Modern technology is enhancing social life

Technology is indispensable in solving modern problems, enhancing social life and ensuring a better future (Diamond 240). Technology is the application of scientific knowledge to reach among others industrial and commercial objectives of an organization or a society. It has cultural, organizational and technical aspects (Freeman and Francisco 142). Technology has become a powerful tool that is being used to improve social life and solve human problems like poverty and deceases. In addition, technology has increased the power of human beings to control and manipulate nature thereby enhancing our ability to adapt to the environment (Global Scenario Group Report 19).Despite all the benefits of technology, it has negative side effects like unemployment. It is therefore important to assess dangers and promises of a technology in order to formulate safeguards to eliminate its negative impacts or its misuse. It is also important to put limits on some technologies like biotechnology so as to harness their full potential without lowering the dignity of human beings (Freeman and Francisco 327).DiscussionThere are many areas in which technology impact positively in the society. The globalization of the internet for example, has extended and empowered the human network (Cisco Systems E25). It has changed positively the manner in which social, political, commercial and personal interactions are occurring. The internet presents a platform on which businesses can be run, emergencies can be addressed and individuals can be informed. It is being used to support education, science and government. (Global Scenario Group Report 24).Education has immense impact on a society. It trains the human mind to think and make right decisions. Through education, one acquires knowledge and information which can be used to solve problems like unemployment in a society (Cisco Systems E27). Technology enhances the processes of communication, collaboration and engagement which are fundamental bui lding blocks of education. It supports and enriches students learning experiences.It helps to deliver learning materials like interactive activities, assessments and feedbacks to a larger number of students faster and cheaper. In contrast to traditional learning methods which provide only two sources of expertise, that is, the textbook and the instructor which are limited in format and timing, online courses can contain voice, data and video which enhance understanding (Cisco Systems E30). Technology has thus removed geographical barriers to education and improved students’ learning experiences.Technology has facilitated the formation of global communities through social networks like facebook. This has fostered social interactions independent of geographical location (Global Scenario Group Report 27). The online communities enable sharing of valuable ideas and information capable of increasing productivity and opportunities in a society. For example, one can post to a forum to share health and treatment information with other members of the forum from all over the world. Though this kind of interaction is not physical, people are still able to share their social experiences and values more efficiently with people from diverse backgrounds.Technology has also helped to reduce poverty. Advancement in technology has led to new efficient sources of energy even to poor rural communities. The availability of cheap sources of energy opens up a society to investments and economic activities (Diamond 253). For example, technology has made it possible through genetic engineering to engineer crops that convert solar energy to fuels more efficiently.Governments are thus able to provide cheaper efficient sources of energy even to poor rural communities since solar energy is available virtually anywhere in the world (Freeman and Francisco 307).   Genetic engineering can also be used to create plants that produce valuable products like silicon chips for computers ef ficiently. This can result in improved income and living standards to members of a society. Technology can therefore bring about social revolution by enriching villages thereby attracting people and wealth from cities (Freeman and Francisco 331).Technology enables farms in remote places to function as part of the global economy. Through advancement in technology, agricultural outputs have improved thus ensuring food security. Technology helps farmers to avoid losses caused by natural disasters like drought. For example, a farmer can use a laptop enabled with a Global Positioning System to plant his or her crops with precision and efficiency resulting in high harvests.At harvest time, the farmer can use technology to co-ordinate harvesting with the availability of grain a transporter and storage facilities using mobile wireless technology. This can help to reduce losses caused by delays. The grain transporter can monitor the vehicle in-route to maintain the best fuel efficiency and s afe operation. In addition, through technology changes in status can be relayed to the driver of the vehicle instantly (Cisco Systems E34).   Technology has thus improved efficiency and effectiveness in the agricultural sector. It has enabled societies to have abundant healthy food.Modern technology is also widely used in the entertainment and travel industries. The internet has enabled people to share and enjoy many forms of recreation, regardless of their location. For example, one can explore different places interactively without having to visit them. Technology has also enabled the creation of new forms of entertainment, such as online games (Cisco Systems E36). Entertainment is important in a society since it reduce stress and problems caused by depression.Fears have been raised about some technologies such as nuclear weapons being used to cause massive destructions in the world (Freeman and Francisco 308). But the global community has the ability to enforce controls and lim its on technology use to ensure that technology is not misused.   A beneficial technology cannot therefore be abandoned when measures can be put in place to shape and direct its use. Moreover, governments in the form of regulatory institutions and professional bodies have the potential to regulate technologies that are susceptible to misuse to ensure that they do not impact negatively on values of the society (Freeman and Francisco 316).ConclusionTechnology is embedded in all aspects of our society and has extensive implications on culture and social activities. Technology has significantly improved health, agriculture, education, transport and communication sectors. These are critical sectors in any society as they contribute to development and improvement of living standards. Although some technologies might have side effects, measures can be put in place by governments and the international community to ensure that all technologies are used for the benefits of the society.Analy sis and evaluation1.The sources I used are qualified on the subject of technology and its social impacts. Cisco Corporation is a leading and credible technology firm. Its products are widely accepted all over the world. In the Cisco Corporate Social Responsibility Report of 2009 the organization outlined its key activities and how they contribute to the social welfare of the community. Cisco also offers certification courses that are very popular world wide.The Cisco Networking Academy Program is a good example of how technology can be used to enhance learning experience. In the program, the instructor provides a syllabus and establishes a preliminary schedule for completing the course content. The expertise of the instructor is supplemented with an interactive curriculum comprising of text, graphics, audio and animations. In addition, a tool called packet tracer is provided to build virtual representations of networks and emulate functions of various networking devices (Cisco Syste ms E31).Freeman and Francisco in their book give a lot of examples of how technology can be used to enhance social life. They also point out some side effects of modern technology and how they can be addressed. In addition, the publisher of this book, Oxford University Press is a credible publisher and the source can thus be relied on.Some social impacts of the modern technology are common in homes and workplaces. For example, the impacts of the internet on commerce are common. Majority of people have embraced electronic commerce and are buying goods and services online from the comfort of their homes. Electronic commerce has thus opened new doors of opportunities that are being exploited in the society.Diamond in his book explores the rise of civilization, discussing the evolution of agriculture and technology and their impact on the society. He gives clear examples of how technology has improved the social welfare of communities especially through improvements in agricultural prod uction. Some of the examples he gives are common and can easily be related to what is going around.The Global Scenario Group report is a credible source. Its main sponsors who include Stockholm Environment Institute, Rockefeller Foundation, the Nippon Foundation, and the United Nations Environment Programme are advocacy organizations in the fields of technology and the environment. The research explored the historical background of technology, the current situation and what the future might look like. It gives clear examples of major scientific discoveries that are driving technology and their potential impacts.If I had adequate time, I would do additional research to find more information on effective measures the international community can take to ensure that technology is not misused. I would particularly focus on tools the international community can employ to protect technology from irresponsible individuals like terrorists. This is because technology itself is not bad, but it is the human beings who in some cases use it irresponsibly. Therefore, if correct measures and controls are put in place technology can be used for the benefit of all in the society. This can eliminate fears and most of the side effects of technology.2a. Technology shapes institutions, values and day to day activities in our society. It affects identities, relationships, social structures and economic activities (Freeman and Francisco 316). Technology is thus inevitable in the modern world. The internet has enhanced our social, political, commercial and personal interactions enabling us to share information and ideas more efficiently. Technology has significantly improved the quality of education. It has enabled learning materials to reach a larger number of students efficiently and cheaply. An improvement in the quality of education enhances the social life of a community since it enables individuals to make creative decisions capable of solving social problems.Technology has faci litated the formation of online communities were members can share their diverse experiences and ideas. This has the potential of increasing productivity in a society. In addition, technology has helped to reduce poverty. It has resulted in efficient sources of energy even in rural areas thereby opening up rural areas for investments and developments. Modern technology has also improved efficiency in the agricultural sector therefore ensuring food security. Moreover, I discussed how modern technology has been used in the entertainment and travel industries to create new forms of entertainments like online games. Finally, I noted that although some technologies have side effects, governments and the international community have the potential to direct and control the use of technology for the benefit of the society.2b.Some of the evidences I used include the Cisco Networking Academy Program which is an example of how technology can be used to improve quality of education. The second evidence is of a farmer using a laptop enabled with a Global Positioning System to plant his crops with precision and efficiency. The example illustrates how technology can be used to improve agricultural production. The third evidence illustrates how genetic engineering can be used to engineer crops that convert solar energy to fuels more efficiently. The energy can then be used in the rural areas to create wealth and employment opportunities. Finally, I illustrated how technology has been used in the entertainment and travel industry to create new forms of entertainment like online games.2c.The major assumption I made is that the international community has the potential to control and direct the use of technology. This is only possible if there is peace and cooperation among all countries of the world. But this is not the case especially in the Middle East. The instability in countries like Iran and the existence of extremists have increased fears of technology being used to caus e massive destruction.3.Someone might ague that technology is a problem because we rely on it so much and that although it makes us better it also make us worse. My position is that in any human community there must be control and order. It is therefore the responsibility of governments to ensure that the society is protected from negative effects of technology.   Some people might point out the destructive effects of technology on the environment to ague against it. But if correct measures are put in place we will be able to assess the dangers and promises of any technology in order to formulate effective safeguards against its side effects.Works citedCisco Systems, Inc. Cisco Corporate Social Responsibility Report. cisco.com. Cisco Systems, Inc. 2009. Web. 2009.Diamond, Jared. Guns, Germs, and Steel:   The Fates of Human Societies. New York.   W.W. Norton. 1999. Web.Freeman, Chris and Francisco Louca. As Time Goes By:   From the Industrial Revolutions to the Information Re volution. England. Oxford University Press. 2001. Web.Global Scenario Group Report. Great Transition: The Promise and Lure of the Times Ahead.     gsg.org. Global Scenario Group. Web. 2002.

