What to Add to Christmas Tree Water

Now that youve done the difficult work of selecting a fresh Christmas tree and delivering it to your home you need to keep your tree looking healthy through the holidays. You will need to give it plenty of water. As for treating that water, though, most experts say there is no reason to add anything—plain tap water will do. What the Experts Say While many additives are available for Christmas tree water, most experts—including the National Christmas Tree Association (NCTA)—say there is no reason to use them. In the words of Dr. Gary Chastagner of Washington State University: Your best bet is just plain tap water added to the Christmas tree stand. It doesnt have to be distilled water or mineral water or anything like that. So the next time someone tells you to add ketchup or something more bizarre to your Christmas tree stand, dont believe it. Still, other scientists say some additives increase both fire resistance and needle retention. One such additive—Plantabbs Prolong Tree Preservative—claims to increase water absorption and prevent drying. Another product—Miracle-Gro for Christmas Trees —claims to deliver important nutrients and reduce bacterial growth. If youre worried about your tree being a fire risk, you may want to give one of these products a shot. Just remember that they are no substitute for adequate watering. Proper Watering The best way to keep your tree fresh is to make sure it gets plenty of moisture. This starts with using a tree stand with an adequate water capacity. The ideal stand is one that holds a quart of water for each inch of the stem diameter. That means that if your tree trunk has an 8-inch diameter, youll want a stand that holds at least 2 gallons of water. If the stand is too small, your tree will soak up the water more quickly than you can likely replenish it, leaving your tree dried out. Make sure, as well, to use a tree stand that is large enough to accommodate the trunk of your tree without having to trim down the sides. If your tree is more than a day old you may want to saw a one-inch cookie off the trees trunk bottom. Even a small sliver shaved off the trunk will help. This freshens the trunk and allows water to be quickly taken up to the needles for continued freshness. Make sure to cut in a straight line perpendicular to the trunk, as an uneven slice can make it more difficult for the tree to absorb water. Even if you dont plan to decorate your tree as soon as you take it home, put it in a bucket of water to keep it fresh. Place your tree in a cool, dry place away from fireplaces, radiators, and other heat sources. Too much heat will cause the tree to quickly lose moisture and dry out. Check the level of the water each day to make sure it stays above the base of the trunk. Make sure to check the needles as well. If they seem dry and brittle, the tree has dried out and may be a fire hazard. If this happens it should be taken outside and thrown away.

2015 Hume Teachers Scholarship Nomination - Open Category

2015 Hume Teachers’ Scholarship Nomination – Open Category Nominee: Arlene Rankothge – Meadow Heights Education Centre Criteria 1 Provide three or more examples of how the nominee: a. Inspires students and the school community to participate in lifelong learning b. Uses innovation in the classroom The teacher whom I would like to nominate in the open category is Arlene Rankothge from Meadow Heights Education Centre who teaches Certificates in Spoken and Written English. She is one of the hardest working and most dedicated teachers I have ever had the pleasure to meet. Over the past four years that I have known and worked alongside Arlene, I have witnessed the lengths she goes to, not only to teach her students how to read and write in another language, but also the basic skills they need to settle into life in a new country. Arlene will go out of her way, staying back after class or giving up her breaks, to help those that are struggling with their new language by giving them extra tutoring. No one appreciates the hard work Arlene does for her students than the students themselves. One example that comes to mind is how when Arlene had a student who had to withdraw from class due to treatments for a health related problem, she encouraged the student to come into the class whenever she felt up to it, to still give her the social and support aspect that the class offered, while keeping her English skills up, and not letting the student’s mind be focused solely on the fear of

Discuss the powers and constraints on the power of the Prime Minister Free Essays

The British Prime Minister (PM) is holder of great power(s). ‘The PM is the most powerful figure, indeed the most powerful figure in the British system of government’[1]. He or She leads a group of political figures some of whom have a party or national standing in their own right. We will write a custom essay sample on Discuss the powers and constraints on the power of the Prime Minister or any similar topic only for you Order Now At the beginning of the 20th century the PM was described as primus inter pares- first among equals. The PM has can exercise powers which are denied to other members of the cabinet for example the power of patronage. He/she has formal powers inherited by the monarch such as the ability to go to war and more informal powers such as the media. The PM also has constitutional powers for example being able to decide the election date. This essay shall outline some of the powers at the disposal of the PM as well as some of the constraints that can limit the PMs freedom of action. Firstly, ‘The Prime Minister’s role is peculiarly British in two ways. The first is that as the Head of Government, he must control the House of Commons to remain in office[2]. The fact that the PM is head of government gives him/her considerable power. The PM owes his or her position to the party and must not forget such a connection. He or she will use the powers of leadership to keep the party united, working out compromise solutions as necessary. As leader of the majority party the PM retains support of the parliament. As long as the majority is a workable one, the PM and his or her cabinet colleagues are in a position to persuade the House to adopt party policies. In this sense a good relationship between the Pm and his or her party is crucial in allowing the freedom of choice for the PM. Secondly, the PM exercises power under the royal prerogative, powers which can be used but are traditionally powers of the crown. Powers relating to the legislature-e. g. ‘the summoning, proroguing and dissolution of parliament; the granting of royal assent to bills; legislating by Order in Council (e. g. in relation to civil service) or by letters patent; creating schemes for conferring benefits upon citizens where Parliament appropriates the necessary finance’[3]. Powers regarding the armed forces ‘Powers relating to the armed forces e. g. – the Sovereign is commander in chief of the armed forces of the Crown and the control, organisation and disposition of the armed forces are within the prerogative’[4]. Furthermore, ‘the power of appointment and dismissal, can be, and is, used by the Prime Minister to shape the general and specific direction of policy, as Margaret Thatcher demonstrated in September 1981 when she reinforced her Governments commitment to its economic policy by dismissing several so called wets[5]. Thirdly, the PM determines the date of the next general election. The PM alone decides when to ask the monarch when to dissolve parliament and therefore the time of the polling day. Normally this will be after four years in office. The PM will choose a time when victory looks most likely[6], his or her choice may be influenced by party performance in the polls, opinion polls and also by-elections, there are a number of various influences that cast the deciding factor into when election Day is. On the other hand, a constraint on the powers of the PM could be his/her cabinet colleagues. It clearly limits the freedom of action for any PM. No PM can survive long without the support of his or her cabinet colleagues. The fall of Margaret Thatcher in 1990 is often said to be largely the work of her cabinet, ‘the introduction of the Community Charge for local government sounded the death knell for Thatcherism’[7] And her presidential style of leadership were making her unpopular. In 1990 there was a challenge to her leadership. Michael Heseltine stood against thatcher in a challenge to her leadership but ‘despite being only four votes short of outright victory, she stepped down after advice from her Cabinet’[8]. fewer votes than she did but enough to damage her authority to such an extent that in a succession of face to face interviews her cabinet colleagues convinced her not to stand in the second round, thus leaving the way open for john major to be elected. Thatcher was therefore removed from office largely due to the work of her cabinet colleagues. John Major also had some difficulties in his second ministry with some of his cabinet particularly John Redwood and Michael Portillo, because of their underhand opposition to his policy. Brown enjoyed the advantage of being able to reshuffle his cabinet thoroughly when he took over as PM, hence ensuring the exclusion of his enemies and rivals. He made sure to include some of his ‘inner circle’ including Ed Balls sometimes named Mr Browns ‘representative on earth’ [9] A second constraint on the powers of the PM is the support of the media or lack of it. If a PM is to be popular and hence successful, he or she needs the support of a large section of the media; this usually itself can be dependent on the popularity of the PM. The Murdoch press is often credited, especially by the newspapers themselves as having more influence than they really have, a Guardian article affirms ‘ Rupert Murdoch’s spell is broken. But not his baleful influence’[10]. Moreover when they transferred their support from Major to Blair in the mid-1990s/ it was certainly harmful to Major’s electoral success. However, if Major had still been popular in the country, it is unlikely that the sun and the times would have switches sides as they did. Brown initially enjoyed a favourable press, largely due to the novelty factor. ‘By the skilful and sustained use of propaganda, one can make a people see even heaven as hell or an extremely wretched life as paradise’ Adolf Hitler’s remarks about the media make the impression that the correct use of it can prove a powerful thing. But by contrast we have seen that when the media turns against the PM it can be a constraint on the power of the PM. Finally, the size of the majority in the commons can have a substantial effect on the PMs ability to push things through. Tony Blair enters Downing Street on a wave of goodwill after a landslide election victory, his Commons majority of 179 ending 18 years of Conservative rule[11]. Tony Blair was fortunate between 1997 and 2005 with two large majorities. This was an important factor in his success, and his ability and his government’s ability to get programs passed in parliament. However, it is arguable that because his majority was so huge, some dissidents on the backbench were more willing to cause trouble than they otherwise would have been. In 2993-5, there were a number of Labour backbench revolts which greatly reduced the government’s theoretical majority in the commons. So perhaps it is better to have a large, rather than enormous majority. But governments with small majorities such as Wilson and Callaghan in the period 1974-0 and then John Major in 1992-7 can suffer considerably in the event of a backbench revolt. Over Europe, Major had great problems within his own party and only managed to ratify the Maastricht Treaty with a majority of one vote because of a backbench revolt. This sort of difficulty undermines the PMs Authority more generally, in the media and among the voters as a whole. Blair found this out for himself in his third term, with a reduced majority, and his first defeat in 2005 on the terrorism bill. Brown of course inherited this slimmer majority from Blair and in March 2008 he faced back-bench rebellions over his counter terrorism bill. In conclusion, it has been argued that the PM has acted beyond the constitutional role which is primus inter pares (first among equals). The PM can exercise powers held by the crown or prerogative powers for example the ability to go to war. Also the PM decides the election date. But most importantly, he or she is leader of government and by definition the most powerful politician in the country. However, should the PM forget the connection established between the press, the people and his or her party the PM will find it hard to succeed as Margaret thatcher’s downfall highlighted. How to cite Discuss the powers and constraints on the power of the Prime Minister, Papers

