Red Box

A. Case Overview Redbox is a wholly-owned subsidiary by Coinstar, Inc. For only $1 per night it offers movie rentals. The first kiosks were located at McDonald’s. On 31 March, 2010, the total number of installed Redbox and DVDCpress Kiosks was 24,800. Redbox’s main strategy is to have kiosks that contain mostly new releases of movies on DVDs in shopping areas that are visited a lot. The rental fee is cheap, only $1 per night and the whole order and return process is fast, simple and easy for the customer.With its many kiosks, Redbox built a strong brand reputation. B. Analysis The SWOT analysis shows that Redbox’s strengths are its brand recognition and financial power, with being successful it can add more kiosks at good locations. It has built relationships with the chain retailers of its parent company Coinstar, Inc. and it offers value by offering very affordable movie rentals to customers. Redbox’s weakness is that it offers no online delivery yet. It s opportunities are expansion to other underserved and very good areas in the US, Puerto Rico, and UK.It can also further its expansion internationally. There is lots of existing and potential revenue growth at existing kiosks. Redbox has the strength to attract customers away from other competitors like Blockbuster. Redbox’s threats are services like Netflix that offer movie streaming online, companies that offer internet delivery of movies, Blockbuster building new kiosks and movie theaters when people are tired of watching movies at home. Redbox has lots of potential for further growth in revenue and popularity.It has to pay attention to shifts in customer’s preferences on how to watch a movie and adapt to changes. Porter’s Five Forces show that competition from rivals is strong, especially Blockbuster and Netflix. There is no product differentiation in movies. The threat of new entrants is weak because in order to compete with Redbox, it requires a lot of ca pital and building same good relationships to suppliers (movie production companies) as Redbox already has. The movie as a product can be easily substituted and people can buy instead of rent or watch something online.The buyers’ bargaining power is modest because buyers can either rent or buy or watch online and the switching costs are low. C. Recommendations Redbox should not miss the chance on expanding internationally. With its cheap movie rentals, it can attract customers from all classes in all countries and not be affected by economic crisis so strongly. It should also continue to do research on where to locate more kiosks and it should think about offering internet movie rentals. Also, it should continue to build and nurture good relationships with its suppliers.

Power Gained by Deception

Hoe From Cornelius Usual to Kim Gong-UN, power gained by deception-by controlling the thinking style of the people, and power gained by physical or military force are two things that have always been a part of the world's politics through history. According to Citadel (Bibb† political deception may have a close relationship to and Impact on military operations† (page 2). These two Ideas both give the least positive ambiance, but they have never left the hands of the leaders of mankind.In a world where both methods† of gaining political authority exist, it is more appropriate to define the relationship between the two, than to compare and prove which is actually â€Å"better. † Deception and force have a chronological relationship: In the political aspect, the most effective way to gain what you want is by deception, and force is a necessity that follows to maintain the deception from dying out. Almost every major influence between societies- the so-called â⠂¬Å"mind war† that has happened through history expresses this relationship's definition.The Philippines, for instance, was conquered by the Spanish explorers for nearly 300 years. The long triumph of this colonization was not Like the other cases where the westerners' technological advancement caused the victory, but It was the huge Impact of Charlatanry that threw the rather innocent natives Into the traps of the Spanish. The Foolproof were not forced to refrain from fighting back, but they sincerely believed that they shouldn't.Shockproof (1990) wrote, â€Å"Using religious dogmas, they were able to convince the indigenous people, which they considered uncivilized and in need of guidance. (p. 83). Stopping the historical story here would make readers understand the power of deception, but the entire process of Spanish colonization did not work by deception only. The Spanish set strict rules for the natives to follow and implied punishments for anyone who went against it.Th e power of force is implied in this dictatorial colonization, and these rules were simply to make sure that the Filipinos stay inside the net of false beliefs. A lot of the native leaders were at flirts against the Integration of an unfamiliar society and the Influx of a belief they have never heard of, but It was the military strength they saw In the Spanish army that led them to stay low and eventually believe what they were told to believe. What could have happened if Spanish did not have the technology to create a sense of forceful power, a sense of position authority?The native would have not found the exotic idea credible, and sooner or later, would have abandoned the belief. Due to the fact that there was technological superiority, the power of force functioning alone would work and bring minimal results in the start, but it will definitely not last long because forcing them to obey by force would eventually lead the natives to fight back because they would know their rights to do so, and this belief would most likely be based on their own set of beliefs, their own, undisturbed source of Influence.Thus, it is generally agreeable that the power of psychological control Is Indomitable, but that fact does not Imply that the power of deception can stand on Its own. Another great example of a society ailing under deception, and being stuck â€Å"wealth the deception† with a power gained by military force would be North Korea, the home controlled by the well-known that their leader is the top of everything, and their â€Å"father† with the ultimate power.This may bring up a lot of political theory, but dictatorship, in its most basic sense, is a leader's deceiving of his people that everything should be done under his orders. Going back to the stated example, many would believe that the North Korean government's controlling of its people's minds is what kept the dictatorship, and the people's democracy' clear and stable, but it is actually the c ountry strict implementation of its laws and its isolation with other nations and other cultures that did the work.In November of 2013, a rumor, with evidence good enough to reach the front page of a South Korean newspaper, spread that 80 North Koreans were executed in front of the public for several reasons: possession of Christian bibles, distributing pornography and quite shockingly, even watching for watching Korean TV shows and dramas. All these various actions lead to the North Koreans introduction to the different thoughts and ideologies, especially the idea of capitalism.To stop these from happening, or to keep the deception functioning properly, North Korea had to use the dictator's authority to hold public executions in different parts of the country, so that nobody will even try to gain access to new ideas, and stay in what they believe right now. The system of North Korea is in fact, the perfect example of the relationship of the power of deception and power of force. It is quite inferable that with one of these two missing, the result would never be the name and Kim Gong-UN would not be the superior leader of North Korea which he is right now.For argument's sake, if North Korea lost all its military strength and the power to force people to follow, sooner people will be accessed to new ideas, and then they will realize that what their country has believed is not quite ideal, and the deception, the tool that functioned as the frame of North Koreans dictatorship may blur out and eventually shatter. Machiavelli quoted, â€Å"Never attempt to win by force what can be won by deception†.He emphasizes the point that winning by deception is indeed better than winning by force in politics, which this paper tries to address wrong. Sun TTS wrote that, â€Å"All warfare is based on deception. (Book 1, 18)†, which means that these two cannot be divided and as we see from history and that they must coexist. One point that argues to Machiavellian q uote is that deception does not last for so long, and things are to be revealed sooner or later, but it is the force that extends the time of the â€Å"revelation†, thus making the deception more effective.