Barangay Management System Essay

DE LA SALLE LIPA College of Information Technology & Engineering INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT Proponents : Gonzales, Maricar Lee, Kimberly Anne A. Suguitan, Constante III Section: IT4A Proposed Title: Barangay Management System for Brgy. Antipolo del Norte Problems/Opportunities: 1. The process of tracking records of daily, weekly and monthly records become less efficient and less accurate because in a manual system the data might be misplaced or lost. 2. Having a manual record management system requires a lot of storage space and filing equipment in the office because hard copies of the files are kept. 3. The process of writing the record manually in a piece of paper, keeping, and finding the records of the consumer are time consuming causing slow retrieval of information and transactions. Objectives: 1. To make a computerized record management system to easily find the records so that it is accurate, complete, accessible, and usable. 2. To reduce operating costs including office space, equipment and staff to maintain an organized filing system. 3. To minimize the time in writing the record, to eliminate the use of paper and to improve efficiency and productivity of the employee. Scope: The scope of this system is to provide user efficient working environment and generates more output. This system provides friendly user interface resulting in knowing each and every usability features of the system. It prepares and prints barangay permits and certifications (e.g. Community Tax Certificate, Barangay Clearance, etc.) It also processes fee such as barangay clearance fees and others. It also enables easy searching of records. This system also allows for other barangay related functions as those including security such as incident reporting, blotter, and other related services. It also provides that it maintains an updated record of residents for easy identification, and updated references. It also provides a back-up and recovery utility for security. Also, this system provides high level of security for specific people (e.g. administrators and staffs) who can access the system where administrators have the full access in using the system while the employee just have the limited access in terms of confidential records. No changes can be made in it until it verifies the user log in id and password. The salary of the employee will not be covered by the system. Beneficiaries: This paper can be used in future research and will benefit the following people: Workers/ Employee The workers will experience easier and faster way of record keeping and retrieval of records. Customer The customer will experience a faster service than before. Future Researchers The proposed system will help the future researchers to have more ideas about management system. Operational Framework Barangay Management System is a computerized system that provides fast and reliable processing of services to its users and customers. It also generates reports that are essential for statistical information, and research and accreditation purposes.

Ruth Chris: Fine Dining Experience Of A Lifetime

Page 1 Sydney Wright Dr. Bridget Brennan English 1000 13 February 2013 Ruth Chris: Fine Dining Experience Of A Lifetime There are alot of places in the DC-metropolitan area that not only I but others as well find interesting and intriguing. A resteraunt was brought to mind that fits this description. It was the none other Ruth Chris Steakhouse located in Baltimore Maryland just walking distance away from the inner harbor. Although a very popular resteraunt, not many people in my age group have had the opportunity to dine at Ruth Chris. The best aspects of this resteruant are hands down its atmosphere, service, and their famous steaks.The atmosphere of Ruth Chris gives off a classy, romantic, upscale vibe. Through out the resteraunt featured relaxing warm red and gold tones providing the perfect ambience. The walls are comlemented by beautiful modern art and paneled walls. The background music is nice and soft setting the mood to relaxing and comfortable. The lights are dimmed to set that romantic mood and also relaxing mood. Everything about this resteraunt is impressive. Even the bathrooms are impressive. They have hand soap and lotin for your hands. The dont just have the average paper towels that you use to dry your hands, but they have cloths. here was not a spec of dirt anywhere to be found. This upscale enviroment will make you feel like royalty. This comfortable yet chic atmosphere is perfect for you if you want to be somewhere calm and settled. Not only does the atmosphere gives off a comfortable vibe, the servers do as well. Ruth Chris has excellent service. The servers already know your name when you are introduced to them. The staff are very kind and patient, they have an anwser to all of your questions. They have great listening skills, and give great recommendations if you are indecisive as to what it is you want.The servers are very attentive to your every need. They make sure that your food is perfectly how you wanted it. They do not mind going b ack in the kitchen for a recook. You do not have to call on them for refills or more napkins, for they already do so themselves. They will even wrap your food up for you if you have left overs. They will not let you lift a finger, only to eat of course. You can automatically tell that all of the staff has had alot of expericence in the food industry. You can look at the way they carry themselves and how they talk to you. These are the type of people you want to serve you.One more thing you must know about the service is that all entree plates are served to you piping hot with the food on the plate still sizziling. So for the love of your fingers DO NOT TOUCH THE PLATES!! Even thought they provide you with excellent service, the all time best aspect of this resteraunt is what they are most famous for, THE STEAKS! Its not an opinion, its a fact that Ruth Chris has the best steaks. If you are a steak lover you will no doubt love all of their steaks. Ruth Chris has a variety of entees t o choose from off the menu. The one you absolutely must try is their filet mignon and lostertail entree.This melt in mouth, juicy, flavorful steak is the king of all steak. Its tender texture is just perfect. So tender that it can literally be cut with a fork. The lobster tail perfectly compliments the steak with its juicyand chewyness. This resteraunt has so mush to offer from their relaxing atmosphere to their wonderful juicy steaks. Wheather its a steak dinner for two, a business meeting, or even for a romantic evening out, Ruth Chris is the place to be. Everybody shud visit there at least once in their lifetime. I promise you its worth your your every penny. This is the utimate fine dining experience ofa lifetime!

Physiology and pharmacology for nursing practice Essay

Physiology and pharmacology for nursing practice - Essay Example The assortment of processes by which the body controls the internal environment making it constant is jointly known as homeostasis. In a bid to ensure that the body’s internal environment is stable, the conditions of the body must be continually monitored and adjusted through homeostatic regulation (Lenford and Johnson, 2015). It engages the receptor, the control center, and the effector. The receptor detects information about changes that occur in the environment (Norris & Carr, 2013). They then send the information to the control centers, which interpret the information as either being below or above the homeostatic range (Clancy & McVicar, 2009). The control centers send commands to the effectors that correct the disturbance by either opposing or enhancing a stimulus thus reinstating homeostasis (Clancy & McVicar, 2009). This is a continuous process to ensure the continuity and maintenance of homeostasis. An example is where the temperature receptors in the skin detect a change in temperature; communicate this to the control centers which are in the brain, then to the effectors in the blood vessels and sweat glands facilitating the required adjustments (Lenford and Johnson, 2015). When disturbances in the physiological balance occur, the system reacts to two forms of feedback. These include the positive and negative feedback. The majority of the homeostatic control mechanisms operate on the principle of negative feedback (Lenford and Johnson, 2015). It involves the system responding so as to reverse the direction of the change. An example of this principle is blood sugar regulation in the body. An increase in blood glucose higher than the homeostatic range triggers the processes that reduce it. Still, when blood glucose levels are below homeostatic range, the processes that increase the glucose levels will be triggered. Both instances result in the blood sugar level being maintained at a constant level

Mobile Computing and Social Networks Term Paper

Mobile Computing and Social Networks - Term Paper Example On the other hand, mobile communication devices, once completely charged, are able to offer the similar working for 48 to 96 hours. Additionally, laptops and notebooks need a connection to a network for Internet access that is available at fixed site in working or living structure or wireless access points. Hence, these limitations make these systems and devices difficult to use and manage. On the other hand, mobile communication devices have a network connection access more than 99% of the time in approximately every region of developed nations (Goundar, 2011; Wyeth & MacColl, 2010; Draganova, 2009). This paper discusses some of the important aspects associated with mobile devices. This paper will discuss the impact of mobile devices in different areas of life. This paper also discusses any issues linked with the use of mobile devices. This paper will discuss the factors that need to be considered by mobile application developers while developing these applications. A few years ago having a cell phone was believed to be a social status symbol. At the present the system has been marketed as a need that we all need to carry out different tasks all through the day. Additionally, in the past the size of the telephones was extremely huge and they were kept in peoples automobiles. No one ever appeared to talk about wireless plans, or the potentials of their telephones. The simple question people discussed was, why did we bring our cordless telephone to the job? That appeared to be the simplest other time somebody actually saw a phone with that look. Now telephones have taken the shape of a great more innovative technology as they appear in various versions such as PDA, iPod, and iPhones. This century has seen the successful inventions and implementations of numerous technologies. These technologies have not only changed the way we live but also modernized them. Additionally, the new evolutionary technologies have

Employment information report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Employment information report - Essay Example After much investigation, I have found that Akzonobel is a Dutch based multinational organization which is known for producing premium quality specialty chemicals, performance coatings and decorative paints. The company has its headquarter in Amsterdam and is divided into eleven business units. Akzonobel employees over more than forty thousand people in over eighty countries. The company is known to be making increasing profits each year and as of year 2014, the sales recorded were around fourteen billion. Akzonobel has a history of mergers and acquisitions. The recent merger took place with ICI paints in the year 2008. Akzonobel is a company where the growth of organization is as important as the growth of its employees. Here, people come from diverse backgrounds where they are allowed to perform freely based on their skills, experiences and talents. With extensive training, mentoring and coaching, the skills of employees are enhanced and the career development is given much signifi cance. Along with a handsome compensation package, the employees are offered a challenging yet comfortable environment where they could build up on their knowledge for present as well as future performance. As mentioned, I would like to apply for the position of HR manager in Akzonobel. After looking at the job responsibility listed on the web as well as interviewing one of the HR managers, I have made a summary of the job requirements and duties. Akzonobel has listed down the features which must be present in a candidates’ profile in order that his application be considered. He must have minimum of master’s degree in human resource, certification would be considered as a plus. The company will prefer someone who has been working in the same position with a multinational organization for at least five to ten years. The candidate is expected to be a local of the country so that he could understand and practice his knowledge as per the geographical

Leisure Operational Management Budgeting Assignment Essay

Leisure Operational Management Budgeting Assignment - Essay Example Today’s active lifestyle, stress which is as a result of work and family duties affect the lifestyle we live. Sleeping hours are usually reduced due to the several commitments in which people engage in. Lack of adequate sleep leads to restlessness, decreased reaction time, as well as lowering levels of energy. The effects of inadequate sleep as so dangerous to the body, they lead to low immunity system leaving the body vulnerable to diseases and illnesses. Work out gym is a potential business market; it will enable people to work on their cardio (Meddis, 1977). Canterbury Christ Church University is a university on the move. There is a steady increase in population growth every year. The current population ant the university is high. The growth in population has been necessitated by the number of students being admitted as well as the population neighboring the university. This has attracted the need to set up a workout gym that will target the customers around as well as within the university. The work out gym will target the students, and the population around the university. Entrepreneurs willing to venture into the leisure market especially work out gyms have got the opportunity to invest in this very appealing business. The leisure industry especially investing in gym services to the customers is in good condition and there are several customers wiling to pay for the services offered. Consumers who are employed have got money to spend in the work out gyms due to the nature and hours they take at work, leisure is crucial to any human being. Health concerns remain the main concern why people will have to seek the services of a work out gym. Further, flexible working hours as well as long weekends will enable consumers to exercise effectively in this facility. Success in the leisure industry especially in the work out gym

