in the mid 1960s and gained grounds world over, in the 70s. However, in Nigeria, the ATM was introduced in 1989 by the defunct Societe Generale Bank and has since then, the ATMs appear to have spread everywhere across Nigeria. eShekels limited, further posited that the banking industry no doubt has witnessed advancement in technology just like any other sector; the use of the automated teller machine is one of these as it affects banking operations entirely. With the adoption of Self Service technology by the banks, ATMs have continued to service the populace; they offer convenience to customers and provide banking services well beyond the traditional service period. It therefore encourages a cashless society. Thus, eliminating the risk of loss of cash through theft or fire as witnessed in the past, creating a win-win scenario for parties concerned. Industries and businesses operating in a dynamic and volatile environment always look for ways to make their growth a continuous process. They believe they can do this by finding new and creative ways of maintaining or improving their market share. The process of turning these creative ideas into facts is known as innovation. According to the Wikipedia, Innovation is a change in the method of doing something, or the useful application of new inventions or discoveries. It may also refer to major or fundamental changes in thinking, products, processes, or organizations. (Sarkar, 2007) in citing Michael Vance simplified innovation as a creation of the new or re-arranging of the old in a new way. He went further by distinguishing innovation from invention by quoting Schumpeter (1934), contributors to the scholarly literature on innovation typically distinguish between invention, an idea made manifest, and innovation, ideas applied successfully in practice. In all ramification of life, be it arts, science, economics or government policy, something new must be significantly different to be seen as an innovation. (Sarkar, 2007), further stated the difference or change must however be able to increase value, be it customer value, or producer value. The objective of innovation is positive change, to make someone or something better and ultimately leading to increased productivity which is the fundamental source of increasing wealth in an economy he concluded. There are different types of identified innovations. Some of them are highlighted below: * Business Model innovation involves changing the way business is done in terms of capturing value e.g. Compaq vs. Dell, hub and spoke airlines vs. Southwest, and Hertz/Avis vs. Enterprise. * Marketing innovation is the development of new marketing methods with improvement in product design or packaging, product promotion or pricing. * Organizational innovation involves the creation or alteration of business structures, practices, and models, and may therefore include process, marketing and business model innovation. * Process innovation involves the implementation of a new or significantly improved production or delivery method. * Product innovation, involves the introduction of a new good or service that is new or substantially improved. This might include improvements in functional characteristics, technical abilities, ease of use, or any other dimension. * Service innovation is similar to product innovation except that the innovation relates to services rather than to products. Todays United Bank for Africa Plc. (UBA) is the product of the merger of Nigerias third (3rd) and fifth (5th) largest banks, namely the old UBA and the erstwhile Standard Trust Bank Plc. (STB) respectively, and a subsequent acquisition of the erstwhile Continental Trust Bank Limited (CTB). The union emerged as the first successful corporate combination in the history of Nigerian banking. UBAs history dates back to 1948 when the British and French Bank Limited (BFB) commenced business in Nigeria and the erstwhile STB and CTB both in 1990. Following Nigerias independence from Britain, UBA was incorporated in 1961 to take over the business of BFB. Although todays UBA emerged at a time of industry consolidation induced by regulation, the consolidated UBA was borne out of a desire to lead the domestic sector to a new era of global relevance by championing the creation of the Nigerian consumer finance market, leading a private/public sector partnership at supporting the acceleration of Nigerias economic development, and growing the institution from a banking to a one-stop financial services institution, while spreading its footprints across Africa to earn the reputation as the face of banking in the continent. Today, United Bank for Africa Plc. is one of Africas leading financial institutions offering universal banking to more than 7 million customers across 750 branches in 14 African countries. With presence in New York, London and Paris and assets in excess of $19bn, UBA is your partner for banking services for Africans and African related businesses globally http://www.ubagroup.com/group/genericpage/19 Skye Bank PLC is a publicly quoted company in Nigeria with over 300,000 shareholders and is technically one of the oldest banks in Nigeria and West Africa. It provides financial products and services with a solid technological background that supports the service delivery process to customers. After the bank consolidation process in 2006, Skye bank developed into one of the top financial institutions in Nigeria. Presently, it manages more than 250 branches in the country with over 600 operational ATM machines within their business premises and other well placed location across the country. In 2009, the Bank as part of its growth and expansion strategy and its determination to provide world class and cutting edge services to its vast majority of customers, Skye Bank Plc., introduced advancement in its electronic payment solutions, with the launch of new cash-deposit, cheque deposit and foreign exchange Automated Teller Machines (ATMs), a feat unprecedented in the history of Nigerian banking industry. Mr Chuma Ezirim, Deputy General Manager of the bank, during the launching of the product, said Depositing cash on the ATMs is very simple. A customer simply slots in his or her card, after which he or she is presented with options on the screen. To deposit cash all a customer has to do is select the cash deposit option on the screen, after which the ATM will open the cash acceptance slot. A customer can deposit a bundle of up to 200 notes at a time, without sorting them into different denominations, as the ATM accepts 100, 200, 500 and 1,000 notes. The ATM will validate each note to confirm it is genuine, count the notes and hold in escrow. The customer is then notified of the note count and the total and given the option to continue, insert additional notes or cancel the transaction. Our customers can also deposit Cheques in ATMs. Each cheque is inserted into the ATM through the ATM Cheque Processor opening. As the cheque is inserted, it is imaged, both front and rear, the image is displayed on the screen and, subsequently, printed on the receipt to give the customer positive confirmation that the bank has accepted the cheque. When the cheque is inserted into the ATM, it is read by a MICR reader to ensure that a MICR code line is present and that it is a valid cheque. If the ATM cannot verify the cheque, it can be rejected and returned to the customer. The image of the verified cheque, together with the captured code line data, can be passed to the back-office for processing. Cheques are picked up at specified times by designated officers for further processing. Previously, all transactions that involve cheques and foreign currency are always done at the counter, compounded by long queues and delays. Marc Bourreau, Marianne Verdier, Cooperation for innovation in payment system: the case of mobile payment. Feb. 2010. http://ssrn.com/abstract=1575036

Resource Dependence Theory

Resource dependence theory  (RDT) is the study of how the external resources of organizations affect the behavior of the organization. The procurement of external resources is an important tenet of both the strategic and tactical management of any company. Nevertheless, a theory of the consequences of this importance was not formalized until the 1970s, with the publication of  The External Control of Organizations: A Resource Dependence Perspective (Pfeffer and Salancik 1978).Resource dependence theory has implications regarding the optimal divisional structure of organizations, recruitment of board members and employees, production strategies, contract structure, external organizational links, and many other aspects of organizational strategy. The basic argument of resource dependence theory can be summarized as follows: * Organizations depend on resources. * These resources ultimately originate from an organization's environment. * The environment, to a considerable extent, con tains other organizations. * The resources one organization needs are thus often in the hand of other organizations. Resources are a basis of power. * Legally independent organizations can therefore depend on each other. * Power and resource dependence are directly linked: Organization A's power over organization B is equal to organization B's dependence on organization A's resources. * Power is thus  relational, situational and potentially mutual. Organizations depend on multidimensional resources: labor, capital, raw material, etc. Organizations may not be able to come out with countervailing initiatives for all these multiple resources. Hence  organization should move through the principle of criticality and principle of scarcity.Critical resources are those the organization must have to function. For example, a burger outlet can't function without bread. An organization may adopt various countervailing strategies—it may associate with more suppliers, or integrate vert ically or horizontally. Resource dependence concerns more than the external organizations that provide, distribute,  finance, and compete with a firm. Although executive decisions have more individual weight than non-executive decisions, in aggregate the latter have greater organizational impact. Managers throughout the organization understand their success is tied to ustomer demand. Managers' careers thrive when customer demand expands. Thus customers are the ultimate resource on which companies depend. Although this seems obvious in terms of revenue, it is actually organizational incentives that make management see customers as a resource. Resource dependence theory is one of many theories of  organizational studies  that characterize organizational behavior. In many ways, resource dependence theory predictions are similar to those of  transaction cost economics, but it also shares some aspects with  institutional theory.