Content on discipline problems in school free essay sample

The purpose of discipline is to help the individual to gain knowledge, habits, interests and ideals which conduce to the well being of him, his fellows and society as a whole. Besides that, discipline should be taught in school by teachers since young. Giving discipline lessons to the teenagers is able to guide them proper discipline which is necessary in their growing process including mental development. To be more precise, teenager are trained to be more able to maintain a good behavior through what they have learn in the discipline lessons as they were introduced with the concept of discipline. As education researcher Daniel Duke (1989) points out,† the goal of good behavior is necessary, but not sufficient to ensure academic growth. † But, a well academic growth strongly depends on how an individual was taught since young which includes how they were trained in discipline and maintaining good behavior. Teenager can avoid the feelings of guilt and shame by avoiding improper behavior if they have self-discipline. Besides, Discipline acts as a standard for teenager to be judged by society to see whether they are mature enough in various situations. Other than that, discipline motivates children to behave well in order to be praised by society for their well-being. Moreover, discipline guilds children to make their own correct decisions and control their own behavior. For disciplinary problems, there are causes to it for sure. The causes are categorized into two parts, which are the out-of-school causes and the in-school causes. In out-of-school causes, we can see that students who are involved in disciplinary problems, usually get the influence from media. It is believable that media like television and the Internet have a potentially damaging effect on children. According to Media Education, 2005, studies reviewed ten years of research concluded that children would have viewed 200,000 acts of violence, including 16,000 murders by the time they are 18 years of age. Besides that, quality of home life is a big influence on children. Two working parent families, single parent families, two mommy or daddy parents, blended families are likely to exist in every community. From this cause, insecurity is the main reason that causes one to be involved in disciplinary cases. Students are more concerned fore basic security needs than for learning. These security issues have a created a large group of children seeking emotional support from just about anybody available. Some students might pay to a certain gang of friends for protection purpose. This encourages some students to use this opportunity to bully people who are threat to students under their protection, and this is how discipline problems occur. Another out-of-school cause is the concentration of poverty. Studies over many years have shown a strong connection between socioeconomic status and success in school. Easy said, mostly students from wealthier families do significantly better than those from poorer families. National statistics indicates that growing up in a background of poverty is more likely than race to put a child on a route of misbehavior and punishment. Children in poor families experience regular stress from economic hardship are likely to be involved in unlawful acts and antisocial. Children raised in poverty often choose to behave differently, which will cause disciplinary problems in school. Like mentioned above, in-school causes are also big influences to disciplinary problems in school. Competitive environments are remained in most schools where students compete for recognition, grades, and spots on sports team. Limited spots exist, and they’re always for the best people. Jealousy and envy will occur, and it turns into a disciplinary problem when it comes to an argument or a fight. Powerlessness is another factor in school discipline problems. Some students rebel as a way of voicing their dissatisfaction with their lack of influence. Students are told the rules, the consequences, what to do, when to talk. When the school creates rules and procedures that define behavioral standards for students that have had little or no input, a conflict of control and power can happen. Last but most definitely not least, many students with constant discipline problems believe that they cannot and will not be successful in school. They do not believe they can get the attention and recognition they need through school achievement. Their self-message is â€Å"Since I can’t be recognized as anything other than a failure, I’ll protect myself from feeling hurt. † They believe to be recognized as a troublemaker is better than being seen as a failure. When there are causes, there will definitely be effects as well. Effects of discipline problems in school on teachers will occur. The teacher’s mood may have an unfavourable effect on the pupils’ behavior. The teacher might enter the classroom with trembling nerves and nothing seems to be done to please him. Perhaps when one student commits a minor error, the case will be exaggerated in his mind, and his or her sharp criticisms are given, and it creates a bigger issue. It is said that good discipline and behavior are the conditions for a successful school. But when a school has lots of discipline problems, teachers will think of leaving the school. They said they had left because student discipline was such a challenge. Many complained teaching is about being more in the crowd control business than in teaching. In fact, the most worrying effect is the effect on the other students. Bullying cases increased in the past few years which shows that the discipline problems in school have not yet to be under control. Videos are uploaded to the Internet, showing how a student is being bullied, being called â€Å"ugly-looking pig†, hair being pulled, face being slapped, and body being kicked. The reasons why the particular students is being bullied, sometimes is just plainly because he or she looked unattractive or unsightly, which frustrates the bullies. There are some cases which had happened in Malaysia. Bullying in schools has been a major issue with several high-profile cases surfacing in Malaysian over the past year. Just before Chinese New Year, a group of secondary school boys from Limbang, Sarawak, ganged up on two students and â€Å"rained blows and kicks† on them in their dormitory. Besides that, there was a bullying incident happened in Butterworth. Three secondary school students posted the video of how they bullied their classmates on YouTube. Violence and bullying in schools are not something new, however the extent of bullying is not usually reported, let alone recorded. A video on YouTube emerged on Facebook showing a Malaysian teenage schoolgirl being physically bullied by classmates in a horrific way. Other than that, the SMK Raja Abdullah bullies attacked the victim by yanking her hair, strangling her, cutting off her hair and hitting her in the head with books. The victim cried and pleaded for her classmates to stop but her classmates continued to jeer and attack her. In another incident on May 24, 2011, eight secondary school students were sent for a two-year community service program with the state Welfare Department, with a 1,500 ringgit bond for good behavior after they were found guilty of trespassing into a school and beating up a student. Solving this issue is not an easy task, it requires involvement of all parties, including teachers, parents and students themselves. Parents really make a difference in student achievement behavior. Parental involvement should be increased where schools should establish a policy where teachers are required to contact parents throughout the year. Parents will understand how their kids are performing in school. If the kid has discipline problems, parents should be informed as soon as possible before things get serious. This is not to say that all parental involvement have a positive effect on student behavior. Even so, this is an area which many successful schools claim to make a huge difference. Besides that, discipline plans are a way to provide students with a persistent and fair plain of what will happen if they misbehave. Schools should not only create a schoolwide discipline plan, but truly enforce it as well. Teachers and administrators should often follow the discipline plan created by the school board. Effective classroom management should include posting and use of this discipline plan. Furthermore, counselors in school play an important role in this case. Students with issues can often consult the counselors. The counselors should give them proper advice and motivation to get rid of the bad habits. The only way to help the students is to understand them. They should walk around the school and observe students with discipline problems and also get information on their background to help know them better. This is how to understand the problematic students well, in order to lend a hand and solve the problem.

Cheating in Sports Essay Example

Cheating in Sports Essay Week 3 The topic that I am researching is â€Å"Cheating in Sports†, from illegal drugs use, gambling, to federal indictments, NASCAR, all types and its impact economically and socially on society. Because millions and millions of dollars are won and lost in the world of sports, as well as the social impact it has with the public/society. So the questions that come to mind are, why do we care and identify with our teams so much? What is the appeal, what do we find so admirable about winning in a sporting game? Where do we draw the line when it comes to cheating in sports? Why as a society do we place such a high emphasis on winning in sports! Narrative Hook #1 – Is society’s obsession with winning jeopardizing the integrity of sports? This hook draws readers in and creates interest because it immediately captures their attention by asking the reader to consider societies role in possibly jeopardizing sports integrity. Readers can relate because every society in the world has some type of sports team, either, locally, or nationally they relate to, from the young to the old. Also, the majority of most people are not, were not athletes or involved in sports as a profession or employment or even at the amateur and recreational level. Most people (society) are fans of a particular sport and follow it, whether closely or as a casual interest. Narrative Hook#2 – Who is to blame, the athlete, the sport, the public for the wide spread cheating in sports? This hook draws and captures readers’ interest because it now specifically looks at several possibilities to consider and that most people will fit into. We will write a custom essay sample on Cheating in Sports specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Cheating in Sports specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Cheating in Sports specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Depending on their own personal position, as an athlete, or former, involved in a sport as an employee, recreationally, or just a fan, they can relate on a personal level as it pertains to cheating in sports. I ask though, who is to blame, the athlete? How do you tell a young kid who’s family has been living in poverty, and has the chance to earn millions and change their lives by taking a little blue, white, pill that will give him a competitive advantage and possibly make that dream come true! When millions upon millions are at stake, a Super Bowl, a World Series and your team has the tapes of the opposing teams plays, or the signals of the pitcher, and it can mean the difference of being crowned the victor or not, what stops you, the coach, owner, to not cross that line, or should we say who stops you? That World Series winning home run, or that kick-off returning touchdown to win the Super Bowl, or that last round knockout by the underdog to win the match for the championship, what if you found out they all were the result of cheating? Would it make a difference, or would it not? Week 4 Significance of the purpose statement is multifaceted. It is to provide the goal or intended outcome of a study (in this scenario). Sets the objective, based on the need or problem and then particular or specific questions are developed (research questions) focusing on a single concept (phenomenon) or idea. The overall intent of this grounded theory study is to understand the ethical and economic impact that cheating in sports has on athletes and society. This will focus on exploring the experience of the fans (society), individual athletes and sports organizations. Conducted with individual interviews via phone or in person, at sporting events, sports organization, both professional, collegiate, high school, and recreational in the Charlotte and surrounding region, as well as various internet sites. At this stage in the research, the impact that cheating has in sports will generally be defines as the economic gain and the short term ethical effects on society and athlete. Fellow classmates, as I worked on developing my purpose statement, my challenge was what and how to narrow down to a single phenomenon. There is much to consider! I am trying to connect the dots of a few things. How cheating by some athlete effects the ethics of others to cheat, when they can see the competitive gain and possible financial as well! Then there are the fans, society, and how it impacts them, and their perspective of the individual athletes, their specific team and finally the sports organizations! As I stated last week, to the fans, does it make a difference, if their favorite athlete was caught, or their team? Is the problem with the athlete, or is it with us? In the reading it does state, that in a qualitative study, â€Å"advance a single phenomenon, recognizing that the study may develop into an exploration of relationships or comparisons among ideas†. So, I ask your help, should I just state, that my single phenomenon is maybe just the ethical aspects of cheating, or just the economical and additionally, should I focus on just one specific group, the athlete, society, sports organizations or leave as is with the thought that as stated above it will develop into other relationships or comparisons that can be expounded on in the research?