Critique an article about patient with bipolar disorder Research Paper

Critique an article about patient with bipolar disorder - Research Paper Example On one hand, there are those people who, although they have bipolar disorder, accomplish so much in their lifetime and become historical landmarks. Conversely, bipolar disorder can interfere with the psychosocial functioning of certain people, thus making it difficult for them to carry out normal daily functions. In their work, Functional Outcome in Bipolar Disorder: The Big Picture Levy & Manove (2012) seek to gain more insight into the functionality levels of people with bipolar disorder. This essay aims at critiquing the work by Levy & Manove and analyzing the validity of their arguments. In their work, Manove & Levy (2012) aim at explaining the causes of negative functional outcomes among people with bipolar disorder, in addition to proposing mechanisms for reducing this deficiency in functionality. To this end, the authors succeed in explicating how people with bipolar disorder are unable to function properly. The authors do this by looking at a number of issues affecting bipola r people. The causes and triggers of bipolar disorder are often a debated topic among experts in this area. Some suggest that the condition is inherent, while others suggest that the condition is acquired from life experiences. ... Nonetheless, the authors argue that people with bipolar disorder experience more emotional instabilities than normal people, in addition to poor premorbid functionality. The authors successfully inform the reader about the various difficulties faced by people with bipolar disorder. For example, as Levy & Manove (2012) write, studies have shown that bipolar disorder affects the functioning of the brain, through a process in which the high stress levels reduce the volume of the prefrontal lobe, and an increase in the lateral ventricles. Essentially, severe illness leads to cognitive dysfunction, which then worsens the functioning of people with bipolar disorder. According to Levy & Manove (2012), studies show a positive correlation between cognitive deficiencies and the severity of illness among people with bipolar disorder. The authors suggest that changes in moods may affect verbal memory for bipolar people. If the mood changes are too frequent, then it may lead to psychological stre ss for the person with bipolar disorder, thus contributing towards the formation of neurotoxins which lead to the degeneration of the neurological and cognitive functions in the body. It is often reported that people with bipolar disorder often exhibit abnormally high levels of anxiety, as compared to normally functioning people. In this respect, Levy & Manove (2012) write that the more severe the illness, the higher the anxiety levels among bipolar people. Extremely high anxiety often leads to early onset of mania, addiction to substance abuse, and higher chances of suicide among bipolar peoples. The authors, therefore, argue that anxiety often leads to cognitive impairments among people with bipolar disorder. The argument advances

Managing Activities to Achieve Results Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Managing Activities to Achieve Results - Essay Example The retailing services include online shopping channels, Tesco Direct, tesco.com and Telecoms; Tesco Personal Finance (TPF) (Reuters, 2011). Organisational Structure- Terry Leahy is the CEO of this supermarket chain. David Reid presides as the Chairman of the Board. The business heads in Asia and other global regions report directly to the CEO. Tesco has a multi-divisional organisational structure commonly referred as ‘M-form’. This form suits large firms. Here the firm is divided into a number of divisions with each division in charge of a specific product or a market (Pearson, n.d.). Source: (Pearson, n.d.). Culture- Tesco Plc operates with the primary purpose of value creation for the customers with the aim of earning their lifetime loyalty. The employees of the company work towards creating customer satisfaction by meeting their needs. All the employees work as a single unit i.e. team work forms as essential part of the functioning. There is a sense of respect and tr ust amongst them. The management takes the extra initiative to make it a better work place. The respective managers act as a guide to the workers and render all possible help in making the company a better place to work (Tesco Plc-a, 2011). Mission, Aims & Objectives As already said the aim of the company is â€Å"to create value for customers to earn their lifetime loyalty†. Tesco follows a consistent and well-established strategy of growth that has enabled it to strengthen itself in its core businesses and expand its businesses in the new markets. The diversification strategy of the company was formulated in the year 1997 and it has served as the basis of its success. They key objectives guiding the strategy of the company are- Establish itself as a successful retailer in the international market. To grow its core businesses in UK. To strengthen itself in the non-food segment. To strengthen its retailing services like Tesco Personal Finance, Tesco.com and Telecoms. To keep community at the centre of all its activities (Tesco Plc-b, 2011). The strategy of the company encompasses six key elements- Be Flexible- The operations of the company are adjusted to suit the unique requirement of the varying regions. Act Local- The operations of the company are tailored by a local staff to conform to the local cultures and local regulations. Focused approach- The company recognises the fact that establishing itself in the local markets is a long term proposition. Use of multi-formats- Tesco’s experience of running a â€Å"mix of stores† can facilitate its entry into multi-formats. The company recognises the fact that it cannot reach the whole market by way of a single format. A complete spectrum ranging from convenience stores to hypermarkets is necessary. Develop capability- Tesco makes sure that it has adequate capabilities in the form of skilled workers and effective & efficient processes and systems. Building brands- The working of the company is guided by the concept of brand building as it feels that brands help in establishing a long lasting relationship with the clients (Tesco Plc-c,

Emergency Communications Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Emergency Communications - Essay Example olds at a cheaper price, but at the same time makes it hard for other video signals to pass through the same channel to other TV sets in the same region. Considering the US Federal Communication Commission analog standard, one program is delivered in a 6 MHz band (Fotheringham and Sharma, 2008). Using digital formats, the same frequency space can deliver about five to ten pictures similar in clarity, or at least two programs in high definition. Additionally, a single 6 MHz broadcast TV spectrum channel can also supply broadcast services (Fotheringham and Sharma, 2008). However, the broadcast service is eliminated by the FCC digital TV standard, which states that TV stations must deliver high definition videos across the whole 6 MHz band allocation in order to retain their licenses (Fotheringham and Sharma, 2008). The result is underutilization of techniques that save spectrum span and emission of too much power by TV broadcasters. The broadcast TV represents the traditional spectrum management, which suggests that governments must have a control over the usage of frequency to limit and prevent harmful interferences. Thus, the government resolves to the administrative allocation or the state property management of the frequency. The increasing number of interconnections to other systems and the evolution of technologies utilized contribute to the significant changes taking place in the electric utilities operation and design of automation and control systems. These changes present some very challenging aspects in the utilities, including interoperability and cyber security. Nonetheless, interoperability has the highest priority between the two challenges. Operability is a key requirement in assisting vendors and utilities to solve the cyber security challenge. Interoperability has been present in arguments concerning the smart grid, but absent in the cyber security section. Interoperability is possible with almost all cyber security solutions, but only in

A critical review of a story in the press Essay Example for Free

A critical review of a story in the press Essay The story I have chosen to review is about Derek Bond, a 72 year old pensioner from Bristol. Mr Bond was arrested by South African authorities, when he arrived for a family holiday with his wife in South Africa. Mr Bond was detained at the request of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, on suspicion of being one of Americas most wanted criminals; the alleged crime a $4. 8 million telemarketing fraud. Fortunately, for Derek Bond it was a case of mistaken identity. Eventually he was released, with the help of media intervention after a traumatic three week ordeal, locked up, in a South African prison. The story broke in a television news broadcast by the BBC six o clock evening news, on Tuesday 25th February 2003. The story was published by the newspapers the following day, 26th February 2003. The two newspapers I have chosen to compare the story are, The Guardian, and The Daily Mirror. The Guardian is a politically left-of-centre broadsheet newspaper aimed at professional middle- class Britain. The Guardian uses formal vocabulary to report on the facts of a story it is writing about. The Guardian costs 55 pence to buy, and provides, national and international news, policy and politics section, finance, sport, theatre, art reviews, and finally human interest supplements. The Guardian offers extremely good value for money, over an average of 35 pages. In contrast, The Daily Mirror is a politically left-of-centre tabloid newspaper aimed at working- class Britain. The Daily Mirror uses informal vocabulary consisting of common words that are easily understood. This would indicate that its aimed at a lower readership, than The Guardian. The Daily Mirror costs 32 pence to buy, and provides, national news, showbiz gossip, advertising, holiday offers, horoscopes, television listings, finance, and, finally sport. On average, the reader will get 60-70 pages of coverage. ANALYSIS DAY ONE THE GUARDIAN The coverage of the story began on Wednesday 26th February 2003. It was placed on page three of the newspaper on a day when front page news headlines focussed on, War rebels challenge Blair, about the up and coming war on Iraq. The article, in question was headlined, The Names Bond but is he a fraudster wanted by the FBI or a Bristol family man? The headline was printed black on white, with an approximate letter size of one inch. The effect of this is a play on the catchphrase of James Bond 007 spy films, to create mystery and intrigue, and grasp the readers attention. Two feature photographs 5 wide, and 8 long, in size are placed directly beneath the headline. The photograph on the left hand side, of the real fugitive is in black and white print. This image shows him looking very sombre, similar to an FBI, Mugshot photograph. In contrast, the photograph of Mr Bond is in colour, portraying him as a respectable family man dressed in evening attire, smiling and looking very healthy. This obviously shows the contrast in style between the two men. A further two photographs appear directly beneath Mr Bond; one of the police station, in Durban where he was held, and the other a photograph of his three children. Both photographs are in colour and approximately 3 wide and 2 long, in size. The reason behind these two photographs is so the reader is given an insight where Mr Bond was held, and too see the look of pain and disbelief, on the faces, of his children. A sub-heading occupies the top left hand corner, which summarises the whole story. Emotive words have been used, Victim, and Theft, to attract and engage the readers attention. Different styles of typography have been used across the whole page. For example, a bold print dropped capital letter, one inch in size, at the beginning of the opening paragraph, to draw the eye of the reader, to the introduction, and not browse over the story to the end. Directly beneath the photograph of fugitive, Derek Sykes, alias Derek Bond, a different style of typography has been used, to show a comparable section in which comparisons are made between, what Mr Bonds family claim, and what the FBI claim is true. This has been highlighted by the use of a sub-heading in red bold print. In addition to this, bullet points have been used to divide the statements. ANALYSIS DAY ONE THE DAILY MIRROR The coverage of the story also began on Wednesday 26th February 2003. The story was placed on page nineteen of the newspaper, in contrast to The Guardian where the story was placed on page three. This means that The Guardian, considers the story of rather more importance, than The Daily Mirror. Two totally different headlines stole front page coverage, firstly, Is Richard the No 1 VILLAIN in TV soap history? Secondly, MUTINY- 100-plus Labour rebels to defy Blair over Iraq. This is typical of a tabloid news headline; TV soap is given priority over the Iraq crisis. The story began with a bold print capitalised headline, THE NAMES BOND The letters are one inch in size. The headline is similar to The Guardian, but leads the reader on to the next part of the page. The typography of White on Black has been used to highlight two sub-heading statements, which are as follows: Is he a toupee wearing $4. 8m fraudster and one of the FBIS most wanted criminals Or a balding 72-year-old wine-tasting Rotarian who lives in Bristol? Each statement has a letter size of half an inch, and is placed in a 3 squared black box, creating maximum effect of the WOB. Directly beneath the first statement is a round photograph of fugitive Derek Sykes, in black and white, 3 in diameter. The photograph used by The Daily Mirror, is identical to The Guardian, but is scaled down in size and a different shape. In addition, a photograph of Mr Bond is placed directly beneath the second statement. Basically, this reveals who, The Daily Mirror thinks is the real, and false, fugitive. Furthermore, a photograph of Mr Bonds children appears beneath the main headline, which is black and white, and 2 squared in size. The photograph is different to the one used by The Guardian; its in a different place, and in addition is not posed. It seems to have been taken by chance, rather than with consent from the family. ANALYSIS DAY 2 THE GUARDIAN By the following day, Mr Bond had been released as the FBIs mistake was acknowledged. The story on day 2 is given front page priority. A sub- heading in red bold print is placed as a footnote; the footnote reads, Good news for Mr Bond, followed by a brief summary, and the reader is directed to page 3, where the story continues. In addition, to the footnote a cartoon caption appears next to the directional pointer, which is sarcastically laughing at the incompetence, of the FBI.

Management Principles & Practice Essay Example for Free

Management Principles Practice Essay A group of twelve lifelong friends put together $1,200,000 of their own funds and built a $6,000,000, 48-lane bowling alley, near Norfolk, Virginia. Two of the investors became employees of the corporation. Ned Flanders works full-time as General Manager and James Ahmad, a licensed CPA, serves as Controller on a part-time basis. The beautiful, modern-day facility features a multilevel spacious interior with three rows of 16 lanes on two separate levels of the building, a full-service bar, a small restaurant, a game room (pool, videogames, pinball),and two locker rooms. The facility sits on a spacious lot with plenty of parking and room to grow. The bowling center is located in the small blue-collar town of Wallingford. There is no direct competition within the town. The surrounding communities include a wide-ranging mix of ethnic groups, professionals, middle- to upper-middle-class private homes, and apartment and condominium complexes ranging from singles to young married couples to senior citizen retirement units. Nearly 200,000 people live within 15 miles of Wallingford. The bowling center is open 24 hours per day and has a staff of 27 part- and full-time employees. After four years of operation, the partners find themselves frustrated with the low profit performance of the business. While sales are covering expenses, the partners are not happy with the end-of-year profit-sharing pool. The bowling center operates at 100 percent capacity on Sunday through Thursday nights from 6:00 P.M. until midnight. Two sets of men’s leagues come and go on each of those nights, occupying each lane with mostly five-person teams. Bowlers from each league consistently spend money at both the bar and restaurant. In fact, the men’s leagues combine to generate about 60 percent of total current sales. The bowling center operates at about 50 percent capacity on Friday and Saturday nights and on Saturday morning. The Friday and Saturday â€Å"open bowling† nights include mostly teenagers, young couples, and league members who come to practice in groups of two or three. The Saturday morning group is a kid’s league, ages 10 through 14. There are four ladies leagues that bowl on Monday and Wednesday afternoons. Business is extremely slow at the bowling center on Monday through Friday and Sunday mornings, and on the afternoons of Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. It is not uncommon to have just three or four lanes in operation during those time periods. The owners have taken a close look at the cost side of their business as a way to improve profitability. They concluded that while the total operating expense of $1,466,000 might appear to be high, there was in fact little room for expense cutting. At a recent meeting of the partners, James Ahmad reported on the results of his three-month-long investigation into the operating cost side of other bowling alleys and discovered that the Wallingford Bowling Center was very much in keeping with their industry. James went on to report that bowling alleys were considered to be â€Å"heavy fixed cost operations† and that the key to success and profitability lies in maximizing capacity and sales dollars . QUESTIONS 1. Apply the decision-making process described in the chapter to this case. What is the major problem facing Wallingford? List five specific alternative solutions that could be implemented to solve that major problem. 2. As general manager of this company, how could you utilize and manage the group decision-making process and technique to improve company profits? Which employees would you include in the group?

Automation Technologies in IT Organisations

Automation Technologies in IT Organisations Most IT organizations would have several automation technologies in use. Scripting would be the most popular method of automation in IT. Automation is the connecting of different systems and software in a way that they become self-operating. Examples of these systems used are: Artificial Neural Network Distributed Control System Programmable Logic Controllers Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition Intelligent Automation In many organizations, automation could be used for data centre operations and batch processing of large files. This would do away with the need for IT employees during this period, with the I.T professionals only being required if a processing situation accoutred. This use of mechanical and electronic equipment will decrease the need for human interaction Distributed Control systems control action is distributed and monitoring is centralised. The whole system of controllers is linked by networks for communication and monitoring. It a designed control system used to control complex, large, and geographically distributed applications in industrial processes. It divide a large application into multiple smaller subsystems, each of which carries out a portion of the application, and allow these subsystems to communicate with one another. Distributed control systems have advanced from two older technologies, direct digital control, and hybrid control. (Siemens, 2007) Distributed controllers are linked to field devices and operating PCs through high speed communication networks. Discrete field devices such as sensors and actuators are directly connected to input and output controller modules through communication bus. These field devices or smart instruments can communicate with PLCs or other controllers while interacting with real world parameters like temperature, pressure, etc. (robo, 2016) Discrete Control Systems features Can process complex processes System redundancy Scalable platform System security (robo, 2016) says An important concept in a DCS is the of breaking down of software into smaller logical parts, independent of system hardware. This makes system design much more effective as the software is smaller. This makes it easier to write, debug and maintain than the larger programs in computer and PLC systems An automated system doesnt learn from previous experiences, a simple example of this would be an email spam filter. Occasionally, vital emails wind up in the spam folder while spam emails gets past the filter (Rouse, 2012). Intelligent automation is helps to solve this errors. The benefits would not just be cost reduction but can lead to Accountability Efficiency Predictability Greater scale Product innovations Intelligent automation is changing the way business is done and has progressed substantially in recent years. These new developments is to have a massive impact in the world of work. IBM has announced a $1 billion investment to commercialize its Watson cognitive computing technology. (Deloitte, 2015) Systems and software can detect and produce enormous amounts of data that then automates the entire processes, adapts, and improves.   Application variety from the essentials to the ground-breaking. These can be anything from data analysis to unmanned self-driving cars.   Intelligent automation software needs to understand your business developments and their variations. It has to take into account that data when performing automated business developments authentication to verify that the correct business result happens. The variety of business difficulties in which these services and software can be used on the increase as new technologies for voice recognition, natural language processing, and machine learning advance. They can be used by most people and are gradually becoming accessible as open source or low-cost products. Employee resistance (worker displacement) Less versatility by having a machine that can perform a certain task limits to the flexibility and variety of tasks that an employee could do. High Cost of upgraded machines can be expensive, operating costs and maintenance for this equipment will add extra cost. Machines can be anywhere between thousands and millions of euro depending on the automation. Increase in unemployment more advanced automation will leave more people out of work. Unpredictable costs there can be several unpredictable costs that may exceed the actual cost saved by the automation itself. Some of these costs could include research and development costs of automating a process, preventative maintenance costs, and the cost of training employees to operate automated machines. The technologies are starting to become available and if applied correctly and it can lead to opportunities for the future. The opportunity could be beneficial for workers, doing away with repetitive and dangerous work in all forms. This could lead for people having a higher standard of living and a better way of life. Business benefits would not only be cost reduction over time but can better use the highly skilled workers in other project critical areas. It would lead to faster and better results, better services and products. Deloitte. (2015, 03). deloitte.com. Retrieved from deloitte.com: https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/us/Documents/about-deloitte/us-ibm-watson-client.pdf robo, d. (2016). automationforum. Retrieved from http://www.automationforum.co/2016/04/introduction-to-dcs-distributed-control.html Rouse, M. (2012). TechTarget. Retrieved from http://searchitoperations.techtarget.com/definition/IT-automation Siemens. (2007). http://leadwise.mediadroit.com/files/7405DCS_PLC_WP.pdf. Retrieved from http://leadwise.mediadroit.com/files/7405DCS_PLC_WP.pdf

Solicitors in the 19th Century Essays -- Solicitor

The Middle Man: Solicitors in the 19 th Century â€Å"I have been, Eugene, upon the honourable roll of solicitors of the High Court of Chancery, and attorneys at Common Law . . .† --Charles Dickens, Our Mutual Friend The Profession * There were two branches of the legal profession - barristers, and attorneys and solicitors. Solicitors usually dealt with landed estates and attorneys advised parties in lawsuits. The two roles combined and the name â€Å"solicitor† was adopted (The Law Society). The attorney or solicitor was the general legal adviser and attended to all the paperwork and collected the evidence. He dealt with legal matters on behalf of his client such as the drawing up of wills, trust instruments, marriage contracts, and conveyances of land (Eurolegal Services). In Society * Beginning in the 19th century, the bar became a referral profession; members of the bar did not deal directly with members of the public but took their instructions only from solicitors (Eurolegal Services). * C. W. Brooks suggests that the â€Å"lower branch† (legal professions be...

Aimee Benders The Rememberer and Franz Kafkas The Metamorphosis Essay

The characters in Aimee Bender's â€Å"The Rememberer† and Franz Kafka's â€Å"The Metamorphosis† are all adjusting to life after their love ones started to change. On each story the characters behaviors change and the reaction to each citation take a different perspective on life. Bender’s â€Å"The Rememberer† the narrator and Ben are lovers presenting a physical and intellectual connection to each other sadness â€Å"He was always sad about the word. It was a large reason why I love him. We’d sit together and be sad and think about being sad and sometimes discuss sadness† (Bender 101). The narrator becomes sadder as Ben transform from a human to an ape, and finally a sea turtle. She is aware that Ben is somewhere inside the ape. At first she wanted to find the reason for the transformation. She becomes his protector, telling strangers and coworker he was ill, she did not want anything to happen to Ben. Then she fells lonely and she want to â€Å"to take care of my lover like a son, a pet† (Bender 102), hoping to retain Ben as long as she could. But the reality was that he is gone and she could not see him again. She finally realizes she have to let him go, because it was difficult for her to continue to see Ben in these conditions and without a sign of the human being she love so much. The characters of Kafka’s â€Å"The Metamorphosis† are similar in the aspect that the family members of Gregor the main character are going to a transformation as well. But they take a different approach than the Narrator and Ben in Bender’s â€Å"The Rememberer†. In Kafka’s â€Å"The Metamorphosis Gregor is traveler salesman that becomes a giant insect. He is his family providers and this transformation jeopardizes his job. As he struggles with his physical condition and worri... ...ntil people do not become familiar and educated they do not know how to handle such situations. These histories have a relation to people suffering with mental or physical conditions. The person affected by such personal change may do not understand what is happening to them, while the family and friends may do not how to approach changes. They may feel alone and make difficult decisions like separate them for the ill person. Instead of providing the love and comfort on times of need we become cowards and look the other way pretending nothing is happening. WORK CITED Bender, Aimee. "The Rememberer.† The Story and Its Writer. Charters, Ann. Compact 8th ed. Boston: Bedford/ST. Martin's, 2011. 100-102. PRINT. Kafka, Franz. "The Metamorphosis." The Story and Its Writer. Charters, Ann. Compact 8th ed. Boston: Bedford/ST. Martin's, 2011. 471-505. PRINT.

Motivation Essay -- Motivation Leadership Management

What is Motivation? Motivation is the force that makes us do things: this is a result of our individual needs being satisfied (or met) so that we have inspiration to complete the task. These needs vary from person to person as everybody has their individual needs to motivate themselves. Depending on how motivated we are, it may further determine the effort we put into our work and therefore increase the standard of the output. When we suggest factors (or needs) that determine the motivation of employees in the workplace, almost everyone would immediately think of a high salary. This answer is correct for the reason that some employees will be motivated by money, but mostly wrong for the reason that it does not satisfy others (to a lasting degree). This supports the statement that human motivation is a personal characteristic, and not a one fits all option. The Importance of Motivation Motivation can have an effect on the output of your business and concerns both quantity and quality. See it this way: your business relies heavily on the efficiency of your production staff to make sure that products are manufactured in numbers that meet demand for the week. If these employees lack the motivation to produce completed products to meet the demand, then you face a problem leading to disastrous consequences. The number of scenarios is extreme but you get the general picture. Your employees are your greatest asset and no matter how efficient your technology and equipment may be, it is no match for the effectiveness and efficiency of your staff. Motivational Theory: Herzberg's Two Factor Theory Motivation has been studied for many years stretching beyond the 19th century. As a result, a number of theo... ...hough frequently used, the least effective method of motivating a worker is with a negative consequence, such as a verbal dressing-down, suspension, or the loss of the job. Punishment may achieve immediate results, but it does not accomplish internal motivation for several reasons. First, adults are not inclined to remain in employment where they are threatened and intimidated. Second, workers who are backed by a strong union may dissolve the threat with a higher level of authority. Third, scares and intimidation can create animosity toward a superior and employees may respond with hostility and subversion. Another problem with the fear strategy is that it creates a punitive climate in which individuals are afraid of being different from or of offending others. This particular situation has a tendency to diminish creativity and lead to intellectual stagnation.

Comment on the title ‘A Cup of Tea’ Essay

Plan1.Pre-writinga.Gathering information about Katherine Mansfieldb.Revising the texti.Singling out heroesii.Building a timelineiii.Depicting localesiv.Finding phrase a cup of teac.Revising the analysisi.Stylistic devicesii.SPUsiii.Text structured.Studying meaning (a theme analysis)i.How the message revealsii.What the characters learn during the storyiii.What the author feels about the characters and the conflict (Authors Modality)e.Linking the message with the title2.Writing the compositiona.Introductionb. Characters and developmentsc.Messaged.Conclusion3.Verifyinga.Lengthb.SpellingCompositionThe story is written by Katherine Mansfield a famous New Zealand writer. She is considered one of the great masters of the short-story form. Mansfield’s stories are poetic, delicate, and ironic; they are characterized by a subtle sensitivity to mood and emotion, revealing the inner conflicts her characters face and resolve. Her style much influenced by that of the Russian writer Anton Chekhov, in turn had great influence on later short-story writing. From the first lines we get acquainted with the protagonist of the story Rosemary Fell and her husband. The author describes her family and Rosemarys lifestyle: They were rich, really rich, not just comfortably well off. The family is one which is called from the top drawer. The next key character the reader encounters is a young beggar girl from the Curzon Street. In contrast with Rosemary the girl is without a penny to her name. She is the one to mention the key phrase for the first time. Would you let me have the price of a cup of tea? Rosemary is extremely surprised by the absence of money. How extraordinary! To Rosemary it looks such an adventure like something from an imaginary book. And she asks the girl â€Å"Come home to tea with me.†So here we can trace that a cup of tea is the first thing from which the adventure begins. In fact, they meet each other because of the girls intense desire to have money for the price of a cup of tea. So a cup of tea plays key role in the plot it allows the two women meet each other. And Rosemary invites her using convention of tea drinking as a pretext. Come home with me now in my car and have tea. After the meal with tea Miss Smith transforms into something undeniable attractive. When the tea-table was carried away a new being, a light, frail creature with tangled hair, dark lips, deep, lighted eyes†¦ Then Philip appears, he knows his wife well and clearly sees what this is all about. He plays on his wifes jealousy and makes this mischievous adventure stop. The author tries to underline the gap between the rich and the poor. The authors modality shows that theres nothing kind in this irregular adventure which began upon the pretext of having a cup of tea. To break social standards is thrilling when you read about it in books but it wont do in real life. As a result, the a cup of tea adventure leads to Rosemarys inner conflict she asks herself whether Philip thinks she is pretty or he is so dazzled by the beggar girl. To crown it all, the title a cup of tea corresponds to the main developments of the story. Its is like a universal symbol which helps to unite the key occurrences and make the plot look natural. Bibliography 1.http://www.studyguide.org/mansfield_cup_of_tea.htm2.Microsoft  ® Encarta  ® 2009.  © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. 3.http://www.ingilish.com/stylisticanalysis.htm4.English by Correspondance Vesnik D.A. Moscow, 1976

Human Rights Act 1998 Essay

â€Å"The HRA 1998 provides powerful protection for individuals in many aspects of their lives.† * To what extent is this statement true? Illustrate your answer by reference to areas of law with which you are familiar. Before 1998, the United Kingdom did not have a piece of document that specified the basic rights of the English people. However, in the year 1950, the United Kingdom Government signed the European Convention on Human Rights, to protect people’s rights from abuses seen under Hitler’s rule, following the Universal Declaration on Human Rights made by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1948. Even so, the European Convention on Human Rights had not ratified and incorporated itself into law until 1998 when Parliament enacted the Human Rights Act. The Human Rights Act 1998 states that when judges are deciding cases in which a question about a Convention right has been brought forward, the court must take into account any judgment, decision, declaration or advisory opinion of the European Court of Human Rights. This means that instead of a conflicting decision by the United Kingdom court, the court must follow decisions of the European Court of Human Rights. An example of this was seen in the case of Re Medicaments (No 2), Director General of Fair Trading v Proprietary Association of Great Britain (2001). The Court of Appeal had refused to follow the decision of the Supreme Court in the earlier case of R v Gough on grounds that it was slightly different to decisions of the European Court of Human Rights. Some Convention rights involve the right to life and liberty. Article 2 of the Convention states that the law shall protect everyone’s right to life. It also recognizes that Member States have the right to impose the death penalty to those convicted of particular crimes. Article 3, on the other hand, states that no one shall be tortured or suffer inhumane or degrading treatment or punishment. Moreover, Article 4 declares that slavery is not allowed. Other examples include Article 5, which sets out that everyone has the right to liberty and that no one shall be deprived of it, except where the law allows arrest. In its subsection, the article provides that ‘everyone who is deprived of his liberty by arrest or detention shall be entitled to take proceedings by which the lawfulness of his detention shall be speedily decided by a court’. The Convention rights that cover a person’s right to a fair trial are Article 6 and Article 7. The former states that people have the right to a fair and public hearing within a reasonable time, for both civil and criminal cases. A case that conflicted this Article was the Sander v United Kingdom (2000) case whereby the European Court of Human Rights ruled that a defendant had not a fair trial because a juror was making racist remarks. Article 7, however, states that no one shall be found guilty of a criminal offence if his act was not a crime at the time it was committed. This means that the law may be changed to make acts of the type prohibited criminal offences in future. Nevertheless, it cannot look back to acts that have already been committed and declare them criminal offences. On rights to privacy, Article 8 states that every person has a right to respect his private and family life, his home and his correspondence. Articles 9, 10, 11, 12 and 14, alternatively, provide rights to other freedoms. For example, Article 9 states that everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. Article 10 states that everyone has the right to freedom of expression in the form of words. Article 11 states that people have the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and the freedom to associate with others. Article 12 states that everyone has the right to marry, whereas Article 14 states that all rights and freedom should exist without any discrimination on any ground. The archetypes would be sex, race, colour, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, national minority, property, birth or status. However, despite the fact that courts have to read legislation and give it effect in a way which is synchronized with the rights in the European Convention of Human Rights, the Human Rights Act 1998 recognizes that some legislation may be worded in a way that makes it impossible to give effect to the Convention. In such a case, the court has to apply the legislation as it stands but may make a declaration of its incompatibility with the Convention. This was the case in H v Mental Health Review Tribunal (2001) in which it concerned the fact that the burden of proof was on a patient applying for release instead of being on State to justify the continuing the detention of a patient. It was a breach of Article 5 because it involved the liberty of a person. However, the domestic law was incompatible with the Convention. Therefore, the court could not give it effect. It could only declare its incompatibility. Usually, after a declaration of incompatibility is done, the Government will change the law. However, it is unnecessary for the Government to do so. In actuality, if Parliament wishes, it can pass new legislation which conflicts the Convention. This is done by replacing the incompatible Act with a new Act of Parliament. If only a small part is incompatible, a remedial order may be done. This order acts as a statutory instrument, which amends the incompatible provision in order to comply with Convention rights. Such an example would be in the case of A and another v Secretary of State for the Home Department (2004) The Supreme Court had declared that the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 was incompatible with the Convention. The Act allowed foreign nationals to be detained without trial indefinitely, where there was suspicion of their involvement in terrorist activity. The Court held that this breached both Article 5, which states the right to liberty, and Article 14, which states that there should be no discrimination on basis of nationality. This forced the Government to change the law and release the detained foreigners, however on strict conditions. The reality of this is that while the Human Rights Act 1998 does indeed protect individuals, its power is fickle and can be overridden at any time. For example, for the Bill of Rights to be entrenched, a requirement of 75% or three quarters majority is needed. However, in the case of the Human Rights Act 1998, only a simple majority of 51 votes is required for the law to be amended or abolished.

International Students Essay

Attention getter- â€Å"Did you have a lion in your backyard when you were growing up?† â€Å"Did you have to hunt for your food?† Reveal Topic- These were the questions asked by my classmates when I first moved to the United States. Often times, international students are asked bizarre questions about their culture. Frequently, international students are asked what their names mean and although most may know, some don’t have the slightest idea. My name, Taiwo, means first of the twins to be born and the first to taste the world. From the audience survey I received back, only 2 out of 16 people that took the survey knew the meaning of their name. Most questions asked of international students can be humorous but some are very offensive. Credibility Statement- I moved to the United States when I was 12 years old, and my biggest problem was readjusting to the weather, which by the way I’m still not adjusted to. In Nigeria, my home country, there are only two seasons which are the wet and the dry season. Although I am not an international student, I can relate because I had to go through so many changes and at one point it was unbearable. Each year, Johnson County Community College is home to international students from more than one hundred countries with their own cultures, skills, and struggles. Preview of main points- Today, I am going to inform you about international students struggle with challenges like cultural and social adjustment. Connective- First, I would like to explain I. International student’s struggles with cultural adjustments. A. According to Gregory Trivonovitch, there are four transitional stages: a honeymoon, hostility, integration/acceptance, and finally, the home stage. 1. The honeymoon stage is described as the stage full of joy and excitement because most international students that are just arriving are captivated with everything new. They  a excited to start studying at a United States university. The second stage is hostility that â€Å"is characterized by frustration, anger, anxiety, judgementalism, fear, and sometimes depression† (Claremont). The third stage  is integration and acceptance, meaning when international students start to feel comfortable and relaxed in their new environment. At this stage they can join different clubs like the international club. The international club at Johnson County Community college â€Å"brings together students from America and around the globe for educational and social activities† (Johnson County Newspaper). The last stage is the home stage. This final stage is the â€Å"feel at home† stage that allows the students to absorb both their culture and the American culture. 2. Students go through these stages because they feel that they have lost but at the same time gained their identity. B. The anxiety and stress of being separated from their families, relatives, and their friends in their native countries can be overwhelming for them. 1. Leaving a culture and surroundings that one is very familiar with while transitioning to a new one can be difficult. 2. For instance, my friend john, an international student, said he asked one of his friend to â€Å"hook up†, meaning he wanted to hang out, but his friend taught he meant to â€Å"hook up† â€Å"hook up† as in sexually. John also mention how difficult it was for him to adjust to this new lifestyle and is still learning how to. Connective- Now that I have informed you about international students struggle with cultural adjustment and along with it explaining the four stages of cultural shock, II. I am going to explain international students’ struggles with social adjustment. A. International students usually stay in the United States for a short period of time or depending on how long they study for. They face sets of challenges such as interacting with others and making new friends. B. â€Å"International students may also experience a loss of social status and self-respect because their social standing in their home country may not be recognized in the U.S.† (Eunyoung). 1. Even though their suffering might be too much there are ways to manage. As mentioned earlier, the Johnson County Community College International club is a great way to network. a. The club â€Å"is an organization that works to increase international understanding and friendship† (JCCC brochure). b. This club as many goals in mind like â€Å"support for new students, social activities that increase awareness about American culture, fundraising activities to support scholarships for international students† and more (JCCC brochure). 2. Fear of belonging and coping with it. Conclusion- In closing we have learned the struggle international students face with challenges like cultural and social adjustment challenges. International students badly need to be given full initial and ongoing explanations of what is expected of them, how the system works, and where to get help. Being in a country you’re not familiar helps you learn. If you go to a foreign country you are not familiar with, these tips will be very useful in adjusting without any complications. Bibliography â€Å"Stages of Cultural Adjustment.† CGU Writing Center. Claremont Graduate University, n.d. Web. . Hurtado, David. â€Å"Students Clubs Aim to Increase Involvement.† The Campus Ledger 21 Sept. 2012: 6. Print. Johnson County Community College International Club. Johnson County: n.p., 2012. Print. Eunyoung, Kim. An Alternative Theoretical Model: Examining Psychosocial Identity Development of International Students in the United States. Rep. Project Innovation (Alabama), n.d. Web.

Lemon Max

Market Analysis Dishwash market of Pakistan is a bar driven market. Vim’s major competitor is Max while the rest of the brands like Safoon, Anna Bar are very small in size. Price Price is very important for this category. In order to market share, competitors use price as a unique selling point (USP). Max is a price leader in dish wash market. Max and Vim are price tag parity and both are price premium. Vim is low grammage and high price although it is not a noticeable difference. Price comparison of Bars between Vim and Max according to SKUs are as follows.Max Bar| Vim Bar| Small Bar Pack (110 grams) cost Rs. 12| Small Bar Pack (110 grams) cost Rs. 12| Number of SKUs| Bar (200 grams) cost Rs. 22| Long Bar Pack (330 grams) cost Rs 32| Long Bar Pack (300 grams) cost Rs. 33| Product Portfolio Max Protfolio includes Max Bar, Azadi Dish Bar, Max Sourers, Max Liquid and Max Antibacterial. Max Bar is targeting urban area while Azadi dish bar is targeting rural area. Lemon Max Bar In troduction Lemon Max Bar is a quality washing bar. Lemon Max Bar is a with leadership among dish wash segment of FMCG in Pakistan.Lemon Max Bar is product of Colgate Palmolive which was launched in 1982 with scourer embedded tagline â€Å"Hara Kaam Maun Khara Nimbo Ki Taqat Say Bhara†. Lemon Max Bar Consumers Primary shoppers of Max Bar are women and housewives and secondary are men purchasing household items. Brand is used for dish washing at home with the essence of lemon in it. Many year of sale and consumption at home consumers have approved Max Bar is a high quality product with many benefits. Lemon Max Growth Period Max Bar with strong, lemon-like, grease cleansing action and name that gave impression of foreign brand.Brands pass through ups and down then got stabilized and become market leader in terms of sales and Brand name. In 1985,brand manager learnt that consumer perceive that scourer damaged the dishes then they launched max liquid to overcome this perception. A t the same time Unilever Pakistan ,the mega corporate giant of FMCG’s , launched its brand under the name of â€Å"Rin† in dishwashing segment of FMCG. The competition become aggressive in terms of promotion, retails distribution and event placement. But according to market experts, consumer used brand for cleaning their quality dishes utensils.Due to heavy advertisement and erroneous branding decision Rin brand got positioning problems , product colour confusion among the consumers. Taking advantage from that opportunity, revelry brand â€Å"Max Bar† makes aggressive movements by heavy promotions. Soon Mac brand takes the game by kicking Rin Brand out of market form distribution to media promotion and become market leader. In 2001, Rin brand repositioned himself and change to â€Å"vim† and entered in to the market . Competition again got fierce between max bar and Vim due to heavy marketing budget form unilever gain to pull the max bar from market.In th e end of 2004, Rin vanish from the market and max become the leader in the market. After that many brands emerge on the competition arena like Safoon and Aana bar ,raising competition with the Max bar with relatively low price. For tackling this Max Bar launched 200 gm and sachet in that brand to gain an edge in the competition. But still Max Bar got 60 percent of the market share. In 2011, Unilever has relaunched Vim in dishwashing category. Vim gives a fierce competition to Lemon Max and start gaining market share from lemon max and other small players in the market.Lemon Max Liquid Liquid dishwash is targeted at urban upper middle class home makers and here the users are home maids rather than home makers. It will be difficult to teach house maids to use the liquid efficiently. People perceived both the liquid brands same. Although, Vim is a concentrated gel while Max is a dilute liquid. Concentrated gels are used less as compare to dilute solution. Gels are more efficient in dis h wash. Max Liquid Bottle| Vim Liquid Bottle| 275 ml cost Rs. 65| 250 ml cost Rs. 115| 475 ml cost Rs. 95 rs| 500 ml cost Rs. 190| Distribution of Lemon MaxLemon Max distribution is very strong. They are available and visible in almost every store. TRENDS * Economic growth during the early part of the review period encouraged new trends in dining, with these continuing to spread at the end of the review period. There was for example strong growth in the number of restaurants in the country and also the widening use of feasts to celebrate weddings. The serving of meals became more elaborate, with consumers using a growing number of dishes. These trends continued to support growth in dishwashing at the end of the review period. COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE Unilever was the leading player in dishwashing in 2010 with a value share of almost 18%. The company benefits from a strong advertising presence, with its Vim brand thus enjoying widespread awareness and loyalty. The company also benefits from the widespread availability of Vim, which is prominently displayed in most outlets that offer hand dishwashing. The company also offers the premium Persil brand in hand dishwashing, which appeals to many mid- and high-income consumers. PROSPECTS * Hand dishwashing is expected to benefit from economic growth and urbanisation in Pakistan during the forecast period.As consumers move to cities and experience higher disposable income levels, their habits are likely to change. A growing focus on hygiene will encourage many to trade up from bar detergents to hand dishwashing when washing dishes. Lemon Max Bar Product History: Lemon Max Bar is a quality is washing bar with leadership in dish wash segment in Pakistan. Lemon Max Bar is product of Colgate Palmolive, which was launched in 1982 with scourer embedded. Primary shoppers of Max Bar are women/housewives that use brand for cleaning their household dishes. The consumers have approved high quality standards and benefits offered by Max Bar.Max Bar with strong, lemon-like, grease cleansing action and name that gave impression of foreign brand. In 1985 the brand manager learnt that consumer perceive that scourer damaged the dishes then they launched max liquid unilever launched their Rin in this dishwashing segment. The competition become heat up but according to survey consumer used brand for their quality dishes utensils. Heavy promotion started between these two brands. Rin got positioning problems and product color confusion among the consumer taking advantage from that opportunity max take the game by heavy promotion and positioning of lemon power.In 2001, Rin was change to vim and gave a challenge to the max bar and again competition starts. At the end of 2004 Rin vanish from the market and max become the leader in the market. Advertising Strategy: An advertising strategy is a campaign developed to communicate ideas about products and services to potential consumers in the hopes of convincing them to buy t hose products and services. Execution: The overall creativity of the dishwasher bar is good and is highly acceptable in the Pakistan’s existing market people having different income level can purchase it and it is available in every departmental store with a reasonable price.The packaging is in green and yellow color with largely written MAX in the middle of the bar. The bar is not just limited to clean the utensils it also gives the fragrance of lemon. Creative idea: The company board made these question within them and find the solutions for right promotion and media the task is to choosing the media through which the customers and viewers perceive what the company to make them aware about the product and they have a brand loyalty about it after watching and using it. 1. Who is our audience? 2.Where are we now in the minds of our target audience? 3. Where are our competitors in the minds of our target audience? 4. Where do we want to be in the minds of our target audience? 5. What is the consumer promise or the big idea? 6. What is the supporting evidence? 7. What is the tone of voice of the ad? Strategy: Max's marketing strategy is a notable example of successful frontal attack. The brand was able to find a credible and sustainable differentiator against Vim. Max took the position of an Antibacterial dish wash bar to fight Vim.Max was Pakistan's first Anti-bacterial dish wash bar. As usual, the germs were at the receiving end. Max positioned itself as a dish wash bar that killed all the bacteria in the utensils. The positioning was very smart since Vim was positioned based on cleanliness. Max is innovative in creating awareness about the possibility of germs in utensils. There was also another smart idea from the brand. In theory, we often say that the differentiator should be relevant, sustainable and not easily copied by competitors. Communication Media:The characteristics of the target consumer need to be consider as an advertiser decides what med ia to use. The types of media categories from which advertisers of choose include the following: * Print—Primarily newspapers (both weekly and daily) and magazines. * Audio—FM and AM radio. * Video—Promotional videos, infomercials. * Outdoor advertising—Billboards, advertisements on public transportation (cabs, buses). USP of MAX is†¦ â€Å"Hara Kam Main Khara† In addition, the other one is â€Å"Ghulae Kam Zayada Chalae† AD Type:The Ad, which I presented, is the persuasive.

Practical Demonkeeping Chapter 29-30

29 RIVERA Right in the middle of the interrogation Detective Sergeant Alphonse Rivera had a vision. He saw himself behind the counter at Seven-Eleven, bagging microwave burritos and pumping Slush-Puppies. It was obvious that the suspect, Robert Masterson, was telling the truth. What was worse was that he not only didn't have any connection with the marijuana Rivera's men had found in the trailer, but he didn't have the slightest idea where The Breeze had gone. The deputy district attorney, an officious little weasel who was only putting time in at the D.A.'s office until his fangs were sharp enough for private practice, had made the state's position on the case clear and simple: â€Å"You're fucked, Rivera. Cut him loose.† Rivera was clinging to a single, micro-thin strand of hope: the second suitcase, the one that Masterson had made such a big deal about back at the trailer. It lay open on Rivera's desk. A jumble of notebook paper, cocktail napkins, matchbook covers, old business cards, and candy wrappers stared out of the suitcase at him. On each one was written a name, an address, and a date. The dates were obviously bogus, as they went back to the 1920s. Rivera had riffled through the mess a dozen times without making any sort of connection. Deputy Perez approached Rivera's desk. He was doing his best to affect an attitude of sympathy, without much success. Everything he had said that morning had carried with it a sideways smirk. Twain had put it succinctly: â€Å"Never underestimate the number of people who would love to see you fail.† â€Å"Find anything yet?† Perez asked. The smirk was there. Rivera looked up from the papers, took out a cigarette, and lit it. A long stream of smoke came out with his sigh. â€Å"I can't see how any of this connects with The Breeze. The addresses are spread all over the country. The dates run too far back to be real.† â€Å"Maybe it's a list of connections The Breeze was planning to dump the pot on,† Perez suggested. â€Å"You know the Feds estimate that more than ten percent of the drugs in this country move through the postal system.† â€Å"What about the dates?† â€Å"Some kind of code, maybe. Did the handwriting check out?† Rivera had sent Perez back to the trailer to find a sample of The Breeze's handwriting. He had returned with a list of engine parts for a Ford truck. â€Å"No match,† Rivera said. â€Å"Maybe the list was written by his connection.† Rivera blew a blast of smoke in Perez's face. â€Å"Think about it, dipshit. I was his connection.† â€Å"Well, someone blew your cover, and The Breeze ran.† â€Å"Why didn't he take the pot?† â€Å"I don't know, Sergeant. I'm just a uniformed deputy. This sounds like detective work to me.† Perez had stopped trying to hide his smirk. â€Å"I'd take it to the Spider if I were you.† That made a consensus. Everyone who had seen or heard about the suitcase had suggested that Rivera take it to the Spider. He sat back in his chair and finished his cigarette, enjoying his last few moments of peace before the inevitable confrontation with the Spider. After a few long drags he stubbed the cigarette in the ashtray on his desk, gathered the papers into the suitcase, closed it, and started down the steps into the bowels of the station and the Spider's lair. Throughout his life Rivera had known half a dozen men nicknamed Spider. Most were tall men with angular features and the wiry agility that one associates with a wolf spider. Chief Technical Sergeant Irving Nailsworth was the exception. Nailsworth stood five feet nine inches tall and weighed over three hundred pounds. When he sat before his consoles in the main computer room of the San Junipero Sheriff Department, he was locked into a matrix that extended not only throughout the county but to every state capital in the nation, as well as to the main computer banks at the FBI and the Justice Department in Washington. The matrix was the Spider's web and he lorded over it like a fat black widow. As Rivera opened the steel door that led into the computer room, he was hit with a blast of cold, dry air. Nailsworth insisted the computers functioned better in this environment, so the department had installed a special climate control and filtration system to accommodate him. Rivera entered and, suppressing a shudder, closed the door behind him. The computer room was dark except for the soft green glow of a dozen computer screens. The Spider sat in the middle of a horseshoe of keyboards and screens, his huge buttocks spilling over the sides of a tiny typist's chair. Beside him a steel typing table was covered with junk food in various stages of distress, mostly cupcakes covered with marshmallow and pink coconut. While Rivera watched, the Spider peeled the marshmallow cap off a cupcake and popped it in his mouth. He threw the chocolate-cake insides into a wastebasket atop a pile of crumpled tractor-feed paper. Because of the sedentary nature of the Spider's job, the department had excused him from the minimum physical fitness standards set for field officers. The department had also created the position of chief technical sergeant in order to feed the Spider's ego and keep him happily clicking away at the keyboards. The Spider had never gone on patrol, never arrested a suspect, never even qualified on the shooting range, yet after only four years with the department, Nailsworth effectively held the same rank that Rivera had attained in fifteen years on the street. It was criminal. The Spider looked up. His eyes were sunk so far into his fat face that Rivera could see only a beady green glow. â€Å"You smell of smoke,† the Spider said. â€Å"You can't smoke in here.† â€Å"I'm not here to smoke, I need some help.† The Spider checked the data spooling across his screens, then turned his full attention to Rivera. Bits of pink coconut phosphoresced on the front of his uniform. â€Å"You've been working up in Pine Cove, haven't you?† â€Å"A narcotics sting.† Rivera held up the suitcase. â€Å"We found this. It's full of names and addresses, but I can't make any connections. I thought you might†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"No problem,† the Spider said. â€Å"The Nailgun will find an opening where there was none.† The Spider had given himself the nickname â€Å"Nailgun.† No one called him the Spider to his face, and no one called him Nailgun unless they needed something. â€Å"Yeah,† Rivera said, â€Å"I thought it needed some of the Nailgun's wizardry.† The Spider swept the junk food from the top of the typing table into the wastebasket and patted the top of the table. â€Å"Let's see what you have.† Rivera placed the suitcase on the table and opened it. The Spider immediately began to shuffle through the papers, picking up a piece here or there, reading it, and throwing it back into the pile. â€Å"This is a mess.† â€Å"That's why I'm here.† â€Å"I'll need to put this into the system to make any sense of it. I can't use a scanner on handwritten material. You'll have to read it to me while I input.† The Spider turned to one of his keyboards and began typing. â€Å"Give me a second to set up a data base format.† As far as Rivera was concerned, the Spider could be speaking Swahili. Despite himself, Rivera admired the man's efficiency and expertise. His fat fingers were a blur on the keyboard. After thirty seconds of furious typing the Spider paused. â€Å"Okay, read me the names, addresses, and dates, in that order.† â€Å"So you need me to sort them out?† â€Å"No. The machine will do that.† Rivera began to read the names and addresses from each slip of paper, deliberately pausing so as not to get ahead of the Spider's typing. â€Å"Faster, Rivera. You won't get ahead of me.† Rivera read faster, throwing each paper on the floor as he finished with it. â€Å"Faster,† the Spider demanded. â€Å"I can't go any faster. At this speed if I mispronounce a name, I could lose control and get a serious tongue injury.† For the first time since Rivera had known him the Spider laughed. â€Å"Take a break, Rivera. I get so used to working with machines that I forget people have limitations.† â€Å"What's going on here?† Rivera said. â€Å"Is the Nailgun losing his sarcastic edge?† The Spider looked embarrassed. â€Å"No. I wanted to ask you about something.† Rivera was shocked. The Spider was almost omniscient, or so he pretended. This was a day for firsts. â€Å"What do you need?† he said. The Spider blushed. Rivera had never seen that much flaccid flesh change color. He imagined that it put an incredible strain on the Spider's heart. â€Å"You've been working in Pine Cove, right?† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"Have you ever run into a girl up there named Roxanne?† Rivera thought for a moment, then said no. â€Å"Are you sure?† The Spider's voice had taken on a tone of desperation. â€Å"It's probably a nickname. She works at the Rooms-R-Us Motel. I've run the name against Social Security records, credit reports, everything. I can't seem to find her. There are over ten thousand women in California with the name Roxanne, but none of them check out.† â€Å"Why don't you just drive up to Pine Cove and meet her?† The Spider's color deepened. â€Å"I couldn't do that.† â€Å"Why not? What's the deal with this woman, anyway? Does it have to do with a case?† â€Å"No, it's†¦ it's a personal thing. We're in love.† â€Å"But you've never met her?† â€Å"Well, yes, sort of – we talk by modem every night. Last night she didn't log on. I'm worried about her.† â€Å"Nailsworth, are you telling me that you are having a love affair with a woman by computer?† â€Å"It's more than an affair.† â€Å"What do you want me to do?† â€Å"Well, if you could just check on her. See if she's all right. But she can't know I sent you. You mustn't tell her I sent you.† â€Å"Nailsworth, I'm an undercover cop. Being sneaky is what I do for a living.† â€Å"Then you'll do it?† â€Å"If you can find something in these names that will bail me out, I'll do it.† â€Å"Thanks, Rivera.† â€Å"Let's finish this.† Rivera picked up a matchbook and read the name and address. The Spider typed the information, but as Rivera began to read the next name, he heard the Spider pause on the keyboard. â€Å"Is something wrong?† Rivera asked. â€Å"Just one more thing,† Nailsworth said. â€Å"What?† â€Å"Could you find out if she's modeming someone else?† â€Å"Santa Maria, Nailsworth! You are a real person.† Three hours later Rivera was sitting at his desk waiting for a call from the Spider. While he was in the computer room, someone had left a dog-eared paperback on his desk. Its title was You Can Have a Career in Private Investigation. Rivera suspected Perez. He had thrown the book in the wastebasket. Now, with his only suspect back out on the street and nothing forthcoming from the Spider, Rivera considered fishing the book out of the trash. The phone rang, and Rivera ripped it from its cradle. â€Å"Rivera,† he said. â€Å"Rivera, it's the Nailgun.† â€Å"Did you find something?† Rivera fumbled for a cigarette from the pack on his desk. He found it impossible to talk on the phone without smoking. â€Å"I think I have a connection, but it doesn't work out.† â€Å"Don't be cryptic, Nailsworth. I need something.† â€Å"Well, first I ran the names through the Social Security computer. Most of them are deceased. Then I noticed that they were all vets.† â€Å"Vietnam?† â€Å"World War One.† â€Å"You're kidding.† â€Å"No. They were all World War One vets, and all of them had a first or middle initial E. I should have caught that before I even input it. I tried to run a correlation program on that and came up with nothing. Then I ran the addresses to see if there was a geographical connection.† â€Å"Anything there?† â€Å"No. For a minute I thought you'd found someone's research project on World War One, but just to be sure, I ran the file through the new data bank set up by the Justice Department in Washington. They use it to find criminal patterns where there aren't any. In effect it makes the random logical. They use it to track serial killers and psychopaths.† â€Å"And you found nothing?† â€Å"Not exactly. The files at the Justice Department only go back thirty years, so that eliminated about half of the names on your list. But the other ones rang the bell.† â€Å"Nailsworth, please try to get to the point.† â€Å"In each of the cities listed in your file there was at least one unexplained disappearance around the date listed – not the vets; other people. You can eliminate the large cities as coincidence, but hundreds of these disappearances were in small towns.† â€Å"People disappear in small towns too. They run away to the city. They drown. You can't call that a connection.† â€Å"I thought you'd say that, so I ran a probability program to get the odds on all of this being coincidence.† â€Å"So?† Rivera was getting tired of Nailsworth's dramatics. â€Å"So the odds of someone having a file of the dates and locations of unexplained disappearances over the last thirty years and it being a coincidence is ten to the power of fifty against.† â€Å"Which means what?† â€Å"Which means, about the same odds as you'd have of dragging the wreck of the Titanic out of a trout stream with a fly rod. Which means, Rivera, you have a serious problem.† â€Å"Are you telling me that this suitcase belongs to a serial killer?† â€Å"A very old serial killer. Most serial killers don't even start until their thirties. If we assume that this one was cooperative enough to start when the Justice Department's files start, thirty years ago, he'd be over sixty now.† â€Å"Do you think it goes farther back?† â€Å"I picked some dates and locations randomly, going back as far as 1925. I called the libraries in the towns and had them check the newspapers for stories of disappearances. It checked out. Your man could be in his nineties. Or it could be a son carrying on his father's work.† â€Å"That's impossible. There must be another explanation. Come on, Nailsworth, I need a bailout here. I can't pursue an investigation of a geriatric serial killer.† â€Å"Well, it could be an elaborate research project that someone is doing on missing persons, but that doesn't explain the World War One vets, and it doesn't explain why the researcher would write the information on matchbook covers and business cards from places that have been out of business for years.† â€Å"I don't understand.† Rivera felt as if he were stuck in the Spider's web and was waiting to be eaten. â€Å"It appears that the notes themselves were written as far back as fifty years ago. I could send them to the lab to confirm it if you want.† â€Å"No. Don't do that.† Rivera didn't want it confirmed. He wanted it to go away. â€Å"Nailsworth, isn't possible that the computer is making some impossible connections? I mean, it's programmed to find patterns – maybe it went overboard and made this one up?† â€Å"You know the odds, Sergeant. The computer can't make anything up; it can only interpret what's put into it. If I were you, I'd pull my suspect out of holding and find out where he got the suitcase.† â€Å"I cut him loose. The D.A. said I didn't have enough to charge him.† â€Å"Find him,† Nailsworth said. Rivera resented the authoritarian tone in Nailsworth's voice, but he let it go. â€Å"I'm going now.† â€Å"One more thing.† â€Å"Yes?† â€Å"One of your addresses was in Pine Cove. You want it?† â€Å"Of course.† Nailsworth read the name and address to Rivera, who wrote it down on a memo pad. â€Å"There was no date on this one, Sergeant. Your killer might still be in the area. If you get him, it would be the bailout you're looking for.† â€Å"It's too fantastic.† â€Å"And don't forget to check on Roxanne for me, okay?† The Spider hung up. 30 JENNY Jenny had arrived at work a half hour late expecting to find Howard waiting behind the counter to reprimand her in his own erudite way. Strangely enough, she didn't care. Even more strange was the fact that Howard had not shown up at the cafe all morning. Considering that she had drunk two bottles of wine, eaten a heavy Italian meal and everything in the refrigerator, and stayed up all night making love, she should have been tired, but she wasn't. She felt wonderful, full of humor and energy, and not a little excited. When she thought of her night with Travis, she grinned and shivered. There should be guilt, she thought. She was, technically, a married woman. Technically, she was having an illicit affair. But she had never been very technically minded. Instead of guilt she felt happy and eager to do it all again. From the moment she got to work she began counting the hours until she got off after the lunch shift. She was at one hour and counting when the cook announced that there was a call for her in the office. She quickly refilled her customer's coffee cups and headed to the back. If it was Robert, she would just act like nothing had happened. She wasn't exactly in love with someone else as he suspected. It was†¦ it didn't matter what it was. She didn't have to explain anything. If it was Travis – she hoped it was Travis. She picked up the phone. â€Å"Hello.† â€Å"Jenny?† It was a woman's voice. â€Å"It's Rachel. Look, I'm having a special ritual this afternoon at the caves. I need you to be there.† Jennifer did not want to go to a ritual. â€Å"I don't know, Rachel, I have plans after work.† â€Å"Jennifer, this is the most important thing we've ever done, and I need you to be there. What time do you get off?† â€Å"I'm off at two, but I need to go home and change first.† â€Å"No, don't do that. Come as you are – it's really important.† â€Å"But I really†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Please, Jenny. It will only take a few minutes.† Jennifer had never heard Rachel sound so adamant. Maybe it really was important. â€Å"Okay. I guess I can make it. Do you need me to call any of the others?† â€Å"No. I'll do it. You just be at the caves as soon as you can after two.† â€Å"Okay, fine, I'll be there.† â€Å"And Jenny† – Rachel's voice had lowered an octave – â€Å"don't tell anyone where you are going.† Rachel hung up. Jennifer immediately dialed her home phone and got the answering machine. â€Å"Travis, if you're there, pick up.† She waited. He was probably still sleeping. â€Å"I'm going to be a little late. I'll be home later this afternoon.† She almost said, â€Å"I love you,† but decided not to. She pushed the thought out of her mind. â€Å"Bye,† she said, and hung up. Now, if she could only avoid Robert until she could think of a way to destroy his hope for their reconciliation. Returning to the floor of the cafe, she realized that somewhere along the way her feeling of well-being had vanished and she felt very tired.