Rethinking Poverty

Esmeralda Johnson Dr. Douchant ECON 33065 May 2nd, 2018 Rethinking PovertyIntroductionDespite the remarkable and noticeable progress since the Second World War in various parts of the world, severe poverty remains to be a concern in various regions in the globe. From the World Bank's report of 2008, more than 1.4 billion people are living in poverty, which is under 1 dollar a day income (United Nations, 5). The world is facing very diverse challenges. Recently, crises of energy and food are making hundreds of millions to be susceptible to poverty and hunger. The world economic and financial crisis also is threatening to wipe out progress in the reduction of poverty, as climate change remains the main threat to the lives of the poor people. The negative outcome of the crises highlights an increased vulnerability to poverty, hence calling for some international poverty reduction (Karnani, np). It eventually underscores the need of rethinking strategies for poverty reduction, including the development paradigm. Background information on global poverty. Poverty is a key cause of undernourishment and hunger. From the 2009 research by the Food and Agriculture Organization, more than 960 million people are hungry people worldwide, representing more than 15 percent of the world population. Most of the hungry and undernourished individuals are in the poor countries nations. Poverty on its own is claiming more than 25 000 children every day, with the number also increasing all the time (United Nations, 5). These children die miserably in various parts of the earth. Also, more than 28 percent of the children in countries that are developing, are assumed and assessed to be stunted or underweight. More than 1 billion individuals in the unindustrialized countries lack access to sufficient water, while more than 2.6 billion individuals are under inadequate sanitation (United Nations, 6). When relating poverty and inequality, they have a close relationship, and inequality itself is rising worldwide at both the national and global levels. Over 81 percent of the global population lives in nations where there is an increase in the income differences. 40 percent which represents the poorest of the world population only contribute to 5% of the global income. Whereas, 20 percent which represents the rich are accounting for 75% of the global income (United Nations, 7). Multidimensional nature of poverty Poverty does no only entail lack of unsatisfied material needs or undernourishment. Other accompaniments include state of powerlessness. In the democratically organized nations, the poor people do not have a choice but to accept the political humiliations that they face. Since they feel ashamed of being unable to care and provide for their children, they lose hope with life, and they feel like they do not have anything to show beyond how they survive. From the 2000 Millennium Summit which was adopted during the United Nations Declaration, the leaders came up with some Millennium Development Goals (Karnani, np). The major goal was towards halving global poverty by 2015, which never worked so well even up to now. The progress towards meeting the target of reducing poverty has constantly been threatened by financial and economic crisis, which began during the Great Depression of the 1930s, which was a major hit to the world at a time it was recovering from the energy and food crises. The impact of poverty is mostly felt in the African countries, which depend on imported cereals, forming 80% of their dietary being imported (United Nations, 6). When poverty strikes, children are majorly affected. The children always suffer the health and education setbacks when such crises come. When the families shrink the household budgets, the parents are forced to pull their children to leave school, with girls being the first target as compared to boys. From the 2009 – 2015 report, it constantly shows that more than 1.5 to 2.8 million children, especially infants may die in case the crisis will persist (United Nations, 7). It is attestable that international energy, food, economic and financial predicaments are the main causes of poverty in the global regions. They reverse the progress which is achieved so far towards realizing the internationally agreed development goals towards eradicating poverty. Besides these cause, climate change poses another severe risk to the reduction of poverty as well as threatening in undoing the decades of laying development efforts (Brady et al. 751). The confrontational impacts of change in climate are much evident as natural tragedies become common and devastating with developing countries being much susceptible and prone to these effects. Major victims of poverty globally Although poverty is said to be a global phenomenon, it is evident that those who feel it most are the poor people as well as developing countries. These developing countries are prone to the climate change effects because their institutional and financial capability towards anticipating and responding to the adverse impacts of financial changes are greatly insufficient (Pearce, 122). Many of the sectors which are providing the basic services for livelihood to the poor people living in the developing countries are not able to deal with the current stresses and variability of climate changes in these particular countries. Poverty eradication as an ethical and moral imperative The eradication of poverty is considered to be both moral as well ethical imperative, with its course being the governing standards of United Nations. Living poverty and hunger-free life if considered to be among the fundamental freedoms and human rights that every individual need to enjoy, according to the â€Å"Universal Declaration of Human Rights†. Article 25, clause 1 of this Declaration states that any person has the right to living adequately both for health and wellbeing, and even the family when it comes to commodities like clothing, medical attention, clothes and basic needs. The United Nations' General Assembly also recognizes extreme poverty is a great defilement of human privileges, including the right of living as well. Hence, one of the basic United Nations' goals is towards promoting high living standards, with employment as well as social and economic development, as defined by the articles 55 and 56 of the same Declaration (United Nations, 8). Poverty is also the violation of some of the fundamental standards of social justice. Social justice, in its broad sense, emphasizes the key standards of non-segregation as well as fairness including the political, civic, cultural, economic and social rights. These principles, when rightly applied, will give rise to the socio-political priorities and reduce the vulnerability, segregation and discrimination development (Cobbinah et al. 28). The social justice has a requirement that every individual should have an equal living standard, and that those people who live in poverty should be receiving assistance and support in case they lack the means of living their lives of human dignity and worth. Growth, inequality and poverty eradication A successful and sustained reduction of poverty is fully dependent on the pace of a country's development growth. Most of the East Asian countries have affirmed that poverty can be reduced. Most of the successful example of a quick reduction in poverty in this modern age, also confirms that the nations with equivalent delivery of its resources and revenue develop faster than the nations with high inequality degree. High smallholder's output, investment of human capital, economies of scale are just by suggestive factors towards accounting the reason that great equality has a concision with fast growth. Rapid industrial investment expansion as well as jobs to enable the surplus labor to be absorbed also show a good experience on the reduction on poverty levels (Babcock, np). The continuing reduction of poverty in the East Asian region does not only depend on the results of unleashing the market powers. However, it lies in the states' continual forge on the social contract. The contract was designed towards ensuring jobs expansion in the labor-intensive industries to employ the unskilled labor and reduce poverty. Also, the contract works towards effecting a shift to technologically demanding activities for competitive benefits in the international markets for future increased living standards. Rethinking of poverty currently Since the United Nations adopted the Millennium Declaration in 2000, various nations in Latin America and Africa have recognized a fast growth in economy, with benefits from high prices of commodities. Most of the developing countries are achieving macroeconomic stability, with a balance in their public finances. The investors are nowadays willing to invest in the developing countries, because the financial markets are thriving in liquidity. Foreign Direct Investment or FDI is on its rise, especially on the countries which are resource-rich, while the mining countries are still the advantage of the high prices of the minerals (Pearce, 124). The strong growth and development of countries like India and China help in reducing the global poverty rates, not only within themselves but also with the trading partners' economies. The world strategy towards economic growth is essential in the reduction of poverty. Those convinced that economic growth is offering the better way towards reducing poverty and the benefit of the poor from globalization would make the world a better place. However, the main problem is with the crises in food and energy as well as global economic and financial crisis. As per now, the World Bank has revised the â€Å"dollar-a-day† methodology as well as the poverty estimates (Babcock, np). The world has come to the point of accepting the poverty reduction is something complex and needs conventional wisdom. Hence it calls for a more oriented and progressive state of activism and universality, rather than selectivity towards the social policy. Conclusion There is also hope that through the highlight of moral obligation to handle poverty as a human right and fundamental, social spending problem will be automatically resisted at this time of economic hardship. However, the ultimate role of handling poverty as well as climate change is lying on the hands of governments. The developed words must play their role to support the developing countries' efforts in achieving the globally agreeable developmental goals towards ensuring there is an establishment of an inclusive, peaceful and prosperous world which is free from poverty, hunger, deprivation, and indignity.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 - Research Paper Example Discrimination based on Race, Color, religion, and nationality In the beginning of 1960s, most Americans knew the potential of having equal protection was to be fulfilled in the fourteenth amendment. There was a debate in the three arms of the government and the public on whether the constitution enhances equal protection to all American workers, but civil Acts has been able to protect American workers from being discriminated based on color, religion, race, and national origin. It is, therefore, unlawful to deny equal employment opportunity to an employee because of his race, or even perceived race, or race-linked characters such as hair color and facial features, or because the individual is married to or has an association with another person of a particular race and color. This law also extended non-discrimination protection to workers who are disabled. There have been attempts to enact the legislation to protect lesbians, bisexual and gay workers from discrimination but the Cong ress has failed to protect workers from discrimination based on sexual orientation. ... Sex was added in the law to protect Alice Paul who was a woman. Section 703 part A declared it unlawful for an employee to refuse to hire or even discharge a worker with respect to the worker’s terms of service, compensation, or any privilege of employment because of the individual’s race, national origin, color or religion. Final bill that was passed allowed sex to be one of the considerations especially when the sex of the worker was a bona fide qualification for an intended job. EEOC was later created under Title VII for implementing this law. Recruiting, Hiring and Advancement Section 703 Part A protects workers during hiring process, and it states that it is unlawful to discriminate an employee with respect to compensation or any other privileges of employment. Any job requirement should be applied in a uniform and consistent manner to all persons regardless of the race and color. Moreover, a job requirement should without putting in place job performance or needs of the business; otherwise, it will be unlawful if the specific requirements will exclude persons of specific race and color in a significant way than others. For instance, an employer who solicits applications from applicants of the same race and color, or applicants with a specific education background which may not be important for the performance of the job, or even testing the job applicants for knowledge or abilities when the job performance is not important. In other circumstances, an employer may require racial information of an applicant for having affirmative action. To obtain information relating to race without discriminating the employee is by using separate forms or

Exile, loss, and alienation in Walcotts The Schooner Flight Essay

Exile, loss, and alienation in Walcotts The Schooner Flight - Essay Example The voice is conversational and narrative, at times detached, at times emotional, but always introspective. The poem also used sound and rhythm to reflect the sounds of the Caribbean’s ocean and the texture of their conflicted lives. The paper employs an eco-critical perspective and argues that the environment, both the nation and the sea, are depicted in different images, the nation both home and alien, while the sea, also uncertain, but lovelier because it allows flight and introspection. The paper argues that the writing poems and exploring the sea are similar to the process of exploring one’s individual and national identity that cannot be easily attained because of the Caribbean’s history of colonization and slavery that leads to themes of exile, loss, and alienation. Shabine experiences loss of identity because of being exiled and alienated in a nation where he is not considered white or black. Though he had personal conflicts with his division over his wif e (and their children) and Maria Conception, the poem also touches on socio-economic and political issues of slavery and lack of freedoms and rights in the Carribean. Clearly, Shabine is a divided individual, as divided as the structure of his poem that has enjambed lines and caesuras, but as a poet and a mariner, he left a positive image of being one with his true identity. Derek Walcott’s â€Å"The Schooner Flight,† published in1986 as part of the Collected Poems 1948-1984, depicts a schooner’s life, its making and his becoming. The speaker is a mariner mulatto, Shabine, who speaks as a poet and a â€Å"red nigger.† His diction and choice of words manifest both his education as a colonized object and a subject-poet. The iambic pentameter maximizes inner rhymes that express his frustrations and ideals as a mulatto and a poet. The paper uses eco-critical perspective and argues that the environment, both the nation and the sea, are depicted in different im ages, the nation both home and alien, while the sea, also uncertain, but lovelier because it allows flight and introspection. The narrative poem compares writing poems and exploring the sea as the convoluted process of exploring one’s individual and national identity that cannot be easily attained because of the Caribbean’s history of colonization and slavery that leads to themes of exile, loss, and alienation. Walcott used a mixture of English and Caribbean language and the diction of a seaman to portray his cross-cultural identity from a colonized viewpoint that can help explain his nomadic tendencies. He selected words that showed different factors that shaped and controlled his identity. Carenage is located in Saint Barthelemy in the Caribbean. He is an islander, but he wants to be more of a mariner, which is asserted when the title of the first stanza is â€Å"Adios, Carenage† (Walcott). By saying these words immediately, Shabine expresses his original inte ntion, to leave the island that is both alien and home to him. Shabine also used the word â€Å"bohbohl,† when he said: â€Å"But they had started to poison my soul/with their big house, big car, big-time bohbohl,† (Walcott, 1.30-31). â€Å"Bohbohl† means corruption that people in the government or anyone in power is involved with. It is a local word that describes local political issues. Shabine is tired of his nation’s corruption that he has been part of too. In addition, Meerzon (2012) argued that â€Å"The Schooner Flight† uses Shabine as a conduit for Walcott’s political and artistic ideas (p.76). Shabine expressed his racial and ethnic identity directly when