Crescents - North American Chipped Stone Tool Type

Crescents - North American Chipped Stone Tool Type Crescents (sometimes called lunates) are moon-shaped chipped stone objects which are found fairly rarely on Terminal Pleistocene and Early Holocene (roughly equivalent to Preclovis and Paleoindian) sites in the Western United States. Typically, crescents are chipped from cryptocrystalline quartz (including chalcedony, agate, chert, flint and jasper), although there are examples from obsidian, basalt and schist. They are symmetrical and carefully pressure flaked on both sides; typically the wing tips are pointed and the edges are ground smooth. Others, called eccentrics, maintain the overall lunate shape and careful manufacture, but have added decorative frills. Identifying Crescents Crescents were first described in a 1966 article in American Antiquity by Lewis Tadlock, who defined them as artifacts recovered from Early Archaic (what Tadlock called Proto-Archaic) through Paleoindian sites in the Great Basin, the Columbia Plateau and the Channel Islands of California. For his study, Tadlock measured 121 crescents from 26 sites in California, Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. He explicitly associated crescents with big game hunting and gathering lifestyles between 7,000 and 9,000 years ago, and perhaps earlier. He pointed out that the flaking technique and raw material choice of crescents are most similar to Folsom, Clovis and possibly Scottsbluff projectile points. Tadlock listed the earliest crescents as having been used within the Great Basin, he believed they spread out from there. Tadlock was the first to begin a typology of crescents, although the categories have been much extended since then, and today include eccentric forms. More recent studies have increased the date of crescents, placing them firmly within Paleoindian period. Apart from that, Tadlocks careful consideration of the size, shape, style and context of crescents has held up after more than forty years. What are Crescents for? No consensus has been reached among scholars for the purpose of crescents. Suggested functions for crescents include their use as butchering tools, amulets, portable art, surgical instruments, and transverse points for hunting birds. Erlandson and Braje have argued that the most likely interpretation is as transverse projectile points, with the curved edge hafted to point frontwards. In 2013, Moss and Erlandson pointed out that lunates are frequently found in wetland environments, and use that as support for lunates as having been used with waterfowl procurement, in particular. large anatids such as tundra swan, greater white-fronted goose, snow goose and Rosss goose. They speculate that the reason lunates stopped being used in the Great Basin after about 8,000 years ago has to do with the fact that climate change forced the birds out of the region. Crescents have been recovered from many sites, including Danger Cave (Utah), Paisley Cave #1 (Oregon), Karlo, Owens Lake, Panamint Lake (California), Lind Coulee (Washington), Dean, Fenn Cache (Idaho), Daisy Cave, Cardwell Bluffs, San Nicolas (Channel Islands). Sources This glossary entry is a part of the About.com guide to Stone Tools, and the Dictionary of Archaeology. Beck C, and Jones GT. 2010. Clovis and Western Stemmed: Population Migration and the Meeting of Two Technologies in the Intermountain West. American Antiquity 75:81-90.Davis TW, Erlandson JM, Fenenga GL, and Hamm K. 2010. Chipped stone crescents and the antiquity of maritime settlement on San Nicolas Island, Alta California. California Archaeology 2(2):185-202.Erlandson JM, and Braje TJ. 2008. Five crescents from Cardwell: Context and chronology of chipped stone crescents at CA-SMI-679, San Miguel Island, California. Pacific Coast Archaeological Society Quarterly 40:35-45.Erlandson JM, and Jew N. 2009. An Early Maritime Biface Technology at Daisy Cave, San Miguel Island, California: Reflections on Sample Size, Site Function, and Other Issues. North American Archaeologist 30(2):145-165.Erlandson JM, Rick TC, Braje TJ, Casperson M, Culleton B, Fulfrost B, Garcia T, Guthrie DA, Jew N, Kennett DJ et al. 2011. Paleoindian Seafaring, Maritime Technologies, and Coastal Foraging on Californi a’s Channel Islands. Science 331(4):1181-1185. Moss ML, and Erlandson JM. 2013. Waterfowl and Lunate Crescents in Western North America: The Archaeology of the Pacific Flyway. Journal of World Prehistory 26(3):173-211. doi: 10.1007/s10963-013-9066-5Tadlock WL. 1966. Certain Crescentic Stone Objects as a Time Marker in the Western United States. American Antiquity 31(5):662-675.Walker DN, Bies MT, Surovell TA, and Frison GC. 2010. Paleoindian Portable Art from Wyoming, USA. IFRAO Pleistocene Art of the World. Arià ¨ge - Pyrà ©nà ©es, France. p 1-15.

Student Diversity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Student Diversity - Essay Example Lowe and Cook (2003) contend that the shift from controlled environment of home to school or from school to university where the student is expected to accept personal responsibility for education as well as social aspects often creates anxiety and stress. Diversity is bound to increase as we see freer movement of people across the boundaries. Meacham et al (2003) have found out that increase in the racial and ethnic diversity in the USA was maximum in the 1980s. If we trace the timeline of globalization, we realize that it was during this decade that the phenomenon picked up in a big way. This fact is further strengthened by Meacham et al (2003) when they state, "In the 1990s, people of color, women, and immigrants constituted approximately 85% of the entrants into the workforce." This diversity is workforce was bound to be reflected amongst the student population. President Barak Obama is one of the finest example of how deep the impact of diversity has been in our society. Some years ago it would be impossible to imagine that a non-white, having roots outside USA believing in a different faith that Christianity could make it to the White House. But, true to the spirit of Marshal McLuhan's global village concept, this is a reality today. One of the leading democracies of the world preferred a non-white over a native white, to lend credence to the belief that American indeed respects diversity is all walks of life. Education is certainly no exception. The motto of Samuel S. Fels Cluster, the small school district in Philadelphia is, "We respect the culture in you". It is interesting to note that this school district is home to more than 80 ethnicities and 40-plus languages among the 9000 students of its eight schools (Blassingame, 2000). As the society become more diverse, it also affects our lifestyle and education with inputs coming up from all over and a well accepted amalgamations reaching out to different sections of the recipients in society. Colleges and university campuses not only help in providing the intended education, but the campuses also provide a platform for students to learn more about other's cultures, beliefs and way of life. In a study carried out by McClellan et al (2003) to analyze the impact of diversity prevailing in schools, about 18 percent of the students took note of the minority students in their classrooms, indicating that this segment of students did realize the importance of diversity in their classes. It has also been emphasized in the study that since the percentage of students realizing the importance of diversity was not much, it required sensitization efforts on the part of the school administration, NGOs or government authorities. The National Conference on Community and Justice is one such platform which has been providing training and assistance to the students about the importance of diversity and need to respect it. This type of training handles issues 'surrounding cultures, religions, class, gender, physical and mental abilities, size and age' and the student community is trained to handle the situation without resorting to bullying or violent behavior (Burroughs, 2007). It is worth mentioning here that such efforts seem to have borne fruit, if we look at the statistics of violent crimes in US schools over last decade. The

I scanned the topic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

I scanned the topic - Essay Example Few however could argue that Saddam Husseins Iraq was a place where anyone would want to live or was in any way a state that worked. It was a dysfunctional polity. It was a totalitarian hell where the dictator exercised complete control and enjoyed his sadistic whims. He used political power in an arbitrary manner in order to keep his citizens guessing. The two works under discussion Ijaam and The Tiger show Iraq under Saddam to be a capricious hell. This paper will argue that the kind of totalitarianism practised by Saddam eliminates the opportunity to have freedom. Some people believe the only way for order to prevail is for a dictator to rule. These people are totalitarians or authoritarians. It is a particular political philosophy. They believe that only a figure of immense power could guarantee the sorts of contracts people required with one another to live in peace. In order to increase the order and prosperity of society as a whole, an absolute sovereign would have to make some minimum guarantees: namely, peace and the upholding of contracts. In this view of the world ethics most be imposed on human beings who are just animals red in tooth and claw and who live lives that are dim and empty. None of these ideas take into account the brainwashing and control of Saddams Iraq. As the story â€Å"Tigers on the Tenth Day† shows the process of taking control can happen slowly. Often this processes are put in place without even people noticing. Year by year, the strictures tighten and the violence becomes more abusive. In this way, it is h ard for people to rebel, hard for them to speak out since things are happening so slowly. The tiger in this story is able to rationalize its behaviour. It says for example that it is mewing like a cat for its own amusement. When someone lives in fear they will do anything in order to survive the innumerable indignities of life. They will rationalize away their humiliations. This too

Comets, Astroids and other junk in space Research Paper

Comets, Astroids and other junk in space - Research Paper Example omens of disaster, comets, asteroids and other junks floating in space are now more understood in theories and concepts provided in more advanced scientific discourses and research. In this regard, this essay is written to proffer relevant information on comets, asteroids and other floating objects in space. At the same token, some personal thoughts and reactions on the subject would be inferred in the conclusion. Random House Dictionary defines a comet as â€Å"a celestial body moving about the sun, usually in a highly eccentric orbit, consisting of a central mass surrounded by an envelope of dust and gas that may form a tail that streams away from the sun.† (n.p.) On the other hand, asteroids are defined as â€Å"any of the thousands of small bodies of from 480 miles (775 km) to less than one mile (1.6 km) in diameter that revolve about the sun in orbits lying mostly between those of Mars and Jupiter.† (Random House, 2009) These are also called minor planets. The distinguishing characteristics of comets from asteroids are its location and their composition. Comets come from the coldest part of the solar system which enables them to preserve their icy composition and dust particles. As comets near the vicinity of the sun, they release dust and the gas which evaporates form a gushing trail as it moves. According to Sea and Sky Organization, â€Å"many astronomers refer to them as "dirty snowballs" or "icy mudballs" because that is exactly what they look like. The ice that forms a comet can consist of both water ice and frozen gases.† (par. 3) Asteroids, on the other hand, are found between the planets of Mars and Jupiter and their composition show no ices nor dusts around them. Their sizes range from a few feet to several miles in diameter. There are several theories as to the emergence of asteroids in the location, known famously as the asteroid belt. The Sea and Sky Organization averred the following theories, to wit: â€Å"many astronomers believe that billions

Impact of Sea Level Rise and Adaption Strategy

Impact of Sea Level Rise and Adaption Strategy This essay focuses on a impact of SLR along the NZ costal margin and an overview of the different adaptation strategies, a recommended framework for decision making to support local adaptation measures. Introduction Even if greenhouse gas emissions stopÂÂ   tomorrow, the effects of climate change will continue in the certainÂÂ   manner. One of the recognized impacts of climate change and possibly the most dramatic for the many coastal communities of NZ is the sea level rise. As oceans warm, they expand, raising the global sea level. Melting ice caps and land-based ice sheets also contribute to the rise in sea level. This essay focuses on investigating how much effect and effect along the NZ coastal margin and how much of our preparation weve done to minimize this devastating effect.-[2] Impact and Effects Most of our NZ population live and work within the 5km of our coastline which mean the large majority of the built environment will face increasing risks from ongoing SLR-[1]. Basically, there are three types of coastal dangers in New Zealand, which are directly affected by the rising sea level-[1]. Â   Â   Â   Â   Â   Inland Flooding Rising sea levels are increasingly affecting our coastal cities. Coastal floods occur when the sea rises above the normal flood level and flows down into lowland streams-[1]. This results is flooded buildings as well as damaged subway infrastructure. The rising sea level could increase the duration and extent of the floods of the river. If such river floods peak at high water, they become more damaging as flood waters become higher-[3] The projected frequency of extreme water levels is important because inland waters are a threat to people living near our coastal cities and small islands. As reported in the report Dr.Jright Wright, below table shows that In future, our four major coastal cities ports will more than the excesses of todays 100 years of events more and more often-[1] All our infrastructures such as buildings, roads, airports, wastewater systems based on a historical understanding of the range of tides and occasional floods in storms. As the sea level increases, areas of deep coastal coasts, which are flooding in storms, are becoming more frequent and heavy flooding. Areas that are a little higher also begin to flood over time.-[1] Erosions As already mentioned, coastal flooding occurs in deeper areas when the sea rises above the normal high water level; it will open up wetlands to the water, erode beaches, increase floods and increase the salt content of river estuaries.-[1] As a result of these effects of coastal erosion, the effect washed on sediment or rocks and our coastal line is changing. Coastal erosion is a natural process that has been happening for thousands of years. Sea water collides with cliff and shore, it causes sediment or rocks to be washed out to the sea. Erosion can happen under any condition, but it tends to increase rate when wave are strong. Wave cause erosion in four main types-[4] The way in which erosion on the coast changes depends largely on the nature of the rocksÂÂ   in other words its Geology-[4]. But as the sea level rises, the erosion increases in many places around the coastline when strong storm waves arrive at the beach-[1]. Thus, beaches and cliffs that are vulnerable to erosion are likely to destroy faster. Not only that stable beaches can also begin to destroy, and beaches that accumulate may slow down or begin to erode.-[1] High Ground water Note:Adapted from-[3] Unfortunately, groundwater problems are not visible and it is very difficult to measure. Most of our coastal areas, the groundwater is not far below the ground and is connected to the sea. As the sea level rises, the water level in these areas will rise, which can lead to both human activities and coastal ecosystems-[1] such as: Recommendation Adaptation planning Adaptation Strategies We now know that with the climate change rising seas are emerging and that this rise in the sea level will drastically affect our coastal communities-[2]. These communities require resilience and adaptation strategies to minimize the long-term economic, environmental and social impacts of the sea level rise on coastal development. So we can group the basic adaptation strategies to the sea level as follow-[2]; Protect Protect is a reactive strategy to protect people, property and infrastructure from rising sea level and is generally considered the first answer. The protection of the coast by structural mechanisms such as dikes, seawalls and sandbags is the traditional approach to deal with the rise in sea level in many parts of the world. Protection strategies tend to be expensive, and can have long-term effectiveness in long-term vulnerable places.-[2] But this can lead to a false sense of security. It can also increase the risk by encouraging the development behind dikes and other structural protection elements, which can make the number of people and the amount of property at risk if this is not. Protection strategies are particularly attractive when the costs of protecting governments are supported at different levels like if individual owners bear little or no risk and if land use is not perceived by the municipal authorities in the long term.-[2] Accommodate This is an adaptive strategy that enables continuous occupation of the coastal areas while changing human activities and infrastructure to adapt to the rise in sea level. The accommodation can be part of the new building, the use of structural filling to raise the increase in the habitable space, the restriction of the building areas subject to flooding in garages, others-[2] Retreat Any strategic decision to withdraw, relocate, or abandon private or public assets that are threatened, relocated or abandoned due to the rise in sea level and associated coastal risks is a retreat. It is an adaptive strategy to limit the use of structural protection, the development of discourages in areas exposed to sea level rise, and the planning of the possible relocation of buildings and infrastructures to areas without risk or lower risk areas-[2]. Avoid This means that the new development does not take place in areas exposed to coastal hazards associated with an increase in sea level or a surface that will increase over time. Basically this is the identification of the future no build areas within the municipal planning documents.-[2] Recommendation It is a prudent step to begin planning the future sea level from now on. From the preparation of New Zealand for rising seas: certainty and Uncertainty (Wright, 2015) [1] report contains eight recommendations to the government. The first seven focus on improving the direction and advice given to the councils. The last recommendation focuses on the fiscal risks of the rise in sea level.-[1] Conclusion All thing consideredÂÂ   , this essay focuses on a New Zealand impact of SLR along the NZ costal margin and an overview of the different adaptation strategies, a recommended framework for decision-making to support local adaptation measures. As a result, the impact of the rising sea level on our coastal line is more likely to be felt. Therefore, adaptation responses must be introduced earlier to take into account the excessive rise in sea level-[10]. Overall, we can suggest that there is no single adjustment to the sea level rise, and that the most logical answer would be a combination of all four basic strategies, as discussed in the previous sections, and it is likely that decisions on appropriate action are taken at a Area by area with factors such as topography, prosperity and population density all expected to influence the suitability of each response-[10] Although the information that local and government authorities need to know must be aware that there is a high percentage of uncertainty that are present in sea level forecasting, and adaptation responses must be flexible, under changing conditions, and typically implement responses well in advance, When required-[10]. References : [1] http://www.pce.parliament.nz/media/1380/preparing-nz-for-rising-seas-web-small.pdf [2] http://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/environment/climate-change/policy-legislation-and-responses/adaptation/sea-level-rise/slr-primer.pdf [3] http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/290088/nz-urged-to-act-on-rising-sea-levels [4] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUh3WeilFN4 [5] http://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/80441421/Eating-the-shore-New-Zealands-shrinking-coastline [6] http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/05/120531-groundwater-depletion-may-accelerate-sea-level-rise/ [7] http://hubpages.com/education/Mega-Engineering-Solutions-to-Sea-level-Rise-Buckets-and-Plug-Holes [8] ) https://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment-report/ar5/syr/SYR_AR5_FINAL_full_wcover.pdf [9] https://www.planning.org/planning/2012/jan/waterwarriorsside2.htm [10] https://blackboard.vuw.ac.nz/bbcswebdav/pid-1948452-dt-content-rid-4067513_1/courses/201601.ESCI201.11341/Essay1.pdf

Physiological Changes Due to Risperdal Essay examples -- Psychology Me

Physiological Changes Due to Risperdal Hallucinations, delusions, paranoia, psychosis and thought disorder are all symptoms of Schizophrenia and people who suffer from these symptoms seek the treatment of atypical anti-psychotic medications. Those medicines include Risperidone (Risperdal), Clozapine (Clozaril) , Ziprasidone (Geodon) and Quetiapine(Seroquel). The purpose of these medications is to alleviate symptoms of Schizophrenia and lessen the chances of a recurrence. The basic function of Atypical Antipsychotics is to reduce the effects of blockage in the dopamine receptors and serotonin and allow communication between nerve cells. Dopamine is thought to be relevant in Schizophrenic symptoms and Antipsychotic medications act against these symptoms. While there may the reward of reducing Schizophrenic symptoms there are risks that come along with taking such drugs as Risperidone (Risperdal) and Quietiapine (Seroquel). Commons side effects that exist while taking Risperidone are dizziness, nausea, tiredness and hyperactivity. More serious conditions may include Orthostatic Hypotension which is an extreme drop in blood pressure. Patients may also experience Syncope which is related to Hypotension in that a person may experience a loss of consciousness or fainting. Quietiapine can also cause Hypotension, but with the long term use of this drug it can cause Tardive Dyskinesia which is involuntary movements of the lips, jaw and tongue. The features of this condition are tongue protrusion, lip smacking, rapid eye blinking and rapid arm movements. In the most extreme cases Risperidone has been said to cause galactorrhea which is breast growth in males and a secretion of br... ...he Young Mania Rating Scale (YMS) and assessment was measured by the change of YMS scores at the end of the study. The study showed the patients who took Risperidal improved in their YMS scores than those who took the placebo. However patients who took Risperdal reported experiencing nausea, dizziness, weight gain, and upset stomach (Titusville, N.J., Dec.10/ PRNewswire). References Retrieved: March 1, 2005 from http://www. Counseling resource.com/medication/drug- pages/risperidone.html Retrieved: March 2, 2005 from http://www. Maripoisoncenter.com/ctr/9611risperidone.html Clinical Toxicology Review Vol.19, No.2 November 1996 Retrieved: March 2, 2005 from http://www.priory.com/psych/catatonia.html Retrieved: March 3, 2005 Common use of Risperidal among Children http://www.risperdal-help.org/what_causes.php www.Schizophrenia.com

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal Chapter 9

Part II Change Jesus was a good guy, he didn't need this shit. JOHN PRINE Chapter 9 I should have had a plan before I tried to escape from the hotel room, I see that now. At the time, dashing out the door and into the arms of sweet freedom seemed like plan enough. I got as far as the lobby. It is a fine lobby, as grand as any palace, but in the way of freedom, I need more. I noticed before Raziel dragged me back into the elevator, nearly dislocating my shoulder in the process, that there were an inordinate number of old people in the lobby. In fact, compared to my time, there are inordinate numbers of old people everywhere – well, not on TV, but everywhere else. Have you people forgotten how to die? Or have you used up all of the young people on television so there's nothing left but gray hair and wrinkled flesh? In my time, if you had seen forty summers it was time to start thinking about moving on, making room for the youngsters. If you lasted to fifty the mourners would give you dirty looks when they passed, as if you were purposely trying to put them out of business. The Torah says that Moses lived to be 120 years old. I'm guessing that the children of Israel were following him just to see when he would drop. There was probably betting. If I do manage to escape the angel, I'm not going to be able to make my living as a professional mourner, not if you people don't have the courtesy to die. Just as well, I suppose, I'd have to learn all new dirges. I've tried to get the angel to watch MTV so I can learn the vocabulary of your music, but even with the gift of tongues, I'm having trouble learning to speak hip-hop. Why is it that one can busta rhyme or busta move anywhere but you must busta cap in someone's ass? Is â€Å"ho† always feminine, and â€Å"muthafucka† always masculine, while â€Å"bitch† can be either? How many peeps in a posse, how much booty before baby got back, do you have to be all that to get all up in that, and do I need to be dope and phat to be da bomb or can I just be â€Å"stupid†? I'll not be singing over any dead mothers until I understand. The journey. The quest. The search for the Magi. We traveled first to the coast. Neither Joshua nor I had ever seen the sea before, so as we topped a hill near the city of Ptolomais, and the endless aquamarine of the Mediterranean stretched before us, Joshua fell to his knees and gave thanks to his father. â€Å"You can almost see the edge of the world,† Joshua said. I squinted into the dazzling sun, really looking for the edge of the world. â€Å"It looks sort of curved,† I said. â€Å"What?† Joshua scanned the horizon, but evidently he didn't see the curve. â€Å"The edge of the world looks curved. I think it's round.† â€Å"What's round?† â€Å"The world. I think it's round.† â€Å"Of course it's round, like a plate. If you go to the edge you fall off. Every sailor knows that,† Joshua said with great authority. â€Å"Not round like a plate, round like a ball.† â€Å"Don't be silly,† Joshua said. â€Å"If the world was round like a ball then we would slide off of it.† â€Å"Not if it's sticky,† I said. Joshua lifted his foot and looked at the bottom of his sandal, then at me, then at the ground. â€Å"Sticky?† I looked at the bottom of my own shoe, hoping to perhaps see strands of stickiness there, like melted cheese tethering me to the ground. When your best friend is the son of God, you get tired of losing every argument. â€Å"Just because you can't see it, doesn't mean the world is not sticky.† Joshua rolled his eyes. â€Å"Let's go swimming.† He took off down the hill. â€Å"What about the God?† I asked. â€Å"You can't see him.† Joshua stopped halfway down the hill and held his arms out to the shining, aquamarine sea. â€Å"You can't?† â€Å"That's a crappy argument, Josh.† I followed him down the hill, shouting as I went. â€Å"If you're not going to try, I'm not going to argue with you anymore. So, what if stickiness is like God? You know, how He abandons our people and leads them into slavery whenever we stop believing in Him. Stickiness could be like that. You could float off into the sky any time now because you don't believe in stickiness.† â€Å"It's good that you have something to believe in, Biff. I'm going in the water.† He ran down the beach, shedding his clothes as he went, then dove into the surf, naked. Later, after we'd both swallowed enough salt water to make us sick, we headed up the coast to the city of Ptolemais. â€Å"I didn't think it would be so salty,† Joshua said. â€Å"Yeah,† I said, â€Å"you'd never know it by looking at it.† â€Å"Are you still angry about your round-earth-stickiness theory?† â€Å"I don't expect you to understand,† I said, sounding very mature, I thought. â€Å"You being a virgin and all.† Joshua stopped and grabbed my shoulder, forcing me to wheel around and face him. â€Å"The night you spent with Maggie I spent praying to my father to take away the thoughts of you two. He didn't answer me. It was like trying to sleep on a bed of thorns. Since we left I was beginning to forget, or at least leave it behind, but you keep throwing it in my face.† â€Å"You're right,† I said. â€Å"I forgot how sensitive you virgins can be.† Then, once again, and not for the last time, the Prince of Peace coldcocked me. A bony, stonecutter's fist just over my right eye. He hit harder than I remembered. I remember white seabirds in the sky above me, and just a wisp of clouds across the sky. I remember the frothy surf sloshing over my face, leaving sand in my ears. I remember thinking that I should get up and smite Josh upside the head. I remember thinking then that if I got up, Josh might hit me again, so I lay there for a moment, just thinking. â€Å"So, what do you want?† I said, finally, from my wet and sandy supinity. He stood over me with his fists balled. â€Å"If you're going to keep bringing it up, you have to tell me the details.† â€Å"I can do that.† â€Å"And don't leave anything out.† â€Å"Nothing?† â€Å"I've got to know if I'm going to understand sin.† â€Å"Okay, can I get up? My ears are filling with sand.† He helped me to my feet and as we entered the seaside city of Ptolomais, I taught Josh about sex. Down narrow stone streets between high stone walls. â€Å"Well, most of what we learned from the rabbis was not exactly accurate.† Past men sitting outside their houses, mending their nets. Children selling cups of pomegranate juice, women hanging strings of fish from window to window to dry. â€Å"For instance, you know that part right after Lot's wife gets turned to stone and then his daughters get drunk and fornicate with him?† â€Å"Right, after Sodom and Gomorrah are destroyed.† â€Å"Well, that's not as bad as it sounds,† I said. We passed Phoenician women who sang as they pounded dried fish into meal. We passed evaporation pools where children scraped the encrusted salt from the rocks and put it into bags. â€Å"But fornication is a sin, and fornication with your daughters, well, that's a, I don't know, that's a double-dog sin.† â€Å"Yeah, but if you put that aside for a second, and you just focus on the two young girls aspect of it, it's not nearly as bad as it sounds initially.† â€Å"Oh.† We passed merchants selling fruit and bread and oil, spices and incense, calling out claims of quality and magic in their wares. There was a lot of magic for sale in those days. â€Å"And the Song of Solomon, that's a lot closer, and you can sort of understand Solomon having a thousand wives. In fact, with you being the Son of God and all, I don't think you'd have any problem getting that many girls. I mean, after you figure out what you're doing.† â€Å"And a lot of girls is a good thing?† â€Å"You're a ninny, aren't you?† â€Å"I thought you'd be more specific. What does Maggie have to do with Lot and Solomon?† â€Å"I can't tell you about me and Maggie, Josh. I just can't.† We were passing a lick of prostitutes gathered outside the door of an inn. Their faces were painted, their skirts slit up the side to show their legs glistening with oil, and they called to us in foreign languages and made tiny dances with their hands as we passed. â€Å"What the hell are they saying?† I asked Joshua. He was better with languages. I think they were speaking Greek. â€Å"They said something about how they like Hebrew boys because we can feel a woman's tongue better without our foreskins.† He looked at me as if I might confirm or deny this. â€Å"How much money do we have?† I asked. The inn rented rooms, stalls, and space under the eave to sleep. We rented two adjacent stalls, which was a bit of a luxury for us, but an important one for Joshua's education. After all, weren't we on this journey so he could learn to take his rightful place as the Messiah? â€Å"I'm not sure if I should watch,† Joshua said. â€Å"Remember David was running over the roofs and happened onto Bathsheba in her bath. That set a whole chain of sin in motion.† â€Å"But listening won't be a problem.† â€Å"I don't think it's the same thing.† â€Å"Are you sure that you don't want to try this yourself, Josh? I mean, the angel was never clear about your being with a woman.† To be honest, I was a little frightened myself. My experience with Maggie hardly qualified me to be with a harlot. â€Å"No, you go ahead. Just describe what's happening and what you're feeling. I have to understand sin.† â€Å"Okay, if you insist.† â€Å"Thank you for doing this for me, Biff.† â€Å"Not just for you, Josh, for our people.† So that's how we ended up with the two stalls. Josh would be in one while I, along with the harlot of my choice, instructed him from the other in the fine art of fornication. Back out at the front of the inn I shopped for my teaching assistant. It was an eight-harlot inn, if that's how you measure an inn. (I understand that now they measure inns in stars. We are in a four-star inn right now. I don't know what the conversion from harlots to stars is.) Anyway, there were eight harlots outside the inn that day. They ranged in age from only a few years older than us to older than our mothers. And they ran the gamut of shapes and sizes, having in common only that they were all highly painted and well oiled. â€Å"They're all so†¦so nasty-looking.† â€Å"They're harlots, Biff. They're supposed to be nasty-looking. Pick one.† â€Å"Let's go look at some different harlots.† We had been standing a few doors down from the harlots, but they knew we were watching. I walked over and stopped close to a particularly tall harlot and said, â€Å"Excuse me, do you know where we might find a different selection of harlots? No offense, it's just that my friend and I†¦Ã¢â‚¬  And she pulled open her blouse, exposing full breasts that were glistening with oil and flecks of mica, and she threw her skirt aside and stepped up so a long leg slid behind me and I could feel the rough hair between her legs grinding against my hip and her rouged nipples brushed my cheek and in that instant profound wood did from my person protrude. â€Å"This one will be fine, Josh.† The other harlots let loose with an exaltation of ululation as we led my harlot away. (You know ululation as the sound an ambulance makes. That I get an erection every time one passes the hotel would seem morbid if you didn't know this story of how Biff Hires a Harlot.) The harlot's name was Set. She was a head and a half taller than me, with skin the color of a ripe date, wide brown eyes flecked with gold, and hair so black that it reflected blue in the dim light of the stable. She was the perfect harlot design, wide where a harlot should be wide, narrow where a harlot should be narrow, delicate of ankle and neck, sturdy of conscience, intrepid and single-minded of goal once she was paid. She was an Egyptian, but she had learned Greek and a little Latin to help lubricate the discourse of her trade. Our situation required more creativity than she seemed accustomed to, but after a heavy sigh she mumbled something about â€Å"if you fuck a Hebrew, make room in the bed for his guilt,â €  then pulled me into my stall and closed the gate. (Yes, the stalls were used for animals. There was a donkey in the stall opposite Josh's.) â€Å"So what's she doing?† Josh asked. â€Å"She's taking off my clothes.† â€Å"What now.† â€Å"She's taking off her clothes. Oh jeez. Ouch.† â€Å"What? Are you fornicating?† â€Å"No. She's rubbing her whole body over mine, sort of lightly. When I try to move she smacks me in the face.† â€Å"How does it feel?† â€Å"How do you think? It feels like someone smacking you, you twit.† â€Å"I mean how does her body feel? Do you feel sinful? Is it like Satan rubbing against you? Does it burn like fire?† â€Å"Yeah, you got it. That pretty much has it.† â€Å"You're lying.† â€Å"Oh wow.† Then Josh said something in Greek that I didn't catch all of and the harlot answered, sort of. â€Å"What did she say?† Josh asked. â€Å"I don't know, you know my Greek is bad.† â€Å"Mine isn't, I couldn't understand what she said.† â€Å"Her mouth is full.† Set raised up. â€Å"Not full,† she said in Greek. â€Å"Hey, I understood that!† â€Å"She has you in her mouth?† â€Å"Yeah.† â€Å"That's heinous.† â€Å"It doesn't feel heinous.† â€Å"It doesn't?† â€Å"No, Josh, I gotta tell you, this really is – oh my God!† â€Å"What? What's happening?† â€Å"She's getting dressed.† â€Å"Are you done sinning? That's it?† The harlot said something in Greek that I didn't understand. â€Å"What did she say?† I asked. â€Å"She said that for the amount of money we gave her, you're finished.† â€Å"Do you think you understand fornication now?† â€Å"Not really.† â€Å"Well then, give her some more money, Joshua. We're going to stay here until you learn what you need to know.† â€Å"You're a good friend to suffer this for me.† â€Å"Don't mention it.† â€Å"No, really,† Joshua said. â€Å"Greater love hath no man, than he lay down for his friend.† â€Å"That's a good one, Josh. You should remember that one for later.† The harlot then spoke at length. â€Å"You want to know what this is like for me, kid? This is like a job. Which means that if you want it done, you need to pay for it. That's what it's like.† (Joshua would translate for me later.) â€Å"What'd she say?† I asked. â€Å"She wants the wages of sin.† â€Å"Which are?† â€Å"In this case, three shekels.† â€Å"That's a bargain. Pay her.† Much as I tried – and I did try – I didn't seem able to convey to Joshua what it was he wanted to know. I went through a half-dozen more harlots and a large portion of our traveling money over the next week, but he still didn't understand. I suggested that perhaps this was one of the things that the magician Balthasar was supposed to teach Joshua. Truth be told, I'd developed a burning sensation when I peed and I was ready for a break from tutoring my friend in the fine art of sinning. It's a week or less by sea if we go to Selucia, then it's less than a day's walk inland to Antioch,† Joshua said, after he had been talking to some sailors who were drinking at the inn. â€Å"Overland it's two to three weeks.† â€Å"By sea, then,† I said. Pretty brave, I thought, considering I'd never set foot in a boat in my life. We found a wide-beamed, raised-stern Roman cargo ship bound for Tarsus that would stop at all the ports along the way, including Selucia. The ship's master was a wiry, hatchet-faced Phoenician named Titus Inventius, who claimed to have gone to sea when he was four and sailed to the edge of the world twice before his balls dropped, although what one had to do with the other I never figured out. â€Å"What can you do? What's your trade?† Titus asked, from under a great straw hat he wore while watching the slaves load jars of wine and oil onto the ship. His eyes were black beads set back in caves of wrinkles formed by a lifetime of squinting into the sun. â€Å"Well, I'm a stonemason and he's the Son of God.† I grinned. I thought that would give us more diversity than just saying we were two stonemasons. Titus pushed the straw hat back on his head and looked Joshua up and down. â€Å"Son of God, huh? How's that pay?† Joshua scowled at me. â€Å"I know stone work and carpentry, and we both have strong backs.† â€Å"There's not a lot of call for stone work aboard a ship. Have you been to sea before?† â€Å"Yes,† I said. â€Å"No,† Joshua said. â€Å"He was sick that day,† I said. â€Å"I've been to sea.† Titus laughed. â€Å"Fine, you go help get those jars on board. I'm taking a load of pigs as far as Sidon, you two keep them calm and keep them alive in the heat and by that time maybe you'll be something of use to me. But it costs you as well.† â€Å"How much?† Joshua asked. â€Å"How much do you have?† â€Å"Five shekels,† I said. â€Å"Twenty shekels,† Joshua said. I elbowed the Messiah in the ribs hard enough to bend him over. â€Å"Ten shekels,† I said. â€Å"Five each, I meant before when I said five.† I felt as if I was negotiating with myself, and not doing that well. â€Å"Then ten shekels plus any work I can find for you. But if you puke on my ship, you're over the side, you hear me? Ten shekels or not.† â€Å"Absolutely,† I said, pulling Joshua down the dock to where the slaves were loading jars. When we were out of earshot of Captain Titus, Joshua said, â€Å"You have to tell him that we're Jews, we can't tend pigs.† I grabbed one of the huge wine jars by the ears and started to drag it toward the ship. â€Å"It's okay, they're Roman pigs. They don't care.† â€Å"Oh, all right,† Joshua said, latching onto a jar of his own and hoisting it onto his back. Then it hit him and he set the jar down again. â€Å"Hey, wait, that's not right.† The next morning we sailed with the tide. Joshua, me, a crew of thirty, Titus, and fifty allegedly Roman pigs. Until we cast off from the dock – Josh and I manning one of the long oars – and we were well out of the harbor; until we had shipped the oars and the great square sail was ballooned over the deck like the belly of a gluttonous genie; until Joshua and I climbed to the rear of the ship where Titus stood on the raised deck manning one of the two long steering oars and I looked back toward land, and could see not a city but a speck on the horizon; until then, I had no idea that I had a deep-seated fear of sailing. â€Å"We are way too far away from land,† I said. â€Å"Way too far. You really need to steer closer to the land, Titus.† I pointed to land, in case Titus was unsure as to which way he should go. It makes sense, don't you think? I mean, I grew up in an arid country, inland, where even the rivers are little more than damp ditches. My people come from the desert. The one time we actually had to cross a sea, we walked. Sailing seemed, well, unnatural. â€Å"If the Lord had meant us to sail we would have been born with, uh, masts,† I said. â€Å"That's the dumbest thing you've ever said,† said Joshua. â€Å"Can you swim?† asked Titus. â€Å"No,† I said. â€Å"Yes he can,† Joshua said. Titus grabbed me by the back of the neck and threw me over the stern of the ship.

Breaking Into Features

Breaking Into Features Tired of the â€Å"1,000 words for $5† markets? Break out of them and into writing features. Editors pay good money for excellent writing. All it takes is solid ideas and unique angles. FEATURES AND WHERE TO FIND THEM Hard news is a magnifying glass, and features are an aerial view (i.e. CAR ACCIDENT CLAIMS 5 vs. CAR ACCIDENT VICTIMS SPEAK OUT). They present a different look at a topic with a unique spin. Word count varies, from 500 to 5,000 words, and there are many types. Interview pieces, profiles, how-to pieces and testimonials are all features. Your main market will be magazines (print and online), so your first step is research. As a practice exercise, pick out a feature piece and familiarize yourself with the topic, the content, the general style of the author and publication, the side-bars as well as the ads on the page accompanying it. Deconstructing another piece is a great way to learn to find out what makes a feature tick, or doesnt. Pick up a magazine and leaf through it, go online, or go here for a list of Pulitzer-winning features: (pulitzer.org/ Have a look at the Writers Market guide to find out who takes features. amazon.com/Writers-Market-2016-Trusted-Published/dp/1599639378 GETTING STARTED As feature writers, you are essentially selling ideas. When pitching, keep it to the point. Pitches should run no more than 250-700 words. An editor wants to know what you want to cover, how you want to cover it (including the facts and numbers!) and why you should be the writer to do it. Spell-check before hitting send (nothing worse than ending with kind retards), and learn the editors name and general style of the publication before you pitch. The writers guidelines, which are usually on the publications website or can be requested from the editor, should tell you everything you need to know. Don’t overdo it, and avoid trying to be â€Å"fancy†. Samples and ideas should speak for you. If you impress the editor, you’ll receive a brief, including your word count, rate (usually per word, and always better than a â€Å"content mill†), topic and deadline. Make sure that you and the editor are on the same page. Get everything in writing before you start. If you aren’t sure, ask! THE PROCESS My first feature was for the Afrikaans women’s magazine Vrouekeur (on endometriosis, an important topic for readers), and it was the first time I paid the rent with my writing. I pitched everywhere until I got it right, and when I did, writing was finally worth something. No more content mills! I went on to write many more features – including for Moneyweb, The Investor, People Magazine SA and Writers Write. The writing process differs, but here’s what works for me:   Ã‚     Pre-search Do your research first. Who can you interview, quote and source? Make sure your sources are reliable; cross-reference facts. Double-checking now is always better than an apology later.   Ã‚     Pitch Tell the editor more about you and your idea. Include examples, research and consider the famedâ€Å"Five W’s (and one H).   Ã‚     Putting it together Start off with an introduction that grabs the reader, then lead into the body. Stick to the word count; make sure it flows.   Ã‚     To the editor Send it to the editor who believed in it. Your article could be rejected, sent back for changes or accepted. Once your article gets accepted for publication, you can send your invoice. Congrats! ABOUT THE AUTHOR Alex J Coyne is a South African freelance journalist, author, translator and language practitioner. He is available for hire through his blog. http://alexcoyneofficial.wordpress.com

The Dark Knight and The Matrix neo-noir characteristics Essays

The Dark Knight and The Matrix neo-noir characteristics Essays The Dark Knight and The Matrix neo-noir characteristics Paper The Dark Knight and The Matrix neo-noir characteristics Paper The Dark Knight and The Matrix neo-noir characteristics Both movies show neo-noir characteristics though both production and story elements. Production elements such as the dark scenes throughout the movie are used to show the contrasting sides to the story. Within both movies it also shows that a friend of the main character dies, and it shows how this may be devastating to the character however they avoid showing emotion or grief as they are determined to finish their quest and do what is right. These characteristics are vital for creating an nagging neo-noir film. The scenes in the matrix were mostly dark when going through out the movie and they show a kind of dark green tint in the movie. There were other parts to the movie that were lighter but there was not many and when there were it was only for a small moments within the movie. The darker parts to the movie showed another side to the movie but it made the movie more contrasting and unexpected. The Dark Knight showed darker scenes because of the main character, Batman who fights crime In a dark and mysterious way. The matrix used the contrasting lighting to show how the light and happy matrix Is a veil over our eyes and the dark real world scenes show the horrifying truth. The dark shades In both movies makes them similar production wise but also very mysterious. In the movie The Dark Knight a friend of the mall character dies (Rachel) and It turns the way the character acts with people around him. Batman only had the choice to go after one either his friend and ex-lover which he cares much for, or Harvey Dent, Asthmas savior. He goes for the character he knows Is more important. In the end he did not grieve that much even though he did truly cared about Rachel. Batman knew he must simply accept It till he has completed his goal at fighting and doing what he Intended to do from the beginning. Within the matrix friends of the mall character Neo Is killed. The characters within the movie do not grieve they Just move on In the hopes of completing their goal of stopping the enemy and saving the day. This Is an Important neo-noel element shown within both films The Dark knight and the Matrix both shows a lot of Neo Noel elements Including a hearted that dies who Is a close friend of the mall character, they grieve but for not that long however they are still determined to continue their quest. Both movies also show noir production elements such as the lighting effects to contrast between the different sides of the story and to create a dark and mysterious atmosphere, the techniques that were displayed In both films are comparable with those of noel films and are considered Neo Noel films because of that. The Dark Knight and The Matrix neo-noir characteristics By brownness wowed darker scenes because of the main character, Batman who fights crime in a light and happy matrix is a veil over our eyes and the dark real world scenes show the horrifying truth. The dark shades in both movies makes them similar production In the movie The Dark Knight a friend of the main character dies (Rachel) and it Harvey Dent, Asthmas savior. He goes for the character he knows is more about Rachel. Batman knew he must simply accept it till he has completed his goal at fighting and doing what he intended to do from the beginning. Within the matrix rinds of the main character Neo is killed. The characters within the movie do not grieve they Just move on in the hopes of completing their goal of stopping the enemy and saving the day. This is an important neo-noir element shown within both films The Dark knight and the Matrix both shows a lot of Neo Noir elements including a character that dies who is a close friend of the main character, they grieve but for not techniques that were displayed in both films are comparable with those of noir films and are considered Neo Noir films because of that.

Discuss the high cost of the death penalty and how life with out Term Paper

Discuss the high cost of the death penalty and how life with out paroll would be better - Term Paper Example akers to replace it with life imprisonment without parole, as it costs less and has more lasting and influential effects on overall societies and communities. Death penalty is actually â€Å"an economic drain on governments with already badly depleted budgets† (NYT, 2009). The process of death penalty becomes complicated and costly as soon as the person is convicted and ordered to be executed by the court. An appeal is forwarded as soon as the execution is ordered. And if that appeal is refused on any basis, a series of appeals starts to different courts until the appeal is accepted at district level or federal level, usually depending upon the financial background of the convicted. In Texas only, one out of every four death penalties is reversed through appeals. In New jersey, a quarter billion dollars have been spent on the death penalties yet not a single person was executed since 1983. The extensive trials, heightened official evaluation and costly appeal procedures of serious offences such as murder not only derails the whole system of justice but also delays it when even the case is very obvious. In fact â€Å"the longer dea th row inmates remain in that legal limbo, the more expensive they become† (Hess, 2011). McCartin, a former jurist from California, who convicted nine men to death penalty, now opposes this law. Of the nine men he convicted, only one died, that too of a heart attack (msnbc, 2009). The time and money spent on only one convicted person of death penalty can be spent on a number of prisoners of same category if they are convicted to life time imprisonment without parole. Life imprisonment is not only cheaper but it also provides instant justice not only to the criminal but also to the victim’s family. And the ultimate burden of these trials is put on the tax payers i.e. the common man who struggles hard to earn his livelihood, but has to pay a huge amount in the name of taxes which is spent on these time and money wasting trials. In

International Monetary Economy Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

International Monetary Economy - Assignment Example PPP and the exchange rate are almost similar, 1 and 1.33. This shows that the value of the Canadian is almost equal to the American dollar. This shows that the Canadian consumers and the American consumers have an equal PPP with their respective currencies. The exchange rate will be stable. PPP= Price in Denmark/Price in U.S=8.08. Comparing the PPP and the exchange rate between Denmark and America is 5.82. The value of the Canadian dollar is undervalued. The Canadian consumers have a loss of the PPP relative to the American consumers. The exchange rate will increase. iTunes price in U.S is 0.99 compared to the price in Euro of 0.99. The PPP between the two countries is 1. The exchange rate between U.S and Euro is $1=0.78 pounds. The value of Euro pound is almost equal with value of the American pound. The Euro and American consumers have almost equal PPP with their respective currencies. The exchange rate between the two countries will be constant (Tanzi and Gupta 145). iTunes price in U.S is 0.99 compared to the price in Japan’s 200 Yen. The PPP between the two nations is 202. The exchange rate of the Japanese Yen compared to the American dollar of 112. There is a loss of PPP of the Japanese consumers relative to the U.S consumers. The exchange rate will increase. iTune price in U.S is 0.99 compared to the price of the iTunes in Sweden of SKr is 9. The PPP of the two countries is 9.10. The PPP of the two countries is almost similar, but not exact. The Sweden consumers and the American consumer have an equal PPP with their respective currencies. However, the exchange will increase between the two countries. iTunes price in U.S is 0.99 compared to the price of the iTune prices in Switzerland SKr is 1.50. The PPP of the two countries is 1.52. The PPP of the two countries is almost similar, but not equal. The exchange rate of the two countries will remain as1.21 or slightly high. iTunes

Fire dynamics Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Fire dynamics - Dissertation Example At 250-300 degrees room temperature, creep has little effect on the performance on the steel structure since the amount and distribution of the effects of steel remain uniform hence any deformations occur at a slow pace. As the fire crib is set to temperatures of 0.25/0.5 MegaWatt, recorded by a thermal imaging camera, creep starts to become a dominating factor (Totten, 2007). Deformation starts to occur as the vacancies in the crystal structure diffuse to the location of a dislocation hence the dislocations move faster to an adjacent slip plane. As the temperature of steel increases so does the creep deformations. Depending on its material composition, steel’s melting point stands at 1400 degrees Celsius. Therefore, creep deformations will become noticeable at temperatures corresponding to 30% of its melting point. Creep strain has three phases which include: Primary creep/ Initial phase Steady-state creep/ Secondary creep Tertiary creep At the initial phase, the strain rate is high and increases at a steady rate, that is, it is directly proportional to temperature. On almost entering the secondary creep phase, it decreases gradually. At the steady state creep, the strain rate reaches a minimum and is almost constant. At the tertiary creep phase, the strain rate increases exponentially as temperature increases. ... sius), time zero (0), the strain on the structure is minimal, and as the curve shows, strain is always present even at normal conditions that are; steel is always undergoing strain in its normal conditions due to it general makeup which contains soluble atoms (Totten, 2007). A retardant rock wool which is welded to a steel structure aimed at adding extra heat protection reduces the effect of exposing a steel structure to long hours of heat. Although creep has a great detrimental effect on this steel structure, the extra fire protection (retardant rock wool) that is welded to the structure main objective is combating this effect (Totten, 2007). This material, which is fire resistant, tolerates temperatures of up to 1000 degrees Celsius and does not burn. It remains stable when exposed to such high temperatures. The retardant rock wool acts as an insulator in the sense that; it has an R-value which means that it has a resistance to heat flow providing rates as from 4.4dB for the 5mm th ickness of steel. Metals do not react well when exposed to fire for a very long time. When it is heated, the molecular structure of the metal becomes weak and loses its strength at over five hundred degrees Celsius. This cause the collapse of metal buildings as the metal warps and melts slightly under extreme temperatures. However, this takes a longer time and has no effect on the evacuation of the metal structure (Totten, 2007). Under normal circumstance, water reacts with metal to form rust. The surface rust is not harmful, but when exposed continuously to unprotected metal it leads to severe corrosion. Additionally, when the building is exposed to heat source for a long time, their mechanical strength of the building will decrease and thus their properties will become more dependent on

Hyundai Motors Essay Example for Free

Hyundai Motors Essay Hyundai Motor Company (hereafter, HMC) formed in 1967, was a part of the South Korean Chaebol the Hyundai Group. In the last four decades, HMC managed to establish itself as a most prominent automaker producing reliable, technically sound and stylish automobiles and commercial vehicles. Headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, HMC opened a new chapter in the history of the Korean automotive industry by exporting its first proprietary model, the Pony, to Ecuador in 1976. In the 1980’s, HMC exported the Excel to the U. S. In 1991, HMC achieved technological independence by developing the first propriety engines and transmissions. Currently HMC has 78,539 employees around the world working in eight manufacturing plants, 12 RD centers, 5,300 dealerships and sales companies, and CKD plants. As of 2010, HMC established as a global automaker that produces more than three million high-quality passenger and commercial vehicles for sale in 190 countries each year. By enhancing Brand image through high quality products and unique marketing initiatives, once again, HMC is the first and the only Korean automaker to be listed in the Top 100 Global Brands in 2010 by Business Week and Inter-brand since it first entered the Top 100 Global Brands in 2005. Revenue and Profit: In spite of the persistent uncertainties in recent business conditions, HMC achieved some significant milestones in automaker markets in the past few years. In 2009, HMC succeeded in selling 2.4 million vehicles overseas, a meaningful accomplishment considering the global economic crisis. In particular, Elantra, Genesis, Genesis Coupe, Santa Fe, and Veracruz were recognized as the best sales and safest cars in their categories by leading agencies and the media in the US, also, HMC achieved cumulative export sales of 1 million cars in Africa. HMC pledges continuous growth by maximizing brand value in developed markets and expanding its sales capacity in emerging markets. In 2009, HMC posted 31,859 billion KRW in sales. Operating profits increased by 19% to 2,235 billion KRW. The operating profit margin increased by 1.19% to 7.02%. Net profit surged by 104.5% to 2,962 billion KRW and HMC’s total assets increased by 12% to 22,029 billion KRW. Despite increased sales and profits, tax payments to the central and regional government decreased due to corporate tax cuts and increased tax exemptions associated with increased RD investments. (Source: 2010 Sustainability Report, Based HMC operation result only, * EBITDA =EBIDTA : Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) In 2009, HMC jumped to third on the list of Fortune Korea Top 20 Korean companies and generated 91.46 trillion won in revenue, up 14.7 percent from the year 2008 and 2.97 trillion won in net profit, up 246.7 percent (Source: www. koreatimes.co.kr). In 2010, HMC announced global sales of 3,612,487 units (domestic plants: 1,730,682, overseas plants: 1,881,805). Sales revenue rose 15.4 percent to 36.8 trillion won from a year earlier as the company sold more cars and improved its product mix, while operating profit also rose 44.4% to 3.2 trillion won. Net profit increased 77.8 percent to 5.3 trillion won. Hyundai aims to increase sales and enhance brand image in 2011 by introducing new models specifically designed for local customers. In the next decade, HMC will continue in its endeavor to become a leading global automaker company through driving growth the development of world-class eco-friendly vehicles. HMC is striving to develop environmentally friendly vehicles including hybrid electric vehicles; fuel cell electric vehicle and pursuing two-prolonged â€Å"Blue Drive† initiatives which focus on fuel efficiency and the development of alternative fuel vehicles as a fundamental solution for climate change energy security. In the future, HMC focus on vehicles that run on various bio fuels. For the U.S. and Brazil markets, HMC develops flex-fuel vehicles that run on a mixture of ethanol and gasoline. In Europe, where diesel cars are sold in great proportion, the EU has a set of technical standards for diesel fuels with biodiesel content made of palm, rapeseed, soybean and other plant resources, and all HMC’s models are capable of running on diesel fuel mixed with biodiesel. Remarkable success since 2007: In 2007, HMC received National Environmental Management Awards President’s Prize and sales in US exceed 5 million units; its products i30 selected as Car of the Year in Australia; Accent (Verna) selected as Best Car of the Year by the Indian automobile magazine Overdrive; Azera (Grandeur) ranks first in J.D. Power and Associates’ consumer satisfaction survey. In 2008, HMC received Global Green Management Excellence Award, Global Reporting Initiative Award; it ranked first in National Customer Service Index (NCSI) for eighth year in a row, Avante (Elantra) exceeds 5 million units in accumulated sales; In 2009, HMC was selected as Best Company in terms of customer satisfaction in the automaker category by a consumer research group in China; it ranked Top 60 in Global Brand Value by Business Week and selected as Best Marketer of the Year in the US; Its product i30 and Grand Starex awarded as Best Cars in Australia for the second consecutive year; TAU engine selected as winner of US Ward’s AutoWorld 2009 10 Best Engines for the second consecutive year; received Presidential Prize at the 2009 Korea New Technologies Award. In 2010, HMC placed in the Top 100 Global Brands in 2010 based on a joint study conducted by Business Week and Interbrand and was named Carmaker of the Year by AM, UK’s leading auto trade magazine, in the AM Awards 2010. The TAU 4.6 engine was selected as a winner of the 2010 10 Best Engines of the US automotive media Ward’s AutoWorld for the second consecutive year. Corporate Responsibility Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) was the key issue in company society relations. CSR has taken a core position of Hyundai Motor included three areas: trust-based management, environmental management, and social contribution. For trust-based management, HMC focused on labor relations enhancement, mutually beneficial cooperation with suppliers, ethics management and transparent management. As for environmental management, HMC proactively responded to global trends and environment regulations. For social contribution, HMC enlarged its capacity and obtained expertise to effectively carry out global social contribution projects and participated in volunteering programs, contributed to development of local communities. In 2007, HMC established the Hyundai Motor Global CSR Network with primary production and sales subsidiaries around the world and also laid foundations by promoting global CSR activities and by developing and opening the Global CSR Web site for information exchange. Challenge of sustainability: â€Å"Sustainable development satisfies the needs of the present generation without compromising the chance for future generations to satisfy theirs† Brudtland Report (1987). Enhancement of stakeholder value through achieving economic profits, environmental soundness, and the fulfillment of social responsibilities in corporate activities with a long-term perspective is the goal of sustainable management. To social and political sustainability, HMC has increase value to stakeholders through engagement and collaboration. To economic sustainability, HMC has responded to fast-changing demands of global customers by fully utilizing strategically placed production and RD facilities and fulfilled fundamental responsibility as a corporation by sharing economic value with various stakeholders including shareholders, investors, employees and suppliers. To environmental sustainability, HMC has tackled the twin challenges of climate change and energy security by developing green technology. HMC develops environmentally-friendly vehicles and the establishment of low carbon value chains to achieving reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, HMC has established a comprehensive hazardous materials management system and making effort to minimize impact on air quality. Climate change: Climate change is the most important issue to be tackled among five core Environmental Management Areas including Recycling and reuse, Air pollution, Hazardous materials, Environment Management System, Climate change. Since increased consumers’ preferences for low carbon products, therefore, HMC has invested a large amount of resources into the vehicle energy efficiency improvement technologies. HMC has established and implemented a comprehensive environmental strategy throughout the entire lifecycle of products. Its ‘Blue Drive’ is a strategy that focuses on fuel efficiency improvement of vehicles power by internal combustion engine and the supply of zero emission vehicles in the future. Facing to multiplied challenges of climate change, HMC has striving to develop vehicle that run on various bio-fuels and hybrid electric vehicles, fuel cell electric vehicle, environmentally –friendly vehicles and the establishment of low carbon value chains to achieve reduction in green house gas emission. As a first achievement, HMC is the world’s first LPG – Hybrid vehicle using proprietary technologies in July 2009 and release in the North American market and the domestic market in 2010. Engages with external stakeholders: HMC conducts business in an open transparent manner to earn and maintain the trust of all relevant stakeholders including shareholders and investors, customers, suppliers, government and communities. HMC have been sharing relevant information with all stakeholders via its sustainability report since 2003. HMC also tries to promote fair trade, mutually beneficial transaction with business its partners. With customers, HMC has been operating a customer service center that handles customer complaints and inquiries for improving customer satisfaction, reflect customer opinions about product and service by means of including regularly scheduled customer satisfaction surveys, customer services hotlines. The success of a surprisingly bold campaign with a new assurance program, which guaranteed customers to be able to return newly bought cars with no credit damage in the case they lose their income amid the still prevailing financial crisis. For suppliers, HMC created the Mutually Beneficial Cooperation Fund and a number of win-win supplier support programs designed to ensure shared growth with suppliers. In 2008, HMC signed a fair trade agreement with approximately 2,400 suppliers to further increase fairness and transparency collaboration with parts suppliers its essential in achieving high product quality in automobiles. HMC has made a sustainable effort to maximize shareholders and investors value through the increasing value of HMC by cash dividends – most important means of sharing company profits. In 2009, HMC declared cash dividends of 1,150 billion KRW per each common share. HMC also paid taxes to central regional government, local community and social distribution expense and launched tailored social contribution activities, organized an active employee volunteer service program which serves as the driving force for ‘Moving the world together’ social contribution campaign. In 2009, 25,851domestic employees participated in volunteer community service. In conclusion, HMC is more likely to achieve success in the long term by taking responsibility for the economic, social, ethical and environmental impact of its activities. Crisis Management In 2007, the antitrust agency of Korea fined HMC an amount of $ 25 million for violations in businesses. At the same time, Hyundai chairman Chung Mong-koo came before the court for corrupting from funds $ 96 million and damage more than $ 224 million from 2000 to 2006 to bribe officials for Hyundai facilitate urban expansion in southern of Seoul. This incident influenced a lot to the company, especially in long-term strategy, reputation and revenue. The global automotive markets which expanded rapidly over the past five years from 2002 to 2007 had sharply declines from the fall of 2008 in consequence of the financial crisis. Under extremely severe conditions, automakers run a race for survival in the global market. To respond to the crisis, HMC and other automotive manufacturers must solve liquidity problems urgently and reduction in production cost. And they also have implemented creative marketing strategies to entice reluctant consumers. The global financial downturn in 2008–9 affected European and Asian automotive manufacturers. The automotive industry was weakened by a substantial increase in the prices of automotive fuels linked to the 2003-2008 energy crisis which discouraged purchases of sport utility vehicles (SUVs) and pickup trucks which have low fuel economy. With fewer fuel-efficient models to offer to consumers, sales began to slide. By 2008, the situation had turned critical as the credit crunch placed pressure on the prices of raw materials. The result of the 2008-9 international financial crisis impact almost economic sectors and left a number of banks and other financial institution in severe difficulties, forcing some to collapse. As a result, inter-bank, corporate and personal lending was drastically reduces, share price fell, and all the companies found themselves in financial difficulty. The world economic downturn led to falling sale and profit, exchange rate and share prices and a shortage of credit finance for business and consumers, unemployment and social hardship. As a result, automotive industry is one of the first industries to suffer from the 2008-9 world recession. Clearly, consumers incomes were falling, business were cutting down on their purchases, credit was in short supply, thus consumers exercised caution and either bought a used car instead a new one. It is not therefore surprising that there was a significant fall in the demand for new cars. In some country, Government responded to the situation by offering financial incentives to persuade consumers to buy new cars. So HMC focused on making effort to make economizing fuel vehicles with minimize cost to respect customers need and have implemented creative marketing strategies to entice reluctant consumers as most experienced double-digit percentage declines in sales. Although the world’s automotive market remains sluggish, and some of the world’s largest carmakers have been sorely tested on how to survive, HMC has weathered the global crisis relatively well. In the midst of the global crisis, Hyundai planned a standalone strategy, because their product line up is not expected to synergistic effects through MA. Despite difficult market conditions, in 2010, HMC succeeded in increasing its sales and strengthening its internal capacity. Strategy over the past few years HMC developed five mid–and long–term strategies: global management, higher brand values, business innovation, environmental management, and strengthening product competitiveness. Especially, HMC selected environmental management as to meet the needs of markets and to fulfill stakeholder expectations and the society. HMC also intends to promote sustainability development and preservation of the environment. Blue Drive is HMC’s low carbon green technology strategy designed to reduce CO2 emissions by boosting fuel efficiency. Blue Drive also stands for HMC’s technology development strategy focus on improving fuel efficiency of internal combustion engine-based cars, and with an ultimate goal of developing vehicles with zero CO2 emissions. HMC has focus on three technology areas for improving energy efficiency of the power-train energy efficiency improvement, minimizing energy loss, and creating renewable energy in order to lower CO2 emissions from vehicles. In Europe, HMC succeeded in low CO2 emissions products including the Blue Drive variant of the i30 diesel model, Blue Drive variants, the i10, the i20, the i30, and the Tucson ix blue. In the US, HMC is the most fuel efficient brand with an average combined (passenger vehicle-light truck) fuel efficiency. In the domestic market, a great number of vehicle models including the Click(Getz), the Verna(Accent), the i30, the Avante (Elantra), the Tucson(Diesel model), and the Santa Fe(diesel model) earned a first class energy efficiency. HMC has expanded its vehicle lineup by including more luxury sedans and eco-friendly cars in order to keep up its strong performance in the U.S. market. HMC sold more than 500,000 vehicles in the USA in 2010 and it is the highest number of cars it has ever sold in a single year since tapping into the U.S. market in 1986. HMC have been aggressively pushing into China as the country has become the world’s largest automobile market. As its first achievement, HMC launched the world’s first LPG-Hybrid vehicles, the Elantra LPi Hybrid, which is developed using proprietary technologies in 2009 and released the Sonata Hybrid in the North American market in 2010 and in the domestic market in 2011. HMC’s high product quality innovation was proven in engine technology—the heart of an automobile. Its technical capabilities and the development of high fuel efficiency-related technologies become a true global environmental leader. Under the philosophy of putting quality first, over 5% of its revenues are invested into RD to secure world-leading quality, marketability and technology. HMC has already taken environmentally-friendly investments and research that have resulted in a range of innovative breakthroughs from fuel-saving technology to new materials and responsible treatment of end-of-life vehicles. By adding blast furnaces to its operations, HMC was able to complete what it calls â€Å"resource circulating business structure† that goes from molten iron to automobiles, and from scrap back to unprocessed steel. Since its first concept model â€Å"Blue Will† in 2009 with light-weight bodies made of carbon-fiber, a panoramic sunroof with solar cells minimizing power loss, HMC will launch plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and electric vehicle (NEV) are optimized for in-city use, especially well-fitted for commutes and short trips. Innovative vehicles that pioneer changed in the auto industry through continuous investment in RD and advanced dealer network programs and highly recognized for its sharp sales increase, first-rate dealership programs, and growth in brand awareness. HMC beat other candidates including Ford, Jaguar, and Landrover to be selected as the winner of the coveted title. Vision, Mission, Goals Hyundai Motor Company has grown rapidly to become one of the largest automobile companies with global top five production capability and superior quality, reaching a tipping point the qualitative approach, bringing bigger ideas and relevant solutions to its customers. At this opportunity to move ahead, HMC have developed a new brand slogan that encapsulates the willingness to take the next big step up. Led by new slogan and the thinking behind, HMC will become a company that keep challenging ourselves to open up new possibilities for people and the planet. HMC established a long-term vision of â€Å"Innovation Humanity† and selected five core strategies directions including a global orientation, respect for human values, customer satisfaction, technology innovation and cultural creation. HMC desires to create an automobile culture of putting customer first via developing human–centered and environment–friendly technological innovation. HMC vision is to secure world-best innovations and raise its profile as a premium automaker. Its quest also includes making this world a better place for all by popularizing next generation eco-friendly technologies and creating a new auto-culture through people-centered technologies that move customers hearts. HMC goal is to become a respected global company that contributed the creation of an automobile consumer culture that respects customers need and innovation in environmental technology that minimize the environmental impact of automobile. HMCs success, watched closely worldwide, is a result of continuous and aggressive innovations that have been implemented on behalf of our customers. HMC considers its most important mission to bring the enjoyment of elegance and confidence to its customers, rather than just selling products. Hyundai strives to bring its customers luxury and style. Therefore, Hyundai will continue to stabilize its global management by establishing an effective cooperation system among production bases around the world. HMCs management goal is customer–oriented management and continuous execution of global management. Motivation employees HMC has human resource management policy with fairness and reasonableness as the guiding principle, ensuring protection of human right and maximizing employees’ satisfaction at the work place. HMC does not discriminate against its employees or job applicant on the basis of race, age, religion, sea, nationality, physical characteristic or any other facture for all personal decisions including recruitment, placement, evaluation, compensation, training, rank or promotion. HMC respect the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and fully comply with related laws and international labor practice norm including the UN Global Compact principles and ILO guidelines. HMC provide fair compensation for all work at our business sites according to the work guidelines, compensation policy and relevant laws. Also, HMC have created an ethics charter that calls for respect of the right of all workers. HMC focus in increasing health service for workers in the older age group, implementation of policies to recruit and support female employees and provision of more employment opportunity to non-Korean nationals and people with disability improve working conditions for female workers, HMC offer benefits including monthly days off and 90 day maternity leave. Some operation sites offer childcare centers for working mother as well. HMC ensures employees safety pre-assessment, accident prevention activities, increased investment in safety-related facilities and safety training. Therefore, HMC pursue a long-term relationship that is mutually beneficial to both employees and management. Desirability as an employee I would like to work for HMC because HMC is a leading global automaker with competitive edge in product quality, innovation, appealing to the ever-growing emerging markets, as well as the rapidly changing global market. Moreover, it contributes to society, as part of our global corporate responsibility, as well as to secure leadership for future growth through environmental management, forging the way for green growth and the development of world-class eco-friendly vehicles. Actually HMC is an ideal work place, safe and healthy working environment because of its human resource management policy with fairness and reasonableness to ensure human right protection and maximizing employees’ satisfaction. HMC regards employees as important assets for corporate growth so it has established the HMC ethics charter, the employee code of conduct, and the Guideline on Ethical Business Practices to help employees make the correct decision in the business conduct. It endeavors to provide all employees with environment training program. HMC is stepping up efforts to ensure fairness in HR decisions, to introduce a rational compensation system, to collaborate with the UN Global Compact for human rights protection, talent development, welfare improvement, and health and safety enhancement. References: Main sources: Hyundai Motor Company. Available from http://worldwide.hyundai.com [Accessed 4th March 2011] The road to Sustainability-Hyundai. Available from www.worldwide.hyundai.com/Web/C_Sustainability_down/2010_reports.pdf [Accessed 8th March 2011] The road to sustainability Hyundai. Available from worldwide.hyundai.com/Web/C_Sustainability_down/2010_reports.pdf [Accessed 8th March 2011] Global Crisis Enables Hyundai to Grow Bigger, 04-21-2010 19:37, Available from http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/biz/2010/11/294_64620.html [Accessed 9th March 2011] Hyundai Motor joins top 3, in Fortune Korea 500; 10-24-2010 18:54. Available from http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/biz/2011/02/123_75131.html [Accessed 9th March 2011] PART 2: Critically discuss the contention that â€Å"Leaders are born not made† â€Å"Leadership is the process of influencing people towards achievement of organization goals† (Naylor J. (2004) 2nd ed. Management, Harlow. Prentice-Hall)