Analysis Of Raymond Carver s Popular Mechanics - 1341 Words

â€Å"Communication is key,† is a statement that people hear more than once in their lifetime. Whether they choose to understand it or not, it’s something that they will always hear. But if communication is really key why do people choose to hide away the key and keep their door locked? Every relationship has it up and downs. There is no couple who can say that their relationship is perfect, everyone runs into a few bumps in the road. It seems like they only want sunshine and rainbows in a relationship and don’t want to endure the storms that may come along. People just have to hang in there and learn how work through their issues. In Raymond Carver’s â€Å"Popular Mechanics†, the social issue of communication in relationships is brought up. Communication is important in relationships because it is the key to success. Poor communication can bring up many issues in a relationship like unnecessary arguments, unhappiness and in worse case scenarios se paration. It’s shocking to see people who actually believe that they can solve their problems by avoiding them. If he or she doesn’t speak up and tell their significant other that something is bothering them or that they are hurt or upset then how are they supposed it fix it? People are quick to say that their partner should know when something is wrong, but they have to remember that nobody is a mind reader. The art of a relationship requires communication. That means that people have to learn to express what is going on in their heartsShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Raymond Carver s Popular Mechanics 1194 Words   |  5 PagesRaymond Carver’s very short story, â€Å"Popular Mechanics† is seemingly set on the east coast or somewhere that experiences cold, wintery weather. Early on it foreshadows the potential of something bad or sad happening as it is dark inside. The couple in the story seems to be experiencing a bit of disagreement as they are separating and the male character gathers his belongings in preparation to leave. Unfortunately, their child was placed in the midst of the split as it is with almost all divorces betweenRead MorePopular Mechanics By Raymond Carver : Lesson Plan Of Questioning1628 Words   |  7 Pagesframe of mind. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2fWZHaNugc Input- Teacher Directed Lesson (12.00 minutes) The teacher (Aide) will read a short story to explicitly communicate to the student the concept of questioning while reading Popular Mechanics by Raymond Carver ________________________________________ Early that day the weather turned and the snow was melting into dirty water. Streaks of it ran down from the little shoulder-high window that faced the backyard. Cars slushed by on the streetRead MoreRastafarian79520 Words   |  319 PagesJamaican experience for years. The truth is that there has always been a committed Jamaican counter- culture that celebrates and sees redemption in Africa and rejects the European values that have oppressed a society. But prior to the advent of popular culture and especially the music recording business in the late twentieth century, its apparatus of cultural formation was controlled fully by the elite who, to a large extent, ran the educational apparatus and the economic system. But much of the

Human Resources Challenges Indonesia - 1024 Words

Human Resources Challenges – Indonesia When conducting business in a foreign country, a company needs to consider several different business factors and challenges that might arise. As a company embarks on its venture in Indonesia, Human Resources department needs to be aware of the differences and key challenges that might arise. They need to be aware of key business challenges, key human resources challenges, and how to adapt some of the human resources policies and practices to culture/environment of Indonesia. Key Business Challenges It can be relatively time-consuming trying to enter the market because United States firms can run into complex regulatory and bureaucratic requirements. According to the 2015 report by the World Bank, Indonesia ranked 114 out of 189 countries in ease of doing business which makes the business environment challenging (â€Å"Doing Business in Indonesia,† 2016). (http://2016.export.gov/indonesia/doingbusinessinindonesia/index.asp). Economy: In Indonesia the chief of state and head of government is President Joko Widodo and it’s a republican government. The economic and political stance being unstable creates a high rating risk of doing business in Indonesia. Bribery, corruption, and lack of transparency is still very common in Indonesia which is another reason conducting business is difficult. In 2014, Indonesia top trade partners were China, Singapore, and Japan. As well as, an individual can start working at the age of 15 and with workingShow MoreRelatedNorth Asian Country : A Centralized Country Ruled By Authoritarian Government1035 Words   |  5 PagesGovernances’ Transformation Despite the difference in the political system, both countries, initially, was a centralized country ruled by authoritarian government which had full control over the forest resources. Along with the unfair distributed benefit and economic development orientation, the forest resources become heavily abused by the governments and the local forest communities which drastically accelerate the rate of the deforestation (Resosudarmo and Yusuf 2006; Sunderlin and Huynh 2005). SunderlinRead MoreIndonesia Us Relations765 Words   |  4 PagesIndonesia-US Relations Indonesia is the largest Moslem country in the world and has the fourth largest population. Still, many Americans dont know much about this archipelago. Indonesia is strategically located in Southeast Asia, between Asia and Australia and between the Pacific and Indian Ocean. It is made up of over 17,000 islands and the population consists of over 300 ethnic groups, each with its own local language and local tradition, struggling for survival, maintenance and, in some casesRead MoreA Research Study On Primate Conservation1385 Words   |  6 PagesPrimate conservation has long been a topic of debate, reliant most heavily on the struggle to provide the necessary resources to combat the declining rate of population growth among various species. Orangutans in particular, both Sumatran and Bornean, have experienced a rapid drop in their free-living populations. With an estimate of only 27,000 left in the wild, questions have been raised over what selective pressures are impacting the stea dy decline of these animals existence. While hunting andRead MoreBusiness Expansion in Indonesia1643 Words   |  7 Pagesunderstand a bit about how that environment was shaped over time. Business Enterprise in Indonesia - We have the opportunity as an organization to begin a business enterprise in Indonesia, one of the faster growing economies of the Asian world. We are providing materials for review prior to the decision that should help understand the strategic and tactical nature of the region. Overview The Republic of Indonesia is located in SE Asia and Oceania, and is an archipelago comprising about 17,500 islandsRead MoreEssay Least Developed Countries (LDCs)609 Words   |  3 Pagesand History of the Issue. General Parties Involved. A Least Developed Country (LDC) is a country that is defined as exhibiting the lowest indicator of socioeconomic development. A country can be classified as an LDC if they have low income, a Low Human Assets Index, a High Economic Vulnerability Index, and a population size no larger than 75 million. They must meet all four of these requirements. Origin of the Problem Countries classified as LDCs are often newly developed countries, have beenRead MoreThe Effects of Cultural Intelligence on Leadership Effectiveness in Multinational Organizations1354 Words   |  5 Pagesinteract and work with colleagues from across the world to complete a given job throws a lot of challenges on both the employees as well as the organizations. The challenges include factors such as language skills, leadership effectiveness, cultural intelligence, emotional intelligence, global mobility of human resource, employees’ productivity, working in different global time zone, communication challenge, work atmosphere, decision making etc. The more the organizations find opportunities to expandRead MoreHunger, Poverty, And Poverty1290 Words   |  6 Pagesindividual. Striving to end hunger inspires unity for those struggling and those who want to find a solution for the problem. Working together to improve life on land is one of the most important aspects in life. T he global challenge is to end hunger while taking advantage of all the resources that people have in their lives. It’s critical to improve life on land and finding different ways to grow a large amount of food. Many people who are struggling to provide food for families, starving, and strugglingRead MoreEconomic Development Of Indonesi A Long Term Plan1559 Words   |  7 PagesEconomic development in Indonesia began in early 1970. Indonesia had a low income per capita compared with other developing countries such as India, Bangladesh or Nigeria. As one of the poorest country in the world, Indonesia faced many challenges to cater its inhabitants, for example more than half of the population was living in absolute poverty. This condition made Indonesia had a low life expectancy because lack of health infrastructure such as hospital and medical workers. Some regions facedRead MoreThe Workplace Conditions And Safety Climate Related Programmes1409 Words   |  6 Pagescountries, are remained poorly neglected (Bosak, Coetsee, Cullinane, 2013) . For instance, Indonesia as an emerging country has three major issues regarding safety climate, including labour market, security and quality of the working environment issues, such as poorly paid salary and wages, long working hours, accidents, etc. (OECD, 2014). In fact, Jamsostek (2013) reports that work accidents in Indonesia has been increasing to one point seventy six percent per year (p.82). For example, in 2013Read MoreThe Importance Of Equality Development Program Is A Key For Sustainability Development944 Words   |  4 Pagesdeliver their ideas or opinions because they could not have resources and opportunities (Oakley 1991). Marginal group on development process in the rural community may reluctant to participate because the participation method usually tends to become a one way communication therefore marginal group in community should be able to identify their strength (Minkler 1997) to be able to co ntribute in development process. Rural area in Indonesia especially marginal group has high illiterate or they had primary

Management and Organizations Limited in Global Environment

Question: Discuss about the Management and Organizations Limited in Global Environment. Answer: Introduction Employee turnover rate refers to the percentage of people leaving an organization. This is one of the major issues that a company faces. Employee turnover could be the reason of various unethical practices prevailing in the organization along with the loopholes in the framework of the organization (Hausknecht and Holwerda 2013). It is quite vital for an organization to pay more heed to this issue, as it would affect the productivity, growth and sustainability of the organization. In this report, the case of Advanced Programming limited has been taken into consideration. This is an old company with 1000 employees in it. Recently there have been some disturbing changes in the company related to increased amount of employment turnover. This effect has raised the tension of the heads of the organization. In this report, the reasons behind such an issue would be analysed, with regards to different theories. In the end recommendations have been stated that would help the organization in to the organization from such situations. Problem Identification Advanced Programming Limited (APL) has been going through the phase of high employee turnover, which has reduced the amount of workers in the company. This has reduced the smooth functioning of the organization. There are various reasons which are stated as reasons by the employees while they plan to leave their job. Some of them are that they need a break from the work life, they are too exhausted with the long working hours, they need to involve themselves in their families, they want to bring some happiness in their personal life by spending time with kids and families. They feel as being pressurized in the working atmosphere of the company. According to the vice president of the organization, Paul Bolton, all these excuses or reasons mentioned by the employees are not true at all. One of the reasons for the high turnover rate of employees in APL limited is that they are getting attracted to some other jobs at that current point of time. Starts up companies are quite demanded by these employees. Secondly, the employees of the organization have more money than they can use. This money has been derived from the skyrocketed stock prices of the company. Their financial independence gives them lesser reasons to remain in the company. Analysis In order to analyse the attributes of the employees towards the job loyalty and towards APL, it would be quite beneficial to evaluate their thoughts with the help of Four Drive Theory and Mcclellands Learned Needs Theory. Four-Drive theory The Four Drive Theory has been framed by Dr. Lawrence and Nitin Noharia (Weiner 2013). According to this theory, every individual aim at fulfilling their objectives, thereby dividing the drivers who maintain the motivation in the individual as follows : acquire, bond, comprehend and defend. Considering the case of APL, the employees have the drive to acquire those jobs that are more competing in nature. They are more attracted towards start up companies where a single person is playing more than a role (Jung 2014). Though thus would make them more weary of what they did at APL, yet, they have a positive perception towards it. The drive to learn of the employees would be satisfied by learning working at new environments and by gaining new knowledge. By being in a new company, the system of work would change; thereby it would provide them with freshness at work. The drive to bond in the employees manifests the urge to seek other jobs and to find new jobs for themselves. They are more likely to get attracted to new companies of their genre that would provide them with a better scope of growth. The fourth drive is the drive to defend is latent. This drive is stimulated by a threat to become active. The threat of the employees of working for more hours in APL and the opportunity of working with a start up company provides these employees to resign from the currently job as an act of defence towards themselves. All these four drives explain how the employees undergo the drives to acquire, bond, learn and defend with regards to leaving their jobs at APL and acquiring a new one. McClellands Learned Needs Theory According Mcclellands Learned Needs Theory, a person has three motivating drivers, out of which one would be the dominant activator among them (MCCLELLAND 2015). The three drivers are achievement, power and affiliation. According to achievement motivator, the employees of APL have a strong affiliation of achieving and gaining new experiences at new start up companies, which would provide them with a wider scope to grow along with the company; it is so because apl is a well developed company where a single person performs a limited task. On the contradictory in a start up company, an individual would get the opportunity to adhere to various tasks. This would provide the employees with an essence of something new in their work life. According to affiliation motivator, the employees who are planning to quit their jobs at APL just because their fellow colleagues are doing so. They have the urge to get attracted towards those who have left their job and have joined some other companies, thereby making it quite attractive for them to change their jobs (Miner 2015). According to the power motivator, the employees want to acquire power, which they perhaps could not exercise at their current jobs. APL being an old company has been able to define the duties of every individual in an organized manner. New start up companies has not been able to define the positions of the individuals thereby allowing an experienced person to handle various matters of the company. It provides a sense of power to these employees. Moreover these employees have been able to gain more money, thereby providing them with the power of status and recognition. Among the three motivators, any one motivator could be a dominant factor for the employees. The perception of the dominant motivator differs among the individuals. This theory provides a situation of what motivates the employees to leave their current jobs and acquire a new one somewhere else. Recommendations A company that suffers from a high employee turnover rate has to incur various complexities at work place. It renders a higher costly on the company to train and replace a new employee. APL is one such organization that is currently facing such complications of being unable to stabilise the employee in the organization. In order to overcome such situations, there are various ways that could have been considered, that would hence provide the association with some stability. One of the ways of attaining lower turnover is by setting the right compensation and benefits to the employees. It is quite important to get the current data of the packages that are being offered in various companies, and changes must be made in accordance to that (Wheeler, Halbesleben and Harris 2012). This would give the employees lesser opportunities to think of changing their jobs. Another way is to review the compensation packages that are being provided to the employees in the organization. The benefit and compensation packages are one of the most attractive bonus that an employee looks upto, thereby incentivising the situation of being adhered to the job and maintaining their loyalty (Worren 2012). It is quite important for the organization to consider the needs of the employee. The employees must be facing various difficulties at workplace that could be related to the environment or the pressure of work that they might handle at work. The head of the organization must be at constant communications with them (Northouse 2015). Recognitions and appraisals at work are very important for an employee that would help them to encourage their positive attitude towards the organizations. Peer recognition programs must be injected in the organization that would help in promoting the positivity around the employees (Mowday, Porter and Steers 2013). It would provide them with the hope of working much better than before. Additional benefits adhered to the performance of an individual, is considered as one of the best options to gain better acclamations from the workers (Stone 2013). By following these methods, APL would be able to come up with better results of lowering the employee turnover rate. These measures would raise the loyalty of the employees towards the organization they would not feel indifferent or get attracted to the other job opportunities. Conclusion Employee turnover could be the reason of various unethical practices prevailing in the organization along with the loopholes in the framework of the organization. It is quite vital for an organization to pay more heed to this issue, as it would affect the productivity, growth and sustainability of the organization. Advanced programming limited has been going through the phase of high employee turnover, which has reduced the amount of workers in the company and has affected the smooth functioning of the organization. The employees of the organizations are leaving their jobs by getting attracted to better opportunities provided by the start up companies. It is quite important for the organization to analyse the drivers and motivators that are affecting the people of the organization. By acknowledging these factors, the company can adhere to various measures such as appraisals, compensation packages, communicating their needs and other benefits that would raise the loyalty of the indivi duals towards the company. Reference Mcclelland, D., 2015. AchieveMENT Motivation Theory.Organizational Behavior 1: Essential Theories of Motivation and Leadership, p.46. Miner, J.B., 2015.Organizational behavior 1: Essential theories of motivation and leadership. Routledge. Northouse, P.G., 2015.Leadership: Theory and practice. Sage publications. Weiner, B., 2013.Human motivation. Psychology Press. Hausknecht, J.P. and Holwerda, J.A., 2013. When does employee turnover matter? Dynamic member configurations, productive capacity, and collective performance.Organization Science,24(1), pp.210-225. Mowday, R.T., Porter, L.W. and Steers, R.M., 2013.Employeeorganization linkages: The psychology of commitment, absenteeism, and turnover. Academic press. Jung, C.S., 2014. Why are goals important in the public sector? Exploring the benefits of goal clarity for reducing turnover intention.Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory,24(1), pp.209-234. Wheeler, A.R., Halbesleben, J.R. and Harris, K.J., 2012. How job-level HRM effectiveness influences employee intent to turnover and workarounds in hospitals.Journal of Business Research,65(4), pp.547-554. Worren, N.A., 2012.Organisation design: Re-defining complex systems. Pearson. Stone, R.J., 2013.Managing human resources. John Wiley and Sons.

Perceptual Development Essays - Mental Processes, Vision, Perception

Perceptual Development a) Describe 2 studies of perceptual development (12 marks). b) Assess the way in which such studies help to explain the development of perception (12 marks). In the following essay I intend to describe two studies of perceptual development. I then intend to assess such studies and how they help to explain the development of perception. By perceptual development, I mean how animals and humans alike develop their seeing capabilities. This development of perception could be learnt or innate. By innate, I mean to be born with the ability. a) Gibson and Walk conducted a study in 1960. The study was investigating Depth Perception. The study involved a 6-month-old child, 24-hour-old chicks, kids and lambs. Gibson and Walk used a 'Visual Cliff' to conduct the study. The 'Visual Cliff' was comprised of 2 floors. On one side there was a check-board pattern, on the other side there is glass floor. Below the glass floor there was another floor with check-board pattern. This was placed so that an illusion of a cliff and depth was created. At first the child was placed and was found to be reluctant to go onto the glass. The child's reluctance could be seen as even with encouragement from the child's mother, the child refused to go onto the glass. The study was continued on chicks, kids and lambs. All subjects studied refused to go onto the glass. Held and Hein conducted a study in 1965. The study was investigating Depth Perception. The study involved two kittens. The kittens were kept in the dark for a period of eight weeks since their birth and for three hours per day they were kept in a 'Kitten Carousel'. The kittens were given appropriate name. 'Passive Kitten' and Active Kitten' were their names. The Active Kitten was given the ability to move freely at it's own discretion, during the eight weeks. The Passive Kitten was unable to move freely during the eight weeks. Both Kittens were released into the light. The Passive Kitten showed no evidence of perceiving depth. The Active Kitten did far better then the Passive Kitten. b) Studies like the above two help explain the development of perception. Studies do this by allowing us to understand if perception is learnt or an innate process. The first study suggested that their subjects could perceive Depth Perception. However the study did not clearly identify whether perception was innate or learnt. This could not be identified as the child's age created a 'time period' were perception could be learnt. To clarify this the study was conducted on animal subjects. All of the subjects could perceive depth. However the animal subjects walk from almost birth. This ability to walk suggests a different process of perception to the human perception. Perception in the animal subjects seems to be an innate process. The second study was confined to 'Kittens'. The study suggested that depth perception is learnt. This was suggested by the 'Passive Kitten', restricted from movement was unable to perceive depth once free. The kitten was unable to use sensory motor co-ordination. This suggests a link between perception and sensory motor co-ordination. The study suggested perception is learnt in kittens. Environment factors also may affect perception. The study had ethical concerns, the 'Passive Kitten' was 'crippled'. The Kittens parents may have a genetic affect on their behavior. The study does not suggest what type of kittens was investigated. For Example; 'Domestic or Non-Domestic'. There are other variations of Kittens (cats) and therefore this may be claimed as a variable. Hence making the results invalid. . Different types of Kittens usually require their parents for a varied period of their early life. This may affect the results. Both studies did not suggest what depth perception is like in 'Humans'. The studies were confined to animals, which can not communicate through any human created language and therefore misinterpretation can occur. Hence, the validity of the results comes into concern. Other studies of perception have occurred. However conducting studies of human perception is complicated, as it is not easy to generalise. Commonly studies are done on westernised subjects rather than subjects from third world countries. Studies suggest that cultural variation, environment and social aspects can have an affect on perception. Therefore many studies conducted up to date are invalid for not considering this issue as a variable. The studies reveal different results. However these different results enable me to understand the development of perception. This suggests that perception is developed in many different ways and therefore can not conclusively be used to generalise.

Diagnosing Malaria †Case Study

Diagnosing Malaria – Case Study Free Online Research Papers Diagnosing malaria can be missed when there is a significant time lag from exposure and negative initial tests. As clinicians we must always consider the diagnosis in the appropriate clinical setting as a missed diagnosis can potentially result in serious consequences. A 27 year old female student from Nigeria presented with a two day history of headaches, mild photophobia, sweats and fever. She arrived from Nigeria eight months previously and had not been back since. On admission she was unwell with a temperature of 38.5?C, pulse 110/min but otherwise haemodynamically stable. Examination revealed a soft ejection systolic murmur and signs of meningism, but her neurological assessment was otherwise entirely normal. Her initial investigations showed a haemoglobin level of 11.8g/dl, white cell count 3.9109/l, lymphocytes 0.5109/l, platelets 118109/l, C-reactive protein 121mg/l; urea and electrolytes and liver function tests were normal. She was commenced on ceftriaxone 2g daily with a presumptive diagnosis of meningitis. She had a normal CT head, which was followed by a normal lumbar puncture. Two sets of blood cultures and a mid-stream urine sample had no growth after 48 hours. The initial admission pyrexic thick and thin blood film and malarial antigen test (Optimal, DiaMed) were negative. She improved initially with antibiotics and intravenous fluids. 24 hours into her admission, having been reviewed by a number of senior doctors, her working diagnosis was changed to one of a viral illness and plans were made for her discharge. Malaria was felt to be unlikely given that not only was she eight months post exposure for malaria, her blood film and antigen test were negative. However, on the day of discharge she was found to spike a temperature of 38?C and remained thrombocytopenic (108109/l). It was decided that in view of her origin (Nigeria) and the fact that she remained thrombocytopenic, malaria still needed to be considered. Even though a thick and thin blood film and malarial antigen test (Optimal, DiaMed) were negative, we felt three negative blood films were needed before excluding malaria and labelling her as a patient with a viral illness. Interestingly a repeat blood film showed malarial parasitaemia of 5% Plasmodium falciparum [Figure 1]. Her haemoglobin dropped to 9g/dl and platelets dropped to 93109/l over the next two days, which then recovered. She was treated with intravenous quinine (10mg/kg) for 48hrs and converted to oral quinine for seven days followed by three tablets of oral pyrimethamine with sulfadoxine (Fansidar). She was discharged home with a negative parasitaemia. Comment The Office of National Statistics reports increasing international travel in our population with 25 million visitors to the UK and 61 million trips abroad in 2003. According to the Health Protection Agency (HPA) there were 1722 cases of malaria in the UK in 2003, 78% were Plasmodium falciparum, all of which were diagnosed within five months of arrival in the UK. Their statistics also show that 59% of malarial cases in UK are from those of African ethnicity, and patients who were infected in Nigeria contribute one third of all Plasmodium falciparum cases in UK and 2 out of 16 deaths in 2003. Immunity to malaria is acquired slowly, is incomplete and on leaving the infectious environment falls over about 1-2 years. Those who have been out of exposure for greater than 1 year or been born in UK are classed as non-immune. These individuals if exposed usually develop malaria within one month of leaving the endemic area. In contrast those who are from endemic areas and arrive in the UK as an immigrant, visitor or student (our patient) are classed as semi-immune. In these individuals and those who have taken malaria prophylaxis, incubation can be significantly prolonged, and may have milder symptoms. In those countries with high transmission rates, severe disease is usually a disease of the young (1 month to 5 years) or non-immune adults (vast majority of travellers to endemic areas). Children in areas of high transmission often show tolerability of the parasites due to constant parasitaemia without signs of disease, and paradoxically those living in low transmission areas have high clinical disease burden 1. Reviewing the HPA statistics, of the 1722 cases reported in 2003, 52% were visiting family and friends in their country of origin and probably non-immune as they had been born or lived in the UK for some time, 22% were from endemic areas (immigrants, visitors, students), and 26% were almost certainly non-immune (business travel, holiday, expatriates). Diagnosis of malaria in the 22% group, who arrive from an endemic area and are semi-immune, is often difficult because they can present late with clinical malaria, as demonstrated with our patient being in the UK for eight months prior to presentation. Our case was notable in that our patient had an initial negative microscopy and malaria antigen test. The latter is a new method for detecting malaria. It is a rapid dipstick immunoassay that detects circulating antigens of either histidine rich protein-2 of falciparum (HRP-2f) or plasmodium lactate dehydrogenase (pLDH). These are near-patient testing kits that have recently been developed to ease and speed up diagnosis, particularly in places that do not have access to microscopes or trained laboratory staff. The malarial antigen test Optimal (DiaMed) used in this case detects presence of pLDH. This assay can detect parasitaemia levels of 100-200 parasites per ?L of blood, equivalent to 0.002% 2 and has been found to have a sensitivity of 95.3% and a specificity of 100% for Plasmodium falciparum 3. However, a meta-analysis of ten popular brands showed that HRP-2 was more accurate than the pLDH tests 4. Though quick to use and easy to read they are not as accurate nor as good at dete cting species as microscopy using thick and thin films, hence why microscopy remains the method of choice. We believe most general physicians would have felt that on initial presentation our patient was unlikely to have malaria. She presented with non-specific symptoms and signs of meningism; over eight months had elapsed since her return from Nigeria and lastly initial investigations were negative for malaria. Many might have put her presentation down to a viral illness, though she had the characteristic lymphopenia and thrombocytopenia for malaria (sensitivity for thrombocytopenia in those with malaria is 60%, and specificity is 95%) 5. It is noteworthy however that a study in Nigeria found that headache, fever, chills and rigors were the commonest malaria symptoms in adults6. Further, a fact that we all forget is that the HPA advises us to consider malaria in a patient who has been potentially exposed up to 12 months. Finally if the clinical suspicion for malaria is high, three sets of malarial blood films must be taken before suggesting a negative result – easily forgotten by clinicians. In conclusion we would like to reinforce to all clinicians the advice by the Health Protection Agency that it is important to consider malaria due to Plasmodium falciparum as a differential in those who have had malaria exposure in the last 12 months and to always take three blood films if there is any clinical suspicion to make a diagnosis of malaria. Figure 1: Patients blood film showing malarial parasites References: 1. Reyburn H, Mbatia R, Drakeley C, Bruce J, Carneiro I, Olomi R, Cox J, Nkya WMMM, Lemnge M, Greenwood BM, Riley EM Association of Transmission Intensity and Age With Clinical Manifestations and Case Fatality of Severe Plasmodium falciparum Malaria Journal of American Medical Association 2005; 293:1461-1470 2. Palmer CJ, Lindo JF, Klaskala WI, Quesada JA, Kaminsky R, Baum MK, Ager AL Evaluation of the OptiMAL Test for Rapid Diagnosis of Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum Malaria Journal of Clinical Microbiology 1998; Jan: 203-206 3. Kolaczinski J, Mohammed N, Ali I, Ali M, Khan N, Ezard N, Rowland M Comparison of the OptiMAL rapid antigen test with field microscopy for the detection of Plasmodium vivax and P. falciparum: considerations for the application of the rapid test in Afghanistan Annals of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology 2004; 98(1): 15-20 4. Marx A, Pewsner D, Egger M, Nuesch R, Bucher HC, Genton B, Hatz C, Juni P Meta-analysis: accuracy of rapid tests for malaria in travelers returning from endemic areas Annals of Internal Medicine 2005; 142(10): 836-46 5. DAcremont V, Landry P, Mueller I, Pecoud A, Genton B Clinical and laboratory predictors of imported malaria in an outpatient setting: an aid to medical decision making in returning travelers with fever American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 2002, 66: 481-486 6. Harrison NE, Odunukwe NN, Ijoma CK, Mafe AG Current clinical presentation of malaria in Enugu, Nigeria Nigerian Postgraduate Medicine J. 2004; 11(4): 240-5 Research Papers on Diagnosing Malaria - Case StudyPersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyStandardized TestingResearch Process Part OneWhere Wild and West MeetLifes What IfsThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug UseEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenRelationship between Media Coverage and Social and19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever Product

Perfect Custom Essays

Perfect Custom Essays Nowadays, paper writing for college students has proved to be rather a difficult task for most of them. Consequently, this has pushed them to seek essay writing services from various agencies that offer such services. Various factors have contributed to the students turning to custom essay writing companies for help. These factors include lack of adequate material to complete the assignments, others may be non-natives and the English language appears to be difficult to comprehend. Most college students prefer English essay writing from English native speaking individuals. This is because English is their second language, and they would want their work immaculately done. This may seem unethical to some, but it is quite helpful to many as these companies offer templates that assist students in composing their original work. Additionally, these companies offer various services such as thesis writing, research papers, dissertation chapters, course work and reports among others. Proofread ing and editing of previously done work are also services offered by these companies. Subsequently, such services help in avoiding common grammatical errors such as run-on sentences, punctuation mistakes, spelling mistakes, subject verb agreements and other common typos. It also helps in eliminating plagiarism by correct citations where work has been borrowed and paraphrased to represent originality. These companies accomplish all these by employing expert writers who offer excellent and professional English essay writing skills. Some of these professional writers are English language natives while others have English as their second language but still offer excellent services to the clients available.

Defense Intelligence Agency Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Defense Intelligence Agency - Essay Example The decision that DIA delivers concerning intelligence information is an advantage to war fighters, policy makers and defense planners (DIA, 2015). The collected intelligence information is an advantage because it is usable by the military and other states security officers to be alert of any kind of attack especially from terror. The new base contribute to a new mission of applying interpersonal skills, high level training and professional talents that provide the necessary human intelligence (HUMINT). The agency collects and analyses key intelligence information data using a variety of sophisticated tools and technology before coming up with the decision (DIA, 2015). The DIA then makes a decision concerning the information analyzed on how to deploy security personnel globally in order to be on top of the matter in case of any abnormalities. During the security deployment activity, the DIA takes a long war fighter and interagency partners to be on watch out in order to manage and contain the security. Therefore, the work of DIA is to coordinate with all the security personnel and share with them intelligence information with an intention to defend America’s national security interest (DIA,

From the business idea (will upload the file), create a hybrid of Assignment

From the business idea (will upload the file), create a hybrid of ideas or compile a new idea then, document how the business mo - Assignment Example What makes the company success The sinner party company being a brand new service within the area of location, many people above eighteen years would be attracted to the services offered by the company. Many of the customers would be looking for a bar with lighting and logo placement which would help in overcoming the competitions by the other companies. Additionally, the Sinner Party Company has been strategically placed where the population is high hence more customers. The process layout of the company is very convenient to the customers hence their attraction to the company (Anderson, Narus & Van Rossum, 2006 pp. 90). Target customer The Sinner Party Company has no discrimination to customers. The company targets all kinds of customers at all age above 18 which is authorized by the law. The customer consideration by the company is the ability to make the payment of the services provided by the company. Additionally, they consider the customers attitudes and their behaviors during the party. For instance, the customers should be able to adhere to the company’s rules and regulations where they should not carry anything illegal to the party station (Winer, 2001n.p). In that case, the sinner party company gets attached well to their customer hence good relationship. The company’s relationship to the customers is pleasing and strong. For instant, the company offers the customers with two options; to provide private bar service for the customers at their own homes, to provide the customer with both the destination and the private bar services (Payne & Frow, 2005 pp. 168). Additionally, the company places the parties near to the customers where they are able to access the places at the right time. They also have the freedom offered by the company to choose the product they would wish to have during their function. In that case, the company’s relationship to the customers is strong enough (Payne & Frow, 2005 pp. 170). Macro environment The Sinn er Party Company has been net working economically, politically, socially, and technologically. Due to their social relationship with the Sydney people, they have been allowed to use the offices and the suburbs for their functioning. On the other hand, politically, Sinner Party has strictly adhered to the laws (Kirschbaum, 2005). They do not allow any customer who might bring illegal things in their company. In that case, the company has flourished without any government complains. On the side of economic, the sinner party company is a government revenue generating company. They consider the customers ability to make the payment according their charges. In that case, they make adjustments of their charges to equalize each customer and make everyone fit in to their rank (Kirschbaum, 2005). Due to the technology advancement in the company, the operations have been ease. The record keeping has become computerized where the company is able to record more than one thousand customers with their dates of functioning. Additionally, company has been able to bank their money hence safety. The sinner party company operates both daytime and night. In that case, the advancement of the technology has highly benefited the company. They have employed security maintainers who have been using technological tools to keep and ensure the customers safe both during the two sessions. Distribution channel The use of

The story develops Essay Example for Free

The story develops Essay The author of Frankenstein is Mary Shelley. She was born on August 30th 1797 in London. Then later died on February 1st 1851 when she was 53. Her father was William Godwin, he was a radical philosopher and a novelist. Her mother was Mary Wollstonecraft, she is still known today as a feminist. Her mother died in September 10th 1797 of a disease called puerperal fever. Mary Shelley was married to Percy Shelley. She eloped with Percy Shelley at the early age of 16, the reason for this is that Percy Shelley was already married. They eloped to France. Percy Shelley was an important figure in his own right because he was a poet and good friends of her parents. Mary Shelley and Percy Shelley had four children, but sadly only one survived. Shortly after the death of Mary Shelleys first child she had a dream about her dead child being held before a fire and then being restored to life by someone breathing into her. Mary Shelleys husband Percy Shelley drowned when he was 29 years old on a boat trip. The book was written because of a ghost challenge set by Lord Byron. At the time Mary Shelley was only 19, which made her the youngest in the challenge. There were other people who were set the challenge as well but when Lord Byron saw Mary Shelleys book he was deadly serious about trying to get it published. Mary Shelleys life is the key thing that influenced her in writing the novel. One influence in her life was her mother dying when Mary Shelley was only 10 days old. Also three of Mary Shelleys children died in infancy. When one of her children died, shortly after she had a dream of breathing life back into the child. This is said to have been influential towards the novel. The time when Mary Shelley wrote the novel, in the early 19th century, was a very exciting time for scientific and industrial development. It was known as the age of endless possibilities, simply because they thought they could do anything and nothing could stop them. This is thought of to have been another reason why Mary Shelley wrote about Frankenstein because it would appeal to a lot of people at the time it was written.

Research Paper on the Year 1969 -- American History

"First, I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth."- John F. Kennedy. On a warm July night in 1969, this dream came true. Millions of people sat captivated in front of their TVs witnessing one of the most monumental events in history, Neil Armstrong walking gracefully on the moon. This event in US history changed the way we look at space forever. Political issues such as the Vietnam War and foreign affairs were on the forefront of American's minds. Thousands of people came peacefully together in a historical concert event called Woodstock. Children were introduced to a place called "Sesame Street" and Heavy Metal meant more than just an old car. The year 1969 impacted American's lives today in politics, science, sports, art, entertainment and daily living. Politics On January 20, 1969 our 37th president, Richard Milhous Nixon, was sworn into Presidency. His main focus as president was to pull forces out of Vietnam in order to end the War that began in 1961. Nixon began this process by pulling 75,000 troops out of Vietnam in the first year he was president. Nixon also worked to improve US relations with China as well as with the Soviet Union. He was the first president to visit China. He also imposed a wage price freeze to combat inflation that was replaced by a system of wage price controls, to be later removed. Nixon?s term as President will forever be remembered due to his resignation from presidency over the Watergate scandal. One of the most important political issues of 1969 was the Vietnam War. Throughout this year many demonstrations took place to protest the war. For example, in... ...as ?nifty? if you drove a Firebird Trans Am or Dodge charger. Today, people restore these cars to drive a piece of automotive history. The population of the US in 1969 was 202,677,000. Many people from Hollywood and sports were born this year. Some people born this year are Bobby Brown, Renee Zellweger, Steffi Graf, Ice Cube, and Brett Favre. Some people who died this year were Dwight D Eisenhower, Rocky Marciano, and Brian Jones. Conclusion The events in 1969 brought the beginning of many things to our country. Sports made multiple historical moments and a new genre of music was created and made unforgettable. Neil Armstrong was the first man to set foot onto the moon and it was a moment that will never be forgotten. The Boeing 747 first took flight and can be seen in our skies today. What better way to end the 1960's with an amazing year like 1969.

Analyse the ways that the director builds suspense and scares the audience in the film JAWS

After the horrifying release of Steven Spielberg's classic ‘Jaws', the word has since then been associated with the monstrous killer in the ocean, the 20 foot great white, teeth covered in the flesh of an unsuspecting victim, swimming in a pool of blood. Steven Spielberg uses a variety of tricks and techniques to build suspense. Different camera angles, zooms, music and many other ways are used by Spielberg to create the tense atmosphere that is Jaws. These tricks and techniques all helped steady the bricks of Spielberg's masterpiece. Without these techniques, the impact that Jaws had imprinted upon the audience would not have been present. These tricks and techniques will be critically analysed to see how they had been used so efficiently to create an unwavering tower of suspense and drama. Jaws is set in the beautiful tranquil island of Amity. The air is calm and peaceful. Kids can be seen in the distant, splashing up and down in the deep blue ocean. You can see the tension relax as people lie in the hot summer sand, eyes drifting into their own world. Amity Island: the perfect holiday. However, the serene atmosphere is twisted apart when the ‘jaws' of a Great White appears. After the merciless deaths of four people, our protagonist, Chief Brody, must take action to stop the murderous beast from feeding once more upon the people of amity. Teamed with the marine biologist Matt Hooper and the crazed fisherman, Quint, they must set off to hunt down the Great White. Jaws is set on Independence Day, a national American holiday on the 4th of July. This was the day that the US formally adopted the Declaration of Independence from the UK. This would make the perfect scenario for Jaws. Teamed with the hot summer weather typical of July and the bustling holiday, the beach created the perfect scene for a Great White shark to attack. People would gather at the beach, the mood would be joyful. One Great White shark and the chaos that would form would be uncontrollable Music plays an important role in Jaws. Without the music, the suspense would all break down. Steven Spielberg uses music in a special way. He links a certain piece of music to the shark, which essentially becomes the sharks theme. Whenever this theme is played, the audience's first thoughts would be of the shark. The audience is in constant caution of the shark's presence, not knowing when or if it actually will attack. This not only creates suspense, but also creates the fear of knowing that the shark is most likely present. However, with this, Spielberg can also create false alarms. Due to the fact that the music is affiliated to the shark, the music can be used to create the illusion of an attack when there is nothing. This creates doubts in the audience's mind, who were sure that there would have been an attack. This also creates tension because of the fact that Spielberg can then surprise the audience with an actual shark attack. The main theme is also really simple; just two notes, forming something similar to a ‘duh dah' sound. With this simple rhythm, Spielberg can increase the speed of the two notes creating a faster sense of suspense and danger. Spielberg makes the notes fade into the scene as a ‘non-diegetic' sound. This means that the sound is present outside of the scene, only detectable by the audience and not the characters. Because it is non diegetic, only the audience will hear the theme, thus making them more nervous/tensed due to the fact that the characters remain clueless of the fate that may await them. The music starts of slow. It speeds up as the action gets more intense and it halts suddenly. The audience will have no idea what is going to happen. At this stage, Spielberg does two things. Create a false alarm, and nothing happens or he makes an attack. The audience will not know whether it will be an attack or a feint, which is why the music is so effective. What is also effective is the lack of music. Or any sounds at all. This creates a sense of emptiness. The lack of any non-diegetic sounds mixed with diegetic sounds such as the screaming of a victim creates a sense of fear. We hear it not as an audience, but from the ears of the victim, which is what scares us the most. Diegetic sounds are also used by Spielberg. Diegetic sounds are sounds outside the scene. These could include many things such as the waves crashing, the chatter of the characters or the music playing in the scene such as an instrument or radio. With this, we can feel the emotions/feelings of the character in more depth, because we are hearing what they hear, not something created outside the scene. But what may also be effective are camera techniques. These can be camera shots that are moving, still, from a certain angle or even from the perspective of someone/thing in the scene. Camera techniques are used most efficiently in an action scene, such as in the first attack with the young girl called Chrissy. This scene starts off with the camera focusing on the whole group of teenagers. We can hear the Diegetic sounds such as guitars, the waves and even the crackling of the fire. The young girl, Chrissy, and a young boy move away from the scene. The camera follows them. Soon, they arrive at the oceans end. The camera isn't clear and the scene is dark. This creates a relaxed but mysterious atmosphere. The young girl goes into the ocean as the boy is getting ready to go in. The camera then focuses on the young girl in the ocean. As we see her swimming, suddenly, a certain theme appears causing tension. This theme is the theme that symbolizes the shark. It starts off lightly, as the girl is still swimming, unwary of any dangers. Soon, the music becomes faster and louder. The camera angle then changes. It appears under the water. We see the view from the camera from under the water to above, as if it were from the perspective of something. Soon, the audience realizes that there is something in the water, which is the shark. We see from the shark's POV as it gets closer to the young girl, the tempo of the music gets louder and faster. And soon, the shark is near attacking distance of the girl. Suddenly, the camera goes above water and points at the lone girl, swimming. All non-diegetic sounds stop, as we hear only the waves and the girl. And then, all of a sudden, we see the girl pulled down. We hear just the screams, which causes a greater sense of fear. The girl struggles, only to show and flatter the strength of the shark. The girl is then pulled under the water and all of a sudden, the screams disappear. All we can hear are the waves. The camera then becomes still, pointing at the distance in the ocean. All is silent apart from the waves. All this is to emphasize what had just happened, as all we can think about is the scene that had just occurred, as the camera movement is still, pointing to ‘nothingness'; just the plain ocean. The sun then rises, symbolizing the time passing. What we need to realize is not once was the attacker, the shark, shown in clear view. All we saw was the view from the eyes of the shark, and the view of the young girl being attacked from something cloaked by the ocean. This is to create more fear in the shark and create more tension. The second attack is against a young child called Alex. In this scene, we are at a lively beach. There is a happy atmosphere. We can hear children playing, water splashing, waves crashing. It's a fast pace. However, we know something is going to go wrong. We see chief Brody on the beach. His worried face and constant suspicions create fear and tension in our minds, thinking about the shark. Chief Brody's fear deeply contrasts with the whole beach's excitement, creating unwariness in the scene, due to the main focus being on Brody and the outside focus being on the beach. Brody, being on the constant lookout, is being cautious of every single detail, causing great exaggeration in small details. This creates suspense, as we don't know what will happen due to all the false alarms that go on in this scene. We see a wide shot on all of the people in the ocean. Chief Brody is paranoid, causing the smallest things to seem as if they have a large effect. The first example of this is the girl screaming. This scream causes the audience to become paranoid due to the contrast in Brody and the atmosphere. Brody is distracted, causing him to become more anxious to see what was going on. However, the scream was meaningless, which was the first false alarm. The second false alarm was the old man and woman. The old man swam underneath the water and slowly rose, causing Chief Brody to think it was a shark, only to be relieved and slightly frustrated at the fact that it was just a person. This all creates a sense of unpreparedness to the actual attack due to the false alarms. The false alarms create a feeling of reassurance. Chief Brody's wife starts to relax him, allowing him to ease his paranoia of the shark. Then suddenly, the atmosphere changes. The familiar music plays. The disappearance of a dog into the water highly implies that something is there. The audience is now aware of something being there, however, Brody is unfocused and the whole beach has now idea what was going to happen. And all of a sudden, as the theme gradually becomes louder and faster, the camera shot goes underneath. The POV is now from the sharks. We see several vulnerable children from under the ocean, their legs sticking out. However, the shark goes closer and closer to a single person. As the shark goes closer, the music speeds up and tension rises. And soon, the shark attacks. The people on the beach have no idea what's going on, and the sudden atmosphere change causes a chaos. Brody notices too late. Soon, everyone evacuates, however, one person is still searching desperately for someone. As the scene ends, a young boy's life jacket appears on the shore and the camera focuses on it completely, torn and slightly covered in red. The audience realizes that whoever owned that jacket was the victim. The shark is the main object of fear in Jaws. It appears out of nowhere, shocking the audience. The fact that it doesn't show the shark directly creates uneasiness and a feeling of defencelessness. It makes it seem menacing that it attacks, creeping through where no one can see it. The unusual size and the intimidating pictures that are shown to study the shark creates a scary image, due to the fact that the actual shark itself isn't shown until later. And the music, it creates a sort of stealth for the shark. If the music is on, the shark is assumed to be there. If the music is not on, the shark is not assumed to be there. The false alarms were all created for one purpose, the real attack. The false alarms led to the audience easing up, but then to be surprised by the actual attack. Near the end of the film, the jetty used to capture the shark is small and unstable. Compared to the shark, it is miniscule. The phrase ‘we're going to need a bigger boat' said by Brody shows that it's in vulnerable to the shark's giant size. It isn't sufficient enough. The feeling of breaking down and falling into the ocean, where you are practically food for the shark creates suspense. It could break down any time. Overall, Jaws was an excellent film and the techniques by Steven Spielberg completed it. The scariest parts were no doubt, the unpredictable shock. They came out of nowhere and broke apart the suspense with no warning. The film was a big success and appealed to me greatly.

Cmr Enterprises Essay

CMR, originally Mike’s Cabinets, is an architectural millwork business that competes in two different market segments: commercial and residential. In order to effectively compete in both markets, the nature of CMR’s business varies slightly between them. Commercial business provides two-thirds of the company’s projects as well as 80% of its sales. Due to the higher volume in demand, the commercial sales force is larger than the residential sales team, which relies heavily on CMR’s showroom. The market for commercial business is larger than residential market with projections of its value at upwards of $5 billion. Commercial contracts are also harder to secure than their residential counterparts. They must be bid on and won. Due to the heavy competition for these larger commercial contracts, the â€Å"got rate† for them is around 32%, whereas the residential â€Å"got rate† is around 69%. CMR’s residential department has to operate some what differently than the commercial facet of the company. First of all, project management requires a different degree of flexibility in order to meet ever-changing customer requests. Cash flow cycles are about four to six weeks, which is significantly shorter than the 6 months or more it takes for a commercial cycle. With less indirect labor and lower material costs, residential work actually boasts a higher net margin as well. The main difference between CMR’s nature of business between segments is the customer relationship factor. Residential customers require a softer approach with more face-to-face exposure. Commercial customers are primarily concerned with finding the lowest bid. However, CMR is building relationships with many contractors in attempt to make their jobs easier and potentially work with them in the future. Although CMR treats every customer as equally important, the commercial customers are arguably more valuable. 35 of the top 50 contractor prospects for 1999 were commercial contractors. Furthermore, commercial business typically achieves higher revenues and is likely the only means of meeting CMR’s aggressive growth goals. When Sam Marcus and William Walters bought Mike’s Cabinets in early 1997 they knew they were going to need to change some things abou t the way their business operated. Mike’s Cabinets was running very well as a small town cabinet shop that worked on projects for homeowners as well as large commercial buildings, and had a very good reputation with the people of Lincoln,Nebraska. Although things were running smoothly with the business, Sam and William wanted to produce more profits, and increase cash flows. Blackstone Homes was a homebuilding company that started only two years before Marcus bought Mike’s Cabinets. By the time Marcus was in charge of CMR, Blackstone was one of the largest homebuilders in the area. The president of Blackstone Homes approached Marcus in the fall of 1997, with the idea of starting a partnership. Blackstone was having problems with their current supplier because they couldn’t seem to deliver the cabinets when promised. Marcus was initially intrigued by the sheer volume of work they would be doing with Blackstone, but he thought it would be a great fit with where he was planning for his company to go, and seemed like a great way to make progress towards his profit and cash flow goals. Marcus had to work with his employees and overall business plan, but decided that the residential side of the business was worth expan ding, so he signed a contract with Blackstone Homes. Marcus’s decision to sign with Blackstone Homes was a very good idea for CMR Enterprises. Blackstone had great potential to become one of CMR’s largest accounts, and promised to have continual yearly growth. Blackstone agreed to specify only CMR’s cabinets in all their homes, and CMR assigned a project manager to work exclusively with their new partner. Both companies could see that they would both be benefiting from this partnership from the very beginning, and they were correct. Throughout the first year, Blackstone contributed heavily to CMR’s success, and eventually grew to be about 25% of the residential side of the business. Marcus saw that the residential side of the business had great potential for future growth, and he knew that this was a great way to get his company involved. The additional emphasis on residential work used more of the company’s resources, but it proved to be worth it with the increased revenue and cash flows. CMR Enterprises is confronting an issue with one of its most valuable clients, Blackstone. Blackstone as one of the biggest customers in the area, giving CMR an opportunity for immediate market share and his volume supported its goals to standardize its processes into flexible cells. They approached CMR looking for a new partner to work on a business that represented 25% of CMR’s residential business during the first year of this relationship. Sam Marcus was counting on further growth with his customer to pay his debt and fund expansion efforts. But relationshipswith Blackstone had become increasingly intense on residential construction. Marcus had aggressive goals of reaching $70 million in sales by 2007 by creating a scalable and replicable business model. Moreover, build close relationship with the Blackstone will gave CMR an opportunity to standardize its business processes to be able to benefit from improved operational efficiencies that comes because of scale of operations. However, the relationship between two companies had evolved unpleasantly over time. When Blackstone sells a house, it does come with a pre-finished and installed kitchen, which is included in the price. But if customers want to check CMR’s showroom, they would build these w oodworks according to their new specifications. So the added cost will then be charged to the contractor. After an increase in CMR prices, Blackstone transferred this increase to subcontractors, so impacting considerably their margins and making CMR looked as a too expensive product. This issue to some extent contributed to the clash with Blackstone. Also, internal miscommunication had played a part in this episode. Marcus had implemented a software system for the company, called InfoCentral, and insisted that the residential team use InfoCentral for all internal communications. But it did not work out the way he expected. The system is not frequently updated as required by the employees. The business relations between the two companies started well and was fulfilling for both part. Revenues from Blackstone represent a significant part of revenue growth of the year. However, when the business expended, so did the problems. What was more disappointing was that CMR had shown a weak ma nagement of its relationship with this big client and several operational failures that need to be controlled. Within CMR Enterprises, revenue is generated at different rates in the different segments. Commercial business is responsible for 82% of the revenues generated by the firm, leaving just 18% to residential. Not only do they generate revenue at different rates, but profit is generated at different rates as well. According to the CMR Enterprises Factsheet, SG&A Costs were $2,900,000. If we distribute these costs according to percent of revenue generated across the CMR’s business segments, we see that the commercial segment provided a Net Profit of $1,124,152 for a Net Margin of 15.5%, while the residential segment provided a Net Profit of $87,632 for a Net Margin of 5.4%. Blackstone’s Net margin of 5.7% is actually greater than the Net Margin for the residentialsegment without Blackstone. Net Profit from Blackstone for the year was $17,235. In the second scenario, SG&A costs were assigned in a different way. Indirect labor was assigned to the corresponding segment. SG&A expenses besides indirect labor were then distributed to the segments according to percent of revenue generated. This tells a different story. Whereas in the first scenario the commercial segment was responsible for almost 10% more Net Margin; in the second scenario, residential Net Profit was $274,632 for a Net Margin of 17.2%, while commercial Net Profit was $937,152 for a Net Margin of 13.9%. In this scenario Net Margin from Blackstone is only 13.3% of revenue, which is below the average for residential. The cause of the difference between the scenarios is the high number of administrative personnel assigned to commercial work. From the CMR Enterprises Factsheet, we see that there are 43 administrative personnel, of which only 4 are dedicated to residential work. This leaves 39 employees working on commercial work at an average of $50,000 per year, a total of $1.9 million dollars. Scenario 2 captures this more fully, placing a more realistic percentage of SG&A costs onto the commercial segment. Blackstone’s profitability is slightly less than that of the commercial business, and nearly 4% less than the residential business. Terminating the relationship with Blackstone would be a good choice in the situation for CMR Enterprises. It is obvious that Blackstone provides a significant amount of residential business, which means a substantial cash contribution to support CMR’s other business like commercial work. Especially in the initial partnership, CMR first grabbed residential market share and earned 25% more of its residential business and Blackstone benefited from CMR’s expertise and correction. However, some potential loss shows the general trend that CMR benefit less and less in the partnership with Blackstone. First, CMR acquires more profit per shop hour in commercial business than residential work. According to Exhibit 7b, the highest residential revenue per shop hour of $48.13 is less profitable than the lowest commercial revenue per shop hour. Even though we recommend letting Blackstone go as a client, the residential business on a whole is profitable and should be kept. It is integral to the companies’ core values, and provides a valuable link to the community. Moving forward with franchising efforts, however, we would advise sticking to commercial business. If CMR is to attempt to make headway into new markets, it would be advantageous to proceed with a strategy that is more singular in focus. CMR has had success implementing their InfoCentral tool in their commercial business, and it seems that they have a good business model going forward. Trying to replicate the success that they’ve had with the residential business would add unwanted complexity to their business model. CMR’s current residential customer base is there as a result of years of loyalty and good service from Mike’s Cabinets. This loyalty would not exist in a new market.

Free Essays on Ultima

Antonio’s Religious Doubts The most important aspect in the second half of the novel Bless me Ultima is the gradual loss of faith in Antonio. He is at a very young age (3rd grade) but his friends and family look up to him as the priest of the household. It is apparent that Antonio has dreams of being a great priest which would bring honor to his family and make him a well-respected man. Unfortunately it is not as easy as Antonio would think because he is doubting the Catholic God because of the people who believe in the catholic God but who have so many troubles going on in their lives. He is secretly question why a powerful catholic God would constantly punish his own people. Antonio could not find an answer to why evil exists in the Catholic religion, instead he finds peace in a spiritual relationship with the land and nature. He owes this appreciation of the land and new life from the influences of his mother, his father, and Ultima. Antonio has finally attained almost a harmony regarding his different heritages. He is able to peacefully enjoy the beauty of his land without having to question immorality. Antonio's last dream addresses his crisis of religious faith. The three figures of people he tried to save state that Antonio prayed for them in his innocence. He tried to save Narcisco, Florence, and then Ultima. Ultima’s death really made Antonio question the faith is practicing. He feels as though now God is punishing him and for what, is not Antonio a priest? The dream hints at Antonio's understanding that people often disobey the rules of their own religions. His dream also foreshadows how Ultima will die. Seeing the failure of all three people he loved, Antonio asks God why he has forsaken him. Thus questioning his own religion.... Free Essays on Ultima Free Essays on Ultima Antonio’s Religious Doubts The most important aspect in the second half of the novel Bless me Ultima is the gradual loss of faith in Antonio. He is at a very young age (3rd grade) but his friends and family look up to him as the priest of the household. It is apparent that Antonio has dreams of being a great priest which would bring honor to his family and make him a well-respected man. Unfortunately it is not as easy as Antonio would think because he is doubting the Catholic God because of the people who believe in the catholic God but who have so many troubles going on in their lives. He is secretly question why a powerful catholic God would constantly punish his own people. Antonio could not find an answer to why evil exists in the Catholic religion, instead he finds peace in a spiritual relationship with the land and nature. He owes this appreciation of the land and new life from the influences of his mother, his father, and Ultima. Antonio has finally attained almost a harmony regarding his different heritages. He is able to peacefully enjoy the beauty of his land without having to question immorality. Antonio's last dream addresses his crisis of religious faith. The three figures of people he tried to save state that Antonio prayed for them in his innocence. He tried to save Narcisco, Florence, and then Ultima. Ultima’s death really made Antonio question the faith is practicing. He feels as though now God is punishing him and for what, is not Antonio a priest? The dream hints at Antonio's understanding that people often disobey the rules of their own religions. His dream also foreshadows how Ultima will die. Seeing the failure of all three people he loved, Antonio asks God why he has forsaken him. Thus questioning his own religion....

How To Make Spanish Crossword Puzzles

How To Make Spanish Crossword Puzzles Are you a Spanish teacher who is tired of giving routine fill-in-the-blank and multiple-choice vocabulary tests? If so, you can bet your students are wearier of them then you are. The answer may be a fun variation of fill-in-the-blank - crossword puzzles, known as crucigramas in Spanish. With software available for only the bother of a download, you can quickly create Spanish-language crossword puzzles with your own choice of words. Free Crossword Puzzle Software The free software, EclipseCrossword from Green Eclipse Software, lets you readily make your own word lists and definitions, so puzzles can be custom-designed for what youre trying to teach. One nice feature of EclipseCrossword that makes it particularly suitable for teaching Spanish and many other foreign languages is that it supports diacritical marks, so you can include words with the à ± as well as accent marks on the vowels. The software, which uses Windows, is free, so you cant expect it to have the capability of professional software that will let you develop crosswords with the density and symmetry of the puzzles youll find in top newspapers and magazines. But it is otherwise quite versatile, letting you specify the desired size (go too small, and the program will leave words out) and output format. You can print the puzzles directly, or you can save them to a Web page.

Moral testimony Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Moral testimony - Article Example "Moral experts have no need to seek out others' moral expertise, but moral non-experts lack sufficient knowledge to determine whether the advice provided by a putative moral expert in response to complex moral situations is correct and hence whether an individual is a bone fide expert."1 The acceptance of moral testimony has been challenged on the basis that it does not make knowledge available to the recipient and therefore the use of such a knowledge is illegitimate.Before the reasons for this objection are discussed it is worth noting that little academic attention has actually been paid to the idea of whether or not testimony can be a legitimate source of moral beliefs.2 "we should be open to being persuaded by others, responsive to moral argument; but we should not take their word on moral issues, not allow ourselves to be influenced by the fact that they hold a certain view''.if, on the other hand, reliance on moral testimony is legitimate, there will still be questions about the conditions under which it is so". 3 This means that even though it is hard for us as humans to reject or accept moral judgements and considerations subconsciously , we cannot let these considerations to become a part of our analyses in real life. For example my idea that a certain person is "racist" or a "liar" is based on my own perceptions and experiences. When dealing with this person my prejudices will inevitably suffice (even though in a very subtle manner).However any action by a third party based on my views or "moral testimony" should not be relied upon. Even if my moral testimony does form the basis of another party's reaction or action and it is subsequently accepted Hopkins(2007) believes that there should be a more "solid" reason for doing so rather than my own value judgements. It has been further suggested that "moral discourse, for some reason or other, cannot meet the conditions necessary for learning from the word of others. Since the epistemology is wrong, there is no knowledge to be had from testimonial transactions on moral matters."(Hopkins 2007). It is for this reason that it is believed that it would be rather "illegitimate" to let other's claims guide one's moral belief. For example as an employer of a person I might be faced with the moral testimony of the hiring committee that this person has "moral shortcomings" but I cannot base my judgement on these moral shortcomings. Firstly because morality is largely a matter of perception and the evidence offered in this regard will also be based on "feelings" or the personal experiences of the moral expert, and not actual evidence of their shortcoming like theft or irresponsibility on the job. Of course the contrary view in this regards is that in the right circumstances, moral dialogue may meet and fulfil all the criteria of testimonies in general (Hopkins 2007). The problem however remains that moral testimony lies in a standard that only relates to morals and since knowledge is right, testimony does make moral knowledge available. (Hopkins 2007) For a more profound analysis of this issue it is necessary to delve deeper into what the words "moral" and "testimony" entail in

Weekly Assignment No. 12 & Weekly Assignment No. 13 Essay

Weekly Assignment No. 12 & Weekly Assignment No. 13 - Essay Example We are reviewing the performance of big contractor companies on the recent projects to select the one we would like to contract with. A business proposal is a kind of business plan when the business is in the conceptual stage. The scope of work, the resources and other business essentials have not yet been finalized. On the other hand, a business plan is the actual plan of a business once everything has been finalized. It has scenario details and is usually made for a period of five years. The business plan includes but is not limited to the products, the cost and benefit analysis, objectives and the marketing plan. Entrepreneurs need a business plan in order to concoct the management and leadership strategies. The business plan suggests the resources that the entrepreneur should arrange as well as the milestones that the entrepreneur has to achieve. The business plan provides the entrepreneur with a firm basis for his/her future decisions and an objective understanding of the business as a

Technical Marketing in Engineering Research Paper

Technical Marketing in Engineering - Research Paper Example An attractive field that makes a combination of science and engineering expertise with people’s skills is that of a sales engineer. A sales engineer is a person who is professionally trained to market and sell highly technical products and services. With the field of technical marketing in place, there is high demand for sales engineers with the description of abnormal increases in employment as stated by the U.S. Department of Labor. From the lists provided for the recent graduates for a position of technical marketing by several companies. Before every detail is put down, there is a question to deal with. What particular work do specialized advertisers perform? It is a good question to get everything started. Technical marketers sell products in that the product’s installation and optimal use needs great handle from experts. In addition, they give information about the firm’s products, help the future and probable customers with their technical problems. Make design plans for the proposed machinery layouts, give an estimation on the cost savings, give recommendations on the improved materials and machinery and lastly make suggestions on the training schedules provided for the employees (Nitto, 324). In answering these questions, this report gives an analytical review of information acquired from certain professionals as well as from literature. The following analysis gives an examination in the field’s employment outlook, the required and available skills and personal qualities, the career benefits, and the disadvantages and certain entry options. Regardless of the way that promoting and deals are utilized reciprocally, the specialized showcasing is included with more deal lives up to expectations.  

Billy Elliot Film Summary

Billy Elliot Film Summary The background of the film Billy Elliot was set in the context of the 1984 Miners Strike in England, where both Billy s father and older brother were miners participating in the strike. In the history of England, this was an important event for the governing party of England at that time, the Conservative Party led by Margaret Thatcher. The event set a strong political and ideological standing for the United Kingdom (UK) with regards to the ideas accepted by the people today. The 1984 Miners Strike was an intense period for the miners, who made up a significant proportion of the working class in England at that time. The reason behind the strike was the intended shutting down of twenty coal mines by the government, which would in turn result in the massive loss of jobs by as many as twenty thousand people. This led to the uproar by the miners in opposition to such a decision. Billy s family was heavily involved in this strike, with his brother Tony as the union leader. Essentially, this was somewhat a symbolism of a class struggle because such a decision affected mainly the working class only in terms of employment. In the film, Mr. Wilkinson, the husband of Billy s ballet teacher, was a figure representing the upper middle class with a rather cynical attitude towards the lower middle class i.e. the miners as well as the strike. Similarly, at the end of Billy s audition and interview together with Billy s father, the panel of judges, a representation of t he upper class, offered his father a patronizing and perhaps sarcastic, good luck with the strike (Blandford, 2007). Despite all the heavy-hearted circumstances Billy and his family were going through, the beginning of the film, together with the dancing along the way, was a surprisingly light-hearted scene. With upbeat rock music playing, Billy s jumping revealed a certain uncontained and unrestrained soul that seemed free. As the story developed however, the contradiction was the fact that Billy s life, at the age of 11, was hardly so. This somewhat likened to the period after the French Revolution, stepping into the Romantic Ages, where light-hearted, happy and fun ballets, often fairytales, were seen as a form of escapism from the harsh reality of people s lives. In another segment of the film, when Billy s father finds him dancing on Christmas night at the gymnasium with his friend, instead of succumbing to his father s objections, Billy bursts into a powerful segment of dancing, which was strong, uplifted, together with jumps and turns. This was almost like an open confrontation between Billy and his father, except not verbally. That dance segment portrayed a two-sided representation of Billy s emotions, one of frustration, with the circumstances and with not being able to dance fr eely, and at the same time, one that seemed to help him express what he could not through words, his love for dance. This was shown through his movements which were heavier and more grounded than when he was dancing to I love to boogie , his inspiration for the audition piece. Though there were jumps in the sequence, they were executed with a strong intention of frustration and desired release from being bound to his father s expectations of carrying on family traditions as a boxer and objections of being a ballet dancer. The unwillingness of Billy s father also revealed something intriguing about the situation, in relation to the political climate at that time. The governing party of England at that time was the Conservative Party, led by Margaret Thatcher. The ideology that followed with such a leadership was conservatism. Conservatism is a political and social ideology that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions as well as to limit change, or at its best, allow minimal and gradual change in society. This ideology could be seen to have set its roots in the lives of the characters in the film. The strike was an obvious resistance to a significant impending change, the closing down of 20 coal mines and causing the massive loss of jobs. This philosophical idea also had its social impacts on the characters in the story. One of the core reasons for the objection of Billy s father to him dancing was the notion that male dancers were poofs , or simply put, homosexual. Billy s friend Michael w as such a representation, who began showing signs of cross-dressing and homosexuality at a young age. However, the important thing to note was that Michael was not a dancer, placing an immediate call to relook this so-called social phenomenon. This phenomenon, or rather, broad generalization of male dancers, had painted a negative image of males doing this art form and coming back to the ideology of conservatism, Billy s father was simply not ready for a change in mindset about such a phenomenon that had already been etched in his mind. The influence of Fred Astaire was another aspect that had an impact on the choreography of Billy Elliot s dance segments in the film. Rock was the main genre of music popular at that time but Billy Elliot was influenced more by Fred Astaire, who was popular among Billy s mother and grandmother s generation. Fred Astaire was a broadway dancer and choreographer. Though there were no details about how Billy Elliot knew how to tap dance, in many segments where he was dancing, whether out of frustration, happiness or the desire for freedom, his steps incorporated a certain jazzy and broadway style to it. The film, Billy Elliot, was put in the context of many issues that would have surrounded someone who lived in a middle class family, even more so if they were miners and involved the 1984 Miners Strike. The governing party of England at that time played an important role in shaping the mindset of people with the ideology of conservatism, the social and cultural influences revealed its impact on Billy Elliot s dancing as a young boy and ultimately, Billy was motivated by a desire for freedom, breaking away from social norms and standing out as an individual. All of these ideas displayed in Billy s behaviour were formed and passed on from predecessors such as Aristotle, who believed in a society open to ideas and disagreements, as well as John Locke, who was an important figure in the history of freedom. It is through the embodiment of such ideas through the characters in the film, including Billy s father, his brother and even his ballet teacher s family, that gives us a glimpse of th e life and thoughts of those living during the Miners Strike.

Merchant Of Venice Shylock Stu :: Free Merchant of Venice Essays

This character sketch will be on Shylock, describing his physical and personality traits. Shylock is an older, Jewish money lender who has one daughter named Jessica. Shylock is introduced into the novel when Antonio’s friend, Gratiano needs money in order to impress a girl. Antonio at the time does not have any money and sends Gratiano to Shylock to borrow money from him. Shylock does not like Antonio because of past experiences where Antonio made fun of him publically. This leads to an interesting bond that Antonio must agree to in order for Gratiano to get money. Shylock has many different character traits such as vengeful and his greed which will be displayed in this character sketch.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  His vengefulness is shown mainly towards two people in this play. Antonio being the greater of the two. He seeks revenge on Antonio because of how Antonio has treated Shylock in the past. One example of his vengefulness is when he said this to himself on page 15 “If I can catch him once upon the hip, I will feed the fat the ancient grudge I bear him.'; Not only does this prove that Shylock dislikes Antonio, it also proves that he holds grudges that aren’t usually solved without revenge. The other person that Shylock wants revenge from is his daughter Jessica. When Jessica and Lorenzo fall in love they decide they are going to elope. They do this the night that Shylock goes out for dinner when he goes Jessica steals some of his money and his dead wife’s ring. This made Shylock furious and he said, “ She is damned for it.';(page 44) Shylock seems to go after anyone that crosses his path, it is for good reason though being a Jew in Venician so ciety. In a way you may feel sorry for him until you realize how greedy this man is.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Shylock has a strong   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Shylock isn’t exactly a character that wins your respect throughout the book. He does this with his obsession with money and his hatred for Antonio one of the more liked characters in the book. In the end of the play Shylock does not get his bond and Antonio gets away free. Merchant Of Venice Shylock Stu :: Free Merchant of Venice Essays This character sketch will be on Shylock, describing his physical and personality traits. Shylock is an older, Jewish money lender who has one daughter named Jessica. Shylock is introduced into the novel when Antonio’s friend, Gratiano needs money in order to impress a girl. Antonio at the time does not have any money and sends Gratiano to Shylock to borrow money from him. Shylock does not like Antonio because of past experiences where Antonio made fun of him publically. This leads to an interesting bond that Antonio must agree to in order for Gratiano to get money. Shylock has many different character traits such as vengeful and his greed which will be displayed in this character sketch.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  His vengefulness is shown mainly towards two people in this play. Antonio being the greater of the two. He seeks revenge on Antonio because of how Antonio has treated Shylock in the past. One example of his vengefulness is when he said this to himself on page 15 “If I can catch him once upon the hip, I will feed the fat the ancient grudge I bear him.'; Not only does this prove that Shylock dislikes Antonio, it also proves that he holds grudges that aren’t usually solved without revenge. The other person that Shylock wants revenge from is his daughter Jessica. When Jessica and Lorenzo fall in love they decide they are going to elope. They do this the night that Shylock goes out for dinner when he goes Jessica steals some of his money and his dead wife’s ring. This made Shylock furious and he said, “ She is damned for it.';(page 44) Shylock seems to go after anyone that crosses his path, it is for good reason though being a Jew in Venician so ciety. In a way you may feel sorry for him until you realize how greedy this man is.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Shylock has a strong   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Shylock isn’t exactly a character that wins your respect throughout the book. He does this with his obsession with money and his hatred for Antonio one of the more liked characters in the book. In the end of the play Shylock does not get his bond and Antonio gets away free.

Angels Demons Chapter 42-45

42 Cardinal Mortati was sweating now in his black robe. Not only was the Sistine Chapel starting to feel like a sauna, but conclave was scheduled to begin in twenty minutes, and there was still no word on the four missing cardinals. In their absence, the initial whispers of confusion among the other cardinals had turned to outspoken anxiety. Mortati could not imagine where the truant men could be. With the camerlegno perhaps? He knew the camerlegno had held the traditional private tea for the four preferiti earlier that afternoon, but that had been hours ago. Were they ill? Something they ate? Mortati doubted it. Even on the verge of death the preferiti would be here. It was once in a lifetime, usually never, that a cardinal had the chance to be elected Supreme Pontiff, and by Vatican Law the cardinal had to be inside the Sistine Chapel when the vote took place. Otherwise, he was ineligible. Although there were four preferiti, few cardinals had any doubt who the next Pope would be. The past fifteen days had seen a blizzard of faxes and phone calls discussing potential candidates. As was the custom, four names had been chosen as preferiti, each of them fulfilling the unspoken requisites for becoming Pope: Multilingual in Italian, Spanish, and English. No skeletons in his closet. Between sixty-five and eighty years old. As usual, one of the preferiti had risen above the others as the man the college proposed to elect. Tonight that man was Cardinal Aldo Baggia from Milan. Baggia's untainted record of service, combined with unparalleled language skills and the ability to communicate the essence of spirituality, had made him the clear favorite. So where the devil is he? Mortati wondered. Mortati was particularly unnerved by the missing cardinals because the task of supervising this conclave had fallen to him. A week ago, the College of Cardinals had unanimously chosen Mortati for the office known as The Great Elector – the conclave's internal master of ceremonies. Even though the camerlegno was the church's ranking official, the camerlegno was only a priest and had little familiarity with the complex election process, so one cardinal was selected to oversee the ceremony from within the Sistine Chapel. Cardinals often joked that being appointed The Great Elector was the cruelest honor in Christendom. The appointment made one ineligible as a candidate during the election, and it also required one spend many days prior to conclave poring over the pages of the Universi Dominici Gregis reviewing the subtleties of conclave's arcane rituals to ensure the election was properly administered. Mortati held no grudge, though. He knew he was the logical choice. Not only was he the senior cardinal, but he had also been a confidant of the late Pope, a fact that elevated his esteem. Although Mortati was technically still within the legal age window for election, he was getting a bit old to be a serious candidate. At seventy-nine years old he had crossed the unspoken threshold beyond which the college no longer trusted one's health to withstand the rigorous schedule of the papacy. A Pope usually worked fourteen-hour days, seven days a week, and died of exhaustion in an average of 6.3 years. The inside joke was that accepting the papacy was a cardinal's â€Å"fastest route to heaven.† Mortati, many believed, could have been Pope in his younger days had he not been so broad-minded. When it came to pursuing the papacy, there was a Holy Trinity – Conservative. Conservative. Conservative. Mortati had always found it pleasantly ironic that the late Pope, God rest his soul, had revealed himself as surprisingly liberal once he had taken office. Perhaps sensing the modern world progressing away from the church, the Pope had made overtures, softening the church's position on the sciences, even donating money to selective scientific causes. Sadly, it had been political suicide. Conservative Catholics declared the Pope â€Å"senile,† while scientific purists accused him of trying to spread the church's influence where it did not belong. â€Å"So where are they?† Mortati turned. One of the cardinals was tapping him nervously on the shoulder. â€Å"You know where they are, don't you?† Mortati tried not to show too much concern. â€Å"Perhaps still with the camerlegno.† â€Å"At this hour? That would be highly unorthodox!† The cardinal frowned mistrustingly. â€Å"Perhaps the camerlegno lost track of time?† Mortati sincerely doubted it, but he said nothing. He was well aware that most cardinals did not much care for the camerlegno, feeling he was too young to serve the Pope so closely. Mortati suspected much of the cardinals' dislike was jealousy, and Mortati actually admired the young man, secretly applauding the late Pope's selection for chamberlain. Mortati saw only conviction when he looked in the camerlegno's eyes, and unlike many of the cardinals, the camerlegno put church and faith before petty politics. He was truly a man of God. Throughout his tenure, the camerlegno's steadfast devotion had become legendary. Many attributed it to the miraculous event in his childhood†¦ an event that would have left a permanent impression on any man's heart. The miracle and wonder of it, Mortati thought, often wishing his own childhood had presented an event that fostered that kind of doubtless faith. Unfortunately for the church, Mortati knew, the camerlegno would never become Pope in his elder years. Attaining the papacy required a certain amount of political ambition, something the young camerlegno apparently lacked; he had refused his Pope's offers for higher clerical stations many times, saying he preferred to serve the church as a simple man. â€Å"What next?† The cardinal tapped Mortati, waiting. Mortati looked up. â€Å"I'm sorry?† â€Å"They're late! What shall we do?† â€Å"What can we do?† Mortati replied. â€Å"We wait. And have faith.† Looking entirely unsatisfied with Mortati's response, the cardinal shrunk back into the shadows. Mortati stood a moment, dabbing his temples and trying to clear his mind. Indeed, what shall we do? He gazed past the altar up to Michelangelo's renowned fresco, â€Å"The Last Judgment.† The painting did nothing to soothe his anxiety. It was a horrifying, fifty-foot-tall depiction of Jesus Christ separating mankind into the righteous and sinners, casting the sinners into hell. There was flayed flesh, burning bodies, and even one of Michelangelo's rivals sitting in hell wearing ass's ears. Guy de Maupassant had once written that the painting looked like something painted for a carnival wrestling booth by an ignorant coal heaver. Cardinal Mortati had to agree. 43 Langdon stood motionless at the Pope's bulletproof window and gazed down at the bustle of media trailers in St. Peter's Square. The eerie phone conversation had left him feeling turgid†¦ distended somehow. Not himself. The Illuminati, like a serpent from the forgotten depths of history, had risen and wrapped themselves around an ancient foe. No demands. No negotiation. Just retribution. Demonically simple. Squeezing. A revenge 400 years in the making. It seemed that after centuries of persecution, science had bitten back. The camerlegno stood at his desk, staring blankly at the phone. Olivetti was the first to break the silence. â€Å"Carlo,† he said, using the camerlegno's first name and sounding more like a weary friend than an officer. â€Å"For twenty-six years, I have sworn my life to the protection of this office. It seems tonight I am dishonored.† The camerlegno shook his head. â€Å"You and I serve God in different capacities, but service always brings honor.† â€Å"These events†¦ I can't imagine how†¦ this situation†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Olivetti looked overwhelmed. â€Å"You realize we have only one possible course of action. I have a responsibility for the safety of the College of Cardinals.† â€Å"I fear that responsibility was mine, signore.† â€Å"Then your men will oversee the immediate evacuation.† â€Å"Signore?† â€Å"Other options can be exercised later – a search for this device, a manhunt for the missing cardinals and their captors. But first the cardinals must be taken to safety. The sanctity of human life weighs above all. Those men are the foundation of this church.† â€Å"You suggest we cancel conclave right now?† â€Å"Do I have a choice?† â€Å"What about your charge to bring a new Pope?† The young chamberlain sighed and turned to the window, his eyes drifting out onto the sprawl of Rome below. â€Å"His Holiness once told me that a Pope is a man torn between two worlds†¦ the real world and the divine. He warned that any church that ignored reality would not survive to enjoy the divine.† His voice sounded suddenly wise for its years. â€Å"The real world is upon us tonight. We would be vain to ignore it. Pride and precedent cannot overshadow reason.† Olivetti nodded, looking impressed. â€Å"I have underestimated you, signore.† The camerlegno did not seem to hear. His gaze was distant on the window. â€Å"I will speak openly, signore. The real world is my world. I immerse myself in its ugliness every day such that others are unencumbered to seek something more pure. Let me advise you on the present situation. It is what I am trained for. Your instincts, though worthy†¦ could be disastrous.† The camerlegno turned. Olivetti sighed. â€Å"The evacuation of the College of Cardinals from the Sistine Chapel is the worst possible thing you could do right now.† The camerlegno did not look indignant, only at a loss. â€Å"What do you suggest?† â€Å"Say nothing to the cardinals. Seal conclave. It will buy us time to try other options.† The camerlegno looked troubled. â€Å"Are you suggesting I lock the entire College of Cardinals on top of a time bomb?† â€Å"Yes, signore. For now. Later, if need be, we can arrange evacuation.† The camerlegno shook his head. â€Å"Postponing the ceremony before it starts is grounds alone for an inquiry, but after the doors are sealed nothing intervenes. Conclave procedure obligates – â€Å" â€Å"Real world, signore. You're in it tonight. Listen closely.† Olivetti spoke now with the efficient rattle of a field officer. â€Å"Marching one hundred sixty-five cardinals unprepared and unprotected into Rome would be reckless. It would cause confusion and panic in some very old men, and frankly, one fatal stroke this month is enough.† One fatal stroke. The commander's words recalled the headlines Langdon had read over dinner with some students in the Harvard Commons: Pope suffers stroke. Dies in sleep. â€Å"In addition,† Olivetti said, â€Å"the Sistine Chapel is a fortress. Although we don't advertise the fact, the structure is heavily reinforced and can repel any attack short of missiles. As preparation we searched every inch of the chapel this afternoon, scanning for bugs and other surveillance equipment. The chapel is clean, a safe haven, and I am confident the antimatter is not inside. There is no safer place those men can be right now. We can always discuss emergency evacuation later if it comes to that.† Langdon was impressed. Olivetti's cold, smart logic reminded him of Kohler. â€Å"Commander,† Vittoria said, her voice tense, â€Å"there are other concerns. Nobody has ever created this much antimatter. The blast radius, I can only estimate. Some of surrounding Rome may be in danger. If the canister is in one of your central buildings or underground, the effect outside these walls may be minimal, but if the canister is near the perimeter†¦ in this building for example†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She glanced warily out the window at the crowd in St. Peter's Square. â€Å"I am well aware of my responsibilities to the outside world,† Olivetti replied, â€Å"and it makes this situation no more grave. The protection of this sanctuary has been my sole charge for over two decades. I have no intention of allowing this weapon to detonate.† Camerlegno Ventresca looked up. â€Å"You think you can find it?† â€Å"Let me discuss our options with some of my surveillance specialists. There is a possibility, if we kill power to Vatican City, that we can eliminate the background RF and create a clean enough environment to get a reading on that canister's magnetic field.† Vittoria looked surprised, and then impressed. â€Å"You want to black out Vatican City?† â€Å"Possibly. I don't yet know if it's possible, but it is one option I want to explore.† â€Å"The cardinals would certainly wonder what happened,† Vittoria remarked. Olivetti shook his head. â€Å"Conclaves are held by candlelight. The cardinals would never know. After conclave is sealed, I could pull all except a few of my perimeter guards and begin a search. A hundred men could cover a lot of ground in five hours.† â€Å"Four hours,† Vittoria corrected. â€Å"I need to fly the canister back to CERN. Detonation is unavoidable without recharging the batteries.† â€Å"There's no way to recharge here?† Vittoria shook her head. â€Å"The interface is complex. I'd have brought it if I could.† â€Å"Four hours then,† Olivetti said, frowning. â€Å"Still time enough. Panic serves no one. Signore, you have ten minutes. Go to the chapel, seal conclave. Give my men some time to do their job. As we get closer to the critical hour, we will make the critical decisions.† Langdon wondered how close to â€Å"the critical hour† Olivetti would let things get. The camerlegno looked troubled. â€Å"But the college will ask about the preferiti†¦ especially about Baggia†¦ where they are.† â€Å"Then you will have to think of something, signore. Tell them you served the four cardinals something at tea that disagreed with them.† The camerlegno looked riled. â€Å"Stand on the altar of the Sistine Chapel and lie to the College of Cardinals?† â€Å"For their own safety. Una bugia veniale. A white lie. Your job will be to keep the peace.† Olivetti headed for the door. â€Å"Now if you will excuse me, I need to get started.† â€Å"Comandante,† the camerlegno urged, â€Å"we cannot simply turn our backs on missing cardinals.† Olivetti stopped in the doorway. â€Å"Baggia and the others are currently outside our sphere of influence. We must let them go†¦ for the good of the whole. The military calls it triage.† â€Å"Don't you mean abandonment?† His voice hardened. â€Å"If there were any way, signore†¦ any way in heaven to locate those four cardinals, I would lay down my life to do it. And yet†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He pointed across the room at the window where the early evening sun glinted off an endless sea of Roman rooftops. â€Å"Searching a city of five million is not within my power. I will not waste precious time to appease my conscience in a futile exercise. I'm sorry.† Vittoria spoke suddenly. â€Å"But if we caught the killer, couldn't you make him talk?† Olivetti frowned at her. â€Å"Soldiers cannot afford to be saints, Ms. Vetra. Believe me, I empathize with your personal incentive to catch this man.† â€Å"It's not only personal,† she said. â€Å"The killer knows where the antimatter is†¦ and the missing cardinals. If we could somehow find him†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Play into their hands?† Olivetti said. â€Å"Believe me, removing all protection from Vatican City in order to stake out hundreds of churches is what the Illuminati hope we will do†¦ wasting precious time and manpower when we should be searching†¦ or worse yet, leaving the Vatican Bank totally unprotected. Not to mention the remaining cardinals.† The point hit home. â€Å"How about the Roman Police?† the camerlegno asked. â€Å"We could alert citywide enforcement of the crisis. Enlist their help in finding the cardinals' captor.† â€Å"Another mistake,† Olivetti said. â€Å"You know how the Roman Carbonieri feel about us. We'd get a half-hearted effort of a few men in exchange for their selling our crisis to the global media. Exactly what our enemies want. We'll have to deal with the media soon enough as it is.† I will make your cardinals media luminaries, Langdon thought, recalling the killer's words. The first cardinal's body appears at eight o'clock. Then one every hour. The press will love it. The camerlegno was talking again, a trace of anger in his voice. â€Å"Commander, we cannot in good conscience do nothing about the missing cardinals!† Olivetti looked the camerlegno dead in the eye. â€Å"The prayer of St. Francis, signore. Do you recall it?† The young priest spoke the single line with pain in his voice. â€Å"God, grant me strength to accept those things I cannot change.† â€Å"Trust me,† Olivetti said. â€Å"This is one of those things.† Then he was gone. 44 The central office of the British Broadcast Corporation (BBC) is in London just west of Piccadilly Circus. The switchboard phone rang, and a junior content editor picked up. â€Å"BBC,† she said, stubbing out her Dunhill cigarette. The voice on the line was raspy, with a Mid-East accent. â€Å"I have a breaking story your network might be interested in.† The editor took out a pen and a standard Lead Sheet. â€Å"Regarding?† â€Å"The papal election.† She frowned wearily. The BBC had run a preliminary story yesterday to mediocre response. The public, it seemed, had little interest in Vatican City. â€Å"What's the angle?† â€Å"Do you have a TV reporter in Rome covering the election?† â€Å"I believe so.† â€Å"I need to speak to him directly.† â€Å"I'm sorry, but I cannot give you that number without some idea – â€Å" â€Å"There is a threat to the conclave. That is all I can tell you.† The editor took notes. â€Å"Your name?† â€Å"My name is immaterial.† The editor was not surprised. â€Å"And you have proof of this claim?† â€Å"I do.† â€Å"I would be happy to take the information, but it is not our policy to give out our reporters' numbers unless – â€Å" â€Å"I understand. I will call another network. Thank you for your time. Good-b – â€Å" â€Å"Just a moment,† she said. â€Å"Can you hold?† The editor put the caller on hold and stretched her neck. The art of screening out potential crank calls was by no means a perfect science, but this caller had just passed the BBC's two tacit tests for authenticity of a phone source. He had refused to give his name, and he was eager to get off the phone. Hacks and glory hounds usually whined and pleaded. Fortunately for her, reporters lived in eternal fear of missing the big story, so they seldom chastised her for passing along the occasional delusional psychotic. Wasting five minutes of a reporter's time was forgivable. Missing a headline was not. Yawning, she looked at her computer and typed in the keywords â€Å"Vatican City.† When she saw the name of the field reporter covering the papal election, she chuckled to herself. He was a new guy the BBC had just brought up from some trashy London tabloid to handle some of the BBC's more mundane coverage. Editorial had obviously started him at the bottom rung. He was probably bored out of his mind, waiting all night to record his live ten-second video spot. He would most likely be grateful for a break in the monotony. The BBC content editor copied down the reporter's satellite extension in Vatican City. Then, lighting another cigarette, she gave the anonymous caller the reporter's number. 45 â€Å"It won't work,† Vittoria said, pacing the Pope's office. She looked up at the camerlegno. â€Å"Even if a Swiss Guard team can filter electronic interference, they will have to be practically on top of the canister before they detect any signal. And that's if the canister is even accessible†¦ unenclosed by other barriers. What if it's buried in a metal box somewhere on your grounds? Or up in a metal ventilating duct. There's no way they'll trace it. And what if the Swiss Guards have been infiltrated? Who's to say the search will be clean?† The camerlegno looked drained. â€Å"What are you proposing, Ms. Vetra?† Vittoria felt flustered. Isn't it obvious? â€Å"I am proposing, sir, that you take other precautions immediately. We can hope against all hope that the commander's search is successful. At the same time, look out the window. Do you see those people? Those buildings across the piazza? Those media vans? The tourists? They are quite possibly within range of the blast. You need to act now.† The camerlegno nodded vacantly. Vittoria felt frustrated. Olivetti had convinced everyone there was plenty of time. But Vittoria knew if news of the Vatican predicament leaked out, the entire area could fill with onlookers in a matter of minutes. She had seen it once outside the Swiss Parliament building. During a hostage situation involving a bomb, thousands had congregated outside the building to witness the outcome. Despite police warnings that they were in danger, the crowd packed in closer and closer. Nothing captured human interest like human tragedy. â€Å"Signore,† Vittoria urged, â€Å"the man who killed my father is out there somewhere. Every cell in this body wants to run from here and hunt him down. But I am standing in your office†¦ because I have a responsibility to you. To you and others. Lives are in danger, signore. Do you hear me?† The camerlegno did not answer. Vittoria could hear her own heart racing. Why couldn't the Swiss Guard trace that damn caller? The Illuminati assassin is the key! He knows where the antimatter is†¦ hell, he knows where the cardinals are! Catch the killer, and everything is solved. Vittoria sensed she was starting to come unhinged, an alien distress she recalled only faintly from childhood, the orphanage years, frustration with no tools to handle it. You have tools, she told herself, you always have tools. But it was no use. Her thoughts intruded, strangling her. She was a researcher and problem solver. But this was a problem with no solution. What data do you require? What do you want? She told herself to breathe deeply, but for the first time in her life, she could not. She was suffocating. Langdon's head ached, and he felt like he was skirting the edges of rationality. He watched Vittoria and the camerlegno, but his vision was blurred by hideous images: explosions, press swarming, cameras rolling, four branded humans. Shaitan†¦ Lucifer†¦ Bringer of light†¦ Satan†¦ He shook the fiendish images from his mind. Calculated terrorism, he reminded himself, grasping at reality. Planned chaos. He thought back to a Radcliffe seminar he had once audited while researching praetorian symbolism. He had never seen terrorists the same way since. â€Å"Terrorism,† the professor had lectured, â€Å"has a singular goal. What is it?† â€Å"Killing innocent people?† a student ventured. â€Å"Incorrect. Death is only a byproduct of terrorism.† â€Å"A show of strength?† â€Å"No. A weaker persuasion does not exist.† â€Å"To cause terror?† â€Å"Concisely put. Quite simply, the goal of terrorism is to create terror and fear. Fear undermines faith in the establishment. It weakens the enemy from within†¦ causing unrest in the masses. Write this down. Terrorism is not an expression of rage. Terrorism is a political weapon. Remove a government's faà §ade of infallibility, and you remove its people's faith.† Loss of faith†¦ Is that what this was all about? Langdon wondered how Christians of the world would react to cardinals being laid out like mutilated dogs. If the faith of a canonized priest did not protect him from the evils of Satan, what hope was there for the rest of us? Langdon's head was pounding louder now†¦ tiny voices playing tug of war. Faith does not protect you. Medicine and airbags†¦ those are things that protect you. God does not protect you. Intelligence protects you. Enlightenment. Put your faith in something with tangible results. How long has it been since someone walked on water? Modern miracles belong to science†¦ computers, vaccines, space stations†¦ even the divine miracle of creation. Matter from nothing†¦ in a lab. Who needs God? No! Science is God. The killer's voice resonated in Langdon's mind. Midnight†¦ mathematical progression of death†¦ sacrifici vergini nell' altare di scienza.† Then suddenly, like a crowd dispersed by a single gunshot, the voices were gone. Robert Langdon bolted to his feet. His chair fell backward and crashed on the marble floor. Vittoria and the camerlegno jumped. â€Å"I missed it,† Langdon whispered, spellbound. â€Å"It was right in front of me†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Missed what?† Vittoria demanded. Langdon turned to the priest. â€Å"Father, for three years I have petitioned this office for access to the Vatican Archives. I have been denied seven times.† â€Å"Mr. Langdon, I am sorry, but this hardly seems the moment to raise such complaints.† â€Å"I need access immediately. The four missing cardinals. I may be able to figure out where they're going to be killed.† Vittoria stared, looking certain she had misunderstood. The camerlegno looked troubled, as if he were the brunt of a cruel joke. â€Å"You expect me to believe this information is in our archives?† â€Å"I can't promise I can locate it in time, but if you let me in†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Mr. Langdon, I am due in the Sistine Chapel in four minutes. The archives are across Vatican City.† â€Å"You're serious aren't you?† Vittoria interrupted, staring deep into Langdon's eyes, seeming to sense his earnestness. â€Å"Hardly a joking time,† Langdon said. â€Å"Father,† Vittoria said, turning to the camerlegno, â€Å"if there's a chance†¦ any at all of finding where these killings are going to happen, we could stake out the locations and – â€Å" â€Å"But the archives?† the camerlegno insisted. â€Å"How could they possibly contain any clue?† â€Å"Explaining it,† Langdon said, â€Å"will take longer than you've got. But if I'm right, we can use the information to catch the Hassassin.† The camerlegno looked as though he wanted to believe but somehow could not. â€Å"Christianity's most sacred codices are in that archive. Treasures I myself am not privileged enough to see.† â€Å"I am aware of that.† â€Å"Access is permitted only by written decree of the curator and the Board of Vatican Librarians.† â€Å"Or,† Langdon declared, â€Å"by papal mandate. It says so in every rejection letter your curator ever sent me.† The camerlegno nodded. â€Å"Not to be rude,† Langdon urged, â€Å"but if I'm not mistaken a papal mandate comes from this office. As far as I can tell, tonight you hold the trust of his station. Considering the circumstances†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The camerlegno pulled a pocket watch from his cassock and looked at it. â€Å"Mr. Langdon, I am prepared to give my life tonight, quite literally, to save this church.† Langdon sensed nothing but truth in the man's eyes. â€Å"This document,† the camerlegno said, â€Å"do you truly believe it is here? And that it can help us locate these four churches?† â€Å"I would not have made countless solicitations for access if I were not convinced. Italy is a bit far to come on a lark when you make a teacher's salary. The document you have is an ancient – â€Å" â€Å"Please,† the camerlegno interrupted. â€Å"Forgive me. My mind cannot process any more details at the moment. Do you know where the secret archives are located?† Langdon felt a rush of excitement. â€Å"Just behind the Santa Ana Gate.† â€Å"Impressive. Most scholars believe it is through the secret door behind St. Peter's Throne.† â€Å"No. That would be the Archivio della Reverenda di Fabbrica di S. Pietro. A common misconception.† â€Å"A librarian docent accompanies every entrant at all times. Tonight, the docents are gone. What you are requesting is carte blanche access. Not even our cardinals enter alone.† â€Å"I will treat your treasures with the utmost respect and care. Your librarians will find not a trace that I was there.† Overhead the bells of St. Peter's began to toll. The camerlegno checked his pocket watch. â€Å"I must go.† He paused a taut moment and looked up at Langdon. â€Å"I will have a Swiss Guard meet you at the archives. I am giving you my trust, Mr. Langdon. Go now.† Langdon was speechless. The young priest now seemed to possess an eerie poise. Reaching over, he squeezed Langdon's shoulder with surprising strength. â€Å"I want you to find what you are looking for. And find it quickly.†