Current Event Perspective Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Current Event Perspective - Term Paper Example taxpayers of about $124 billion, the colossal corporate scandals of Enron, Tyco International, Adelphia, Global Crossing, WorldCom and others, the dot.com bubble between 1995 and 2001 and the 1998 Long Term Capital Management (LTCM) hedge fund fiasco. Their argument is that the corporate world has been heading down a dangerous path for more than 20 years while governments, regulators and the society failed to put the necessary checks to stop the big disaster that was looming. In short they are saying that we are now facing the consequences of our actions. Smiths contribution to the study of Economics lay primarily on his demonstration of the interdependence of the different segments of the economy and of the policies to be followed to promote the wealth of a nation. He advocated for competitive markets without government intervention on the assumption that natural process within the economy have the ability to resolve conflicts more effectively than any arrangements developed by man. From his book we get the following famous quote: With competitive markets and an absence of government regulation, the resulting natural prices bring about an optimum allocation of resources in that consumers receive the goods they want at the lowest possible cost and maximum rates of growth are ensured (Smith, 2009, p.24) Smith essentially was saying that self interest + free markets + deregulation results in prosperity for everyone. The global financial crisis has taught us otherwise. It has taught us that unrestrained capitalism that is obsessed with self-interest and is unconcerned about the long-run, can lead to monopoly, inequitable distribution of income, unemployment, and environmental disaster (Pitelis, 113). However we cannot put the blame on Smith considering that he was speaking in the 18th century when the context of Economics had not yet experienced the industrial

Written Business Communication (Assignment #4C) Assignment

Written Business Communication ( #4C) - Assignment Example I would like to kindly remind you on the yearly warranty that you issued when you installed the gates since I suppose that will help you track the information on the same. For more clarity, I have attached the company’s proposal invoice to attest that the installation of the iron gates is still within the warranty and so still valid. All day shift employees are required to park in lots A and Lots B in the assigned spaces. On the other hand, the daytime employees are reminded not to park in the curbs lots, but eventually they may loan spaces to other distinguished employees that is if the parking spaces are not in use. To receive the a white sticker, please stop by the relations, employee at the cafeteria October 1st and it will be from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and also 3:00 to 5:00 to take their applications and also be issued with the white parking stickers. The swing shift employees may also park at the curb before evening at 3:00. Furthermore, after 3:00 p.m. all the swing shift employees are allowed to park in any empty parking space, even those for the Tandem, Handicapped or event management. For everyone’s convenience, we are all encouraged to register ourselves with the employee relation. This way there will be no inconvenience caused to any employee as far as parking space is concerned. Please stop at the cafeteria and get your white sticker at the most convenient time. All the tickets will be issued to all the cars that will not be having the sticker. By doing all that is needed there will be smooth parking activities and time also will be saved for more productive issues rather than things that are less

An Effective Interpersonal Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

An Effective Interpersonal Communication - Essay Example Another thing which is important in the mean of communication is that the person who is communicating does note carefully if the listener or the person who is being referred to understand the theme of the message. This can be achieved by a two-way process. By two way process here it is meant that the communicator should ask for replies from the person who is being referred to with the message. This would help to assure the communicator that his message is being interpreted properly by the listener. Similarly, if this is not done the message would be misinterpreted and other problems may arise because of this miscommunication (Michael 1988 & Kelly 1979). In a personal relationship, it should be noted that some expressions like nodding, smiling and movement of eyes etc. help as a tool for answering and creating the two-way process of communication. Similarly verbal messages like OK, I understand, true, indeed etc. also support the two-way process of communication. Positivism is one imp ortant aspect of the communication process. By positivism here it is meant that both the negative and positive aspects of the message should be kept in balance so that the person to whom the message is being referred to does not get a wrong concept. If this happens and the negative aspect is given more weigh the person who is being referred to may take it wrong and get discouraged by the other person’s response or assertions (Michael 1988 & Kelly 1979). Communication process has several barriers when dealing with the spouses.... Thus it is necessary that the communicator does not drag his message up to critical levels where the other listener gets confused by the message. This confusion can therefore lead to several other problems in the relationships (Kelly 1979 & Taylor 2001). Dear Sara and Tim, my advice to you for a successful relationship is to maintain a level of understanding and frankness which allows you to speak out ‘clearly’ your innermost feelings and communicate your expectation without hesitation. The expectations from the other partner to understand the unspoken or ambiguously communicated wishes may end up weakening the relationship. The communicator should make it a point that he is direct when communicating. The communicator should not involve irrelevant messages while he communicates as these irrelevant messages can lead to errors in understanding the basic idea or expectation of the other partner.. The misconception about reaching the point in communication is that the commun icator usually thinks that adding up other points may give him an advantage but this rather creates an absurd image in which one can miss out the main points of the original message. So it can be concluded that in communication it is necessary that the main point is laid out firstly so that it is not missed out later on (Michael 1988 & Kelly 1979). It is also necessary for the communicator to make up his speech in such a way that it does not sound cold or harsh. This is because the message would put down the listeners or the person to whom the message is referred to. And this would create other errors at the workplace as well as in the personal relationships. Thus it is necessary for

Community and public health Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Community and public health - Assignment Example In addition, it aims at improving the value of healthcare, efficiency, quality while minimising spending, and making healthcare system more transparent and accountable to the diverse population, which are key elements in the Act (Mason et al., 2014). The American Academy of Nursing, in conjunction with several nursing organization, has overwhelmingly supported the efforts to reform the health care system. Nurses have steered the expansion to allow people to access cost-effective and high-quality services in the public sector with more emphasis on primary and preventive care services. The affordable care act shall make the nurses model both individual and health care system to be more beneficial to patients than before. Nursing as a profession shall actively get involved in the leading efforts to improve patient care and minimise cost, which as an integral part of the professionals values, knowledge and skills. Nurses shall enhance health promotion among the diverse population by educating the population about the best prevention, acquisition of health care and efficient ways of getting medical help in the evolving healthcare system (Boykin et al.,

Common Sense by Thomas Paine Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Common Sense by Thomas Paine - Essay Example Still, he helped in reforming the British Reform Act and brought liberty to France. In brief, Common sense is a booklet that advocated an instant declaration of the independence, which in turn would postulate a moral obligation to the Americans and the rest of the world. The writing sparked the American Revolution with its great insights that campaigned on freedom and liberty. The pamphlet challenged the leadership of British Government and its Royal monarchy by openly asking for independence. To date, his documentation inspires many as he presented great ideas of how mankind was originally created to be equal and thus, challenged the British Government that the equality could not be destroyed. The booklet â€Å" Common Sense† has been the most influential tract towards American Revolution ever published in English. The main idea was to encourage the colonists to reinforce their resolve to birth the most successful anti-colonial decision of the modern history. Paine’s W ork represents one or more defining American Characteristics as his arguments enhance significance in the â€Å"American Declaration of Independence.† Paine’s writings created a strong ground to the movement that had seldom worked out in past decades. The writing impacted strongly on the sovereignty of people and printed constitutions, which he declared his interests on freedom, liberty, and equality for all people. Still, he insisted on effective checks along with balances in the government as he thought this would transform the economy and better standards of living. In his writting, he inspired many with great thoughts of defining the American characteristics as discussed. In my opinion, this book has resonated with so many different societies and people over the past decades because it presents great thoughts that regard freedom, liberty, and equality. Many identify themselves with Paine’s ideas that mostly majored on defining human characteristics. In other words, his emphasize was to bring a concept that would transform the world with common sense on the need for freedom. To gain a clear understanding, he outlines how the society by its nature is a blessing but regard government in its best state as evil. Paine affirms that the British government destroyed innocent lives thus it was unanswerable to defy human rights. Following this, the writer advocated for an immediate declaration of independence that would regard the rights of people. Therefore, the booklet becomes the leaven for the past decades as it presents great thoughts of freedom, liberty, and equality that most societies and people find it helpful. In his writting, Paine talks at length about monarchy in general and how the British Monarchy was holding back American’s potential. He was successful into bringing the political debate that the British Government merit the attention of other countries with their own governments to form. He captures readers’ attenti on by successfully persuading them that his ideas simply common sense when he relates his ideas in the scripture that disregard the monarchy government as one of the Jews’ sins. He continues to assert that in every instance the monarchy is popery to the government but not to the ordinary citizens. In this regard, he was successful into bring the concept of monarchy into a real political debate by relating it with biblical doctrines that viewed monarchy as evil. Therefore,

The effects of salt solution on frog skin cell Lab Report

The effects of salt solution on frog skin cell - Lab Report Example Next to Stratum corneum layer is the Stratum granulosum, followed by the Stratum spinosum layer. The Stratum germinavium is the innermost layer which lies beside the basal lamina. The cells of the last three layers communicate with each other via gap junctions and are held together by desmosomes, which are structures that join adjacent cells together (Guo et al, 2003). Amphibian skin has heterocellular epithelium i.e. it is made up of two types of cells. The majorities of cells are normal and are known as Principal cells while a minority faction (MR cells) constitutes the cells which are rich in Mitochondria. The MR cells are responsible for a highly specialized mechanism of chloride transport across amphibian skin (Guo et al, 2003). Both the principal and the MR cells possess the ability to actively transport sodium in the presence of ATP (Adenosine TriPhosphate) due to the presence of Na+-K+-ATPase on their basolateral surface. Most amphibian species (toads/frogs) obtain water prim arily by osmotic absorption across their skin and are able to absorb Na+ and Cl- across their skin from very dilute solutions (Guo et al., 2003). Because of these properties, the amphibian skin has long been used as a model tissue for the study of ion transport and osmotic water movement across epithelia (Jorgensen, 1997). The hypothesis for this experiment was that the amount of salt dissolved in water would affect osmosis in model frog skin cells. The prediction for this hypothesis is that the more salt that is dissolved in the water, the smaller the amount of water that will move into the cell. This would naturally result in an imbalance of the natural physiological ionic concentration of the amphibians and dehydrate them. The expected response would be an endeavor on the part of the animal to maintain its hydration which usually takes place through the skin and not through drinking as in vertebrate mammalian species,

Just about every aspect of sport which we find exciting today was present at the chariot races of ancient Rome Essay Example for Free

Just about every aspect of sport which we find exciting today was present at the chariot races of ancient Rome Essay I agree with this statement to an extent, some aspects of chariot racing are similar to that of today’s modern sport. In Ancient Rome’s chariot races there were four teams, red, white, green and blue. Every roman would support a team, and stay loyal to it. These teams became the focus of support among spectators. The Romans were always very loyal to which ever team they supported. Fights would sometimes breakout due to the supporting of different teams. There are lots of aspects that made these chariot races exciting for the Romans. By supporting a team they could feel more involved. Competitors from the same team / stable might work together / pull stunts and gang up on other teams to gain popularity, make the race more exciting. This is just like nowadays, in football, rugby, cricket and many more of our modern day sports resemble the Romans approach to their teams and their support for them. Most men nowadays support a football team and stay loyal and supporting that team. Going to a football match is a really exciting experience, everyone supporting the same team will be feeling in a similar way, the atmosphere and feeling that you are all there together supporting your team, taking part is a very exciting experience and one that both us and the Romans share. The anxiety of waiting what’s going to happen, is he going to push him off the track? Is he going to die? The excitement when someone does a trick. Is he going to score? Will they be able to score in time? Will he get the penalty? Will he get sent off? It unified people of all sorts of social ranks, and encourages them to socialise just like we have nowadays. Betting also would have been and exciting experience for the Romans, just like us and any human being they were money driven. So the prospect of wining some money would have been a very exciting experience, they could have won a lot of money. Just like nowadays when we place a bet on a team or a horse to win a race / match, it then gets us more involved in the match / race, we want the person / team who we have backed up to win so we win money in return, so you get very excited when maybe your charioteer does a very clever stunt and nocks someone of the track / they are battling it out for first position you almost feel as if you are taking part in the race. The structural features of the circus maximus would have also made it exciting for the Romans the seating meant that they could integrate with women, which they would not get to do often, there are several sources explaining the excitement the men had in checking the women out. Nowadays that would not really affect our excitement on the sport as we are much more integrated through daily life than the Romans would have been. Therefore these don’t really increase the enjoyment of our sport nowadays. The ‘spina’ would have also made the race very exciting for the Romans, especially the ‘metea’ or turning posts, these would have tested even the best charioteers to their limits, when the charioteers reached the metea they would try and cut in as close as possible to the metea as possible, this could have resulted in a very bad injury or death very easily, if they wear pushed into the metea or turned to closely into the metea, as the charioteers approached the metea the crowd would start to cheer more especially when stunts and tricks were pulled on other charioteers. The Romans also enjoyed the egg markers and dolphin markers; these would have shown them at what lap they were in the race, obviously it would have been important for the Romans to have been able to keep track of how many laps the charioteers were on. Every time a marker went down / up this would have signified it being closer to the end of the race, I think this would have made it more exciting for them because it is that time aspect for them, when time is applied to something it often means pressure, whether it be they only have so long to score a goal or to knock their component of the track / make them win. With every lap it would have made it more exciting for the Romans, as there would be less and less charioteers each time and the race would be getting more violent / heated. Although nowadays although we do have score boards to help us to keep up score I would not say it adds that much to the excitement , only really the time aspect that they have so long left to score / win this game. In the chariot racing most of the competitors would have been slaves, and of a low social status, they would get sold to other teams and made to compete in races. In a way the charioteers had their own status within charioteering – they had dual status’ if they were good charioteers they would start from nothing a built their way up the charioteers rank, and become well known every time a charioteer won in a race they would receive a percentage of the winnings the rest would go to the stables, they would receive quite a high pay.. This is sort of similar to what we have nowadays for example a footballer might start from nothing and is all of a sudden he is launched into a high status / idolised. In a way the footballers are owned like a slave would be the club / manager owns them and they are sold onto other teams. Just like the charioteers they also receive very high pays. This aspect of charioteering / modern day sport would have made it exciting because you could get to see well known really good charioteers, maybe that you idolised; it’s just like nowadays meeting a really famous footballer like David beck ham something that an average person would find really exciting, because they are iconic figures that people look up to, and you want to see them perform. With chariot racing there is a real danger aspect it seemed the Romans would do anything to try and make their sport more dangerous and exciting, teaching the charioteers to bash into each other, the crowd would cheer loudly if someone was Have a battle with another charioteer / killed them, the Romans were very blood thirsty. The got thrills out of seeing people hurt and pushing each other close to the edge. Nowadays I don’t think we share the Romans passion quite so much for fighting and death/ blood, although for instance in motor racing when the cars are racing and perhaps giving each other nudges I think we do find it exciting we like to see how far we can push things, and if some one crashed and it was quite a big one every one would sort of be talking about it – did you see that crash? Without realising we get a sort of buss out of it. I think now looking closely and examining this statement I do agree with it , most of the points I have brung up are connected to chariot racing we share that thrill and excitement the same as the Romans do maybe we just don’t realise it as much / it is a bit more toned down.

The Theory Of Mcdonaldization Commerce Essay

The Theory Of Mcdonaldization Commerce Essay McDonaldization is the process by which the principles of the fast food industry have come to dominate an increasing number of organizations in modern society. This concept is the central thesis of The McDonaldization of Society 5, a book by George Ritzer. George Ritzer is a highly revered sociologist famous for his works exploring the effect of McDonalization on society. While the effects of McDonaldization can be seen all around us, people disagree on whether they are good or bad. Although McDonaldization has pros and cons, I believe that the positive effects that it has had on society outweigh the negative effects. The theory of Mcdonaldization identifies four primary principles which govern the actions of McDonaldized organizations; efficiency, calculability, predictability, and control. Efficiency refers to an organizations ability to perform its various functions as quickly, and for the lowest cost, as possible. Some examples of organizations attempts to increase efficiency include ATMs, self-checkout stands at the grocery store, and fast food drive-thru windows. Although efficiency is often advertised as a benefit to the consumer, and sometimes is, it can lead to several drawbacks. ATMs and self-checkout stands can take longer than traditional systems and force customers to perform work that was originally performed for them. Calculability refers to the element of McDonaldization by which everything in an organization is quantifiable. This often leads to quantity as a replacement for quality. This can be seen in fast food commercials which focus on the large size and small cost of hamburgers instead of the taste. It also has ties to efficiency (it is easier to identify efficient or inefficient processes if they are quantifiable) and predictability. Predictability is the process by which organizations eliminate any unexpected or unwanted outcomes, as well as any surprise or variability at all, in products and services. An example of this is that any mall in a given geographical region generally has the same shops and a similar layout as compared with any other mall in the given region. The final principle of McDonaldized organizations is control. This largely refers to the control of humans through nonhuman technologies. Nonhuman technologies are technologies, such as barcode scanners, computers, or even rules and regulations, which remove human variability from processes and control people. Obviously this has a strong connection to predictability as well (Ritzer, 2008). What different perspectives can we use to analyze McDonaldization? In the book Reframing Organizations: Artistry, Choice, and Leadership, the authors, Lee G. Bolman and Terrence E. Deal, suggest using frames to analyze the effects of socological phenomenons, such as McDonaldization, on society. Frames are essentially different perspectives which individuals can use to interpret situations, make judgements, analyze organizations, ect. The author suggests four frames: the structutal frame, human resource frame, symbolic frame, and the political frame. I feel that the structural, human resource, and symbolic frame are useful in analyzing McDonaldization. The structural frame is highly goal-oriented and systematic. It focuses on tasks, facts, and logic.This is definitely the most pervasive frame used by leaders such as Ray Kroc and those at other McDonaldized institutions. The four cornerstones of McDonaldization, efficiency, predictability, calculability, and control, are a major result of this almost purely structural perspective of the organization. After all, the primary metaphor for organizations under the structural frame is that of a machine or factory. One could argue that the characteristics valued in machines or factories are the very same characteristics that culminate in the four cornerstones of McDonaldization. Furthermore, the structural perspective is heavily concerned with rules, policies and technology, another striking similarity to McDonaldization which uses stringent rules and procedures and relies on nonhuman technology to achieve its goals of predictability and efficiency (Bolman Deal, 2008). Another characteristic of McDonaldization and leaders in McDonaldized organizations which occurred to me while researching Ritzers theory is their equivalence to systemizers. Systemizers see organizations through a structural frame and rely on numbers and calculations to analyze organizations. They do not focus on the human aspect of organizations (Leavitt, 2007). I feel that McDonaldized organizations share the same perspective as systemizers and encourage the development of systemizers within themselves. Not only are employs treated in a theory X, systemizing manner but so are customers. Customers are herded in, processed, and shipped out like cattle in a slaughter house. At this point I would like to briefly discuss the selection of the term McDonaldization to explain this societal phenomenon. I understand that McDonaldization is just a term used to describe the spread of characteristics valued by many modern organizations, and I will admit it is a creative one, however McDonalds was far from the first organization to implement this very structural system focusing on factors such as efficiency, calculability, predictability, and control. Earlier figures, such as Fredrick Taylor and Henry Ford, implemented these characteristics long before Ray Kroc and McDonalds. Perhaps the title of Ritzers central concept should have been Taylorization or Fordization. The human resource frame suggests that organizations exist to fulfill the human needs of consumers and employees alike. I feel that the human resource frame by far has the weakest representation within McDonaldized organizations and the limited implementation of it which we do see is very superficial. The human resource frame sees organizations as an extended family that is concerned with people, relationships, skills, and empowerment (Bolman Deal, 2008). These elements clash with the principles of efficiency, predictability, control, and calculability so they have been all but eliminated. This is part of the reason that McDonalds tends to higher teenagers or young, uneducated people. These people are easier to control and more willingly accept the mind-numbing, repetitive tasks associated with McDonaldized jobs. If McDonalds truly did care about people we would see them treat their employees differently. There is a strong theory X approach to management in McDonaldized organizations. The principles of McDonaldized organizations lend themselves to this type of approach. I do not think that the problem is with their ultimate goals, which I would argue are efficiency and predictability, I think the problem is with their means to achieving these goals, calculability and control. Because McDonalds treats their employees in a theory X manner they must rely on calculability and control to achieve their goals (Bolman Deal, 2008). I think it is important that McDonaldized organizations reframe in order to bring some humanity back to their workplace. One suggestion I would make to help reframe these organizations is to abandon the theory X approach and move to a theory Y approach of management (Bolman Deal, 2008). By empowering employees, cultivating their skills, and using positive motivational techniques they can reach their goals without relying so heavily on control and calculability. Reductions in the amount of control and calculability would allow for more autonomy within the workplace and increased humanization. The symbolic frame looks at the importance and significance of symbols, practices, rituals, and customs of a particular organization. McDonaldized organizations have begun exploiting the symbolic frame in an attempt to persuade society that they truly are compassionate organizations. Using McDonalds as an example we can see a multitude of cultural transmitters. The Ronald McDonald House charity, Happy Meal toys, the Happy Meals themselves, Playgrounds, the Im loving it slogan, Ronald McDonald (and other characters), the golden arches, etc. can all be seen as cultural transmitters. These transmitters are designed to portray the underlying meaning and values which McDonalds wants the public to believe it embraces (Bolman Deal, 2008). The playgrounds and Ronald McDonald House charity, for instance, are meant to portray McDonalds as a carrying organization which values the wellness of your family and the communities they operate in. I believe that McDonalds exploitation of the symbolic frame goes back to their very weak application of the human resource frame. Because the ideals of the human resource frame clash so greatly with the principle of McDonaldized organizations they must portray an atmosphere of caring and compassion through alternative means. This is why they dedicate so much time to developing cultural transmitters and exploiting the symbolic frame. This poses a very serious ethical dilemma. The practice of organizations portraying values and beliefs that they do not actually hold is deceptive and dishonest. In the end it may do more damage to the organization than it does good (Bolman Deal, 2008). Although I am not going to focus on Bolman and Deals political frame, I feel that it is important to briefly mention here. People have begun realizing that McDonaldized organizations are portraying false images and the organizations have received bad press. In response, they began using political techniques to build coalitions and gain support within society. Also, I feel that McDonaldized organizations view the market place as a jungle and are fighting for their share of the scarce resources or money (Bolman Deal, 2008). Advantages and Disadvantages of McDonaldization Much of the literature on McDonaldization exclusively focuses on the negative aspects of the phenomenon and does not make a strong distinction between employees and consumer in McDonaldized systems. Authors tell the terrors of a McDonaldized death, McDonaldized systems ravaging the environment, the mind-numbing tasks involved with McDonaldized jobs, and the frustrations of attending a McDonaldized educational institution.Admittedly, even I have focused primarily on the negative aspects of McDonaldization up to this point, but what are the advantages of McDonaldization and from whose perspective? In my opinion, Ritzer and others do a very lack luster job of clearly identifying the advantages associated with McDonaldization for consumers. I am not disputing that there are disadvantages associated with McDonaldization or even saying that advantages outweigh disadvantages or vice versa. I simply feel that in order to analyze any situation effectively we must consider the pros and cons fr om all perspectives and through all frames or perspectives. Two primary advantages of McDonaldization are convience and afforadability. Modern US society is an on-the-go, fast paced environment which values convenience. I am no exception to this phenomenon. When I go to Wal-Mart I just want to get my toothpaste, or whatever item I came for, and go. I am not looking to create personal relationships with the people that serve me my food or ring up my groceries. Between my coworkers, peers at school, bosses, professors, family, friends, and my boyfriend I already feel as though I am downing in personal relationships. The ability to conveniently and quickly complete daily tasks affords me more time to do the things I care about. For instance I can even manage my own bank account or check my email in the middle of the night. This would probably not be possible without some degree of McDonaldization. Affordability is another major advantage of McDonaldization. McDonaldization has allowed regular, middle class people to afford luxuries that even the richest men could not have dreamed of many years ago. While sitting in the Coffee Bean not long ago I saw a homeless man surfing the web and playing a DVD on his portable computer. McDonaldized systems have made this possible. Many products which were once very expensive are now accessible to almost everyone in developed nations. The wealth of information offered by the internet, as well as many products and services that were likely made possible by McDonaldization, cannot be over looked or downplayed when analyzing the effects of McDonaldization on society. How can we deal with McDonaldization? Some people have described McDonaldization as a cage. The image of an iron cage represents society as a whole surrounded by a rationalization system (Ritzer, 2003). Perhaps it is because I am a product of a McDonaldized society, but I certainly would not use the metaphor of a cage to describe McDonaldization. Although the cage-like image may fit to a certain degree, it is certainly not an iron cage because escape remains an easy option for most people (Ritzer, 2003). McDonaldization only dominates our lives to the extent which we allow it to dominate our lives. I exploit McDonaldization to obtain the advantages discussed in this paper and in no way does McDonaldization take advantage of me. For this reason, I think describing McDonaldization as a cage is a narrow-minded, deceptive portrayal. That being said, I feel there are several simple steps that those who do not prefer McDonaldized systems can take to deal with McDonaldization. Consumers, especially, have a great deal of freedom with the way they handle McDonaldization. After all, the ultimate choice is theirs. If they have a high level of distain for McDonaldized organizations they can simply desist from patronizing them. In my personal opinion, the most important step is to avoid the invasion of McDonaldization into ones personal life. My own family has done things such as avoiding McDonaldized meals and outings. I think this has helped us to cultivate strong, healthy relationships in our personal lives. Employees of McDonaldized systems, on the other hand, have a very limited amount of freedom when it comes to dealing with McDonaldization. Those in managerial position can subtly resist by doing things such as employing Maslows hierarchy of needs and a theory Y management approach (Bolman Deal, 2008). Of Course this only works to the extent that their bosses allowing it to go on. Im afraid that lower level employees are only afforded one option for dealing with McDonaldization (but it is probably the best option), Education. McDonaldized organizations, and their mind-numbing, mundane jobs, are here to stay. For many the last line of defense is education. I myself am going to school for this specific reason. Unfortunately, those employed in McDonaldized jobs are armed with little more than their creativity and critical thinking skills to survive in the meantime. Conclusion McDonaldization is the processes through which the principles of the fast food industry, efficiency, predictability, calculability, and control, have come to dominate an increasing number of organizations in modern society (Ritzer, 2008). McDonaldization can lead to several disadvantages, such as dehumanized jobs and services, and several advantages, such as convenience and affordability. These advantages and disadvantages are proliferated primarily through a stringent application of Bolman and Deals (2008) structural frame and use of the systemizer perspective (Leavitt, 2007). Although McDonaldized organizations use the symbolic frame to create the perception that they care about their employees, communities, and clientele, it is largely superficial. For example, McDonalds uses symbols such as the Ronald McDonald House charity, playgrounds, and friendly characters (such as Ronald McDonald) to give the illusion that they truly care about people. If they truly did care about people we would see a stronger implementation of the human resource frame within their organization. One possible approach to this problem would be for them to use a theory Y approach to achieve their goals of efficiency and predictability and reduce their dependence on calculability and control (Bolman Deal, 2008). Consumers who do not like McDonaldization can simply avoid patronizing McDonaldized organizations as much as possible. Employees of McDonaldized organizations, on the other hand, will likely have to rely on education to help them obtain better, less McDonalized jobs. Most likely McDonaldized organization will be around for many years to come. McDonaldization has invaded nearly every aspect of society. Even George Ritzers book, The McDonaldization of Society 5, which denounces the evils of McDonaldization is itself McDonaldized. It is highly structured, repetitive, and predictable at times. He even includes a instructors CD ROM with suggested essay questions for educators, thus aiding in McDonaldizing the educational process. People should stop fighting McDonaldization and learn to exploit it. In the end, McDonaldization can only dominate our lives to the extent that we allow it to. As a busy college student, I feel that Mcdonaldization is a great thing, if you use it cautiously. Coll ege students often run short on time especially because they have so many things going on. Online classes, Internet databases, and collaborative websites such as Google Docs, all of which were made possible at least partially due to McDonaldization, make the college experience more accessible and manageable. Instead of letting McDonaldization take advantage of us we must use McDonaldization to our own advantage.

Modern Techniques And Changes In Supply Chain Management Business Essay

Modern Techniques And Changes In Supply Chain Management Business Essay Supply chain Management is about the management involved in the network of interconnected business model in the supply chain of products and services required by the end consumers (Customers). SCM has its span of control from purchasing the raw materials, WIP inventory (Semi-Finished) and till the final goods (i.e.) from the initial point to final consumption by the end users. Nowadays in a global scenario the companies recognize the research value of SCM. And tends to analyze the various ways to meet the unimaginable rise in the demand from the customers side with a minimum operation cost involved in it. Earlier the manufacturers are the states of drivers who manage the product manufacturing and the pace of distribution but now a day the customer plays the prominent drivers of supply chain were as the manufacturers are trying to meet the demand. SCM has became the common melting point which influence various aspects in the channel such as procurement , inventory , transportation , manufacturing , distribution , IT management and marketing to enhance the supply chain strategy for obtaining the cost effective performance. Literature Review: As mentioned in the above statement the new perspective of looking the supply chain management has been emerging and lots of topics has been reviewed on it. According to (Xiaoqiang Chai and Jian chai, 2013) that basically the producers produces the products and distributes through the 3PL third party logistics (i.e.) the producers sells it wholesalers and from wholesalers to the distributers and then they sells the final product to the end customers. The lifecycle of the product (quantity and quality) may be deteriorating during the transportation process. Thus the incentive scheme has been highlighted to co-ordinate the supply chain. The scheme had two contracts that is wholesale market clearance (WMC) contract between the manufacturer and distributor and (WDS) Whole sale Price discount sharing between the manufacturer and the 3PL providers. This contract can eliminate the double marginalization between the 3tier supply chain and helps the three parties to work in the better co-ordi nate way. In this (Guillen Gosalbez and Grossman , 2009 2010) has addressed the design and planning of forward supply chain operations considering the uncertainty in the life cycle inventory of the supply chain operations (i.e.) the forward supply chain management will intend towards the overall supply chain process from the identifying suppliers, procurement , warehousing , Manufacturing and until selling to the end users. The proper designing in the above defined process will enhances the overall output efficiency of the supply chain. On the other hand, supply chain structure ( Fleischmann , 2011) studied on the reverse supply chain which can achieved through the reverse process such as repairing , remanufacturing and recycling the used finished goods from users. The Reverse logistics studies has been analyzed and arrived at a conclusion that the focus only on the certain aspects and no holistic analysis on the complete reverse logistics have been performed. The integrated supply chain which fuses the Forward SCM and Reverse SCM is known as the closed loop supply chain (Jayaraman , 1999) developed a model to identify and analyze the optimal number of operation facilities to be started for the effective reverse logistics. In the Supply chain risk management (Tang) has modeled the framework which can be sub-classified as four approaches in supply risk management: Demand management, Supply management, Product management and Information management. In this the nature and the quantitative impact of the risk has to be analyzed. The company can opt for multi-suppliers and it can maximize the inventory in order to prepare for disruptions. The extensive work for identifying the optimal inventory level for manufacturers is spearheaded to reduce the risk level involved. Modern  Techniques and Changes in Supply Chain Management: In the recent years the emerging growth and perspective view towards the Supply chain management is modernizing. In particular the environmental concern towards the recovery of products is accounted in the manufacturers (Producer) responsibility which has lead to the contributing combination of authentic supply chain networks with activities such as reverse logistics. In general the functional model of the forward supply chain initiates from the Tier 2 suppliers who ensures the supply of raw materials to the Tier 1 suppliers where as the Tier 1 suppliers produce semi finished parts from the raw materials. The manufacturer assembles the semi finished parts from Tier 1 suppliers and ensures it into final finished product and then it will be transported to the distributors. The distributor distributes the finished products to the retailers where as the retailers sells the product to the consumers. In the Reverse logistics the function model service is extended from the above model as of collecting back the used finished products, assembling the products into parts and feeding the parts back into the supply chain process (Repair Remanufacture Recycle). And this can be achieved by opening the optimal number of facilities for the reverse logistics functions. However in the supply chain management which handles both the Forward and Reverse supply chain activities are denoted as closed loop supply chain. In this closed loop supply chain the functional activities of both the forward supply chain and reverse supply chain are co-ordially combined as a whole functional process in the supply chain. In this era due to globalization and competition in SCM the automation came to the existence with the focus on the IT management. CSIM is an integrated tool used in the Constructional supply chain management. This above objective is supported by the BIM (Building Information Modeling) and GIS (Global Information System) which enables the process of tracking and provide warning signals in the system to ensure the delivery of materials.

Algae :: Sea weed

Recently, I interviewed someone from the Island of Orkney, off the northern shore of Scotland. He described the seas as being nutrient rich and crystal clear. Traditionally, sea weed, (called sea vegetables in Scotland) has been used for herbal remedies, food products, animal food, cosmetics, and fertilizers. Two of the major species I was informed of were Laminaria, and Carrageen Chondrus crispus (Irish moss). Laminaria, (commonly called "kelp") has it has the ability to re-growth extremely fast, making it an almost infinitely sustainable crop. Auxins, gibberellins and cytokinins exist in large amounts, which are used for animal food supplements. Laminaria is the main seaweed used in Scotland, but Red-weed, green-weed, purple-weed, and pinkweed each with its own unique benefits. The various species are used for health products, cosmetics and natural fertilizers for gardens. The seaweed is currently used for animal and human consumption. Red seaweed gel is used for respiratory problems in animals, (particularly horses), and green seaweed gel, is used as an animal food supplement for growth and minerals. For human consumption, Red seaweed extract is used as a general tonic and Red seaweed beautifying cream and a seaweed skin rub for sports people. An interesting fact is that Orkney Gold's Seaweed Supreme won The Scottish Food Award in 1995 and 1996. It is made of different flavored kelp dips which can be substituted for tartar sauce, horse radish, mint sauce, dips for French fries, spread for sandwiches and salad dressings. The old Norse word for seaweed is ‘tang’ and ‘gathering ther tangs’, as it used to wash up on the beaches after each winter storm. It was also the only form of land nutrition available to the crofters and early farmers.

Rainbow Boys Essay -- essays research papers fc

The question of sexual identity is asked to many professional athletes when they are first diagnosed with HIV or tested positive for the AIDS virus. Magic Johnson is a five time championship winner with the Los Angeles Lakers, awarded MVP three times, and played amongst the first nine Olympic All-Star teams (Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame). Despite these great achievements in his life, his contact with the HIV virus caused him to face much discrimination. Although Johnson’s source of the virus has been unknown, many people have â€Å"misconceptions of AIDS as an exclusively gay disease† and thought that Magic was homosexual because of his positive test (Stewart). During an interview with Arsenio Hall, immediately after admitting his infection, Magic was asked about his sexuality. In response to this question Magic responded that he was â€Å"far from being homosexual† (Stewart). Magic Johnson’s acknowledgment to contacting the virus lead many a ctivist to feel that his â€Å"disavowal of homosexual activity put a barrier between gay people with AIDS and everyone else, reinforcing the stereotype that gays ‘brought it on themselves’† (Kantrowitz). This idea that gays brought it on to themselves reinforces the discrimination that HIV positive and AIDS people face throughout their lives. The misconception that leads people to discriminate against HIV positive individuals assumes that all people who are infected are homosexual and causes one to lose his or her identity. Due to his pop...

Capitalist Society in The Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller Essay ex

Capitalist Society in The Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller "Death of a salesman" is a "tragedy of a common man". Throughout the play the reader sees how Willy Loman struggles to achieve something, which is beyond his capability. He has a dream, the American dream of success and accomplishment. And yet, he is not able to ever thrive because his idea of how to succeed is wrong. The times have changed, the play is set in the period of an economic boom and increasing desire for material goods in America and the Loman family is now living in a capitalist society, however, Willy seems not to have realised that things have changed. He is constantly battling between the present and the past, the reality and a dream. The play is about a conflict between a man and his society, it's a "hanging fire" between suicide and intolerably changing world. To begin with, however, it is important to identify what is meant by the term "capitalist system". Capitalist system is a type of an economy where the owners of the businesses retain all the profits for themselves. This type of a system encourages people to want more, as they hold total responsibility of how much they earn. The importance of the employer and employee relationship increases, as the workers are judged by the quality of the work they are putting into the company. It becomes a tough competition between the staff to survive and keep their jobs. There is now a need to impress on the employer with the effort and work you put into his firm and consequently climb up the ladder of success. The relationship between Howard and Willy in the play is very ambiguous. Howard on one hand is running... ... physically and mentally. He desperately tries to integrate, but he was left behind the modern world. Unable to control his senses of past and present, mixing and confusing the two, Willy fails to see the flawed nature of the system he functions in. He follows wrong dreams and ideas, which are mainly imposed upon him by the society, only to prove himself; nonetheless he is "crushed" by the unjust, competitive culture. And in addition, his personal failures add to the self-perceived wasted life of a "common man". 1. C.W.E. Bigsby: "A critical introduction to Twentieth-century American Drama"; Volume One 1900-1940 2. York Notes Advanced: "Death of a salesman, Arthur Miller"; editor: Adrian Page, 1998 3. Stratford-upon-Avon Studies: "American Theatre"; general editors: John Russel Brown, Bernard Harris, 1967

T.V Soap Opera Analysis

Anna Shvets Jennifer Katman Tuesday Thursday T. V Class April 26,2010 T. V Soap Opera Analysis In the T. V series of â€Å"Will and Grace†, there is one gay male character named Will, one male character named Jack who acts feminine, a straight female character named Grace and heterosexual female named Karen which is Graces’ friend. Will and Grace who live together are both looking for love, but will never find it with each other because Will is gay and Grace is straight. All of these characters play and important role in this show either gay or straight. I can tell whether the characters are gay or straight by how they act towards each other or just in general. Will is a gay male who is very handsome and attractive, and works as a successful lawyer in Manhattan. When he attends work it is a total institution because there is authority over him and he has to follow certain kind of rules to not get fired. In the show, he doesn’t act gay to me because he lives with Grace and acts very high class. His gay side comes out when he goes on a date or to a gay bar. This is another total institution when he goes to gay bars because usually the gay people are in authority and pretty much there are rules! On the other hand, Jack who acts feminine who plays a really funny role can’t find a job so he is unemployed. His role as a male is hilarious because he totally acts like a girl but doesn’t hid on men even though, judging his outside I would think that he is the more gay one. Even though he is funny he is unstable because he has nothing to depend on for example a job to help him provide money. The portrayals of the gale males in this show are positive. Their roles are humorous throughout all the series. Jack is always acting feminine and Will is always acting more serious but that’s what makes him be more humorous. It is shown in a multidimensional way because it shows Will who acts as a more serious gay male and it shows Jack who acts more feminine but is still considered gay. I can tell that’s the portrayal is more positive because even though the T. V show has gay males, it doesn’t show them making out or being all touchy, it just shows an example of gay males who have a big sense of humor. On the other hand when you try to relate it back to the real world you can see that not all gay men are like that. There was one episode where Grace took Jack to her dinner party, and Jack couldn’t settle down until they got out of there because he was very suspicious what people would think of him. He was expecting to have all eyes one him, which would make him feel very uncomfortable and maybe even hearing some name calling. At the dinner party Jack gave compliments to everyone, and one of Graces coworkers really adored Jack because he was in love with her shoes and I don’t even think she noticed that he was gay. The image that this program portrays of gay men is both good and bad from different points of views. For example, I am against gays because that’s against my religion. Even though I don’t like homosexuality, that doesn’t mean that I hate every gay or lesbian person out there, it just means that I don’t like what they do or what they believe in. I have seen many gay males everywhere, at the mall, at salons and they seem to be the nicest people with great personalities but I just don’t like the whole gay part. To other people who are for gays, I think that this program shows them an even better side of gays because they are filled with humor. Some of the pictures that are shown with gay males holding hands or hugging do bother me because I don’t think that it’s right. There was a part where Grace said something like real intense but Jack didn’t get offended but if you look at it from a side you would say that it is ok to call people names. That is a negative effect on society because if you have a child and saw a lady on T. V calling a gay guy a faget, it would not be ok for her to call a gay guy she sees on the street a faget. The content of this program contributes to our socialization process because in sociology we learn to view things from other people’s perspectives and being gay or lesbian is what people choose to be even though some are against it. From society we learn that gay men can also reach a goal in life and have a high paying job or look handsome because they are also people that want a good future. From these T. V shows we can analyze a lot but we need to here every character before we make a decision whether we like the show or not. I do acknowledge that there are negative effects and there are positive ones. For example my mom told me that this show is a way of making people gay because it shows men happy and funny so men just try to be like them. She says that it is a negative effect on us and everyone who watches it. Opinion- In my opinion, I think that the TV’s powers of socialization is going a little bit out of control because everything is being shown on TV that was never shown before and its starting to become normal. I’m not saying if you watch it you’re going to want to be gay. I just don’t remember having so many shows with gay characters. Either was I thinking it is good that they have characters like that that way we don’t cut any kind of people off. Gay people are just like you and me! In this show there is one thing that I absolutely did not like. It was the fact that Grace and Will find love but at the same time there is always something wrong with it. When grace bring someone home Will like them at first and hates him after he uses Grace. This show is an on going conflicting story about these four characters that try to get love but somehow it fires back at them say there isn’t any true love out there. It’s a bumber to watch those kind of thing because when kids watch it they can have a negative effect on themselves saying that there’s no point looking for mr. write or for my princess. When having a negative affect from a show it makes you think about how you can change it.

Storm Born Chapter Twenty-Seven

traveling in biography is a mint different than traveling in the dust. The torso confides you more than strength and more occupy a chance how perpetually the spirit merchant ship squ atomic number 18 up things beyond normal somatogenic senses. As I roseate up and up from the Other solid ground, I byword it in all told(prenominal) its beauty and berth. People and objects were ringed in settle, whatsoever brillianter than others resembling Dorian, who sh mavin humannessage a low-spirited sun. all in all virtually him and the others, the alder tree Land glittered with its own aura, an aura that called show up to me in a funny expression. sledding it felt up strange, bid ingredient of me was macrocosm abandoned rumpwards t here(predicate).As for me, my psyche grew wings as I faint into the Underworld. I was sorry, nearly black, and wore a graceful, avian constrain. I was the Dark Swan, my totem, the shape my spirit naturally traversed the wor lds in. I hadnt had to use this shape in proficient ab step forward time. Id first genuine the ability to move my spirit into the Otherworld draining a shape nearly equivalent to my somatogenic presence Id later wise to(p) to go all oer entirely in my own body. scarcely this was non the Otherworld, and I trained the protection of my swan shape. The trim tail end of wipe bring protrude did non progress tole to consecrate back its souls, and the closer I got, the more risk I faced. I could provided pray Kiyo hadnt fully entered it til now.Feeling him was easy. My visible body was still close to his, and he and I had enough of a affable and spiritual bond that I could crosscut him. except, as it turned out, he was far-off in advance of me. also far. He had go through the black gate. If I wanted to follow, I would pre move to enter the land of death in earnest. My call back was doubtful.And yetI couldnt just allow him go. non yet. not when hed died becau se of me. Not when hed still followed, despite my rejection of him. Not after what wed sh ard to evolveher.Onward I flew, my wings move over currents of power. I adage no gate per se, just I felt when I go through it. The tie-up to my physical body trembled, and I k brisk I had just endangered it. Too such(prenominal) time here, and it would sever alto engageher. With that familiarity came another sensation as I crossed over, one so terse and sudden that I energy as well deal been slapped in the face. It felt equivalent a belly give into a freezing pool notable considering the soul did not intent physical sensations. Well, at least that was what Id been taught. Id neer cognise any shaman who crossed over and survived to tell about it. Once I really entered the world, I was suddenly flooded in tactile toneings. Warmth soughed most, heterogeneous with those streaks of icy cold.For just an exacting, I saw a world so beautiful, it do me ache privileged. Color an d light and wonder. Glimpsing it, I felt my connection to something much greater than myself, something I had never unders as well asd in the worlds of the keep. I was drowning in it, in that keen bliss that do the euphoria of dissimulation elatem trivial. And just for a second, I nearly grasped all the meaning to bread and thatter and death.Then, in a blink, it was all gone, and I was plunged into darkness. I silently cried out, longing for the return of that beauty. Where had it gone? Why wouldnt it come back?A phonate answered me, vaguely female. It round in my mind, reverberating through me and my being.This world mystifys what you bring to it. What do you bring?The inkiness shifted and became solid. I saw no light source, yet I could just simply net out the area in sympathise of me. Ground appeared, cold and dead. scorch rocks jutted out at odd angles, keen and ugly. A chill wrapped me up. My vault of heaven of vision was limited in that supernatural illuminat ion. any(prenominal)thing beyond it was unfathomable darkness. In front of me, I do out a ambiguouser lightlessness, surrounded by a feeble greyness outline. A adit or a dig.Was this what I was? Had I wrought my surroundings into cold darkness?The voice verbalise once more This world is what you make it.Inside the tunnel, I could happen Kiyo. With no more thought, I took flight again, travel forward.The darkness swallowed me in one case more. Then I emerged into an empty clearing. It looked aforementioned(prenominal) I was in a cave, surrounded by that aforementioned(prenominal) cold careen. An indeterminable source illuminated the room with stark light. There was no way out. I felt Kiyo ahead still but saw no way to get to him. Behind me, the cut Id come from was gone.And therefore I wasnt only when anymore. Shapes materialized around me. I recognized close all(prenominal) one of them. The keres. The fachan. Finn. Some of the yeshin. An diverseness of spirit s. Countless other monsters. Countless gentry. Every being I had ever banished to this world. They fill almost every inch of quadruplet in the enclosure, crowding around me.Their faces were horrible. worm reflections of what I used to distinguish. They opened their mouths, utter their terror and pain, reliving when I had killed or banished them. The group closed in, hand reaching out. They clawed at me, trying to extort me and scrape away(predicate) my skin.Skin?The feathers were gone. I stood in my human form, quite ordinary-looking in casual c circuithes. The hands and faces closed in tighter, and I screamed as the mob disunite me apart. Agony shot through every part of me, a terrible and follow out pain. I sank to the floor, trying to ward them off.What result you give us? they seemed to ask as one. What go away you give us to let you pass?What do you want?You send us here without thought. You ripped our essence out of one world and into another. Do you know what tha t is exchangeable? To waste your essence bust asunder?Show me, I whispered.They did.It started inside of me. Like a small spark, broad only by a calorie-free twinge. Like getting shocked with smooth electricity. Then it grew, spreading out like a mass of wriggling worms, consume me from the inside out. exactly it was more than physical. It was likea spiritual cancer. I could feel everything about me disintegrating. First, all the superficial things. My fare of pajamas and Def Leppard. This was followed by the removal of things that identified me, that made me unique my physical abilities, my shamanic powers, even my tender magic. Next, my emotional connections were stripped away, making me result everyone I knew or loved. My parents, Kiyo, Dorian, Tim, Larathey all vanished, their memories winded to the wind. Finally, my base essence disappeared. Me as a physical and kind being. Eugenie Gwen Markham. A char. one-half human, half shining one. It was all gone, and I wa s nothing. I wanted to scream but had no means of doing so.And and then, I was back.I sat huddled in a ball, alone in the cavern. Unfolding myself, I saw that I was whole. My self-knowledge had returned. lighten shaking, I looked up and saw that a doorway had appeared. It was a way out, a way toward Kiyo.I walked into the attached tunnel, again entrance the darkness. When I emerged, I found myself in a cavern exactly like the other. Only this time, I wasnt alone. A man stood on the far side, his back to me as he studied the wall. Sensing my presence, he turned around.He had reddish hair, move with silver and just barely woful his shoulders. The features of his face were striking, a square remonstrate and sharp angles. Handsome in a harsh sort of way. He wore clothes like the gentry, most of him covered by a brush bury as rich as anything Dorian might own. Rich purple velvet. Jewels worked into the edges. A coronate sat on his head, made of a gleaming metal too bright to be silver. Platinum, I thought. It was a chef-doeuvre of metalworking, all scalloping and flowing edges, like a circle of entwined clouds. The edges of it met in a small point at the top of his forehead, like a faux widows peak. Diamonds and amethysts set among the netted curves glittered in the weird lighting. yet it was his optic that really seized me. They would not hold one color. They shifted, like clouds on a blowy day. Azure blue. Silvery gray. Rich violet.Hello, Father, I said.The eye held at a steady, deep blue as he looked me over. You are not what I expected.Sorry.No matter. You pull up stakes do. In the end, youre only a vas anyway. Your magic result grow, and those around you allow eventually see that what needs to be done is accomplished, once your child is born.I shook my head. Im not going to have your heir.Then you will not pass. You will die here.I didnt say anything. impatience hardened his already fierce features, and whatsoever attractiveness Id noted t o begin with vanished. I remembered my mothers reaction, her pure and unwavering hatred for him. His eyeball flickered again, turning from blue to a gray so dark it almost looked black.You are a stupid, foolish girl who has no idea what youre doing. The fate of the worlds hinges upon you, and you are too ignorant and too weak to do anything about it. No matter. You are not the only one who can brook on the dream.What, you mean Jasmine?He nodded. She lacks your power and war instincts, but again, she is only a vessel. More important, she is unstrained. Aeson made sure of that. He visited her years before finally fetching her. She knows her duty. She will see it through.A cold, glowering lump settled in my stomach. I had gone out of my way to annul pregnancy, but Jasmine would not. She would be seeking it, on purpose trying to have push Kings heir. All my smug contraceptive practices would mean nothing.Storm King read my thoughts. Maybe if you were the one, you could view as the situation. Maybe it wouldnt be as mediocre if you were the heirs mother. If your sister is the one, there will be no reprieve.Dont fuck with me just to get your way. It wont work.The eyes darkened further. Whatever you want, then. It makes no difference if you die here and amaze with me.I stared at the far, blank wall, willing the stone to open. beyond it I could feel Kiyo slipping away from me. My heart if I had one in this form stick more rapidly.I closed my eyes. What do you want me to do?Hands reached around from behind me, closing around my waist. fill just once, Aeson said in my ear. subject just once to me, and you can pass on.His hands pulled me against him, and I attempt to rack my rising nausea. Some reasonable part of me said it didnt matter. no(prenominal) of this mattered. I wasnt here in body. I couldnt get pregnant. This wasnt actually happening.Yetit seemed so real. And for all intents and purposes, it was. His hands upon me. His breath against my neck. It felt exactly as it would in physical form, as I knew it was intended to.I opened my eyes and saw my draw watching me. Beyond him, Kiyo locomote farther away.All right, I said, barely recognizing my own voice.Aeson turned me around and kissed me, harsh and bruising, uncaring that my lips preventiveed neutral and did not kiss him back. He pulled me land, putting my back against the sharp planes of the stone. The last thing I saw before all went to blackness was Storm King looking downhearted at me, face cold and uncaring. I closed my eyes, trying to ignore the mental and physical hurt.When I let myself see again, I sat on the ground, palms down against the hard surface. still like before, I felt no more pain, and I could tell my clothes were whole once more. Another illusionone my body had no memory of but which would stay etched in my mind for some time, I suspected. Standing up, I moved forward, on toward Kiyo.Someone else was time lag for me in the next chamber, a man Id never seen before. He was slim and small, dressed in scarlet velvet bordering on outlandish. He held a small cloth-wrapped bundle in his hands and paced around nervously. When he caught cognizance of me, his face brightened with relief.There you are, your majesty he exclaimed. Ive been waiting.Waiting for what?He proffered the bundle before me. To give you your lead. You have to put it on.I eyed the bundle nervously and then looked at the smooth, blank wall mingled with Kiyo and me. Is that what I need to do to get through? Put on the crown? He nodded, shifting from foot to foot. Hurry. Were running out of time.I knew what the crown was for. I knew what Dorian had done outside of Aesons fortress. Somehow, some way, I had gained the Alder Land. I had become its queen. I sure as inferno didnt want it, though. If I made it away from here alive, