Analysis of Romeo: Christopher Boone Essay

In the book ‘the curious incident of the dog in the night time’ the author had created a very unusual teenager called Christopher Boone. The author used strange and unique techniques to create the effect Christopher brings to the readers. These techniques are; the way in which Christopher communicates, how Christopher describes himself, the way Christopher interacts with other characters and the comments of the other characters. Dialogue Christopher is the type of person who doesn’t know how to tell lies. It is not because he is a good person but because he can’t simply tell lies. â€Å"I do not tell lies. Mother used to say it is because I am a good person but it’s not because I am a good person. It is because I can’t tell lies† most people think that telling the truth is the quality of a good person. But to Christopher it is a way of life â€Å"He said, â€Å"Did you mean to hit the policeman?† â€Å"I said, yes†. This quote tells us that Christopher can’t lie even to get him out of trouble The author also teaches us that Christopher is a very precise and logical person. This is shown by the way Christopher answers to others. He can’t understand sarcasm or jokes for this same reason. Christopher likes to know every single detail, so when you tell him a joke, he would want to break it down to every possible meaning it could have. Christopher loves to give as much detail as possible. â€Å"She was wearing boots which looked like army boots and there were 5 bracelets made out of a silver-coloured metal on her wrist and they made a jingling noise.† Christopher does not shy away from detail. He notices what other people do not notice. The author may have made him act like this to give a hint that he is not a normal 15 year old teenager. Narrative The author has written the book in the 1st point of view, so every event that goes on in the book is exactly what Christopher has experienced. The author has given us information about Christopher from Christopher. He tells us exactly what he likes and what he doesn’t. We see the world from his eyes, so we get a good overview of Christopher. â€Å"My name is Christopher John Francis Boone. I know all the countries of the world and every prime number up to 7,507† he is telling us facts about himself and we are given facts directly not indirectly. The author must have chosen to write this way so that the reader can really engage with Christopher’s character and see how life is for him and maybe then try to compare it with their own life. If it was written in 3rd person, we would only get like a sneak peak of how Christopher is and the book wouldn’t give so much of an effect to reader. Language choice Christopher speaks in a very simple manner. The author has made Christopher speak in a very mathematical and scientific way. â€Å"Is it a long cake with a square cross-section which is divided into equally sized, alternately coloured squares?† when someone is trying to have a normal conversation with him, he would always link it to either maths or science. When recounting, Christopher says exactly what happed. He doesn’t forget any piece of detail when recounting. â€Å"let go of the f*****g dog for Christ’s sake† this quote shows that Christopher doesn’t care if a word is inappropriate, he would just write what he heard. I think the author has linked this to the way Christopher speaks because Christopher only knows things which have actual meaning. These words are not in the dictionary so if someone told Christopher this word, he wouldn’t understand because it doesn’t have a logical meaning. Interaction with others One way the author has given us the hint that Christopher is not a normal teenager is that Christopher says that he doesn’t like to be touched. He can’t even hug his own father. â€Å"sometimes father wants to give me a hug, but I do not like hugging people† this quotes points out that no matter how much his father wants a hug or how much Christopher wants to hug his father, he just can’t do it. Christopher’s strange ways led him to a life scared of things such as strangers and being touched. Sometimes Christopher goes through some emotions which he can’t handle causing him to act in an unmannered way. The author has taken his time to work out Christopher’s character which involves Christopher’s worst habit. In this case it is hitting a person who is either a stranger or someone who touches him â€Å"The policeman took hold of my arm and lifted me onto my feet. I didn’t like him touching me like this. And this is when I hit him† Christopher likes policemen, but he hits him because he hates being touched, especially in a forceful manner. Other characters comments In the book Mrs Shears is Christopher’s neighbour whose husband left her. She doesn’t seem to take any interest in Christopher whatsoever. She is more interested in his father. Christopher’s dad sometimes feels frustrated with the way Christopher behaves. â€Å"Then father banged the steering wheel with his fist and the car weaved a little bit across the dotted line in the middle of the road† Christopher’s dad is furious with Christopher. Even though the author doesn’t state it directly we can tell by his body language and by hitting the steering wheel, he is frustrated with Christopher. Siobhan is Christopher’s teacher in his special school. Christopher is very comfortable around her because she knows exactly how to deal with him and his problem. Siobhan gives him exact instruction about what he can and can’t do, she keeps Christopher balanced. In conclusion as the readers of the curious incident of the dog in the night time† we assume that Christopher is autistic because of the way he behaves. He does not behave like any normal teenager.

The Hunters: Phantom Chapter 9

Bonnie winced at the nasty metalic taste in her mouth and blinked several times, until the room around her came back into focus. â€Å"Ugh,† she said. â€Å"I hate doing that.† Everyone was staring at her, their faces white and shocked. â€Å"What?† she said uneasily. â€Å"What'd I say?† Elena was sitting very stil . â€Å"You said it was my fault,† she said slowly. â€Å"Whatever is coming after us, I brought it here.† Stefan reached out to cover her hand with his own. Unbidden, the meanest, narrowest part of Bonnie's mind thought wearily, Of course. It's always about Elena, isn't it? Meredith and Matt fil ed Bonnie in on the rest of what she'd said in her trance, but their eyes kept returning to Elena's stricken face, and as soon as they finished tel ing her what she'd missed, they turned away from Bonnie, back to Elena. â€Å"We need to make a plan,† Meredith said to her softly. â€Å"We'l al want some refreshment,† Mrs. Flowers said, rising to her feet, and Bonnie fol owed her into the kitchen, eager to escape the tension of the room. She wasn't real y a plan girl, anyway, she told herself. She'd made her contribution just by being the vision girl. Elena and Meredith were the ones everyone looked to for making the decisions. But it wasn't fair, was it? She wasn't a fool, despite the fact that her friends al treated her like the baby of the group. Everyone thought Elena and Meredith were so clever and so strong, but Bonnie had saved the day again and again – not that anyone ever remembered that. She ran her tongue along the edges of her teeth, trying to scrape off the nasty sour taste stil in her mouth. Mrs. Flowers had decided that what the group needed to soothe them was some of her special elder-flower lemonade. While she fil ed the glasses with ice, poured the drinks, and set them out on a tray, Bonnie watched her restlessly. There was a rough, empty feeling inside Bonnie, like something was missing. It wasn't fair, she thought again. None of them appreciated her or realized al she'd done for them. â€Å"Mrs. Flowers,† she said suddenly. â€Å"How do you talk to your mother?† Mrs. Flowers turned to her, surprised. â€Å"Why, my dear,† she said, â€Å"it's very easy to speak to ghosts, if they want to speak to you, or if they are the spirits of someone you loved. Ghosts, you see, have not left our plane but stay close to us.† â€Å"But stil ,† Bonnie pressed on, â€Å"you can do more than that, a lot more.† She pictured Mrs. Flowers, young again, eyes flashing, hair flying, fighting the kitsune's malevolent Power with an equal Power of her own. â€Å"You're a very powerful witch.† Mrs. Flowers's expression was reserved. â€Å"It's kind of you to say so, dear.† Bonnie twirled a ringlet of her hair around one finger anxiously, weighing her next words. â€Å"Wel†¦ if you would, of course – only if you have time – I'd like you to train me. Whatever you'd be wil ing to teach me. I can see things and I've gotten better at that, but I'd like to learn everything, anything else you can show me. Divining, and about herbs. Protection spel s. The works, I guess. I feel like there's so much I don't know, and I think I might have talent, you know? I hope so, anyway.† Mrs. Flowers looked at her appraisingly for one long moment and then nodded once more. â€Å"I wil teach you,† she said. â€Å"With pleasure. You possess great natural talent.† â€Å"Real y?† Bonnie said shyly. A warm bubble of happiness rose inside her, fil ing the emptiness that had engulfed her just moments ago. Then she cleared her throat and added, as casual y as she could manage, â€Å"And I was wondering†¦ can you talk to anyone who's dead? Or just your mother?† Mrs. Flowers didn't answer for a few moments. Bonnie felt like the older woman's sharp blue gaze was looking straight through her and analyzing the mind and heart inside. When Mrs. Flowers did speak, her voice was gentle. â€Å"Who is it you want to contact, dear?† Bonnie flinched. â€Å"No one in particular,† she said quickly, erasing an image of Damon's black-on-black eyes from her mind. â€Å"It just seems like something that would be useful. And interesting, too. Like, I could learn al about Fel ‘s Church's history.† She turned away from Mrs. Flowers and busied herself with the lemonade glasses, leaving the subject behind for now. There would be time to ask again, she thought. Soon. â€Å"The most important thing,† Elena was saying earnestly, â€Å"is to protect Meredith. We've gotten a warning, and we need to take advantage of it, not sit around worrying about where it came from. If something terrible – something I brought somehow – is coming, we'l deal with it when it gets here. Right now, we look out for Meredith.† She was so beautiful, she made Stefan dizzy. Quite literal y: Sometimes he would look at her, catch her at a certain angle, and would see, as if for the first time, the delicate curve of her cheek, the lightest rose-petal blush in her creamy skin, the soft seriousness of her mouth. In those moments, every time, his head and stomach would swoop as if he'd just gotten off a rol er coaster. Elena. He belonged to her; it was as simple as that. As if for hundreds of years he had been journeying toward this one mortal girl, and now that he had found her, his long, long life final y had found its purpose. You don't have her, though, something inside him said. Not all of her. Not really. Stefan shook off the traitorous thought. Elena loved him. She loved him bravely and desperately and passionately and far more than he deserved. And he loved her. That was what mattered. And right now, this sweet mortal girl he loved was efficiently organizing a schedule for guarding Meredith, assigning duties with the calm expectation that she would be obeyed. â€Å"Matt,† she said, â€Å"if you're working tomorrow night, you and Alaric can take the daytime shift. Stefan wil take over at night, and Bonnie and I wil pick up in the morning.† â€Å"You should have been a general,† Stefan murmured to her, earning himself a quick smile. â€Å"I don't need guards,† Meredith said irritably. â€Å"I've been trained in martial arts and I've faced the supernatural before.† It seemed to Stefan that her eye rested speculatively on him for a second, and he forced himself not to bristle under her scrutiny. â€Å"My stave is al the protection I need.† â€Å"A stave like yours couldn't have protected Celia,† Elena argued. â€Å"Without Stefan there to intervene, she would have been kil ed.† On the couch, Celia closed her eyes and rested her head against Alaric's arm. â€Å"Fine, then.† Meredith spoke in a clipped tone, her eyes on Celia. â€Å"It's true, out of al of us, only Stefan could have saved her. And that's the other reason this whole team effort to protect me is ridiculous. Do you have the strength and speed these days to save me from a moving train, Elena? Does Bonnie?† Stefan saw Bonnie, coming in with a tray of lemonade glasses, pause and frown as she heard Meredith's words. He had known, of course, that with Damon dead and Elena's Powers gone, he was the only one left to protect the group. Wel , Mrs. Flowers and Bonnie had some limited magical ability. Then Stefan amended the thought further. Mrs. Flowers was actual y quite powerful, but her powers were stil depleted from fighting the kitsune. It came to the same thing, then: Stefan was the only one who could protect them now. Meredith might talk about her responsibilities as a vampire hunter, but in the end, despite her training and heritage, she was just another mortal. His eyes scanned the group, al the mortals, his mortals. Meredith, serious gray eyes and a steely resolve. Matt, eager and boyish and decent down to the bone. Bonnie, sunny and sweet, and with a core of strength perhaps even she didn't know she had. Mrs. Flowers, a wise matriarch. Alaric and Celia†¦ wel , they weren't his mortals the way the others were, but they fel under his protection while they were here. He had sworn to prote ct humans, when he could. If he could. He remembered Damon saying to him once, laughing in one of his fits of dangerous good humor, his face gleeful, â€Å"They're just so fragile, Stefan! You can break them without even meaning to!† And Elena, his Elena. She was as vulnerable as the rest of them now. He flinched. If anything ever happened to her, Stefan knew beyond a doubt that he would take off the ring that let him walk in the day, lie down in the grass above her grave, and wait for the sun. But the same hol ow voice inside that questioned Elena's love for him whispered darkly in his ear: She would not do the same for you. You are not her everything. As Elena and Meredith, with occasional interjections from Matt and Bonnie, continued to argue about whether Meredith needed the efforts of the group to guard her, Stefan closed his eyes and slipped into his memories of Damon's death. Stefan watched, foolish and uncomprehending and just not fast enough, as Damon, quicker than him till the last, dashed toward the huge tree and flung Bonnie, light as dandelion fluff, out of the reach of the barbed branches already plummeting toward her. As he threw her, a branch caught Damon through his chest, pinning him to the ground. Stefan saw the moment of shock in his brother's eyes before they rolled backward. A single drop of blood ran from his mouth down his chin. â€Å"Damon, open your eyes!† Elena was screaming. There was a rough tone in her voice, an agony Stefan had never heard from her before. Her hands jerked at Damon's shoulders, as if she wanted to shake him hard, and Stefan pulled her away. â€Å"He can't, Elena, he can't,† he said, half sobbing. Couldn't she see that Damon was dying? The branch had stopped his heart and the tree's poison was spreading through his veins and arteries. He was gone. Stefan had gently lowered Damon's head to the ground. He would let his brother go. But Elena wouldn't. Turning to take her in his arms and comfort her, Stefan saw that she had forgotten him. Her eyes were closed and her lips were moving soundlessly. All her muscles were taut, straining toward Damon, and Stefan realized with a dull shock that she and Damon were connected still, that a last conversation was being carried on along some private frequency that excluded him. Her face was wet with tears, and she suddenly fumbled for her knife and with one swift, sure movement, nicked her own jugular vein, starting blood flowing across her neck. â€Å"Drink, Damon,† she said in a desperate, prayerlike voice, prying his mouth open with her hands and angling her neck above it. The smell of Elena's blood was rich and tangy, making Stefan's canines itch with desire even in his horror at her carelessness in cutting her own throat. Damon did not drink. The blood ran out of his mouth and down his neck, soaking his shirt and pooling on his black leather jacket. Elena sobbed and threw herself on top of Damon, kissing his cold lips, her eyes clenched shut. Stefan could tell she was still in communion with Damon's spirit, a telepathic exchange of love and secrets private between them, the two people he loved most. The only people he loved. A cold tendril of envy, the feeling of being the outsider looking in, the one who was left all alone, curled along Stefan's spine even as tears of grief ran down his face. A phone rang, and Stefan snapped back to the present. Elena glanced at her cel and then answered, â€Å"Hi, Aunt Judith.† She paused. â€Å"At the boardinghouse with everybody. We picked up Alaric and his friend from the train.† Another pause and she grimaced. â€Å"I'm sorry, I forgot. Yes, I wil . In just a few minutes, al right? Okay. Bye.† She hung up and got to her feet. â€Å"Apparently at some point I promised Aunt Judith I would be home for dinner tonight. Robert's getting out the fondue set and Margaret wants me to show her how to dip bread in cheese.† She rol ed her eyes, but Stefan wasn't fooled. He could see how delighted Elena was to have her baby sister idolizing her again. Elena went on, frowning, â€Å"I'm not sure I'l be able to get out again tonight, but someone needs to be with Meredith at al times. Can you stay here tonight, Meredith, instead of at home?† Meredith nodded slowly, her long legs drawn up under her on the couch. She looked tired and apprehensive, despite her earlier bravado. Elena touched her hand in farewel , and Meredith smiled at her. â€Å"I'm sure your minions wil take good care of me, Queen Elena,† she said lightly. â€Å"I'd expect nothing less,† Elena answered in the same tone, turning her smile on the rest of the room. Stefan got to his feet. â€Å"I'l walk you home,† he said. Matt rose, too. â€Å"I can drive you,† he offered, and Stefan was surprised to find that he had to suppress the urge to shove Matt back into his seat. Stefan would take care of Elena. She was his responsibility. â€Å"No, stay here, both of you,† Elena said firmly. â€Å"It's only a few blocks, and it's stil broad daylight out. You look after Meredith.† Stefan settled back in his chair, eyeing Matt. With a wave, Elena was gone, and Stefan stretched out his senses to fol ow her as far as he could, pushing his Power to sense whether anything dangerous, anything at al , lurked nearby. His Powers weren't strong enough, though, to reach al the way to Elena's house. He curled his hands into tight, frustrated fists. He had been so much more powerful when he al owed himself to drink human blood. Meredith was watching him, gray eyes sympathetic. â€Å"She'l be okay,† she said. â€Å"You can't watch her al the time.† But I can try, thought Stefan. When Elena strol ed up her walk, Caleb was clipping the glossy green leaves of the flowering camel ia bushes in front of the house. â€Å"Hi,† she said, surprised. â€Å"Have you been here al day?† He stopped trimming and wiped the sweat off his forehead. With his blond hair and healthy tan, he looked like a California surfer transplanted to a Virginia lawn. Elena thought Caleb seemed just right on a perfect summer day like this one, a lawn mower humming in the distance somewhere, the sky blue and high above them. â€Å"Sure,† he said cheerful y. â€Å"Lots to do. It looks good, right?† â€Å"It real y does,† she said. And it did. The grass was mowed, the hedges were perfectly trimmed, and he had set out some daisies in the flower beds near the house. â€Å"What've you been up to today?† Caleb asked. â€Å"Nothing as energetic as this,† Elena said, suppressing the memory of the desperate race to save Celia. â€Å"My friends and I just picked someone up at the train station and hung out inside for the rest of the day. I hope the weather holds, though. We want to take a picnic up to Hot Springs tomorrow.† â€Å"Sounds like fun,† Caleb said agreeably. Elena was tempted for a moment to invite him along. Despite Stefan's reservations, he seemed like a nice guy, and he probably didn't know many people in town. Maybe Bonnie would hit it off with him. He was pretty cute, after al . And Bonnie hadn't real y been interested in anyone for a while. Anyone other than Damon, a secret little voice said in the back of her mind. But of course she couldn't invite Caleb. What was she thinking? She and her friends couldn't have outsiders around while they talked about what supernatural entity had it in for them now. A little pang of longing hit her. Would she ever be a girl who could have a picnic and swim and flirt and be able to talk to anyone she liked, because she had no dark secrets to conceal? â€Å"Aren't you exhausted?† she asked, quickly changing the subject. She thought she saw a flicker of disappointment in his eyes. Had he realized she was thinking of inviting him along on the picnic and then changed her mind? But he answered readily enough. â€Å"Oh, your aunt ran me out a couple of glasses of lemonade, and I had a sandwich with your sister at lunchtime.† He grinned. â€Å"She's a cutie. And an excel ent conversationalist. She told me al about tigers.† â€Å"She talked to you?† Elena said with surprise. â€Å"She's usual y real y shy around new people. She wouldn't talk to my boyfriend, Stefan, until he'd been around for months.† â€Å"Oh, wel ,† he said, and shrugged. â€Å"Once I showed her a couple of magic tricks, she was so fascinated she forgot to be shy. She's going to be a master magician by the time she starts first grade. She's a natural.† â€Å"Real y?† said Elena. She felt a sharp shift in her stomach, a sense of loss. She had missed so much of her little sister's life. She'd noticed at breakfast that she looked and sounded older. It was like Margaret had grown into a different person without her. Elena gave herself a mental shake: She needed to stop being such a whiner. She was unbelievably lucky just to be here now. â€Å"Oh, yeah,† he said. â€Å"Look, I taught her this.† He held out a tanned fist, turned it over, and opened his hand to reveal a camel ia blossom, waxy and white, closed his hand, then opened it again to reveal a tightly furled bud. â€Å"Wow,† said Elena, intrigued. â€Å"Do it again.† She watched intently as he opened and closed his hand several times, revealing flower then bud, flower then bud. â€Å"I showed Margaret how to do it with coins, switching between a quarter and a penny,† he said, â€Å"but it's the same principle.† â€Å"I've seen tricks like that before,† she said, â€Å"but I can't figure out where you're hiding the one that isn't showing. How do you do it?† â€Å"Magic, of course,† he said, smiling, and opened his hand to let the camel ia blossom fal at Elena's feet. â€Å"Do you believe in magic?† she said, looking up into his warm blue eyes. He was flirting with her, she knew – guys always flirted with Elena if she let them. â€Å"Wel , I ought to,† he said softly. â€Å"I'm from New Orleans, you know, the home of voodoo.† â€Å"Voodoo?† she said, a cold shiver going down her spine. Caleb laughed. â€Å"I'm just playing with you,† he said. â€Å"Voodoo. Jeez, what a load of crap.† â€Å"Oh, right. Total y,† Elena said, forcing a giggle. â€Å"One time, though,† Caleb continued, â€Å"back before my parents died, Tyler was visiting, and the two of us went to the French Quarter to get our fortunes told by this old voudon priestess.† â€Å"Your parents died?† Elena asked, surprised. Caleb lowered his head for a moment, and Elena reached out to touch him, her hand lingering on his. â€Å"Mine did, too,† she said. Caleb was very stil . â€Å"I know,† he said. Their eyes met, and Elena winced in sympathy. There was such pain in Caleb's warm blue eyes when she looked for it, despite his easy smile. â€Å"It was years ago,† he said softly. â€Å"I stil miss them sometimes, though, you know.† She squeezed his hand. â€Å"I know,† she said quietly. Then Caleb smiled and shook his head a little, and the moment between them was over. â€Å"This was before that, though,† he said. â€Å"We were maybe twelve years old when Tyler visited.† Caleb's slight Southern accent got stronger as he went on, his tone lazy and rich. â€Å"I didn't believe in that stuff back then, either, and I don't think Tyler did, but we thought it might be kind of fun. You know how it's fun to scare yourself a little sometimes.† He paused. â€Å"It was pretty creepy, actual y. She had al these black candles burning and weird charms everywhere, stuff made of bones and hair. She threw some powder on the floor around us and looked at the different patterns. She told Tyler she saw a big change coming for him and that he needed to think careful y before he put himself in someone else's power.† Elena flinched involuntarily. A big change had certainly come for Tyler, and he had put himself in the vampire Klaus's power. Wherever Tyler was now, things hadn't turned out the way he'd planned. â€Å"And what did she tel you?† she asked. â€Å"Nothing much, real y,† he answered. â€Å"Mostly just to be good. Stay out of trouble, look out for my family. That kind of thing. Stuff I try to do. My aunt and uncle need me here now, with Tyler missing.† He looked down at her again, shrugged, and smiled. â€Å"Like I said, though, it was mostly just a load of crap. Magic and al that nutty stuff.† â€Å"Yeah,† Elena said hol owly. â€Å"Al that nutty stuff.† The sun went behind a cloud and Elena shivered once more. Caleb moved closer to her. â€Å"Are you cold?† he said, and reached a hand out toward her shoulder. At that moment a raucous caw burst from the trees by the house, and a big black crow flew toward them, low and fast. Caleb dropped his hand and ducked, covering his face, but the crow angled up at the last minute, flapping furiously, and soared away over their heads. â€Å"Did you see that?† Caleb cried. â€Å"It almost hit us.† â€Å"I did,† Elena answered, watching as the graceful winged silhouette disappeared into the sky. â€Å"I did.†

Importance of communication in CT scan unit Essay

Importance of communication in CT scan unit - Essay Example Communication helps patients ask questions and gives CT technologists the platform to explain the procedure to them and their families while it enables the CT technologists make informed decisions alongside physicians and other medical professionals. Therefore, with the importance of communication in the CT scan unit not in question, this paper will discuss the methods of communication the CT technologists use. The CT scan unit is a formal working environment but the nature of interactions that take place there necessitate more than formal communication methods (Acuff, Bradley & Osborne, 2014). However, the most prominent methods used include written communication such letters, email and memos; oral communication such formal briefings and phone calls; online communications; scientific communication; and face-to-face communication, which entails the largest portion informal communication. All these have a common objective to communicate needs in a timely manner and remain clear, avoid repetitions, be concise and, most importantly, minimize anxiety and trauma. This type of communication remains the most prominent in the formal setup. Its significance is more emphasized in communications because CT technologists and their colleagues, physicians and medical professionals. One of the primary responsibilities of CT technologists is receiving and responding to orders from physicians as well as departmental protocols, and email and internal memos serve this function effectively. For example, email will enable CT technologists to exchange information and pass and receive messages between themselves and their team members without any of them leaving their work stations. Although the CT technologist will have an interpersonal form of communication with the patient, written communication prior to the procedure will prepare both patients and their families for what is coming (Beukelman & Ray, 2010). Written communications,

SEPTIC SHOCK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

SEPTIC SHOCK - Essay Example The objective of these definitions was to give a more differentiated understanding of sepsis to enable precise management. As a result the concept of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) evolved with its diagnostic criteria put in place. Then sepsis was defined on the basis of SIRS, whereby sepsis was defined as â€Å"suspected or microbiologically proven infection together with SIRS†. Severe sepsis was then defined as â€Å"sepsis together with sepsis-induced organ dysfunction†. Finally septic shock was defined as â€Å"sepsis-induced hypotension persisting despite adequate fluid resuscitation† (Marik & Lipman, 2007). A very valid question arises as to the need for such differentiated definitions. There is justification for these differentiated definitions, which is provided from the study of recent data on the mortality rates associated with each of these differentiated definitions. Mortality from sepsis ranges ten to fifteen percent; severe sepsis ranges from seventeen to twenty percent and septic shock ranges from forty-three to fifty-four percent. Thus the hierarchical definitions get justified by this. (Marik & Lipman, 2007). Deeper examination of this data suggests that there is a wide difference in the mortality figures for severe sepsis and septic shock. This finding clearly indicates that it is most important to distinguish between severe sepsis and septic shock, so that they can be grouped into low and high mortality risk groups. It is in this aspect that the hierarchical definitions as created in 1991 are found to be deficient. The diagnostic criteria for septic shock still remain unclear and vague. To remove this deficiency Marik and Lipman, 2007, suggest that septic shock be defined as â€Å" a systolic blood pressure less than 90mmHg (or a fall in systolic blood pressure of > 40mmHg), or a mean arterial pressure less than 65mmHg after a crystalloid fluid challenge of

MGM Resorts International Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

MGM Resorts International - Case Study Example The purpose the case analysis is precisely to determine the best strategic alternative for MGM Resorts International, given the business and general environment in which it operates, and given an analysis of its strengths and weaknesses, the threats to its business, and the opportunities that are present in the market. The paper also presents a plan for implementation of the chosen strategic alternative arising out of the strategic analysis. The firm in focus is properly a holding entity for a number of assets operating in the hospitality industry (Google Finance, 2013; Bloomberg, 2013; MGM Resorts International, 2013). As a holding firm in the hospitality industry, the key business for MGM Resorts International is in the business of owning and operating resorts that are casinos. As such, it is in the business of offering within those casino resorts such services as retail, dining, entertainment, gaming, convention, hotel, and a number of corollary services and activities. Its presen ce is confined to two markets, the US domestic market, where it owns and operates 15 casino resorts throughout the United States, and the China Market, where MGM Macau has ownership of the casino resort known as MGM Macau resort and casino. The company has sole ownership and total control of operations for its US casino resorts, whose casino operations in particular are open the whole year round without pause and for 24 hours everyday, except for its operations at the Grand Victoria, which pause for work two hours out of 24 hours on a daily basis (Google Finance, 2013). Apart from the wholly owned resorts, MGM Resorts International also has 50 percent stakes in three other facilities, chief of them being CityCenter, where the company has half of total ownership stakes in the ARIA Resort and Casino, among other assets. Its MGM China Holdings control 51 percent of the MGM Macau Resort and Casino, apart from new planned developments for a Cotai resort and casino. Its expertise in the h ospitality segment has allowed the holding firm, moreover, to get involved in a vast array of management agreements as well as development agreements for various projects worldwide, involving all kinds of projects outside of casino development as well as projects in casino and resorts development (MGM Resorts International, 2013). Its key bases of operations in the US, meanwhile, are Michigan, Nevada, and Mississippi, with additional stakes in properties in Illinois and Nevada outside of its core interests. In China its base of operations is essentially Macau These properties coupled with consulting and management services make up the totality of its core business offerings to the world (Bloomberg, 2013). A look at its 10-year stock performance shows that MGM Resorts International shares have traded in a relatively narrow band since sharply dropping from its peaks of close to 100 dollars a share in 2007. Current stock prices of about 12.86 dollars a share are within the narrow band that it has been in since that time (Google Finance, 2013) Image Source: Google Finance, 2013 Meanwhile, shorter-term investor sentiments towards the stock shows that many hedge funds and other investors are cautiously long on the stock, and recent developments that indicate some long-term investors such as Kirk Kerkorian are upping their shares in the company by buying more shares are boosting sentiment. The

W6DQ Follow Up Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

W6DQ Follow Up - Assignment Example Segil, L (2002) However, in any social setting, there are obstacles that are encountered such as conflicts, maintaining team work as well as managing and appreciating the diversity meaning different skills among the members. Therefore, to solve or prevent these negative issues within a team, an effective leader is required to to lead the team in the most efficient, authoritative and just way to prevent discriminating views. A leader is an individual who guides and influences a group of people in accomplishing the set tasks and objectives. Leading an effective team calls a true leader. An effective team works in handy to fulfill the given mandates in solidarity and respecting every individual’s perspective relating the set agenda. Thus a leader of an effective team calls for transparency in decision making and observes and acknowledges the diversity within the team. This enhances or creates a warm friendly environment within the team and in return it creates a conducive working environment for the team. Lena Zander and Audra I. Mockaitis (2012) In certain situations, some pressing and delicate issues regarding a given mandate almost lead to the collapse of a given team due to conflicting views. Therefore, for an efficient decision to take place, a wise leader calms down the situation and makes a firm decision on the same. For one to lead an effective team, one should possess knowledge from observing past mistakes and failures. After recognizing these negative attributes, it becomes easier to develop effective strategies and adequate counter measures to overcome future obstacles. Lastly, leading an effective team advocates for teamwork. Debbie Zmorenski (2011) Teamwork creates efficiency through the understanding every individuals strengths and weaknesses. Furthermore, it works as a guideline in making correct and informed decisions. When a leader maintains teamwork, definitely the team is bound for success, more contracts and lastly enjoying success toget her respecting the leader. References Lena Zander, Audra I. Mockaitis., 2012. Christina L. Butler Leading global teams Original Research Article: Journal of World Business, 47 (4), Pp. 592-603 Segil, L 2002, Dynamic leader adaptive organization: ten essential traits for managers, John Wiley & Sons. The New York Debbie Zmorenski (2011), How to create and lead high-performing teams http://www.reliableplant.com/Read/27377/Creating-leading-high-performing-teams Response 2 Leading an effective team revolves around good leadership skills. The said leader should make sure that every team member should live accountable with the resolutions made and should make sure that each member foresees the implementation of the decisions made. I response every member feels the weight of the resolutions thus creating a situation where every team member is keen in observing goals. Miles, J. (2012) In other terms the leadership position is fulfilled by every member but final decisions are left for the tru e leader. An effective team is demanding in how it is led hence a call for a strong leader comes in place. This leader should evaluate the performance of the team. When keen measurement is thoroughly taken, for the team to be effective the leader should maintain the following characteristics. Communication in an effective team is crystal clear and transparent through decency and honesty. This drives the team to success in achieving the laid

Website Design Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Website Design - Essay Example Contracting web designing companies would probably become less involving but the costs could reach up to $40000. Hiring individuals remains a more affordable method to the company than utilizing contract companies. The website shall be created in the form of a business website as the company seeks to utilize the website for marketing products. A business website type could enable the company to undertake Internet marketing and receiving feedback from clients. The company could also utilize this website in giving information to visitors concerning the company. This would include the professional functions of the company and the company contacts which prospective clients could utilize when contacting company representatives. Conformity to the existing web designing standards remains essential in ensuring the website remains usable and easily accessible. DOCTYPE declaration shall be made to enable validation of the website via W3C which shall identify errors of conformity to existing standards. Website and networking requirements There are various elements of consideration that shall be included when deciding the website to be utilized. The costs for web-designing could be estimated at $7000. These shall include wages of the web-designers and the other individuals assisting within the preparation of the website. ... expenses like SEO, account set-up fee, and other miscellaneous expenses, the total cost of developing the website could be $21000, which remains an estimated figure with little variations expected (Schiffer, 2011). The networking shall include utilization of network adapters each costing $28 and wired network cameras costing $120 per unit. In enhancing network connectivity local area network adapter shall be installed in all computers within office premises with each adapter costing $25. Physical connection shall require the purchasing of about 5000 ft of Belden Media Twist bulk cable at $200 per 1000 ft. The cost of these cables would, therefore, be estimated at $1000. Search engine optimizers for the company website shall become part of the Internet marketing campaign undertaken by the company (Graham, 2003). The costs for these optimization services could be estimated at $700 monthly, with the costs expected to increase later. The company shall utilize animation applications on th e website aimed at attracting individuals visiting other websites. This technique should assist in providing notifications to individuals concerning the company presence online. Computers and other equipment The company shall utilize desktop computers in each company office estimated to cost about $750 per single computer. Several individuals shall be given laptops with an estimated value of $800 per unit. The salesmen shall be offered laptops to enable the access to company website and upload sales information from various locations. The company shall be using JavaScript application for accessing the website. This application shall enable the website to be viewed by many individuals, as this application remains compatible with various models of computers. This application requires little

Current censorship of internet in China Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Current censorship of internet in China - Essay Example This essay analyses the process of media filtering in China that is by far the only country that is practicing the process very extensively. Unlike many countries, the internet censorship in China is carried out at multiple levels to ensure that no unfavorable information reaches the users through internet. The major reason behind China’s severe censorship is that unlike other countries that have been aiming at a single objectionable area to be blocked, China has listed a number of issues ranging from political to moral as objectionable and required to be censored. Internet censorship in China has its roots inveterate in times before the invention of internet. Every form of media has been censored through it various stages. Although internet censorship has its existence in almost all the states within which internet is accessible to a common man, the role of censorship in authoritarian states like China and Saudi Arabia has an increasing importance. It is because of the fact t hat the internet provides the nongovernmental organizations and citizens to reach out to the global communities, arrange global activities, express their ideas and obtain the non-conservative ideas of the non-Chinese. Since such activities pose a direct threat to the government of China, there is a continuous monitoring of internet usage and filtering of certain material from the internet to maintain the eroding governmental control. The content that is available online is censored on the basis of the ideas and thoughts expressed in them.

William Blake English Coursework Essay Example for Free

William Blake English Coursework Essay From the poems that you have studied, what have you learnt about Blakes attitude to the treatment of children in his time? How does he try to persuade his reader to empathise with his characters? Which poem (or poems) do you think best achieve this aim, and why? One of Blakes main influences was the society in which he lived in. William Blake was born on November 28, 1757 in London. Blake was influenced by events in both the French Revolution and the Industrial Revolution, by the attitude of Jean-Jacques Rousseau. They inspired a new way of looking at the world. Blake thought that imagination was the force of art, and people thought his art was too adventurous and unconventional for that time. William Blake witnessed the effect Britains war with republican France had on society, and he talks about this in London (Songs of Experience) and The Chimney Sweeper (Songs of Experience) He had radical religious and political ideas, which led him to write Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience. In a lot of Blakes poems, he tackles the issue of child labour. After the industrial revolution, with a rise in population came a rise in the number of children being made to work. An employer could pay a child less than an adult, and children were useful for more jobs, for example when Blake wrote The Chimney Sweeper. In both of The Chimney Sweeper poems, Blake attacks the treatment of children at the time. The first one, in Songs of Innocence, shows a naà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ve view of how a child at the time felt. The first three stanzas are negative, starting with When my mother died when I was very young, and describing, thousands of sweepers were lockd up in coffins of black. But this poem shows children have a positive outlook on life, with the final three stanzas being positive. It talks about an Angel who set them all free. I think Blake is writing about God, and the children will be set free after being in their coffins and after death, and that all the children are happy in heaven. Blake is trying to convey the fact that the children do not fear death, perhaps because it is better than their lives. In the last stanza, Blake writes, Tom was happy warm, and he says the children are not worried as if all do their duty, they need not fear harm. This is slightly didactic, which is what a lot writing f or children was in the eighteenth century, but this last line also comes across as sarcastic and angry, as if Blake disagrees with what the children have to do in order to feel safe. The Chimney Sweeper in Songs of Experience is a contrast to The Chimney Sweeper in Songs of Innocence. In this version, Blake has taken on the persona of the chimney sweeper, and the chimney sweeper has been influenced by society. He has realised the faults of society that he had never noticed before. It still shows the children making the best out of life, but this time the chimney sweeper is questioning this, saying Because I was happy upon the heath, that They clothed me in the clothes of death. Blake is implying that because the children are happy doing these jobs, that the adults think this is doing them no harm. Religion plays a part in this poem, as it is mentioned a lot in the poem itself, saying his mother and father have gone up to the church to pray and are gone to praise the God his Priest King. Blake is conveying a message that it is hypocrisy; the mother and father in the poem are good religious people, but even so they are still exploiting the children. Another poem where Blake writes about children is The School Boy (Songs of Innocence and Experience). In this poem, Blake has written it to persuade the reader that children should not go to school, and uses phrases like O it drives all joy away! and The little ones spend their day/In sighing and dismay. Blake is trying to make the reader agree that there is something wrong with society, and that they are doing wrong by making innocent children go to school, when they should be free. At the start of the poem, Blake represents the schoolboy as a skylark (And the skylark sings with me). A skylark is associated with the morning and therefore connected to the children, and then connected to the boy himself. The skylark only sings in the sky, and the skylark is often used as a nickname for someone who is doing well, and this is why Blake used this particular bird to represent the schoolboy. Later in the poem, Blake refers to the schoolboy as a flower bud, using a metaphor to say the schoo lboy is beautiful and should be free. In The School Boy, Blake uses a contrast of positive and negative words next to each other to create an oxymoron. He uses phrases like blossoms blow away and the tender plants are stripped to highlight the fact that the schoolboy cannot experience the freedom as it has been taken away from him. The positive words are blossoms, tender and plants, but the contrast is used by adding words like blow away and stripped. The School Boy is similar to both The Chimney Sweeper poems, as Blake is attacking the way people were treating children. Blake believed that children should be free, otherwise The little ones spend their day/In sighing and dismay, and that they should not have to work or go to school (But to go to school in a summer morn,-/Oh it drives all joy away!) but to enjoy freedom and innocence. Blake refers to children in London (Songs of Experience). In the first two stanzas, Blake uses repetition and alliteration to create a mournful atmosphere. In the first stanza he uses words like wander, weakness and woe. This creates the scene of London; making it seem depressing and slow. In the second stanza, Blake repeats the phrase In every to draw attention to the points he is making, that nobody is happy and everyone is fearful. In the third stanza, Blake brings in religion, which is also clear in The Chimney Sweeper (Songs of Experience). Again, he is attacking religion, describing the church as blackning. He also refers to the chimney sweeper, saying How the Chimney-sweepers cry, which is very similar to The Chimney Sweeper and also shows he does not agree with it, by saying the children are crying. Blake says even infants are upset, with the new-born Infants tear. Blake makes the reader feel sorry for the children, by describing them crying, and using words like youthful and new-born, which makes them sound naà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ve and innocent, and this makes the reader agree that they shouldnt be made to feel fear or be upset. Blake also makes the reader empathise with the children and infants in Infant Joy (Songs of Innocence). Infant Joy represents an innocent baby, who has come into a world where everything is expected to be joyful and well. It is as if Blake has adopted the persona of a mother or father, writing about how the child has come into the world. Blake is saying that all babies are happy, by using phrases like I happy am and Joy is my name. He is implying the baby is joy and expects joy. The reader immediately warms to the infant, because at the time people believed babies to be sinful, but Blake wrote about them as innocent. Blake believed children only did wrong because of the effects on society, and the baby in Infant Joy is represented as not yet part of society as it has no name (Joy is my name). Blake also describes how the baby is not only happy himself, but also brings joy to others around him, by saying Thou dost smile. This is one poem where Blake writes about a child or an infant being happy, innocent and free, as most of the others describe children as being trapped or upset. Infant Sorrow (Songs of Experience) is another example of a poem like this. It is a complete contrast to Infant Joy and it is not seen from a real babys point of view, so it is not a joyful or naà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ve outlook on life, but it shows a more real view from the baby that is wise. The baby has been brought into a world of suffering, not joy. This world does not welcome the baby, but Blake describes how My mother groand! my father wept./Into the dangerous world I leapt. Both stanzas in the poem use a lot of plosives, like piping and bound, which makes the poem sound abrupt, and makes the reader more shocked. The phrase Like a fiend hid in a cloud, makes the baby sound like a devil in the thundercloud, and that the baby is seen as threatening and unwanted by the family. The reader automatically sympathises with the baby and the way the baby has been welcomed into the world. Many of Blakes poems highlight the treatment of the children, and I think the poems that best achieve this are the ones Blake wrote for Songs of Experience, as these are usually cynical views that draw the readers attention and makes the agree with Blake.

The Life and Teachings of Siddhartha Gautama Essay Example for Free

The Life and Teachings of Siddhartha Gautama Essay Buddhism is a way of life for Buddhists, based on the teachings of a man who had lived more than two and a half thousand years ago in northern India. He was born in the foothills of Lumbini, in what is now Nepal, in about 563BCE, and was called Siddhartha. His family was called Gautama, and his father (Shuddhodana) was the rular of the Shakya clan at that time. Everyone who followed Siddhartha called him the Buddha, which means the enlightened one. They believed that he had found the truth about life. Many stories about the life of the Buddha were passed on by word of mouth for about 600 years before anyone wrote them down. They were a constant reminder of the Buddha and all the things he did for other people. Siddharthas father felt very strongly about him taking over as rular. He therefore gave Siddhartha everything he wanted and every luxury he could have. He didnt tell his son about suffering and death because he didnt want to upset him. He was afraid that these things would stop him from becoming interested in religion. Because Siddhartha was a prince, he was taught the skills of archery, horsemanship, swordplay and martial arts. He was given the staff of beautiful young women to care for him and to look after him. When he was only nineteen, he married a beautiful princess named Yasodhara. Because she was a princess, she was allowed to choose her husband from the local princes. She chooses Siddhartha after a number of competitions, which included lots of things such as sports and the singing of love-songs! They then had a son whose name was Rahula. When Siddhartha decided to go out in his chariot, his father sent all his servants to go and get all the blind and sick people of the streets because he didnt want to upset his son, but Siddhartha saw four things that changed his life. He saw an old man, a sick man, a corpse and a Hindu holy man, or a Sadhu. After seeing the first three of these, Siddhartha knew that he had to grow old and die. He no longer wanted a life of luxury but wanted to be ordinary. He wanted to help these people overcome their suffering. He wanted to become more like a Sadhu, who gave up all his possessions and time to lead a spiritual life. He knew that this spiritual life was for him to live. Then, one night, he left his family at the palace. Channa, his charioteer, drove him out of his fathers city. He cut off all his hair, took off all his fine clothes and, wearing just a simple robe, he set out to a homeless life. He was 29 years old. For six years Siddhartha lived under strict discipline of the Hindu religion. In other words he lived as an ascetic. He had settled to live with five other holy men near the River Nairanjana. He had trained himself to fast for long periods of time and when he had done that he only ate a little, just enough for him to live on. Some people said that he nearly killed himself fasting like that. He grew so thin that you could see his backbone through his stomach. Then, one day, he decided that this fasting and discipline wasnt doing him any good. He was trying to find the truth about life and this discipline wasnt helping, so he gave it up. He went down to the river and bathed, and on the way back he met a milkmaid named Nandabala, and she offered him some rice pudding to eat. He accepted it. The other holy men thought that Siddhartha was giving up his fast and as a consequence, they then decided to desert him. Unfortunately, he had not done what he came to do. He still wanted to find the meaning and purpose of life and to understand how to overcome the suffering that there was. He went and sat at the bottom of a tree and vowed that he would not move until he had achieved this enlightenment. He sat under the tree all night, trying to deal with temptations. Then, he was said to have gained this enlightenment. The tree that he sat under is now called the Bodhi-tree because the word for enlightenment is Bodhi. He was thirty-five when he became enlightened. For the rest of his life, until he died at eighty, he had walked all over India. One of the main places where he taught was Varanasi, where he explained his teaching-which is now the basis of all Buddhist understanding and practice. He found the sanga- the order of monks and nuns who spent their lives spreading the teaching. Most people dont choose to be monks or nuns. They follow the Buddhas teaching, and apply it to work and family life. The sanga refers to all those who are monks or nuns. By the time the Buddha had died thousands of people in India had become his followers. During the next century his teaching spread throughout most of Asia. Today there are well over 500 million Buddhists living in countries such as India, Nepal, Thailand, Japan etc. There are many Buddhist centres in the west, Europe and the U.S.A. The Buddhists believe that everyone can achieve enlightenment. They hope to do so. Some say that we all have the Buddha nature within ourselves. Siddhartha is called the Buddha because he was the first to be enlightened in this way. The Buddhists respect the Buddha in many different ways. They respect him as a great and famous teacher, helping others to understand the truth and meaning of life, and to help them gain enlightenment like the Buddha.

Role Of Logistics In Supply Chain Management Information Technology Essay

Role Of Logistics In Supply Chain Management Information Technology Essay Logistic is defined as a business planning framework for the management of material, service, information and capital flows. It involves the management of complex information flow, communication, distribution, and control systems that are required in todays business environment. It is a channel of the supply chain that adds value of time and place utility  [2]  . The role of logistics is to manage the balance that is between the little details and the key components that are involved in a product. Looking at my chosen organizations, here are some of the suitable information collected: HMV Group operates distribution centers that play a vital role in the supply chain and the delivery of stock to stores and customers from their suppliers. The role of logistics at HMV is especially important in its goal to transform from a one-dimensional retailer to a broader entertainment brand. HMVs management has embarked in a three-year transformational strategy to restructure their supply chain to achieve efficiencies that would bring about improvement in their operating profit. One of their key initiatives in the fiscal year of 2009 is the implementation of new centralized distribution center for its Waterstones business which served as a facility to facilitate the delivery and distribution of their goods. This resulted in substantial reduction in suppliers transportation requirements, and added efficiency to their supply chain operation. GlaxoSmithKline manages their supply chain with a global logistics team. Their core mandate is to enable supply and demand across the nodes in the chain, while simplifying this process through the implementation of standardization to facilitate the global IT systems. The role of logistics at GSK also involved the provision of warehousing and transportation as well as the management of pack and component portfolios  [3]  . One major initiative of GSK in 2010 is its partnership with Couzens Storage Solution for the installation of computer-controlled vertical life storage systems in its new facility in Harlow, Essex. This system helps maximize floor and cube space by providing fast access to storage with the help of technology. The technology implemented here instructs the picker to check and automatically update stock records with the internal system and add tracking capabilities. These will essentially help GSK to monitor their inventory and track shipments to ensure timely deliv ery to the customers. BT Group The role of logistics in BTs supply chain management is aimed to drive the business of BT, in particularly in customer service delivery and cost transformation. BT certainty understands the role of logistics, and the importance to control costs with maximum efficiency in any supply chain operation. BT actually offers the BT Field Force Automation which is essentially a tailored BT product to improve customer service, cut overheads and increase productively. They also offer another product called the BT Auto-ID which allows their customers to track assets with RFID (radio frequency ID) technology to gain more visibility throughout the supply chain. Extend research to Procurement practices in chosen organizations Procurement plays an essential part in the delivery of goods and services for organizations. This is the process of obtaining goods and services from the preparation stage through to the approval of the invoice for payment. HMV Group Initiated the integration of IT and back office functions, and centralized procurement of non-sale goods that could bring about potential cost savings of over  £40m annually  [4]  . This is known as sharing services to attain greater economies of scale by combining several small procurement agents into one centralized system. Joint partnership with Unipart to create a new book hub to serve stores and its website as a centralize location for its distribution functions. Product department in HMVs head office is responsible in facilitating product negotiations to obtain the best offers for their customers, and the maintenance of the latest range of products both instore and online. Employ the use of bar coding and tags to identify items and facilitate the just-in-time system of timing the purchases from their suppliers to keep inventory costs low. Engage in green public procurement practice such as its Automated Meter Reading (AMR) and electricity procurement to improve billing, monitoring and reporting capabilities  [5]  . GlaxoSmithKline Operates a shared service through its centralized Global manufacturing and supply (GMS) network that runs its procurement operation on behalf of GSK to purchase supplies for their business needs. Has an in-house procurement/purchasing department that manages GSK purchases on particular categories, its facilitation of e-bid events/auctions, project management, supplier condition and negotiations and stakeholder engagement. Leverage technology with the use of computer-controlled vertical life storage systems that checks, automatically updates stock record with internal system and tracking capabilities to help them manage their just-in-time system for timing purchases. BT Group Invested in automation with electronic interfaces to liaise to supplier directly from CRM. Integrated core Supplier with its customer order system through a centralized B2B gateway system, where its suppliers can interface. Implemented ORACLE Financials as BTs core Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software that offers tools such as ORACLE eBusiness suite and iProcurement to manage their outgoing orders to suppliers. Employs the SEBEL software, a customer relationship management system, to keep track of customer information and details while also measuring consumer satisfaction and preferences. Discuss the factors considered to improve logistics/procurement practices Procurement, which is the process of obtaining goods and services from the preparation stage through to the approval of the invoice for payment, is also known as sourcing, and some of the common procurement practices involve: Purchasing Planning Standards Determination Specifications Development Research and Supplier Selection Value Analysis Financing and Price Negotiations Inventory Control and Stores Using these known theoretical factors, one can apply these to improve the logistics and procurement practice at NewG. Application of practices to NewG From the aforementioned research in section 5.1 and 5.2, NewG Furniture can certainly draw from the expertise of these established organizations and use these practices to apply to their own business operations. NewG can implement these practices: Operation of a NewG centralized distribution center: A centralized distribution centre such as a single B2B gateway will bring about significant cost savings in transportation and also allow NewG to reduce their carbon footprint in facilitating the delivery process to their stores and customers. Share services by appointing a specialized NewG purchasing/procurement unit that manages NewGs purchases on particular categories, its facilitation of e-bid events/auctions, project management, supplier condition and negotiations and stakeholder engagement. Leverage technology in warehousing to maximum the real estate of NewGs facilities and optimize the space in their warehouses. Employ ERP software such as ORACLE Financials to utilize the tools like iProcurement to manage NewGs just-in-time supply chain management. These would also be the infrastructure to support buyer-supplier communication, and include the real time messages (i.e status, delivery, etc) such that anyone in the supply chain can be provided with accurate information. Engage in BT Field Force Automation to improve NewGs customer service, cut overhead and increases productively. Similarly, use BT Auto-ID offer to enable NewG to track assets with RFID technology to gain more visibility throughout the supply chain Task6 NewG Furniture Supply Chain Strategy, 2011 and beyond NewG Furnitures strategy is to ensure full integration to be achieved with their suppliers in order to provide the best experience for both your internal and external customers. With the use of technology, there will be a marked improvement in the flexibility to collaborate with a wide breath of NewG suppliers to meet NewGs needs for its annual expenditure on goods. The 2011 and beyond strategy is to incorporate the latest form of technology available to optimize the supply chain management process and NewGs market competitiveness. The four phases to implement this Supply Chain Strategy are: Phase 1 Improvement Assessment and Analysis Define opportunities based on operations strategy and performance shortfalls Define targets, quantify benefit and prioritise Phase 2 Analyze supply chain and processes Modeling the current supply chain flows Measuring service and financial performance. Phase 3 Design Improvement Run simulations on model supply chain Generate ideas through improvement teams Align supply chain, process and information Define process change and technology deployment Phase 4 Detailed Planning and Implementation Develop detailed designs and plans Define business case Manage change  [6]   The strategy proposes to offer a range of electronic trading options, from which suppliers can select from, to meet their different requirements. These will be relayed back to the suppliers where they perform their assessment of which would best suit their requirements and maximize their return on investment (ROI). Next, NewG Furniture should enforce a standard protocol of having single trade arrangement and single invoicing arrangement for suppliers, to standardize transactions during the ordering processes, by providing: A single portal interface used for on-line ordering Comprehensive supply chain network (automatic order acknowledgement, invoice, status checks, receipts, etc) Most cost effective supply chain by using centralized distribution centers Accurate allocation of expenditure NewG Furniture should work towards automation with electronic interfaces to suppliers with the introduction of EDI. From 2011 onwards, management should seek to automate as many processes as possible within the supply chain. One way to do this is to implement Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Planning and Bid Support applications to allow a direct interface to suppliers. These systems will help capture data and orders from NewGs customers and give them additional insight in the procurement process. Single B2B Gateway NewG Furniture could facilitate its customer order systems by launching a single B2B gateway through which suppliers can interface. This will include the latest technology available and enable suppliers to send and receive messages through a consistent and stable platform. The system will automatically send real-time updates to inform on the status, time dispatched, delivery, etc, such that NewG Furniture will always be aware of the progress should their customers inquire. Additionally, NewG Furniture should also encourage their suppliers to embrace new technologies and further collaborate by sharing information and integrating inter-company processes to improve resource utilization  [7]  . On-line Ordering The next proposed step is for NewG Furniture to invest in ERM software that provides tools such as iProcurement/iBuy to pave the way for on-line ordering. Orders through these online channels should automatically churn out approve purchase requisition, which in turn should generate a purchase order (PO) to the supplier. NewG should also follow the NO PO NO PAY policy, whereby supplier are advise to only proceed until a formal purchase order is received. Multiple Ordering and Invoicing Options Such functionally should be available to manage the relationship with suppliers by provision of different options for ordering and invoicing. Centralized Distribution and SMART facilities NewG Furniture should launch a centralized distribution facility to bring about significant cost savings in transportation and also allow NewG to reduce their carbon footprint in facilitating the delivery process to their stores and customers. They could also introduce high-tech systems in their facilities to provide fast access to storage and maximize the real estate of their facilities. Embedded chips NewG Furniture can employ the proprietary offering from BT called the BT Auto-ID which will allow NewG to track their assets with the RFID (radio frequency ID) technology to gain more visibility throughout the supply chain. Supply Chain Improvement Strategy and Benefits Analyzing the inputs of the supply chain improvement strategy, one can assess the beneficial impact by the following: Single portal / Single B2B Gateway Suppliers can interface, allow NewG to benefit from better manage their supplier relations. Allow companies in collaboration to share information and integrate the inter-company processes and improve resource utilization. Online Ordering Facilitate the automation process of ordering, where orders will automatically churn out the necessary follow ups and documents to send to counterparties. Provide an additional platform for NewG Furniture to generate sales and thus improving their sales figures. Opens their target market to an international audience which would bring a marked improvement in overall sales. Centralized Distribution and SMART facilities Reduce their overall carbon footprint and transportation costs to have a centralized unit facilitate the delivery process. Cost savings generated can be re-directed to invest in product development or acquiring strategic assets. Embedded Chips Allow NewG to micro-manage their assets in the delivery process and provide customers with more visibility to achieve higher customer satisfaction. Barriers to overcome in an organization in this implementation No doubt, the implementation of a supply chain improvement strategy will come together with quite a few barriers to overcome. In order to design a comprehensive strategy, these issues will have to be identified by the management and addressed without delay. Firstly, the primary barrier in the implementation process is obtaining the sufficient capital and resources. The implementation of the aforementioned 2011 and beyond, Supply China Strategy requires substantial investment in the necessary technologies. Without sufficient capital, NewG Furniture will find it difficult to fully exploit the new technological innovations that are used in the marketplace today and would not be able to successful put their implementation in action. The next barrier would be to address the resistance to change in the organization. According to behavioral research studies, it is common wisdom that it is a basic tenet of human behavior to resist change  [8]  . This encompasses the more dramatic changes like major restructuring to the minor changes like implementing a new procedure. Thus, it is paramount for management to anticipate and plan strategies to tackle this resistance. This implementation should be initiated with an introduction of the change with periodic follow-through and consistent monitoring over the long-term. The last barrier to be overcome to ensure the successful implementation of this Supply Chain improvement strategy would be to address the technical competencies of the employees at NewG Furniture. It would be ideal for employees to undergo training and equip them with the necessary skills to effectively operate the new systems and application that are installed. Conclusion Following this strategy, NewG will be able to achieve overall business performance in particularly in four key areas in process, measurement, information management and technology. This would directly lead to benefits of increased competitiveness and profitability, and position NewG Furniture to fully capitalize on investment opportunities and expand its market share. The new technologies would result in improvements in the supply chain process and enable rapid feedback as well as the ability to manage supplier relationship. NewG Furniture could also realize benefits of improved customer service, greater efficiency and lower inventory costs with shorter cycle and lead times, and a much more simple supply chain.

Designing an Automatic Card Shuffler :: Robotics

Background Most automatic card shufflers on the market today have a card output slot, a card input slot, a card separation area, and an arm between the card input slot and the separation area. The card input slot is where used cards are put to be shuffled. The arm makes sure that not too many cards enter the separation area at a time. The separation area is where the actual shuffling occurs. The most common method of separation uses a system of rotating belts to pull cards out of the main pile and put them back at random (Card Shuffler). Another method uses a series of elevators. The elevators move up and down, while cards are inserted randomly into each one. Then, the piles in the elevators are shuffled together (Uncomfortable Shoe). This design adds another level of randomness to the shuffling. The last essential part of the shuffler is the card output slot, which is simply where the shuffled cards come out of the machine. Our robot will be different. It has a card input and output slot, but the rest of the machine is different. It shuffles by randomly choosing from several trays full of cards. This method is faster and is more flexible regarding the number of cards being shuffled than other shufflers. Also, this machine will deal a number of different card games automatically. Casinos will want this robot because it is a faster way to shuffle more cards. It makes it so that players can not "count" cards to gain an advantage over the casinos, and with its automatic dealing capabilities, it will increase their efficiency, allowing them to earn more money. Preliminary Design Our product will do more than current automatic card shufflers. In addition to just shuffling the cards, it will also deal them out. The final product will have many shuffling trays, to increase the capacity and effectiveness of the shuffler. It will have an LCD display with inputs that allow card players to select a game on the screen, and the robot will shuffle and deal the cards according to the rules of the game. The final product will be mostly enclosed in a plastic case, to make it look streamlined and prevent tampering or damage to the parts inside. The internals, however, will not be plastic. The gears will be welloiled metal, and the gates will also be smooth plastic to allow the cards to exit them rapidly. To allow the 2 robot to be low-cost, the metal parts would have to be aluminum. There would be little to no specialized

Significance Of The Berlin Wall Essay -- European History Cold War

Significance of The Berlin Wall The Berlin Wall, built in August of 1961, was s physical symbol of the political and emotional divisions of Germany. The Wall was built because of a long lasting suspicion between the Soviet Union on one side and Western Europe and the United States on the other. For 28 years the Berlin Wall separated friends, families, and a nation. After WWII was over Germany was divided into four parts. The United States, Great Britain, and France controlled the three divisions that were formed in the Western half and the Eastern half was controlled by the Soviet Republic. The Western sections eventually united to make a federal republic, while the Eastern half became communist. Even though Berlin lay deep within the Soviet sector, the Allies thought it would be the best to divide this capital. Therefore Berlin was also divided into four parts. Since the Soviet Union was in control of the eastern half of Germany, they made East Berlin the capital of East Germany. The other three counties were each in control of a small part of what was to be West Germany. The Allies decided that they would come together to form one country out of their three divided parts. Those three divided parts formed West Germany. After all the land was divided the Soviet Union controlled East Germany. Just like the Soviet Union, the economy in East Germany was struggling to get back on its feet after the war. While West Berlin became a lively urban area like many American cities, East Berlin became what many thought of as a ‘Mini-Moscow’. In East Germany there was literary almost nothing. The shelves in the stores were practically bare, and what was there was not in very g ood quality. At first, the divisions between East and West Berlin were uncertain. There was nothing that divided the city. For more than ten years after the official split of the city, East Berlin saw a major emigration of East Germans, unhappy with the communist system. With nothing physical to separate East and West Berlin, migration from totalitarianism to democracy was as easy for East Berliners as changing houses. The Soviet Union went against their promises to the people of East Germany, and made East Germany a Communist country. This decision by the Soviet Union separated East Germany even more from the rest of Europe. East Germany was now all by itself, and by the summer of 1952 th... ...y important that the bigger part is long gone, which is tearing down the physical wall. The one and last element that is left for German people is the wall in their minds. As it can be seen from discussion above, only time can bring together the true reunification of German People. With the time, there is very little to do but wait, however we can help by helping and educating each other so what happened in 1961 won’t be repeated by generations to come. In conclusion Berlin Wall was an important milestone in the growth of the Cold War. It was the expansion that represented the thinking of a determined Communist system. Western Capitalism, which was more powerful, eventually defeated the system. The massive wall that did so much harm to a country was finally destroyed, and the people of Germany could now live the way they all wanted to live. They could live the life of freedom. Since the fall of the Berlin Wall East Germany has went through a lot of changes, and it still is not easy for all of the people in East Germany. But no matter how hard it is for the people of East Germany now, it is better than being alone and separated from their families, friends and rest of Europe.

Meaning of Professionalism and Why Healthcare Providers Are Held to Higher Standard of Accountability

Criminal Justice System Kimberly Cruse Kaplan University October 14, 2012 CJ150: Juvenile Delinquency The current juvenile justice system (JJS) has evolved over the past century with numerous differences that distinguish it from the criminal justice system (CJS). Juvenile justice proponents argued that the youth posses diminished responsibility as well as legal understanding. The earliest court started in Chicago, in 1899. A century later, there has been considerable debate on the goals as well as the legal procedures for handling juvenile offenders.The most intriguing question is whether to treat juvenile offenders differently than adult offenders. This debate draws numerous opinions from citizens, policy makers, and specialists (Edwards, 2008). Initially, the establishment of the JJS targeted individualized justice, and it focused on rehabilitation of youthful offenders. However, although there were other outstanding mitigations, the court superseded with its emphasis on care and r ehabilitation of the juvenile offenders.Consequently, the proponents upheld the youth responsible for their unlawful behavior. In addition, they asserted that society needed protection through an informal justice system (IJS). This would focus on the suitable treatment and children’s interests. Moreover, this approach is still applicable and effective for numerous juvenile offenders whose crimes state offenses and property offenses to drug offenses. Sources have revealed that a number of states have adopted separate programs within the adult correctional centers.Florida and South Carolina are the two states that have established different facilities for housing juvenile inmates. The age range is the key determinant of which youth ought to be housed in such facilities. In the above-mentioned states, the two age ranges are between 18 and 21, or 18 and 25. I also support the idea of housing them in different facilities thus avoiding cases of mistreatment (Elrod & Ryder, 2011). C urrent sources have revealed a rise in the fraction of cases processed in the juvenile court system.For instance, the number of cases processed in such courts in 2005 was 1. 6 million. The research has shown that the drug law violation, public order offense, and property offense cases are among those dealt with in a juvenile court. The graphs show an increase, along with a decline in the number of cases directed to juvenile courts for processing (Elrod & Ryder, 2011). It is notable that, in each state, government has ensured the existence of a court to handle crimes committed by juvenile offenders.Judges who are responsible for handling this category of criminals must have specialized in juvenile, together with domestic relation issues. The state of Massachusetts has made some innovations through the formation of a statewide juvenile court, which lies under the trial court. It has its chief justice and many divisions across the state. I would also implement such an idea, as it would bring such services closer to the people (Elrod & Ryder, 2011). There are numerous reasons behind the transfer of juvenile offenders to adult courts.The magnitude of offenses committed by some of the juveniles, for instance, fails to offer them the merit endowed to juveniles whose cases are conducted in juvenile courts. The transfer of such youths is beneficial to themselves as they are in a position to learn about the seriousness of their mistakes, therefore, trying to avoid them since they become aware of the repercussions. Moreover, such an action is beneficial to the society; as these youths do not have the freedom to walk about freely in their communities.Finally, these transfers benefit the system, as it is intricate to handle some cases committed by juveniles, while in juvenile courts. In case of a transfer, youths become adults legally and face similar treatment to that for adults. After a careful examination of the reasons behind such transfers, I strongly support this pra ctice. Currently, three main mechanisms are applicable for transfer of a juvenile to an adult court. As depicted in this source, the first mechanism is the judicial waiver, which has been in application since ancient epochs. A number of elements distinguish it from other mechanisms.For instance, the examination of the likely reasons for the juvenile to have committed the crime is among the basic elements. Secondly, it becomes necessary to consider the threats of such a youth to the society (Elrod and Ryder, 2011). Moreover, it considers the system to which the juvenile court system can effectively handle such a case. In a scenario, whereby the case is so serious, a careful evaluation of how the adult court can handle such a case becomes a point of focus. The other mechanism known as the legislative waiver has been in use, in various states of America.This mechanism forms its decision on the age, along with the offense criterion of the juvenile. The third and final mechanism is the p rosecutorial waiver. This is different from the other two mechanisms as it permits a concurrent jurisdiction in the two dissimilar court systems. Similarly, both the age together with the offense criterion demand cautious considerations. A number of problems arise in case of transferring juveniles to an adult court for trial. The decision to transfer these youths can bring adverse consequences to the youths.Prosecution of these youths in open criminal courts exposes them to criminals known to have committed serious offenses than them. Eventually, they may resort into learning how to commit similar crimes. Additionally, erosion of their civil rights is a problem allied to such a transfer. In various scenarios, such a transfer fails to curb the increasing rate of recidivism, therefore, the deterioration of the security of community’s security. It would be crucial to transfer only those cases that the juvenile court cannot address with efficacy.If I was a judge, the state would have to prove to me that the juvenile court would find it intricate to handle such a case, together with the effectiveness of the needed superior court (Elrod and Ryder, 2011). References Edwards, J. (2008). Introduction to the juvenile justice system. Raleigh, NC: lulu. com publishers Elrod, P. & Ryder. (2011). Juvenile justice: a social, historical, and legal perspective. Sunbury, MA: Jones &Bartlett learning publishers. Siegel, L. J. (2011). Juvenile delinquency: The core (4th ed. ). Mason: Cengage Learning/Wadsworth.

The Return: Shadow Souls Chapter 44

Elena was wakened by shouting. She'd already once awakened to unbelievable bliss. Now she was awake again – but surely that was Damon's voice. Shouting? Damon didn't shout! Throwing on a robe, she went dashing out the door and downstairs. Raised voices – confusion. Damon was kneeling on the floor. His face was blue-white. There wasn't a plant in the room that could be strangling him. Poisoned, was the next thing Elena thought and immediately her eyes darted around the room to see a spilled drink, a dropped plate, any sign that poison had done this. There was nothing. Sage was clapping Damon on the back. Oh, God, could he have choked? But that was idiocy. Vampires didn't breathe, except for talking and building Power. But then what was happening? â€Å"You have to breathe,† Sage was shouting in Damon's ear. â€Å"Take a breath, as if you were going to speak, but then hold on to it, as if for raising your Power. Think about your insides. Get those lungs working!† The words only confused Elena. â€Å"There!† cried Sage. â€Å"You see?† â€Å"But it only lasts an instant. Then I need to do it again.† â€Å"But, yes, that is the point!† â€Å"I tell you I'm dying and you laugh at me?† a disheveled Damon shouted. â€Å"I'm blind, deaf, my senses are haywire – and you laugh!† Disheveled, thought Elena, bothered by something. â€Å"Well.† Sage seemed to be at least trying not to laugh. â€Å"Perhaps, mon petit chou, you should not have opened something that was not addressed to you?† â€Å"I put wards all around me before I did it. The house was safe.† â€Å"But you were not – breathe! Breathe, Damon!† â€Å"It looked completely harmless – and admit it – we were all going – to open it last night – when we got too tired – !† â€Å"But to do it alone, to open a present from a kitsune†¦that was foolish, yes?† A choking Damon snapped, â€Å"Don't lecture me. Help me. Why am I muffled in cotton wool? Why can't I see? Or hear? Or smell – anything? I'm telling you I can't smell a thing!† â€Å"You are fit and sharp as any human could be. You could probably defeat most vampires if you fought with one right now. But human senses are very few and very dull.† Words were swimming in Elena's head†¦opening things not addressed to you†¦bouquet from a kitsune†¦human†¦ Oh, my God! Apparently, the same words were going through the mind of someone else, because suddenly a figure dashed in from the kitchen area. Stefan. â€Å"You stole my bouquet? From the kitsune?† â€Å"I was very careful – â€Å" â€Å"Do you realize what you've done?† Stefan shook Damon. â€Å"Ow. That hurts! Do you want to break my neck?† â€Å"That hurts? Damon, you're in for a world of hurt! Do you understand? I talked to that kitsune. Told him the whole story of my life. Elena came to visit and he saw her practically†¦well, never mind – he saw her crying over me! Do†¦you†¦realize†¦what†¦you†¦have†¦ done?† It was as if Stefan had started climbing a series of steps, and that each one lifted him to a higher level of fury than the last. And here, at the top†¦ â€Å"I'll KILL YOU!† Stefan shouted. â€Å"You took it – my humanity! He gave it to me – and you took it!† â€Å"You'll kill me? I'll kill you, you – you bastard! There was one flower in the middle. A black rose, bigger than I have ever seen. And it smelled†¦heavenly†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"It's gone!† Matt reported, producing the bouquet. He displayed it. There was a gaping hole in the center of the mixed flower arrangement. Despite the hole, Stefan ran to it, and stuck his face into the bouquet, sucking in great heaving breaths of air. He kept coming up and snapping his fingers and each time lightning flared between his fingertips. â€Å"Sorry, bud,† Matt said. â€Å"I think it's gone.† Elena could see it all now. That kitsune†¦he was one of the good ones, like the stories Meredith had told them about. Or at least good enough to sympathize with Stefan's plight. And so, when he had gotten free, he had made up a bouquet – kitsune could do anything with plants, although surely this was a great feat, something like finding the secret of eternal youth†¦to turn vampires into humans. And after Stefan had endured and endured and endured and should have finally gotten his reward†¦right now†¦ â€Å"I'm going back,† Stefan shouted. â€Å"I'm going to find him!† Meredith said quietly, â€Å"With or without Elena?† Stefan stopped. He looked up at the stairway, and his eyes met Elena's. Elena†¦ We'll go together. â€Å"No,† Stefan shouted. â€Å"I would never put you through that. I'm not going after all. I'm just going to murder you!† He swung back on his brother. â€Å"Been there, done that. Besides, I'm the one that's going to kill you, you bastard! You took my world away from me! I am a vampire! I'm not a† – some creative cursing – â€Å"human!† â€Å"Well you are now,† Matt said. He was just barely not laughing out loud. â€Å"So I'd say you'd better get used to it.† Damon leaped at Stefan. Stefan didn't step aside. In an instant there was a ball of thrashing, kicking, and punching, and cursing in Italian that made it sound as if there were at least four vampires fighting five or six humans. Elena sat down helplessly. Damon†¦a human? How were they going to deal with this? Elena looked up to see that Bonnie had carefully made up a tray of all sorts of things that tasted good to humans, and that she'd undoubtedly done it for Damon before he had worked his way into hysteria. â€Å"Bonnie,† Elena said quietly, â€Å"don't give it to him yet. He'll just throw it at you. But perhaps later†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Later he won't throw it?† Elena winced. â€Å"How is Damon going to deal with being human?† she asked herself aloud. Bonnie looked at the cursing, spitting ball of vampire/human fury. â€Å"I'd say†¦kicking and screaming the whole way.† Just then Mrs. Flowers came out of the kitchen. She had a huge mound of fluffy waffles stacked on several plates on a tray. She saw the rolling, swearing, snarling ball that was Stefan and Damon. â€Å"Oh, my,† she said. â€Å"Did something go wrong?† Elena looked at Bonnie. Bonnie looked at Meredith. Meredith looked at Elena. â€Å"You†¦could say so,† gasped Elena. And then the three of them gave way to it. Gales and gales of helpless laughter. You've lost a powerful ally, said a voice in Elena's mind. Do you know that? Can you foresee the consequences? Today, when you have just come back from a world of Shinichis? We'll win, Elena thought. We have to.

A Guide to Internet Privacy Laws and Ethics Essay

With information systems, privacy deals with the collection and use or misuse of data More and more information on all of us is being collected, stored, used, and shared among organizations Who owns this information and knowledge? Privacy is a status wherein an individual can work on his/her information in seclusion, resulting in a selective revelation of one’s identity and information. Privacy can mean anonymity in case a person wants to remain unidentified. Privacy can also be related to the security aspect of an individual or information. The definitions of privacy can differ across individuals and cultures. The invasion of privacy can be avoided by the issue of privacy laws. Internet Privacy and Ethics Using the Internet often comprises the use of social networking sites, email facilities and the browse of various other websites. Internet privacy comes on the scene when it comes to website users giving out their personal details on the Internet. For certain websites, which facilitate online shopping, the users are made to input their credit card numbers. In case of emailing sites, there are issues about whether third parties should be allowed to store or read emails without informed consent. Whether or not, the third parties should be permitted to track the visitors on a website, is another major privacy concern. The other important Internet privacy issue is whether the sites that gather personally identifiable information from the users should store or share it. Internet privacy can be considered as a subset of computer privacy. Computer privacy consists of the data privacy relating to the avoidance of the improper disclosure of the personally identifiable information collected and stored by websites. The effective sharing of data while protecting the private information is the real challenge. Privacy and the Internet * Huge potential for privacy invasion on the Internet * E-mail messages * Visiting a Web site * Buying products over the Internet * Platform for Privacy Preferences (P3P): screening technology * Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), 1998: requires privacy policies and parental consent * Potential dangers on social networking Web sites E-Mail Privacy * Federal law permits employers to monitor e-mail sent and received by employees * E-mail messages that have been erased from hard disks can be retrieved and used in lawsuits * Use of e-mail among public officials might violate â€Å"open meeting† laws Computer Matching is a mass surveillance technique involving the comparison of data about many people, which has been acquired from multiple sources. Its use offers potential benefits, particularly financial savings. It is also error-prone, and its power results in threats to established patterns and values. The imperatives of efficiency and equity demand that computer matching be used, and the information privacy interest demands that it be used only where justified, and be subjected to effective controls Computer matching is the comparison of machine-readable records containing personal data relating to many people, in order to detect cases of interest. The technique is called ‘computer matching’ in the United States, and ‘data matching’ in Australia and Canada. Although the latter term is perhaps more usefully descriptive, the United States term is more common in the literature, and is used in this paper. The Computer Matching and Privacy Protection Act The Computer Matching and Privacy Protection Act of 1988 (5 U.S.C. 552a(o) et seq.) amended the Privacy Act by describing the manner in which computer matching involving Federal agencies could be performed and by adding certain protections for individuals applying for and receiving Federal benefits. As amended by the Computer Matching and Privacy Protection Act, the Privacy Act requires Federal agencies involved in computer matching programs to: Negotiate written agreements with the other agency or agencies participating in the matching programs; Obtain the relevant Data Integrity Boards’ approval of the match agreements; Furnish detailed reports about matching programs to Congress and OMB; Notify applicants and beneficiaries that their records are subject to matching; and Verify match findings before reducing, suspending, terminating, or denying an individual’s benefits or payments. Though the Computer Matching and Privacy Protection Act certainly involves detailed procedures, including obscure ‘Data Integrity Boards,’ it is probably most notable for the fact that it institutionalizes sharing of data among federal government agencies. Information collected for one purpose may be used for different purposes by a different federal agency. Though integrity and fairness seem assured by the Act, privacy is not. Flaming also known as bashing, is hostile and insulting interaction between Internet users, often involving the use of profanity. Flaming usually occurs in the social context of an Internet forum, Internet Relay Chat (IRC), Usenet, by e-mail, game servers such as Xbox Live or PlayStation Network, and on video-sharing websites. It is frequently the result of the discussion of heated real-world issues such as politics, religion, and philosophy, or of issues that polarise subpopulations, but can also be provoked by seemingly trivial differences Spam is most often considered to be electronic junk mail or junk newsgroup postings. Some people define spam even more generally as any unsolicited email. However, if a long-lost brother finds your email address and sends you a message, this could hardly be called spam, even though it is unsolicited. Real spam is generally email advertising for some product sent to a mailing list or newsgroup.

What is the relation between the image of the ‘rural’ and the idea of England in ‘Jude the Obscure’ and ‘Howard’s End’

The novel by Thomas Hardy, ‘Jude the Obscure', and E. M. Forster's ‘ Howard's End', are two novels narrating the lives and times of various people These chronicle the environmental and social aspects surrounding the characters in them, and their progression through life. Each delivers a stark contrast in the lives of the main characters, and the different troubles and pleasures they incur during their lifetime. This essay will show a connection between these two novels in the context that they display the image of the rural and the historic, international image that the British common wealth established amongst the rest of the worlds cultures. The first area that needs to be addressed when answering this question is the image of the rural. The simple, universal definition of the term rural in Standard English, means the characteristics of, or pertaining to the country and the people living in the country. The novel by Thomas Hardy ‘Jude The Obscure' is the best source to draw details and perceptions for this idea of the rural, as the theme and it's main character Jude, is largely based on his rural lifetime. When thinking about the rural, often one of the first images we get is the image of a livelihood based around agriculture. Agriculture and other simple professions seem to be the main stay of the economic structure of a rural environment. Evidence for this image can be found in ‘Jude The Obscure'. From Jude's early life as a boy we see him scaring away birds from crops Just now he's a-scaring of birds for farmer Troutham. It keeps him out of mischty. † (Page 17'Jude the obscure') This quote also is symbolic of the language differences within the rural and the urbane. The city linguistic system is more proper in the sense that they don't conjoin words or shorten words ‘mischty' being an example of the latter. The image of the rural, as seen in terms of their work is primitive and largely agricultural. The rural people are seen to live in a less sophisticated habitat, boarding rooms and lodges; also small farming cottages are often the main perceptions of rural habitats. Another major aspect of the perception of the rural can be described as a ‘small town attitude'. What this means, is that the people within the community are tightly knit and highly communicative. It could also be suggested that these ‘small town attitude' people have a resentment for the more urbane people, this is also in the text of ‘Jude the obscure'. They may be right in some cases but as Jude displays in Hardy's novel, he aspires to be more city like. He reads to become more intellectual, wiser and to master the various linguistic abilities of the higher social class. There are two main other cases which display common rural activities. These are the tendencies to go to church and to commune in public houses. There are several scenes set where Jude is in a Public house, either trying to assimilate himself with the more intellectual parts of society, of which he fails, and other times when he is simply drinking away his sorrows. The rural, in the sense of the image that the novel ‘Jude the obscure' portrays or proposes, suggests many common theologies about the life style. These can be summarized but may not be fully comprehended in the manner in which they where supposed to be taken. These are, in their simplest form, unsophisticated habitats, lower levels of education, primitive livelihoods, small town attitudes, simple customs, and to embody the thoughts of the urbane type, a society full of poverty which in their eyes is unhappiness. This next part of the essay will show the customs, traditions, and behavior of the different classes within the city. These will mainly be drawn from the novel by E. M. Forster's ‘Howard's End'. Howard's End' shows what most see as the idea of England at that time. What has to be taken into account is the three distinct social classes we have within this novel, and which all interact with one another in some way. Three families, the Schlegel family, the Wilcox family, and the Bast family represent the three social classes in this novel. These three families are a good depiction of the types of people dwelling in the main English cities of that time. The first of these families is the Wilcox family. Mr. Wilcox summarizes the depiction of this social class. He represents the hard working, pragmatic and chauvinistic middle class trying to step up to the upper class. He owns a rural estate, Howard's End, which he has earned through him being a prominent businessman. This is an example of his materialistic characteristics. The next class of family to be considered is the Schlegel family. In ‘Howard's End' they are depicted as being very cultured and intellectual, as well as very wealthy. They are of pure English blood, of which was important at that time due to the industrial competitiveness between England and Germany. â€Å"†Of course I regard you Schlegels as English,† said Mrs. Munt hastily – â€Å"English to the backbone. â€Å"† (Page12 ‘Howard's End') They are very cultured and of a high decorum. The remaining family, that will complete our examination of the three varying social types that coexist in the city, are the Bast family. They are on the lowest line of the middle class, enough money for food, clothes and shelter. Leonard Bast is symbolic of his class, hard working but impoverished, ever trying to enter that upper echelon, but never making it. Leonard will become a key talking point in linking the image of the rural to the idea of England. This completes a brief overview of the three social classes within an English city of the time in the novel ‘Howard's End'. The idea of England that these social classes give is fairly broad. Perceptions range from the intelligent and good social etiquette, which live for the happiness that their money brings. They classes with money visit different countries, go to plays and performances, and more importantly vacate to the rural estate, Howard's End. One can also feel the discrimination of foreign blood and cultures, feel the conceited nature of the English. An example of this was previously mentioned and quoted earlier from a conversation between Mrs. Mund and Margaret Schlegal. From this novel can be drawn the gentlemanly, chauvinistic behavior, characteristic of so many peoples perceptions of the English. If you also back this up with the manner in which the characters in ‘Howard's End' speak for example â€Å"† I hope Miss Avery is not ill,† hazarded Margaret, â€Å"Well, if you'll excuse me,† said Madge, â€Å"perhaps I ought to be leaving you now†¦ † (Page310 ‘Howard's End') Compared with the more rural language of those in ‘Jude The Obscure' â€Å"Well ye med ask it Mrs. Williams. He's my great nephew – come since you were last this way. â€Å"†(Page 16 ‘Jude The Obscure') If one were to be vicarious in thinking about the book and hear the accent, grammatical, and linguistic make up of the characters conversations it is easy to gain this idea of how the English conduct themselves in social conversational encounters. It is easy to see how other cultures such as the German, or Nigerian cultures, some of the places visited by characters in ‘Howard's End', might have perceived this behavior. But for those nations which are visited by those classes with money, they become ignorant to the fact that they are not the only class and kind of people within England. If people from these other countries where to visit not only the cities of England, as most would do, but also the rural, this idea of the English might not be so distorted as what it is. ‘Howard's End' tries to explain this. It tries to put forward the fact that, for England to exist, every social class must interact in order for the survival of the nation. In the case of ‘Howard's End', it arranges three different social classes interacting, and eventually learning to peaceably live with one another. ‘Jude The Obscure' is showing a time when this was in early stage of evolution. The rural wanted to stay rural, but an ever-increasing amount wanted to become more urbane and sophisticated. This leads to the next point of discussion. The next area of significance in answering this question is the graduation from rural to city, and the connection with which these two novels, ‘Jude The Obscure' and ‘Howard's End' explain this. There is a common relation between the theme country to city. In most cases the city and urbane society see the rural as a place to relax, in ‘Howard's End' this is an example, a rural setting for which the characters usually find peaceful. These types of people appreciate that facts of rural life but could never live the rural lifestyle like the one portrayed in ‘Jude The Obscure', they need to have the commodities in life that the city offers. But this social class would not be the same without their rural experience of Howard's End. Then the rural society has a completely different outlook. There are some who aspire to live in the city, like Jude, but there are those who are content with their ignorant conceitedness towards the city and it's population. As mentioned previously, there is a major connection between two of the characters within the novels ‘Howard's End' and ‘Jude The Obscure'. Jude and Leonard Bast are inexplicably similar in their plights in their live. They have many aspects, manners, outlooks, and aspirations in common. This will be the next area to be looked at.. There are five major traits that Leonard Bast and Jude from ‘Howard's End' and ‘Jude The Obscure' respectively, have in common, in relation to their roles and experiences within each of the novels. The first of these traits is that both are economically on the same means, just enough to get by in life without many luxuries. Jude is above all a stonemason, Leonard, a low profile insurance worker. They are both also trying to better themselves on an intellectual level by reading constantly, hoping that their further knowledge would improve their chances of prospering in life. Both of these characters hope by attaining this extra knowledge that they can become assimilated with the social class of their desire. Both characters also have dramatic, romantic relationships, especially in the case of Leonard Bast, who was eventually killed because of his romantic interests What we gain from the studies of these two texts ‘Howard's End' and ‘Jude The Obscure' is an understanding of how the image of the rural is related to the idea of England. It could be suggested that from these two novels we can see the evolution of a nation. The notion that the rural evolved into the urban is present in all developed nations, and held as fact. If it were not for the rural lifestyles, people would not have known what they would have needed to improve their standard of living. A nation's urbane did not develop its rural community; a nation's rural community developed the city and the urban lifestyle and social classes that go with it. The novel ‘Jude The Obscure' shows a progression from a very primitive rural life, to that of a very primitive urban life. From the novel ‘Howard's End' one can contrive a pattern of evolution of social class and standard of living within the text. From one perspective it could be shown that the Bast family evolved into the Wilcox family, and then from the Wilcox family, the Schlegel family evolved. This statement is using the family names as a metaphor for the social class which each of the families stand for. The image of the rural is depicted in ‘Jude The Obscure', as is the image of the urbane in ‘Howard's End'. This image of the urbane in ‘Howard's End' became what was and may still be the idea of England. In particular, this image of the urbane, and more specifically the upper class Schlelegel family, personified the idea of England and it's Common Wealth to other peoples and their nations. The idea of England became this educated, literal, and cultural view, a population of intellectuals focused on pleasure, world dominance, and traditions supported by wealth and religion, with which their military power brought them at that time. The idea of England, which is concieved by most today, is taken without any original stimulus from which to formulate such an idea. By looking into these two novels one can gain a much more educated and well-founded view of what England was, and should be perceived as in terms of a nation. What this means is that without all the social classes and development from rural to urbane, England would not exist as the nation and country that it is today. Further more, neither would any other developed nation, such as the United States and the worldly perception held of them currently. They have the rural and the urbane. The whole country is not one rich military powerhouse. It is built upon its varying social societies. This is the same philosophy, which must be taken when looking at the idea of England. This is the point that must be taken when correlating the idea of England with the image of the rural, not as independent entities, but as one entire comprehension.