The Damned Human Race Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Damned Human Race - Essay Example To start with, his gains credibility through his proves that man is crueler as opposed to the other species. This is witnessed when he observed that, men hunted and killed seventy-two buffalo for sport and used only half leaving seventy-one and half buffalos to rot. To show the difference between man and other species he put seven young calves in a cafà ©, a reptile eats only one of them and does not harm the rest, and despite doing the same with other species, the result remained the same. He further shows cruelty of human race as his the only species that tries to eliminate his own kind by slaughtering strangers of his own kind as it was witnessed in the Zulu war by prince Napoleon and in day today in Afghanistan and Iraq a trait that no other species possess. Through this arguments and use of ethos and pathos, it is evident that Man is crueler as opposed to other species, which makes him less as compared to other species (Twain and Nicholls) The trait of greedy is also evident in the human race as opposed to other races. This is observed when he uses an example of gathering habits of man as compared to those of animals. Human race accumulated more millions of money and still have a great desire for more even more that they will never use in their lifetime but is just to appease their desire. Animals have the same chance to accumulate as much food as they can, but they gather only what they need for their survival, this was witnessed in animals like Squirrels, bees, birds and ants. Through his well-argued example, the human race is greedy but other species are not, and this also makes his essay a successful one (Twain and Watson). The human race is also the species that show slavery. Slavery has been witnessed in the scramble for land by use of force and bloodshed. This slavery never ended but is still practiced in one way or other. Man has always been

Vera Drake Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Vera Drake - Movie Review Example The really shocking element with Vera is that she is introduced as completely dedicated to her family and her duties as wife and mother. Keeping this horrible secret from her family and being undisturbed for many years, for her this was a regular visit to someone's house and helping them out of the situation. At the time single women in particular would be socially and economically condemned if they got an illegitimate child. So in order to avoid the catastrophic situation, women would do anything to save their social appearance and image. What the film tries to imply to the audience is that the heroine acts on the bases of her own principles and she is guided by her good will to save the women and empower them with the right to decide for themselves what is best for them. What we do not expect from the movie is that such a kind and agreeable, wife and mother would ever thought of performing illegal abortions at a time when social norms and restrictions do not justify it. Vera possesses the inner strength and stamina to do these procedures and she is always soothing the misfortune women showing deep understanding and support for their situation. The director very carefully explores and plays with the roles that Vera fulfills - wife, mother and criminal. Though we are introduced to Vera's family, friends and social surrounding we are never given the argument what made Vera into practicing the then illegal abortions. So we can only assume that she is doing it out of her good will and belief that she is helping. She is supported by her response when the inspector comes into her home. In fact, they never ask her what she is doing, she gives her in by admitting that she knows already why they are here. And she replies: "I help girls out." Using this euphem ism leads us to believe that her desire is to aid the girls. Vera's action can be best described as "getting girls out of trouble". Another evidence of her good will is that she is not taking money. Instead she is brought food or milk or other ingredients. When asked about that she is repulsed. It seems that her explanation is far more complicated than simply gaining extra cash. Vera's discreet services and house to house visits give away that she is oblivious about taking advantage of women's situations and instead risks it all - her family and her good name in order to assist the women in their desire to make abortion. The audience is also given other perspectives after Vera's arrest. We have Reg's opinion (Vera's daughter potential husband) - "It ain't fair. Me mum brought up six of us in two rooms. If you can't feed 'em, you can't love 'em, now can you" His point shows understanding about the role that women play as mothers, homemakers and care providers. Vera has very affectionate bond with her husband - Stan. What he thinks about her arrest is that "Whatever she done, she done it out of the goodness of her heart!" Since the viewers have to rely on clues that other characters give away, Stan and Reg provide us with possible explanations why Vera initiated her actions. The reason for Vera's arrest is a life threatening mishap that happened to one of her customers a daughter of a wealthy bourgeoisie family for whom Vera cleans. Susan's desperation is as intense as Vera's

Customer Oriented E-Commerce Website

Customer Oriented E-Commerce Website Task 1: As a IT Project Manager along with Marketing officer you should visit a company XYZ to propose them to divert all the activities into IT based. Your proposal report should be SMART and must be follow the following criteria: * It should identify the project scope, functionality and consumption resources. * Your proposal should clearly mention the project objective, goal, outcome and time frame. The key Objective of our project is that it is a customer oriented e-commerce website. People can directly purchase without wasting the time. In todays hasty world time is a prime factor. People can directly buy Tshirt stuffs and other clothings with the help of our e-commerce portal. This is completely customer based or we can say B2C i.e, Business to Customer. The latest fashion arrival is available on our website with cheaper prices. GOAL: The Goal of our project is to create an online e-commerce service which is specialised in Tshirt accessories with todays fashion world. We have our own house and some business tie ups with vendors to sell the t-shirt apparels. Phase-2: (Project Planning). Assume that you get this project. IT Manager and Marketing Officer make a plan how the project will complete. Being the project manager (Simran) I have assigned the work to my dedicated team. My team members (Simran, vipul, Amrit, sukhwinder, Rajwinder). Our complete project will be done by the every members effort. The tasks are divided as per the time frame. During the first week of the project we create a complete layout for the project requirements. The design phase will then be conducted during the second week, In design phase we will create two phases one is customer oriented. Customers can view the products and can purchase online. The second phase of design is accessible by the owner of the site. The owner can edit the products, set the prices and also remove the products or we can say any update he can perform via backend operations. The most important phase i.e., data based will be conducted on the third week. The php my admin will be used for this because of its greater flexibility and availability of code m is easier with this. The connectivity will be done in the next session of the week. Therefore, database connectivity will be done in the 4th week. The fifth week will be of our group meeting in which we will thoroughly revised the project between us and discuss with each and every group member. So that we can get to know any pitfall (if it occurs). Thus the feasibility of our project can be obtained. The sixth week is our submission time domain to our client. We will discuss the project with our client . TASK 2(LO 1) 2.1 Create a project description (project description should be distinguish between program, sub project and project. Your proposal of the project should be identifies the following criteria: 2.2 Analysis of the project function which include dependencies, IT resources, manpower, time consumption and total cost. The analysis of our project with respect to dependencies, IT resources, manpower, time consumption and total cost can be defined as below: Dependencies: The project is designed in html, php, css style. The database is stored in XAMPP. IT resources: local host , 4 laptops Manpower: There is a vital role of our entire team behind this project. Contribution of each and every person is reliable and there is manpower of five people is applied for this project. I would like to mention the name of our team members who contributes towards the success of this project. The resource people are: Simran, Vipul, Amrit, Sukhwinder, Rajwinder . Time consumption: The total time consumed for the development of this project is almost 6 weeks. Per week three days are contributed. Each day consist of 8 hours. Total Cost : The total investment for this project is NZD5000 2.3 Develop a Gantt Chart that must include the following information: Task number and task name Time frames for the completion of each task (start and end dates) Float time to mention the time delay probability between each task Add milestone Successor and predecessor(dependencies) Gantt Chart legend 2.4 Analysis the risk factor and contingency plan to avoid the risk during project period. The risk factor for this project may be the hardware get crashed, software may be get corrupted. Lost of data and other important files, People involved in this project may be withdrawal due to their personal issues or may be due to any other reason. The total budget for be project may be detained if investors step back. The contingency plan to avoid the risk during project period are For Hardware crash issue, we will consider the additional laptops and other machine. To avoid the software corruption we will use the valid and updated versions of softwares. 2.5 Distribute role and responsibilities among the group member and set the milestone. Use the Waterfall Model (Requirement Analysis, Design, Programming source code, Testing, Documentation) from software development life cycle to categories your task: Phase-3 (Manage the project) You should Team leader of your group will be responsible for manage the project. TASK-3: (LO 5,2,3) 3.1 Develop your project according to the plan. The project is developed according to the plan. The Plan of our project is discussed as follows: Our project is about the E-Commerce website. We are creating a web portal for E-Commerce. Our client business is related to the garments that specialized with T-shirts and shirts. Our project is completely based upon the requirements of our client. We are creating a online E-Commerce website for this. To meet the challenges of todays scenario of dynamic websites. Our team decided to make this project in HTML, PHP is used for the backend server side programming as its of dynamic nature. We also use local host. And for database we are using PHPMyAdmin. 3.2 Analysis the project status, milestone and project progress rate. 3.3 Make a plan against the project progress and project plan (if any). The project plan is carried out so that each and every aspect of the project could be run out. The strategies are quite simple and up to the point. During the first day we made a pen and paper layout as per the requirements of our client. Then we transformed this into the designing structure. The website design was carried out . We used html, CSS, PHP for backend. The database is designed by using PhpMy Admin. This was done in the 2nd and 3rd week. After this , we implement the design into the running platform and also provide the useful structural approach for this. The next phase of verification of code was conducted. In this phase each code is run separately and tested accordingly. 3.4 Analysis the risk (manpower, resources) and make a project plan so that project can meet the timeframe. The risk factors that affect our project can be resources related and manpower related. The people engaged in the project, they may leave the project due to any reason (it might be their personal etc.) The resources related issue can be caused if any failure may occur that may be related to hardware failure or software failure. Phase- 4 (Test and Review the final project) TASK- 4(LO7) You need to keep records of day to day activity of your project. You will maintain a separate journal in which you will enter these daily activities. These activities will range from non-technical to technical activities. The journal will be maintained on an individual basis. 4.1 Use a Microsoft office software (world/excel) to maintain your journal. Put data and name of the day each separate entry. 4.2 You have to keep a record of the Minutes of Meeting which you have held with your client. Use the following format to record the minutes of all meetings: Project Name Project Manager Team Members Attended Clients Attended Date and Time Minutes 4.3 Create a User Manual document to support your project. This is a separate document. This document will help your client on critical factors, how to use the program and quality of the program. It is necessary to include the following items to complete your user manual: a) User manual cover sheet b) Table of contents c) Introduction d) System requirements/specifications e) List of available functions f) Description of each function detailing the purpose with screen shot and how to use these functions. g) Frequently asked questions (FAQ) h) Index and keywords (Glossary) 4.4 (LO6 and LO7): Prepare a group presentation to demonstrate your project to your client. This will help u=your client to review and propose changes accordingly. Note these proposals as you will making changes to your project after this presentation. Your presentation must cover the following topics: a) Group members introduction b) Project Introduction c) Functions demonstration d) Question and Answers e) Conclusion Each of your group members will be judged for their professional behaviour and actions during the presentation as well as the whole project. You will be judged for. Meeting and greeting: You will be judged on how you meet and greet people related to the project. This will also include your group members. Adopt words like Please and Thank you in your conversation. Avoid words that may be offensive to other people. Appearance: Appearance is an important aspect of this project. You will be assessed on your overall appearance (Avoid casual dressing). Eye contact : Maintain eye contact at all times while delivering your presentation. Organization: You will be appraised on the contribution you have made towards your project. You must always be well prepared and know the progress of your project. Your attendance and punctuality will be a key aspect for this project. Body language: Your gestures and postures while delivering the presentation will be evaluated.

Derek Jeter: Before A World Champion Essay -- Biography Biographies Bi

The Life of Derek Jeter: Before a World Champion "Derek Jeter, a professional ballplayer for the YankeesÂ…" are the exact words Derek Jeter, himself, used in his eighth-grade yearbook (Jeter xvi). For as long as he could remember, Jeter has longed to be a New York Yankee. Fifteen years after predicting he would be a professional ballplayer for the Yankees, Derek Jeter is now more than a Yankee. Jeter isn't only a Yankee; he is a family guy and a World Champion. His career started when he was five years old, and everything has evolved from there. Sports fans know what life for Derek Jeter is now, but what was life like before he became a world champion, superstar, and captain of the New York Yankees. Derek Jeter's life is started and baseball is about to be changed forever. On June 26, 1974, Charles and Dorothy Jeter gave birth to one of the greatest athletes today, Derek Jeter, in Pequannock, New Jersey (Biography par 1). Charles, being caucasian, and Dorothy, being African American, gave Derek his tan complexion. For the next four years Jeter lived in New Jersey within 30 miles of Yankee Stadium (Biography par 1). Not knowing at the time that he would end up back in New York as a Yankee, Jeter's family moved to Kalamazoo, Michigan where Derek was able to start playing baseball at the age of five, and would spend the summers with his grandma in New Jersey (Biography par 1). She persuaded him to be a Yankee fan by taking him to multiple games during the summer at Yankee Stadium. Soon, Jeter would come to idolize Dave Winfield (Biography par 1), who played outfield for the Yankees from 1981 to 1988 (Winfield), and was later inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Now that Jeter has been exposed to baseball and Yankee... ... healthy lifestyle. It also taught kids to "turn away" from substances such as drugs and alcohol. From the time Jeter was born he should have been put in a Yankee uniform. He was born to play baseball and he obviously realized that. With his hard work and effort, he now is Captain of the New York Yankees. But without his hard work, dedication, and family support, Jeter wouldn't be anywhere near a Yankee. Now a four time World Champion and two times MVP of the World Series. Jeter continues to work hard and accomplish more and more goals. Derek Jeter will soon be remembered as one of the best players to ever play the game of baseball. Works Cited 1. Jeter, Derek. The Life You Imagine: Life Lessons for achieving you're dreams. New York: Three Rivers Press, 2000. 2. Derek Jeter-Biography. 1 Nov 2006 . 3. Dave Winfield-Fielding. 30 Oct 2006 .

Swot Analysis of Sony Corporation

SWOT ANALYSIS SWOT ANALYSIS OFSONY  CORPORATION&L. G COMPANY STRENGHTS  Of  SONY  CORPORATION ? Strong Brand Image ? Worldwide Reputation ? High Market Share ? High Quality Products ? High Technology ? Pioneer in the Industry as Being Creative and Innovative ? Supports R&D Activites ? Diversification in Manufacturing Locations Around the World ? Ability to Provide High Motivation to Its Employees ? Loyal Customers STRENGHTS Of L. G SWOT ANALYSIS ? Market leader in home appliances. ? Has got manufacturing unit in tax incentive . ? Wide range of products to serve  all categories. ?Widest distribution network in the industry(47barnches,10000 trade partners). ? Good after sales service offered. WEAKNESSES  OF  SONY  CORPORATION ? Over self-confidence which’s level sometimes reaches notpaying attention to their rivals. ? Diversifications in unsuitable businesses for itself. ? They insist on their own formats. ? Competitively high prices. WEAKNESSES OF L. G ? Samsung being its competitor provides similar  products. ? Consumers compare L. G with Samsung its Korean rival  notwith other global companies. ? Lack of expert operators for complex machines due toilliteracy and lack of training in India. SWOT ANALYSIS OPPORTUNITIES  OF  SONY  CORPORATION ? Continuous growth in their sectors. ? Increasing demand in technological products around theworld OPPORTUNITIES OF L. G ? Fast growth of the home appliances market ? Shifting to rural areas ? Thus maintaining  control over  the market  and  the highestshare in home appliances market THREATS  OF  SONY CORPORATION ? Strong competiton in the market. ? Short product lifecycle. ? Imitation of brand name and technology THREATS OF L. G ? Close competitors like Samsung are compared to it. ? Price war with Samsung. ? Competition from Indian brand and other foreign brands. ~

Gender, Culture and the Media Essay

Media, in the context required, is a term used to define an interactive transmission that is visualized and then especially designed to reach a large audience, for e. g. a whole nation. These audiences, however, are very different from one another, depending on their culture and gender identities. The variance in culture and sexual identities, have an obvious impact on media which is why there is a dire need for exploring the relationship between the two. The most important tool in exploring and understanding the relationship between media and culture is communication. This is because communication plays a very effective role in the manner through which interaction is carried out with the masses (Gaunlett, 2002). For this purpose, extreme emphasis is given to the cultural differences that may occur. Such is the case of international campaigns or chains of restaurants; whenever they want to promote any product, they have to consider the differences, and keeping these differences in mind, they alter their product accordingly for e. g. , McDonalds in India, do not usually serve their people beef burgers as cow is sacred to them. Likewise, Indian people can relate more to it than others who are just viewing this product on an Indian channel. On this note, I would like to add that it is also a TV channel’s responsibility to be aware of the ethics with regard to culture. Although, media is known to show us situation and relationships from other people’s point-of-view, the impact is originated from a certain culture or social class, for that matter. However, it has been changing from time to time with the global development. So, we can say that the relationship between media and gender today, is different from how it was years ago. The reason is because people’s thought have changed in the passing years, the role models have changed and the attitudes of people have changed, which without doubt influences media. It is for these contemporary audiences that the media has to alter whatever it promotes, in the manner that is much acceptable to them. The rest is mere perception on the audience’s part. Talking about the perception of various people and how they interact with things like talk shows, MTV, the Internet, soap operas, television sitcoms, dramatic series etc. , it is very likely to notice that the people interact with the media on the basis of their culture and gender identities (Dines, 2008). An example is that of Lorillard’s Newport cigarettes, introduced in 1957, which after its struggle period in the early stages of introduction, became very popular with the African American crowd. Another comment on the same example is that Newport cigarettes contain menthol, which is supposed to be associated with women mostly. Relating this with media, the advertisements for this brand also focused on African American people in the beginning, as they had identified them as their target market. With the change in society and changing views of people, Newport gained its market recognition and broadened their target market and today it owns a most coveted place in the tobacco industry. In the society that we live in today, people dedicate a lot of time to television, magazines, surfing the net, and other publications. As a result, it is very inevitable to say that they come across culture and advertising almost everyday. Among these people, a large segment belongs to the younger generation, who are particularly sensitive and relatively effected much easily by the same. Childhood culture is an inter-textual universe which connects TV programs to movies, videogames, toys, T-shirts, shoes, games, crayons, coloring books, bed linens and towels, pencil cases, lunch boxes etc. This is where the impact part comes into play, which media has on children and that which the children have on the media (Geertz, 1977). One of the greatest impacts of the above stated example on media is that when a television program (for kids) is produced, a lot of things have to be taken into consideration. Not too much violence, abusive language or false imagery should be used. As far as sexual identity is concerned, men and women have different views, likes and dislikes, regarding different things. Women are more likely to read magazines like Gourmet, Culinary Trends, Bon Appetite, Food and Wine etc. Lately, men have also developed a similar trend in reading magazines but there choices are those like Extreme Sports, Chicago Sports, and Sports Illustration etc. Another aspect is that of men leading the global scene. When it comes to voiceovers, men dominate, regardless of the product. Men continue to work in their late ages on screen whereas women tend to disappear in their late thirties. Facial lines and grey hair are considered to be signs of maturity in males, while the same would pronounce females ‘old’ and not fit for TV (Buikema, 2009). On the other hand, it is also reported to have said that with the developing sense of equality with regard to sexes, the Times magazine cover wondered if feminism was dead in June 1998. To sum up, the media shows us situations and relationships from other people’s point-of-view and we begin to think that we can now see ‘how the world works’, in lives other than our own. Soap-operas showing how neighbors, friends and lovers interact with each other are not behaviors that the media has created by itself. It is the likes of people that have affected media to follow the same. That too, varies from culture to culture. Some counties believe in open cultures while others observe closed culture where too much intimacy and involvement is not look upon as appropriate. People claim that the reference points for them are film and TV but actually it’s the way round- people, their cultures and genders influence upon the way they interact with the media. References: Buikema, R. , Tuin I. , (2008), â€Å"Doing Gender in Media, Art and Culture†. Routledge Dines G. , McMahon J. , (2008), â€Å"Gender, Race, and Class in Media: A Text-reader†. Sage Publications Gauntlett D. , (2002), â€Å"Media, Gender, and Identity: An Introduction†. Routledge Geertz, C. (1977). The Interpretation of Cultures. Basic Books

How to Increase Your Chances for SSD Application Approval

How to Increase Your Chances for SSD Application Approval Top 5 Things You Need to Know to Increase Your Chances for SSD Application Approval Do you suffer from an injury or illness that prevents you from working like you did before or this injury keeps you from adjusting to a new line of work?Are you worried about your eligibility of qualifying for Social Security Disability benefits? If so, chances are you are not alone.The Social Security Administration (SSA) reports that:1-in-4  20-year-old workers in the U.S. will become disabled before reaching retirement age.1-in-5  Americans (56 million) live with some form of disability.1-in-10  Americans (38 million) suffer from a severe disability.Fortunately, you may be eligible to receive Social Security disability (SSD) benefits. These benefits may represent only a portion of the income you previously earned. However, they can still play a major role in helping you and your family to meet your monthly expenses.Click here to  See our infographic  Top 5 Things You Need to Know to increase your chances for SSD application approvalHow Do You Qualify for SSD Benefits?To be eligible for SSD benefits, you must meet the SSA’s work and medical requirements. Let’s look quickly at each one:Work requirement– You must have paid into the program through the taxes deducted from your earnings. Generally, this means that you must have earned: o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   At least 40 work credits. o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   With 20 of those credits earned in the 10 years before your disability arose.However, if you are a younger person, you may qualify with fewer work credits.Medical requirement– You must meet the SSA’s definition of â€Å"disabled.† This means that you suffer from a medically determinable physical or mental impairment that: o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Prevents you from engaging in substantial gainful activity and o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Has lasted or is expected to last for at least 12 consecutive months or to result in death.In Michigan, your medical eligibility will be determined by a Disability Determination Services ( DDS) examiner in Detroit, Lansing, Traverse City or Kalamazoo.How Do You Apply for SSD Benefits in Michigan?You must prepare your application and submit it in one of three ways:Use the SSA’s online application form.Call the SSA at  (800) 772-1213  or (800) 325-0778 (TTY) and mail in your documentation.Go in person to your local SSA field office in Michigan.What Happens If Your Application for Benefits Is Denied?Many people experience the frustration of seeing their application for SSD benefits denied. If you find yourself in this situation, you can request a hearing at your nearest Office of Disability Adjudication and Review (ODAR) in Michigan.The good news: You have a  49.14 percent  chance of getting your application approved at the hearing level in Michigan.The bad news: In Michigan, on average, it takes  516 days  to process your case. The processing time includes waiting, on average,  17.2 months  for your hearing.Consider this chart, which shows informa tion for Michigan’s seven ODAR offices for the 2016 fiscal year:Sources: https://www.ssa.gov/appeals/DataSets/01_NetStat_Report.html https://www.ssa.gov/appeals/DataSets/05_Average_Processing_Time_Report.html https://www.ssa.gov/appeals/DataSets/03_ALJ_Disposition_Data.htmlYou can file an appeal with the Appeals Council if your application is denied after a hearing with an Administrative Law Judge. If you are denied again, you can file a lawsuit in the nearest U.S. District Court.What Can You Do to Help Your Application Get Approved?If you believe that you qualify for SSD benefits, you should stay determined and keep fighting. However, each stage of an appeal can add significantly more time to your case.This is why you should do as much as possible to get your application approved at the initial stage. Here are five ways to improve your chances1. Establish That Your Income Does Not Exceed The SGA Threshold.To be considered â€Å"disabled,† you cannot earn monthly incom e above the â€Å"substantial gainful activity† (SGA) threshold. The SSA adjusts this threshold every year. In 2017, it is:$1,170per month for non-blind individuals$1,950per month for blind individuals.When you apply for benefits, provide accurate and up-to-date information about your income. To support your claim, you should provide documentation such as pay stubs and W2 forms.2. Provide Complete And Relevant Medical Information.Your application must establish that you suffer from a qualifying disability. For this reason, you need to provide complete and relevant medical information.You must provide medical records from an accepted medical source such as your treating doctor. These records could include:X-ray, MRI or CT scan resultsBlood and other test resultsTreatment plansPrescription information.These records need to establish the onset date of your disability. They should also show the nature and severity of your condition. Ultimately, these records should demonstrate ho w your condition limits your ability to work.Finally, provide the names and contact information for your regular doctor or any other physician who has diagnosed and treated your condition.All of this information will be helpful to the DDS examiner who reviews your application.3. Ask Your Doctor To Provide A Written Statement.The SSA gives significant weight to the opinion of your treating physician. It will help your application if you ask your doctor to provide DDS with his or her assessment of your â€Å"residual functional capacity† (RFC).Your doctor can describe your symptoms. The doctor can also discuss the likely course of your condition as you receive treatment . Most importantly, the doctor can give his or her professional view on whether you can meet the physical, mental, sensory, and other requirements of working.4. Cooperate With The DDS Examiner.Your goal should be to give the DDS examiner who reviews your case as much information as the examiner needs to make a d ecision on your claim.However, in some cases, an examiner may want more medical evidence and ask you to undergo a consultative examination. This is a physical or mental examination by an independent doctor. The SSA will pay for this examination.You should comply with this request in order to keep the review of your application moving forward.5. Stay On Top Of The Review.If you do not get a response after a long period of time, it may be a good idea to check on whether the DDS examiner needs any additional information. Additionally, you should make sure that you have provided your current contact information.Applying for SSD Benefits in Michigan? We Can HelpIf you are considering whether to apply for SSD benefits, or if you have already started the process and need help, contact us for a free case review. We serve clients throughout the state of Michigan. We can guide you through the process of applying for benefits and fight for you on appeal if your claim is denied.

Louis Sullivan essays

Louis Sullivan essays The Autobiography of an Idea was published 1924. Louis Sullivan wrote this autobiography as a way to let you know who he was and what he believed in. He felt that his life was dedicated in forming a new style of architecture that would set the United States apart from the European countries. He wanted to break away from the tradition styles that have been used for the last century and a half. This tribute shows you that architecture was his passion, and he wanted everyone to follow him. Louis Sullivan was born on September 3rd 1856 in Boston, Massachusetts. His father Patrick, and his mother Andrienne, had a rough way of life. They both made their way to America from different regions of Europe. Louis was raised by his parents until he was the age of five. He then was taken to his grandparents in a small town called South Reading. As he grew he found that he enjoyed to art of dancing and began to love natures beauty. Louiss father opened a summer school in Newburyport. Patrick had told Andrienne that her parents were too soft for their son, and they pampered him. His mother arrived to reclaim her son and also to visit with her parents. Soon after, both left for Newburyport by train. He later endured another move, the return to Boston. Here he would join another school that would help him with his creative mind. At the age of 9 Louis was enrolled in The New Rice Grammar School. He later entered the Boston English High School where he dropped out at the age of 16 to attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. After only one year he dropped out once again to move to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to live with his grandparents. In Philadelphia, while living with his grandparents, he decided he would try to gain employment with Furness and Hewitt. He later had a disagreement with George Hewitt and moved to Chicago, Illinois with his parents. There he gained employment with William Jenney. ...

Ceramic Definition and Chemistry

Ceramic Definition and Chemistry The word ceramic comes from the Greek word keramikos, which means of pottery. While the earliest ceramics were pottery, the term encompasses a large group of materials, including some pure elements. A ceramic is an inorganic, nonmetallic solid, generally based on an oxide, nitride, boride, or carbide, that is fired at a high temperature. Ceramics may be glazed prior to firing to produce a coating that reduces porosity and has a smooth, often colored surface. Many ceramics contain a mixture of ionic and covalent bonds between atoms. The resulting material may be crystalline, semi-crystalline, or vitreous. Amorphous materials with similar composition are generally termed glass. The four main types of ceramics are whitewares, structural ceramics, technical ceramics, and refractories. Whitewares include cookware, pottery, and wall tiles. Structural ceramics include bricks, pipes, roofing tiles, and floor tiles. Technical ceramics are also know as special, fine, advanced, or engineered ceramics. This class includes bearings, special tiles (e.g. spacecraft heat shielding), biomedical implants, ceramic brakes, nuclear fuels, ceramic engines,  and ceramic coatings. Refractories are ceramics used to make crucibles, line kilns, and radiate heat in gas fireplaces. How Ceramics Are Made Raw materials for ceramics include clay, kaolinate, aluminum oxide, silicon carbide, tungsten carbide, and certain pure elements. The raw materials are combined with water to form a mix that can be shaped or molded. Ceramics are difficult to work after they are made, so usually they are shaped into their final desired forms. The form is allowed to dry and is fired in an oven called a kiln. The firing process supplies the energy to form new chemical bonds in the material (vitrification) and sometimes new minerals (e.g., mullite forms from kaolin in the firing of porcelain). Waterproof, decorative, or functional glazes may be added prior to the first firing or may require a subsequent firing (more common). The first firing of a ceramic yields a product called the bisque. The first firing burns off organics and other volatile impurities. The second (or third) firing may be called glazing. Examples and Uses  of Ceramics Pottery, bricks, tiles, earthenware, china, and porcelain are common examples of ceramics. These materials are well-known for use in building, crafting, and art. There are many other ceramic materials: In the past, glass was considered a ceramic, because its an inorganic solid that is fired and treated much like a ceramic. However, because glass is an amorphous solid, glass is usually considered to be a separate material. The ordered internal structure of ceramics plays a large role in their properties.Solid pure silicon and carbon may be considered to be ceramics. In a strict sense, a diamond could be called a ceramic.Silicon carbide and tungsten carbide are technical ceramics that have high abrasion resistance, making them useful for body armor, wear plates for mining, and machine components.Uranium oxide (UO2 is a ceramic used as a nuclear reactor fuel.Zirconia (zirconium dioxide) is used to make ceramic knife blades, gems, fuel cells, and oxygen sensors.Zinc oxide (ZnO) is a semiconductor.Boron oxide is used to make body armor.Bismuth strontium copper oxide and magnesium diboride (MgB2) are superconductors.Steatite (magnesium silicate) is used as an electrical insulator.Barium titanate is used to make heating elements, capacitors, transducers, and data storage elements. Ceramic artifacts are useful in archaeology and paleontology because their chemical composition can be used to identify their origin. This includes not only the composition of clay, but also that of the temper the materials added during production and drying. Properties of Ceramics Ceramics include such a wide variety of materials that its difficult to generalize their characteristics. Most ceramics exhibit the following properties: High hardnessUsually brittle, with poor toughnessHigh melting pointChemical resistancePoor electrical and thermal conductivityLow ductilityHigh modulus of elasticityHigh compression strengthOptical transparency to a variety of wavelengths Exceptions include superconducting and piezoelectric ceramics. Related Terms The science of the preparation and characterization of ceramics is called ceramography. Composite materials are made up of more than one class of material, which may include ceramics. Examples of composites include carbon fiber and fiberglass. A cermet is a type of composite material containing ceramic and metal. A glasss of glass-ceramics include glass stove tops and the glass composite used to bind nuclear waste for disposal.

Summer School Study Abroad Scholarship Application Essay

Summer School Study Abroad Scholarship Application - Essay Example I believe these courses would help me attain my ultimate career goal. All good packages come with costs, so is the case of YISS. I belong to a middle class family with income that just suffices living costs and does not contribute to savings. A referral to financial statement will support my stance. I will be able to bear my expenses to some extent, but I will also require financial assistance. This is the reason why I have applied for need based scholarship programme. I believe that an individual has a give and take relationship with the society. Contribution to society is paid back in the form of a better & safe community for the future generations. I respect the fact that YISS is offering need based scholarship and desire to benefit from it. But this does not end here, as a helping hand extended towards me today will encourage me to help others in future. It will also develop goodwill of Korean society on international

ISM Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

ISM - Essay Example â€Å"There are many ways to define Globalisation. Ruud Lubbets in his article â€Å"Globalisation and Sustainable Development† describes globalisation as â€Å"the phenomenon that the degree of global human interaction increases to such an extent that both its primary effects and the reactions it provokes, give rise to numerous new developments† ( Ali, Winter & May, 2007, p.1). Globalisation is the interaction between economies, technologies and politic A number of companies, increasingly, are looking forward towards breaking the cultural barriers to extend the businesses further in a global environment. This has increased the requirement of the employees to get accustomed to the foreign cultural settings. Apart from that International Marketing training demands a detailed program to make the employees aware of the various theories and practices in the arena of international marketing. The globalisation dreams have presented a new challenge for the firms including the challenge to develop competent managers, able to work in the new environments with more efficiency. With increasing numbers of mergers and acquisitions, the firms are also expected to bring in new employees with different origins, languages and national culture adding more complexities to the different organizational cultures. â€Å"The firms thus need to develop systems and processes not only to train managers for expatriate assignments but also to handle cultural diversity. This task can be achieved by well designed cross-cultural training programs which will help employees in coping up with the stress and cultural shock while dealing with a new culture† (Pande & Krishnan, n.d., p.2). In China, Telmarket would require a culture specific training to make its employees competent enough to deal with the customers with enough respect to Chinese culture and their business environments. After having a review on the respective reviews the following issues have been identified for the cross cultural training. The time factor in the training would require considering two factors including punctuality and relationship dimensions. Some cultures may take more comparatively more time for relationship building while this may not be at all acceptable in others. So, it is of utmost importance to consider Chinese business culture barriers related to time required to be taken care of. In China, there exists a linguistic barrier as Chinese people prefer their language in business contexts (METP, 2008). Adding to it, even the pronunciation is quite different in China, which is required to be taken care of. There are a number of evidences that failing to align the brand name in accordance to the Chinese language made the brands to fail in the Chinese market. So, Telmarket must consider this point with high significance and must train its employees on the linguistic factor. The training program would also include a detailed training regarding the business practices. The b usiness practices may differ in China as they encourage open discussion; although that is required to be done with enough respect to the seniority and old traditions. The training would also require introducing methods and programs to counter stress and to interpret the situations in a positive way. The employees would have to understand the situations on both from their own and from other perspectives. The way to express the

Brand Positioning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Brand Positioning - Essay Example The Asian chocolate market is the driving sale and likely to hold about 20% of the market share of the global chocolate market in 2016 and sales of chocolate in the Asian market is likely to boost up share from $15billion to $19.7billion in 2016. US leads the chocolate market with a market share of 86.3% in North America, Japan has a market share of 39.7%, Europe with a market share of 16.4% and Germany accounts for 15.9% (Markets and Markets,† Markets and Markets: Global Chocolate Market worth $ 98.3 billion by 2016†). Five major brands chosen for the project in the chocolate industry includes Cadbury/Kraft, Mars, Nestle, Ferrero and Hershey. Cadbury/Kraft food generated total sales of $19,965 in 2011 and accounts for 15% of the market share in global chocolate industry; Mars generates sales of $16,200 and has a market share of 15% in 2011; Nestle sales stood at $12,808 with a marker share of 13%; Ferrero Group accounted for $9612 and market share of 7% and finally Hersh ey foods generated sales of $6112 with market share of 7% (ICCO, â€Å"The Chocolate Industry†). Selection of characteristics Brand positioning is based on certain characteristic depending on the product or the brands. The product chosen is chocolate and therefore four major characteristics of the product chosen are quality, taste, price and image of the brand. Quality forms an integral part and chocolate and quality goes hand in hand. In the chocolate industry ingredients like cocoa, cocoa butter, sugar, fats, flavorings and emulsifier plays an essential role in the quality of the product. Quality of chocolate is dependent on the quality of raw materials (Chocolate Source, â€Å"What Makes a Good Quality Chocolate?†). Taste is another important factor in the positioning of the brand. Consumers tend to consume chocolate for taste. Dark chocolates are consumed only for its taste and all the brands take effective measure in order to produce and manufacture chocolates wit h good taste. Price although is not that important when it comes to brand and brand name but cannot be ruled out completely. The top chocolate brands prices their products almost at par which implies stiff competition in the chocolate industry. Therefore the four characteristic will help to determine the positioning of each of the brands in the chocolate industry. Group selection justification In order to analyze the positioning of the chocolate brands two set of groups are taken into considerations, the female consumers and the male consumers. The sample size of male and female consumers taken into consideration is above the age group of 18 years. The female consumers group usually loves chocolates and loves to consumer variety of chocolates. The other set which are the male group will help to determine the reason behind the consumption of chocolate and the most preferred brand by the consumers. The female group of consumers will help to provide feedback regarding innovation, packa ging, taste and other added feature required by a brand. Both the groups play an essential role in developing the brand name and image of the product and are core of any product. The males are taken into consideration to overrule the existing believe that chocolates are consumed and loved by females to a very high extend. The male segment of the society also prefers chocolate and to determine

What is the role of social media in the field of journalism-LITERATURE Term Paper

What is the role of social media in the field of journalism-LITERATURE REVIEW - Term Paper Example acquire more traffic especially from the young generation, media corporations have also followed their consumers onto online space by creating social media sites. Apart from generating traffic, media corporations have also embraced social media forms of journalism in a move to be at par with competitors (Kerrigan & Graham, 2010). Apart examining values of journalism, the study will also analyze its contribution to the online community. In the current generation, it would be quite unfortunate for journalism corporations not to embrace the rapidly growing technology, especially in social media. This is due to the fact that social media is of great importance to the journalism network. Embracing social media is no longer an option since it is one of those things that are a â€Å"must have† for all journalists. Unlike previous generations, the current one is quite literate and normally spends most of the time seeking information on the internet; this is clear indication that it is rare for them to get information from hard copy materials such as books, magazines and newspapers. Because of this, journalists ought to change the ways in which they relay information to the public. Since most people depend on social media for information, journalists have no option but embrace them too. Studies so far conducted show that apart from Facebook, other common social media platforms include twitter, LinkedIn and MySpace ( Oh, Agrawal & Rao, 2013). The 21st generation is quite inquisitive to the extent that it is not possible for them to wait until the next day so that they can read about a trending story. To them this is a long time for a generation normally yearning for information. Therefore, by embracing social media, journalists are in a position to post up to date information on what is trending not only in the US but also globally. By doing so, people will become interested with journalists and media corporations that post instant news hence resulting to traffic that is

American Independent day Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

American Independent day - Essay Example The July 4, 1776 independence day is celebrated every year. During 1776, there were 2.5 million residents. In 2009, there were over 300 million Americans (Aloian, 2009). The people are reminded of their forefather’s gift to the currents 21st century American people. Annually, the American people celebrate the benefits of the American independence. The American Independence Day celebrates the present generations’ benefits generated from the brave 1776 residents of the 13 colonies. One scholar discusses one benefit of the American Independence Day, freedom to improve the communication among other residents in a democratic manner. The author describes how each person in a democratic society tries to improve the communication between two persons. It is an admitted fact that different people have different interpretations of certain words and actions. The journal article’s scholar classifies this as pragmatic failure (Moalla, 2013). The author performs the research on 30 speakers. The research was done in Georgia, United States. The speakers were students from the Kennesaw State University and the Catholic College. There were 30 respondent speakers. The respondents were made to take the Discourse Completion Test. The test determines the speakers’ reactions on certain everyday events (Moalla, 2013). The findings of the research show people interpret each message differently. The difference is brought about by the respondents’ cultural background. Twenty Tunisian students interpreted the compliments as rather insincere. This clearly shows that the students were more interested in the true message of the conversation. The 20 Tunisian students tried to decipher the real message behind the compliments. These same students tried to determine the truthfulness of compliments bestowed on them by the speaker (Moalla, 2013). On the other hand, the other ten students, American students, happily

Hypoxia-inducible factor Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Hypoxia-inducible factor - Essay Example Hypoxia is a condition where physiologic oxygen levels fall lower than the normal, which can result in stroke, brain injury, spinal cord injury, other neurodegenerative diseases, and cancer. Because of the importance of oxygen for life, organisms have developed mechanisms to cope and survive low oxygen levels (hypoxia). During hypoxia, cells adapt by altering the expression of many genes: those involved in maintaining oxygen homeostasis, coping with reactive oxygen species and other effects of low oxygen stress. Many of these genes are directly regulated by the hypoxia-inducible transcription factor (HIF; with common isoforms: HIF-1 and HIF-2). When oxygen levels are normal (normoxia), HIF is barely discernible; under hypoxia the HIF concentration increases dramatically. The active form of HIF is composed of two sub-units, HIF ÃŽ ±, and HIF ÃŽ ². The latter is constitutively expressed regardless of physiologic oxygen concentration, while HIF ÃŽ ± concentration is very low under normo xic conditions but increases with hypoxia. In normoxia, HIF ÃŽ ± is hydroxylated by through the action of prolyl hydroxylases domain proteins or PHD. Hydroxylation allows HIF ÃŽ ± to associate with a protein complex that makes it a target for proteolytic degradation. The proof of the inhibitory effect of PHD on HIF was established when silencing of PHD2 gene increased normoxic HIF levels (Berraet al., 2003). Silencing of other identified PHD, 1 and 3, did not affect normoxic levels of HIF, leading to the conclusion that the PHDs have different roles in vivo (Berra et al., 2003).

American Independent day Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

American Independent day - Essay Example The July 4, 1776 independence day is celebrated every year. During 1776, there were 2.5 million residents. In 2009, there were over 300 million Americans (Aloian, 2009). The people are reminded of their forefather’s gift to the currents 21st century American people. Annually, the American people celebrate the benefits of the American independence. The American Independence Day celebrates the present generations’ benefits generated from the brave 1776 residents of the 13 colonies. One scholar discusses one benefit of the American Independence Day, freedom to improve the communication among other residents in a democratic manner. The author describes how each person in a democratic society tries to improve the communication between two persons. It is an admitted fact that different people have different interpretations of certain words and actions. The journal article’s scholar classifies this as pragmatic failure (Moalla, 2013). The author performs the research on 30 speakers. The research was done in Georgia, United States. The speakers were students from the Kennesaw State University and the Catholic College. There were 30 respondent speakers. The respondents were made to take the Discourse Completion Test. The test determines the speakers’ reactions on certain everyday events (Moalla, 2013). The findings of the research show people interpret each message differently. The difference is brought about by the respondents’ cultural background. Twenty Tunisian students interpreted the compliments as rather insincere. This clearly shows that the students were more interested in the true message of the conversation. The 20 Tunisian students tried to decipher the real message behind the compliments. These same students tried to determine the truthfulness of compliments bestowed on them by the speaker (Moalla, 2013). On the other hand, the other ten students, American students, happily

Economy Exam Questions Essay Example for Free

Economy Exam Questions Essay 1. The Prisoner’s Dilemma involves two spies who are held in separate soundproof rooms. But even if the two spies could communicate, what makes it difficult for them to achieve the cooperative solution (both not confessing)? 2. A key to analyzing subgame perfect equilibrium strategy in sequential games is 3. In making promises that are not guaranteed by third parties and in imposing penalties that are not enforced by third parties, all of the following are credibility-enhancing mechanisms except 4. The starting point of many methods for predicting equilibrium strategy in sequential games is 5. Credible promises and hostage mechanisms can support a continuous stream of cooperative exchanges except when 6. Firms that have a cover charge for their customers and charge for each item they purchase as well are exhibiting 7. Third-degree price discrimination exists whenever 8. To maximize profits, a monopolist that engages in price discrimination must allocate output in such a way as to make identical the ____ in all markets. 9. Vacation tours to Europe invariably package visits to disparate regions: cities, mountains, and the seaside. Bundling, a type of second degree price discrimination, is most profitable when 10. ____ is a new product pricing strategy which results in a high initial product price. This price is reduced over time as demand at the higher price is satisfied 11. Contracts are distinguished from tactical alliances by which of the following characteristics: 12. When someone contracts to do a task but fails to put full effort into the performance of an agreement, yet the lack of effort is not independently verifiable, this lack of effort constitutes a 13. When borrowers who do not intend to repay are able to hide their bad credit histories, a lenders well-intentioned borrowers should 14. To accomplish its purpose a linear profit-sharing contract must 15. When retail bicycle dealers advertise and perform warranty repairs but do not deliver the personal selling message that Schwinn has designed as part of the marketing plan but cannot observe at less than prohibitive cost, the manufacturer has encountered a problem of ____. 16. The lower the barriers to entry and exit, the more nearly a market structure fits the ____ market model. 17. ____ yields the same results as the theory of perfect competition, but requires substantially fewer assumptions than the perfectly competitive model 18. ____ occurs whenever a third party receives or bears costs arising from an economic transaction in which the individual (or group) is not a direct participant. 19. The antitrust laws regulate all of the following business decisions except ____. 20. The sentiment for increased deregulation in the late 1970s and early  1980s has been felt most significantly in the price regulation of 21. The ____ depicts the risk-return relationship in the market for all securities: 22. If the acceptance of Project A makes it impossible to accept Project B, these projects are: 23. Capital expenditures: 24. The decision by the Municipal Transit Authority to either refurbish existing buses, buy new large buses, or to supplement the existing fleet with mini-buses is an example of: 25. Which of the following items is (are) not considered as part of the net investment calculation? 1. In the linear breakeven model, the difference between selling price per unit and variable cost per unit is referred to as: 2. Evidence from empirical studies of long-run cost-output relationships lends support to the: 3. Theoretically, in a long-run cost function: 4. In a study of banking by asset size over time, we can find which asset sizes are tending to become more prominent. The size that is becoming more predominant is presumed to be least cost. This is called: 5. A ____ total cost function implies that marginal costs ____ as output is increased. 6. In the linear breakeven model, the breakeven sales volume (in dollars) can be found by multiplying the breakeven sales volume (in units) by: 7. Long distance telephone service has become a competitive market. The average cost per call is $0.05 a minute, and it’s declining. The likely reason for the declining price for long distance service is: 8. All of the following are mechanisms which reduce the adverse selection problem except ____. 9. In the long-run, firms in a monopolistically competitive industry will 10. An experience good is one that: 11. The price for used cars is well below the price of new cars of the same general quality. This is an example of: 12. In the short-run for a purely competitive market, a manufacturer will stop production when: 13. Experience goods are products or services 14. Declining cost industries 15. In natural monopoly, AC continuously declines due to economies in distribution or in production, which tends to found in industries which face increasing returns to scale. If price were set equal to marginal cost, then: 16. When the cross elasticity of demand between one product and all other products is low, one is generally referring to a(n) ____ situation. 17. Regulatory agencies engage in all of the following activities except _______. 18. ____ as practiced by public utilities is designed to encourage greater usage and therefore spread the fixed costs of the utilitys plant over a larger number of units of output. 19. The practice by telephone companies of charging lower long-distance rates at night than during the day is an example of: 20. Some industries that have rigid prices. In those industries, we tend to 21. The existence of a kinked demand curve under oligopoly conditions may result in 22. Barometric price leadership exists when 23. A cartel is a situation where firms in the industry 24. Even ideal cartels tend to be unstable because 25. Some market conditions make cartels MORE likely to succeed in collusion. Which of the following will make collusion more successful?

Management of Risk in an Organisation

Management of Risk in an Organisation As the central point of contact, and as the individual with both responsibility and accountability for the successful delivery of a project, it is the job of the project manager to put into place the necessary safeguards for the management of risk; safeguards which will help to uphold the anticipated value of the project. Before all of this, however, a project manager must grasp the notion that projects exist only to promote and benefit an organisation and that, by this logic, the value of a project is defined by the way in which the project accomplishes the business objectives. The value of projects can also be highlighted by the way in which they themselves extract value from opportunity by the carefully managed application of resources.[1] Academics argue that current performance is the best predictor of future performance and that using the trends in data it is possible to forecast risks such as budget variance or scheduling issues at an early stage in any project. Earned Value is one of the most comprehensive trend analysis techniques and is one way in which project managers can monitor a project. Basically, EV requires the manager to monitor the project plan, the actual work completed and the work completed value to check whether the project is on track. The EV trend analysis helps to indicate how much of budget/time should have been spent at any given stage and allows a comparison with actual work done to date. EV is different to the usual budget v actual cost incurred model because it requires the cost of work in progress to be quantified. This allows for a comparison of actual v expected in terms of work completion.[2] Where an organisation has failed to prepare to receive and apply the project deliverables the project manager must take control and formally verify all the information needed to fully understand the project and its expected deliverables. This requires a specific type of input and the project manager must determine the key players within the organisation. It is vital to the success of the project that the project sponsor is known to the project manager, and that the project sponsor takes on the role of ‘champion’ for the project. The project manager must also identify the stakeholders in order that each stakeholder’s precise expectations can be identified and managed. It is advisable for the project manager to establish a project repository: a place where all important documentation can be gathered together – this can be done manually, or can be an online document management system. In any EV system, there is a need for a benefits manager, too – and t his is usually the PS. The benefits manager ensures, through the process of KPI measurement and investment recovery to measure the attainment of the project. A project which attains its projected value is a project which delivers operationally against the business case.[3] In order to ensure that the project sponsor and manager understand the purpose of the project and its linkage to strategy, other projects and operations within the organisation, a project charter, or S.O.W., should be created. The charter formally recognises the existence of the project within the organisation and identifies the sponsor, manager and stakeholders and their respective responsibilities. The project objectives are clearly laid down, as is the scope of the project. In order to ensure the success of any project, the project manager must ensure that the objectives are SMART, and that the objectives are accompanied by a list of specific deliverables as well as any explicit exclusions.[4] The charter must provide a completion date as well as the completion project budget. The project sponsor must sign the charter as this indicates that s/he will provide the necessary funds and support to complete the project.[5] It is then vital for the project manager to identify the core team who will work on the project and to hold a kick-off meeting, at which the project sponsor should be in attendance: this will help demonstrate their support for the project as well as provide them with an opportunity to contextualise the project with regards the mission and strategies of the organisation. It is important for the organisation that the project manager identifies other team commitments that may exist within the core team, and that commitment is obtained from the resource providers.[6] The first stage in managing risk in any project is to ensure that, once the project manager has been appointed, regardless of whether the organisation has prepared itself to receive and apply deliverables, a WBS is undertaken. The WBS allows the project leader to work with the core team to identity the key stages of the project and once identified to task board these stages into a logical sequence. Generally the key stage id entification is undertaken at around level 2, in terms of detail, however, with an EV system the project manager must assign a budget to each work package. It is then essential to chart the dependencies that can be identified and at this stage this is generally done using a logic diagram.[7] The WBS, then, is simply a convenient way to present this work in a graphical manner but it is important to note that the WBS itself does not show dependencies other than at key stages and that it is not time based. It is also a dynamic tool which can be updated depending upon need. It may even be useful to add tasks for the project manager into the WBS since if the project managers’ time is being charged against the project this enables the manager to track their activities against the plan. Under the EV system, the WBS allows the project manager to monitor the earning of each work package against planned value and accord variance to plan, where necessary, in the case of creep.[8] Resources must then be assigned to the project and it is important for the project manager to consider who and what might be needed in order to make the project a success and to meet the value anticipated by the sponsor; the actual availability of staff; the manner in which any deficit in resources may be covered if they are not readily available when required; and whether any unresolved constraints with resources may cause creep.[9] When all of this has been identified and resources assigned the project manager must draw up a project task worksheet and people this. If it is thought to be too early in the project to produce a detailed allocation of tasks, it is equally feasible to allocate responsibilities for key stages and to identify a key stage owner who takes ownership over all the responsibilities of that stage. The benefit of the EV system is that the project manager can report to the PS with more confidence and can generally spot creep early on.[10] It is then the role of the project manager to create a realistic project plan or schedule and the manager must bear the following considerations in mind: the WBS to the task level; the specification of people to tasks; the dependencies between and amongst tasks, successor activities and potential slippage and the completion date for each task (in consultation with individuals).[11] The problem with much of the above is that is requires a great deal of estimation in terms of the duration of each activity and this can make the TPT projection difficult. It is important to build in contingencies to quantify the extent of uncertainty in the estimation process. The major portion of all project costs is frequently the time expended so it is important to schedule full team members at 3.5-4.0 productive working days per week; to include management time, where appropriate, as an additional 10%; avoid splitting tasks between individuals when planning; allow time for cross-functional data transfer and response and include contingencies at all levels of planning. It is possible to take an alternative method when planning estimations, particularly if the project is to take place over more than a couple of months. Rather than prepare estimates on the basis of individuals and seeking advanced agreement of commitments; the plan can be developed on the basis of some resources wo rking full time on the project. This is usually done on the basis of what is known as single person dependencies (SPD) so that each piece of work is given a duration based on how long it will take if one person carries out the work, assigned full-time to the job and with no other commitments. This helps to create a common baseline. So for example, a part of a project with an SPD estimate of 8 days can be completed with: one person full-time; two people at 50% capacity; four people at 35% capacity. In practice, however, the more people who get involved the less effective the capacity becomes, so 2 people will need 55% capacity and 4 people around 35% capacity and so on.[12] In order to deliver the value of any project, it is necessary to go much further than the above, in the planning stages. Thus far we have discussed simply the basics of the planning process, but to try and fully manage risk, a project manager must implement advanced planning techniques. There are two popular methods of indicating and tracking task completions: the Gantt chart and the PERT chart. The PERT method allows for the planning of critical paths and is based on representing project activities by nodes which contain essential information calculated to show the flow of data through its various paths in the logic diagram. The PERT method allows for an indication of the earliest start time and the latest start time, and conversely for such finish times. The advantage of this method is that it shows predecessor and successor activities and allows for the imposing of constraints with the start-to-start or finish-to-finish relationships between activities. Forced delay can be imposed using a lag between the start and finish of predecessor activity and the start or finish of one or more successor activities. The forced start or lead is used to start a successor activity before the predecessor activity is completed.[13] The Gantt chart allows the project manager to take all of the information derived from the above steps and display it so that the core team can understand it! The chart allows the project manager to show a listing of key stages of the project, their duration and the key stage owner. The Gantt chart also allows the project manager to build in float time, the limit of which is the limit of the work if the schedule is not to be threatened and possibly extend the project. Any critical activities will have zero float. Dependency links can also be shown on the Gantt chart as should milestones, project meetings and project reviews. The total float which the project manager can calculate from the analysis of the PERT diagram etc. provides the Gantt chart a range of capabilities as a decision-processing tool. It allows the project manager to decide when a piece of work should start or whether it can be broken up into smaller sections. As the project manager knows the float time available they are able to take a decision as to the feasibility of delaying the start slightly or delaying as late as possible. The real value of this is that it allows the project manager to establish ‘what if’ scenarios. High risk areas can be identified easily and can be examined for the impact of any serious slippage. This allows the project manager to make the necessary contingency plans. The logic of such processes allow the project manager to enter into neutral dialogue when organisational, market or political pressure for a ‘pushback’ receives a negative response from the project sponsor. At this planning stage it is also necessary to estimate the cost of each activity and this usually includes people’s time, overheads and materials used. This provides the project manager with a total project cost which becomes the project operating budget (plus an allowance for contingencies). To be effective, the budget has to be time-phrased for each level of the project plan with accurate estimates of costs. In practice, the project manager will achieve this through the WBS. To manage risk, it is vital that any operating budget contains a contingency to cover unknowns: this is nominally a 10% variance. Once the budget has been established it is the job of the project manager to undertake const control which requires the manager to pay constant attention to the cost consciousness of all those involved in the project; company standards and the change control system. Cost control usually focuses on the value of the work completed (ACWP) at any time and compares it to the actua l cost of the work in terms of the originally predicted costs in the operating budget (BCWS/BCWP).[14] It is vital that the project manager accepts that not everything will go to plan so it is prudent to ensure that due consideration is given to an assessment of all possible risks to the project and the necessary contingencies that may be required. Risk can be defined as a function of three variables: an event that could disturb the project, the probability that such an event will happen and the impact of such an event happening. When a risk becomes a reality it is known as an issue. Once the risks have been assessed the project manager must constantly monitor risk to ensure that when it arises it is controlled. Controlling risks means that the successful project manager should be able to allocate responsibility for action; monitor and report actions and monitor valid risks for change. This is continuous phase throughout the PLC, and because it involves a significant amount of analysis should be documented through a risk status log. This should be reviewed at intervals (generally mont hly) and risks must be reviewed and updated. Using the Gantt chart and the WBS ensures that if things do start to go wrong it is possible to undertake an impact analysis of the consequences of issues arising, and provides the project manager with the necessary information to take informed decisions regarding the action needed to mitigate slippage. [15] The project manager should also ensure that they undertake a certain amount of communication planning. Poor communication can hinder the progress of projects and can result in unnecessary risks. The project manager must work out the number of communication channels, especially in large projects, for example with 7 core members in a team there are 21 channels. The project plan should, therefore, detail who needs information; why they need it; what information they need; when they need it; the way it should presented; and when the core team should meet to discuss project status etc. Routine status reports can take the form of simple memo.[16] Another very important part of managing risk is having an effective change control process. Scope creep can drive a project schedule and budget over an approved baseline and so it is important for project managers to have the appropriate mindset when dealing with the possibility of change. The most basic change control process ought to include: the submission of change requests to the project manager via a change request form; the logging of change request; an assessment by the core team of the impact of the change – when this has been done the impact of the change is then discussed with the individual who requested the change, as often, when the impact is known the request is withdrawn. If the change request is not withdrawn, the proposed change is discussed with the PS and the customer, and is either approved or disapproved and the requester is notified, as are stakeholders. The change is then incorporated into the project plan and the deliverables.[17] This then is the basic methodology which allows project managers to deliver value through all stages of a project life cycle, and to carry out the project in accordance with both the objectives and strategies laid down by the organisation[18]. The success of the project manager is directly measured through the perceived results in each dimension of the project, and in order to achieve this attainment, the project manager needs to achieve these results with and through others.[19] Bibliography Augustine, N. Managing Projects and Programs. Boston. Harvard. 1989 Cleland. D, King, W. Systems Analysis and Project Management. New York. McGraw-Hill. 1983 Cleland, D., Ireland L. Project Management: Strategic Design and Implementation. New York. McGraw-Hill. 2002. Collins, J. Good to Great. New York. Harper Collins. 2001 Cook, C.R, Just Enough Project Management. McGraw Hill. New York. 2005 Frame, Davidson. Managing Projects in Organizations. San Fransisco. Jossey-Bass. 2002 Goodpasture, J.C., Managing Projects for Value. Vienna. VA. 2002 Harvard Business Review. Project Management: A Harvard Business Review Paperback. Boston. HBSP. 1991 Haughey, Duncan. What is Earned Value? Project Smart. 2007 Katzenbach, J., Smith, Douglas. The Discipline of Teams. New York. Wiley Sons. 200 Kerzner, H. Project Management: A Systems Approach to planning, scheduling and controlling. New York. Wiley Sons. 2001 Leech, D. Turner B.T. Project Management for Profit. Chicester. Ellis Horwood. 1990 Lewis, J. Project Leadership. New York. Mc-Graw Hill. 2003 Lewis, J. Project Planning, Scheduling and Control. New York. McGraw-Hill. 2001 Project Management Institute Standards Committee. A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge/ 2001, p205 Smith, Steve (ed.). Make Things Happen: Readymade Tools for Project Management. London. Kogan Page Limited. 1997 1 Footnotes [1] Goodpasture, J.C., Managing Projects for Value. Vienna. VA. 2002 [2] Haughey, Duncan. What is Earned Value. Project Smart. 2007 [3] Goodpasture, J.C., Managing Projects for Value. Vienna. VA. 2002 [4] Cook, C.R, Just Enough Project Management. McGraw Hill. New York. 2005 [5] Project Management Institute Standards Committee. A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge/ 2001, p205 [6] Augustine, N. Managing Projects and Programs. Boston. Harvard. 1989 [7] Cleland, D., Ireland L. Project Management: Strategic Design and Implementation. New York. McGraw-Hill. 2002. [8] Cleland. D, King, W. Systems Analysis and Project Management. New York. McGraw-Hill. 1983 [9] Harvard Business Review. Project Management: A Harvard Business Review Paperback. Boston. HBSP. 1991 [10] Frame, Davidson. Managing Projects in Organizations. San Fransisco. Jossey-Bass. 2002 [11] Smith, Steve (ed.). Make Things Happen: Readymade Tools for Project Management. London. Kogan Page Limited. 1997 [12] Katzenbach, J., Smith, Douglas. The Discipline of Teams. New York. Wiley Sons. 2001 [13] Lewis, J. Project Planning, Scheduling and Control. New York. McGraw-Hill. 2001 [14] Lewis, J. Project Planning, Scheduling and Control. New York. McGraw-Hill. 2001 [15] Kerzner, H. Project Management: A Systems Approach to planning, scheduling and controlling. New York. Wiley Sons. 2001 [16] Lewis, J. Project Leadership. New York. Mc-Graw Hill. 2003 [17] Lewis, J. Project Planning, Scheduling and Control. New York. McGraw-Hill. 2001 [18] Leech, D. Turner B.T. Project Management for Profit. Chicester. Ellis Horwood. 1990 [19] Collins, J. Good to Great. New York. Harper Collins. 2001

Electronic Commerce Essay -- Ecommerce E-commerce

Electronic commerce   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the fastest growing industries today is electronic commerce. Almost anything can be purchased, traded, or sold all via the Internet. A person sitting in their living room dressed in pajamas on a rainy Saturday morning in mid December can hookup to the internet and place their bid on a new chess set for the holidays without ever setting foot in the department stores. They can pay for it with their credit card through a secure transaction and have it delivered right to their door in a couple of days for less than they could get it retail. An article by Jan Thomas said that the electronic commerce industry is booming and that it has grown at an alarming rate of over 2000 percent since last year. She continued to say that she predicts that it will continue to grow at an even faster rate, as more and more products become available online and that knowledge of Internet commerce is really happening. (34)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the major reasons that this industry is booming is because purchasing over the Internet has been made very easy compared to the traditional way of shopping. Ordinarily a consumer will take the kids and pile in the family car and head to the local shopping mall. Once they get there they will find what they are looking for only to be told by the rude, pushy sales person that it is out of stock. After they get pushed into something other than what they came for they will wait in a line similar to that of Space Mountain at Disney World....

The Pros and Cons of Technology :: Pro Con Essays

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many argue that as we venture further into the frontier of technology we proceed with a slow death of society, by losing culture and ultimately a sense of self. To a certain extent this may be true, but realistically if we cease to progress we wont be able to survive. (Robert) The advantages Technology has given us outweigh the disadvantages.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There are many examples of advantages and disadvantages some mentioned were â€Å" Technology has the ability to create shortcuts in working and can make tasks easier also. Solid examples are cars, calculators and phones, through technology life may be faster but is also easier. To further this point a fact brought up by Jo-ann was that diseases we have today would be and could have become epidemics, if it were not for technology being there in the field of medicine, medical advances would not have happened or would have come years later (Jo-ann). As far as transportation man has come a long way from horses and coal driven trains to computer navigable and driven cars. In boats crossing the Atlantic it took four to six months, in 747 airliner commercial jets takes ten to fifteen hours (Dana), even though they add to the pollution crisis a population accustomed to having these conveniences is still using them regardless. Among other advantages is the fact that with technology communic ations is a hundred times faster than without it (Ailua). Before telephones, emails and fax machines, there were trains, carriages and the pony express with the modes of traveling we have now we have been able to make the world smaller so to speak. With technology we enjoy luxuries such as movies, television, fresh food and refrigerators, ovens to cook on and bake in. And with every advantage that technology gives, it brings along with it a disadvantage we have come to depend on it more and more as we advance in the field. If we didn’t have technology we would become victim to things we were ignorant of. An example would be the bubonic plague in Europe in the sixteen hundreds , they did not have the medical advances that we have to deal with diseases like this to them it was a guessing game. As mentioned before we have technology to be able to find causes and cures. To me, the only real threat that technology poses to mankind is its abilities being used in nuclear and atomic warfare.

Who was the Real Monster? Frankenstein

The monster rose from the table. He stared at the creature whom he had created, then ran away in terror. He ran away because the monster looked nothing like anything he had ever seen before; it was monstrous and utterly terrifying. He thought it would harm him as monsters are commonly portrayed to do. What would any human do in a situation like that? Prejudice is not an emotion in itself; it is an offshoot of fear. He feared the monster, which is why he acted out of prejudice and judged the monster simply based on its appearance. Prejudice is an opinion formed beforehand or without knowledge based often on physical appearance.In Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein, readers often ask who the real monster is. Is it the monster himself for looking like a monster and killing many innocent people? Or is it Victor for creating such a terrible monster? The answer is neither. When examined closely, it becomes clear that the real monster in Mary Shelley’s novel is prejudice. Becau se of prejudice, Victor is scared of his own creation and disowns the monster. Because of prejudice, everybody is scared of the monster and never even gives him a chance to get to know them simply because of the way he looks. Because of prejudice, the monster kills his first victim.The prejudice against the monster is so great that it even convinces the monster himself that he is a monster and is not worthy of life. There are no characters in Frankenstein that are truly monsters; the only real monster is the prejudice instilled in these characters who do bad things. Victor Frankenstein created the monster with good intentions. In fact, he â€Å"had desired it with an ardour that far exceeded moderation. . . † (Shelley 43). When the monster awoke, Victor feared his own creation. Victor prejudges his creation because he fears what it is capable of and runs away.Victor expresses his fear of his creation when he says, â€Å". . . but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dr eam vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart. Unable to endure the aspect of the being I had created, I rushed out of the room†¦ † (Shelley 43). Victor thought that the monster would be beautiful and amazing, but upon seeing that the monster did not turn out the way he had expected it to, Victor becomes scared and acts out of prejudice, leaving the room. After Victor leaves the room and retreats to his bed chamber, he awakes from his sleep and beholds the monster.Victor automatically becomes frightened and flees the room, thinking that the monster would harm him. Remember, prejudice is an opinion formed beforehand or without knowledge based often on physical appearance. Victor’s prejudice is evident when he says: I beheld the wretch- the miserable monster whom I had created. He held up the curtain of the bed; and his eyes, if eyes they may be called, were fixed on me. His jaws opened, and he muttered some inarticulate sounds, while a grin wrinkle d his cheeks. He might have spoken, but I did not hear; one hand was stretched out, seeming to detain me, but I escaped and rushed downstairs (Shelley 44).Simply the words that Victor uses to describe the monster, whom he does not even know, are terrible! Victor calls the monster â€Å"wretch† and calls his mouth â€Å"jaws† as if the monster is some type of animal. The monster even tries to speak to Victor, but Victor does not listen to what the monster has to say because Victor becomes scared of the monster based only on the way he looks. This is a clear example of prejudice. The monster reaches out an arm and, unknowing of what the monster will even do, Victor assumes that the monster is trying to â€Å"detain† him, but he â€Å"escaped and rushed downstairs†.Certainly, Victor’s behaviour is not commendable; however, his actions are a result of his prejudice alone. Not only does Victor prejudge the monster only based on the way he looks, everybo dy the monster meets prejudges him and is scared of him. In the monsters first encounter with a man, the man â€Å"turned on hearing a noise, and perceiving [the monster], he shrieked loudly, and quitting the hut, ran across the fields with a speed of which his debilitated form hardly appeared capable† (Shelley 93).The man sees the monster and, without saying a word, automatically pre judges the monster to be dangerous based only on the way he looks then â€Å"[runs] across the fields with a speed of which his debilitated form hardly appear[s] capable†. The man did not appear to be a bad man. In fact, his breakfast â€Å"consisted of bread, cheese, milk. . . † (Shelley 93) just like any other normal man. This man is not a monster for treating the monster poorly, it is clearly the prejudice instilled in him when he is overcome by fear that makes him run away from the monster.Upon the monsters second encounter with a human, he enters a house and sees a family who also prejudges him based only on the way he looks. The monster â€Å"had hardly placed [his] foot within the door before the children shrieked, and one of the women fainted† (Shelley 94). The people do not even give the monster a chance to speak. They do not even have the slightest clue what his personality is like. But, they prejudge him and automatically assume that he is a harmful person based only on the way he looks.Some of the villagers even â€Å"attacked [the monster], until, grievously bruised by stones and many other kinds of missile weapons, [the monster] escaped to the open country. . . † (Shelley 94). Certainly, the people of the village do seem like monsters, attacking the monster and hitting him with stones. But, the villagers are not the true monsters. They are simply scared for the lives of their families, so they act out of prejudice and without even giving the monster a chance to present himself, they chase him away unwilling to give him a chance bec ause they do not trust somebody who is so horrific looking.It is clear here that it is solely the prejudice in them and nothing else that makes them drive the monster out of the village. Upon his third encounter with humans, the monster is living in a hovel that is joined to a cottage. Through a hole the monster sees the inside of the cottage and learns about the family that consisted of: a blind father, an unhappy son, and a sweet innocent daughter. The monster becomes attached to the family and â€Å"when they were unhappy, [the monster] felt depressed; when they rejoiced, [the monster] sympathized in their joys† (Shelley 100).The monster does everything he can to help the family out while remaining hidden. In fact â€Å"[the monster] often took [the son’s] tools, the use of which [the monster] quickly discovered, and brought home firing sufficient for the consumption of several days† (Shelley 99). The family was very happy about this, and â€Å"when [the dau ghter] opened the door in the morning, appeared greatly astonished on seeing a great pile of wood on the outside† (Shelley 99). Had the family found out that it had been some ordinary man helping them out, they would have thanked him and greeted him with joy.But, when the family saw the monster, â€Å"Agatha fainted, and Safie, unable to attend to her friend, rushed out of the cottage. Felix darted forward and with supernatural force tore [the monster] from his father. . . † (Shelley 123). It is clearly evident here that prejudice is the real monster in Frankenstein. The old man is blind, and upon meeting the monster he does not run away, or faint, or attack the monster. The old man greets the monster and treats him just as he would treat anyone else. Remember, prejudice is an opinion formed beforehand or without knowledge based on appearance.The old man is blind so he could not prejudge based on the monster’s appearance however, Agatha, Safie, and Felix all see the monster and prejudge him based on his appearance alone; thus acting out of prejudice. The old man could not prejudge, which is why he did not treat the monster poorly. Again, it is clearly evident here that the people are not truly monsters; it is the prejudice in them that makes them behave badly. Throughout the novel, the monster is treated poorly because of prejudice.Ironically, he also kills his first victim: William, because of prejudice. At first sight, the monster says that William was â€Å"a beautiful child, who came running into the recess [the monster] had chosen, with all sportiveness of infancy† (Shelley 131). However, upon hearing that the child’s â€Å"papa is a syndic- he is M. Frankenstein. . . † (Shelley 131), the monster â€Å"grasped [William’s] throat to silence him, and in a moment he lay dead at [the monster’s] feet† (Shelley 131). This clearly shows the monster’s actions are a result of his prejudice toward s his creator.Because he finds out that the William’s father is M. Frankenstein, he prejudges William to be just like Victor Frankenstein- the monster’s creator, and takes William’s innocent life. The prejudice against the monster is so great, that it convinces even the monster himself, that he is a monster! The monster’s creator, Victor, is prejudice towards him. The family the monster loves and cares for greatly is also prejudice towards him. Every single human other than the blind man who could not be prejudice, is prejudice towards the monster!Even a pure innocent child like William is prejudice towards the monster! It is absolutely clear through all of these examples, that prejudice is the real monster in Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein. Prejudice is still evident in today’s world, with major issues such as racism, as well as events in the past such as the Holocaust. In her novel Frankenstein, Mary Shelley warns readers about prejudic e, and it is important that people are not prejudice in their lives today so that all tragedy can be avoided.

Night World : Huntress Chapter 18

Jez heard herself scream, but only faintly. There was a roaring in her ears as if the BART train was coming at her again. And a pain that engulfed her whole body, sending agonized spasms through her limbs. It centered in her chest, though, where something white-hot was lodged inside her, crushing her lung and dislodging her internal organs and burning right beside her heart. She'd been staked. What she had done so often to others had been done to her. She hadn't realized anything could hurt like this. She was glad none of her victims had lived long to keep suffering. The wood of the stake was poisoning her heart, she knew. Even if it were removed, she would die. No vampire could survive contact between living wood and its undead heart. Still, she would live for a little while-in unimaginable agony as the poison ate through her. A voice was screaming in her mind. Jez-JezJezJez†¦ Over and over, incoherently. Morgead, she thought. And she hoped he wasn't feeling any of what she was feeling through the silver cord that connected them. Hugh and Claire were sobbing. Jez wished they wouldn't. They had to stay calm; to think of a way to save themselves. Because she couldn't help them anymore. Over the sobbing she heard a shrill and angry voice. Lily. â€Å"What is wrong with you?† Lily was saying. â€Å"Don't you see what's happening to her? Don't you want to save her?† Through the red haze that filled Jez's vision, she felt dim approval. They were doing what she'd told them. Whichever of them was the Wild Power was suppressing it Good. That was what mattered. Although she couldn't really remember why any longer†¦. Suddenly a face broke through the red haze. It was Lily, bending over her. â€Å"Don't you understand?† Lily yelled. â€Å"You can stop this right now. Ill have him kill you cleanly-all the pain will be over. All you have to do is tell me who it is.† Jez smiled at her faintly. She couldn't breathe to answer, and she didn't want to try. Would you believe that I don't know? she thought. No, I don't think you would. †¦ The pain was getting less by itself. It was as if Jez was moving farther and farther away from it. â€Å"How can you be so stupid?† Lily was screaming. Her face was twisted, and to Jez's vision, floating in a scarlet mist. She looked like a monster. Then she turned and seemed to be screaming at someone else. â€Å"All right. Get the other vampire down here, too. Morgead.† She was looking at Jez again. â€Å"We'll just have to stake your friends one after another until the Wild Power decides to reveal itself.† No. No†¦ Suddenly everything was much clearer around Jez. She could see the room again, and she could feel her own body. There was still the roaring in her ears, but she could hear Claire's sobs over it. No. Lily couldn't mean it. This couldn't be happening†¦. But it was. They were shoving Morgead down on the floor beside her, and Claire and Hugh beyond him. The thugs with spears were getting into position. No. No. This can't happen. Jez wanted to scream at them, to tell the Wild Power to do something, because everything was lost now anyway. But she didn't have air to scream. And she felt so adrift and confused anyway†¦. Her universe had become disjointed. Her thoughts seemed to be unraveling at all once, past memories combining with flashing sensory impressions from the present, and with strange new ideas†¦. If it was involuntary, why didn't the Wild Power work magic more often? Unless there was some other requirement†¦. I can't let this happen. The dampness of blood spreading around her heart. †¦ Claire's nails digging into her arms. â€Å"When there's no physical way to escape †¦Ã¢â‚¬  Power in the blood. Claire on the floor there. Screaming and screaming†¦ Something building inside her, hotter than the stake. Morgead beside her whispering, â€Å"Jez, I love you.† Pierce with the stake over him. Morgead looking up unafraid†¦. Hotter than the heart of a star. Hugh in the distance saying almost quietly, â€Å"Goddess of Life, receive us; guide us to the other world. . . .† Hotter than the sun and colder and bluer than the moon, like fire that burned and froze and crackled like lightning all at once. Something that filled her with an energy that was past rage and past love and past all controlling and that she recognized in her soul even though she'd never consciously felt it before. It was swelling Jez to bursting, a pure and terrible flame that was never meant to be unleashed like this†¦. â€Å"Do it!† Lily shouted. And Jez let it free. It came roaring out from her in a silent explosion. Blue fire that streamed from her body and blasted in all directions, but especially up. It came out and out and out, engulfing everything, flowing from her in a never ending torrent. Like a solar flare that didn't stop. It was all she could see. Blue flames, streaked with blue-white lightning that crackled almost soundlessly. Just like the fire that had cocooned her on the BART tracks. Except that now she could tell where it was coming from, even if she couldn't direct it. She knew how to let it out, now, but once out it did what it wanted. And it wasn't meant to be used this way. That was the only thing she knew clearly about it. She'd been letting it slip out when she was desperately upset-when she was worried for someone's life, and she knew that she couldn't do anything else to save them. That was forgivable, because it had been unconscious. This wasn't. She was probably violating some law of the universe or something. The blue fire was only meant to be used in the last battle, when the darkness came and the Four were called to stand against it. I suppose that means I should try to stop now, Jez thought. She wasn't sure how to do it. She guessed that she needed to call it back, somehow, to draw it down into her body again. Maybe if I sort of tug†¦. She did-something. A gathering-up with her mind. It was harder than letting the fire go had been, but it worked. She could feel it returning, flooding back inside her, as if she were sucking it in. †¦ And then it was gone, and Jez could see the world again. Could see what it had done. The house had disappeared. Or most of it, anyway. There was about a foot and a half of ragged wall left all around, with charred insulation spilling out. Blue energy like electricity ran along the edges here and there, fizzing. Other than that, no house. Not even chunks of wreckage lying around. There were fine bits of debris floating down, making the sunlight hazy, but that was all. It got†¦ vaporized, Jez thought, searching for the right word. No Lily. No Azarius. No Pierce. And none of the ugly thugs. Goddess, Jez thought. I didn't mean to do that. I only wanted to stop them from hurting Morgead and Claire and Hugh. †¦ What about them? she thought in a sudden panic. She turned her head, painfully. They were there. And alive. They were even stirring. The cords they'd been tied with were lying on the carpet, sizzling with that same blue energy. It's so weird to have a carpet without a house to go with it, Jez thought fuzzily. She was going away again. And that was too bad, but at least it didn't hurt anymore. The pain was gone completely, replaced by a warm and sleepy feeling-and the sensation of gently floating outward. Her eyelids felt heavy. â€Å"Jez? Jez!† It was a husky whisper. Jez opened her eyes to see Morgead's face. He was crying. Oh, dear, that was bad. Jez hadn't seen him cry since†¦ when was it? Sometime when they'd been little kids†¦. Jez, can you hear me? Now he was talking in her mind. Jez blinked again, and tried to think of something comforting to say to him. â€Å"I feel warm,† she whispered. â€Å"No, you don't!† He said it almost in a growl. Then he looked behind him, and Jez saw Hugh and Claire crawling up. They were all shining with golden light. â€Å"You're so pretty,† she told them. â€Å"Like angels.† â€Å"This isn't the time for your weird humor!† Morgead shouted. â€Å"Stop it! Don't yell at her!† That was Claire. Claire was crying, too, lovely tears that shone as they fell. She reached out and took Jez's hand, and that was nice, although Jez couldn't exactly feel it. She could see it. â€Å"She's going to be all right,† Morgead was snarling. â€Å"She's lost blood, but she'll be okay.† Someone was stroking Jez's hair off her face. She felt that; it was pleasant. She frowned slowly at Morgead, because there was something important to tell him, and talking was difficult. â€Å"Tell Hugh†¦Ã¢â‚¬  she whispered. â€Å"Tell Hugh your freaking self! He's right here! And you're not going anywhere.† Jez blinked with the difficulty changing focus. Yes, there was Hugh. He was the one stroking her hair. â€Å"Hugh†¦ the prophecy. I figured out what the two eyes watching were. They're the sun and the moon-get it? Two eyes†¦ for somebody who belongs to both worlds.† â€Å"The Day World and the Night World,† Hugh said softly. â€Å"You got it, Jez. That was so smart.† â€Å"And blood,† Jez whispered. ‘†Power in the blood'-that's why I couldn't do it anytime I wanted. Blood has to flow before you can let out the power. The first two times Claire was scratching me. And this time . . .† Her voice died off, but it wasn't important. Everybody could see the blood this time, she knew. Hugh's voice was thick. â€Å"That was smart, too, Jez. You figured it out. And you saved us. You did everything just right.† â€Å"No†¦ because there's only going to be three Wild Powers now†¦.† â€Å"No, there aren't,† Morgead raged. â€Å"Listen to me, Jez. There's no reason for you to die-â€Å" Jez couldn't manage a smile anymore, or a sentence. But she whispered gently, â€Å"Wood†¦ poison.† â€Å"No, it isn't! Not to humans. And you're half human, Jez. You're vampire enough to survive something that would kill a human, but you're human enough not to be poisoned by wood.† Jez knew better. She couldn't see much anymore. Only Morgead, and he was getting indistinct. It wasn't that the world was dimming, though-it was getting brighter. Everything was golden and shining. Four less one and darkness triumphs, Jez thought I'm so sorry about that. I hope they can manage it somehow. It would be so sad for everything human to be lost. There's so much good in the world, and so much to love†¦. She couldn't even see Morgead now. Only gold. But she could hear. She could hear Claire whispering to her in a voice broken by tears, and feel wetness dropping on her face. â€Å"I love you, Jez. You're the best cousin anybody could ever have.† And Hugh. He was crying, too. â€Å"Jez, I'm so proud to be your friend†¦.† And then, through the mist and the gold and the warmth and peace, came a voice that wasn't gentle at all. That was roaring in sheer outrage and fury. â€Å"DONT YOU DARE DIE ON ME, JEZEBEL! DON'T YOU DARE! Or I'll follow you to the next world and KILL you.† Suddenly, in the pretty gold mist, she could see something else. The only thing in the universe that wasn't golden. It was a silver cord. â€Å"You come back and you do it right now,† Morgead bellowed in her ears and in her mind. â€Å"Right now! Do you hear me?† The peace was shattered. Nothing seemed quite so warm and wonderful anymore, and she knew that once Morgead got into one of his Excited States, he wouldn't stop yelling until he got what he wanted. And there was the cord right in front of her. It was strong, and she could feel that the other end was somewhere in. Morgead's heart, and that he was trying to drag her back to him. All right. Maybe if I just grab on†¦. Somehow, she was holding on to it, and bit by bit, pulling herself back. And then the golden light was fading and she was inside a body that hurt and Morgead was holding her and kissing her and crying all at the same time. Claire's voice came from beyond him. â€Å"She's breathing again! She's breathing!† â€Å"I love you, you stupid human,† Morgead gasped against Jez's cheek. â€Å"I can't live without you. Don't you know that?† Jez whispered, â€Å"I told you never to call me Jezebel.† Then she fainted. â€Å"Time for a nice bath,† the nurse said. â€Å"And then we can have a visitor.† Jez eyed her narrowly. The woman was kind, but she had some mania for sponge baths, and she was always putting strange-smelling ingredients in the water. Which was actually not that surprising since she was a witch. â€Å"Skip the bath,† Jez said. â€Å"Let the visitor in.† â€Å"Now, now,† the witch said, shaking a finger and advancing with the sponge. Jez sighed. Being a Wild Power in a Circle Daybreak sanctuary meant that she could have pretty much anything she wanted-except that everyone was still treating her like a little kid. Especially the nurses, who spoiled her and flattered her, but talked to her as if she were about three. Still, she was glad to let the Circle take care of some things. Keeping her relatives safe, for instance. Although she was almost fully recovered, thanks to a strong constitution and a lot of healing spells from the witches, she wasn't up to that yet. Uncle Bracken and the entire Goddard family needed constant protection, since Hunter Redfern and the Night World Council were all undoubtedly after them by now. The Circle had imported some experts from back East to take care of it. A rival vampire hunter, of all things, named Rashel something. Plus her soulmate, a vampire-turned-Daybreaker called Quinn. At least they were competent. They'd gotten Jez's uncle Bracken, as well as the remnants of the gang out of San Francisco, a city that was going to be bad for their health for a while. Morgead was trying to get the gang to join Circle Daybreak for their own good, and he said that Raven, at least, was showing some interest. Val and Thistle were being stubborn, but that was hardly surprising. What was important was that they were alive. Pierce, on the other hand, was simply gone. No one had seen a trace of him or Lily or any of her people since Jez blasted them. Apparently they had truly been vaporized, and Jez couldn't bring herself to feel too badly. â€Å"All done!† the nurse said brightly, straightening Jez's pajama top. Which was just as well because at that moment a black head came poking in the door. â€Å"What is going on in here? You getting ready to go to the opera or something?† Jez raised her eyebrows at Morgead. â€Å"Maybe. Are you telling me I can't?† He snorted and came in as the nurse went out â€Å"I wouldn't dare tell you that. You're the princess, right? You can have anything.† â€Å"Right,† Jez said, with huge satisfaction. â€Å"So how*re Hugh and Claire?† â€Å"Claire's fine; she fits right in with the witches here. I think she's trying to get them to put up a Web page. And Hugh's just his same stupid self. He's off saving chipmunks from toxic waste or something.† â€Å"And how about the kid?† â€Å"The kid,† Morgead said, â€Å"is living it up. The Day-breakers are crazy about her; something about one of the oldest Old Souls ever found:-I dunno. Anyway, they're trying to talk her mom into letting her live here. She says thanks for saving her life and she's drawing you a picture.† Jez nodded, pleased. It would be nice if Iona came to live at the sanctuary; it meant Jez could see her a lot. Not that Jez planned to live here all the time herself-she and Morgead needed their freedom. They couldn't be penned in; they had to be able to come and go. She just hadn't gotten around to telling the Daybreakers that yet. With the people she loved taken care of, she could turn her attention to other matters. â€Å"Is that chocolate?† â€Å"It's the only reason you like to see me, isn't it?† Morgead said, allowing her to take the box. He sat beside her, looking tragic. â€Å"Nah,† Jez said with her mouth full. She swallowed. â€Å"Everybody brings 'em.† Then she grinned. â€Å"I like to see you for a different reason.† He grinned wickedly back. â€Å"I can't think what that could be.† â€Å"Hmm†¦ you're right†¦ maybe there is no other reason.† â€Å"Watch it, Jezebel,† he growled and leaned forward menacingly. â€Å"Don't call me that, idiot.† â€Å"You're the idiot, idiot.† â€Å"And you're-† But Jez never got to finish, because he stopped her mouth with a kiss. And then his arms were around her-so gently- and the silver cord was humming and everything was warm and there were only the two of them in the world. One from the land of kings long forgotten; One from the hearth which still holds the spark; One from the Day World where two eyes are watching; One from the twilight to be one with the dark. [The End]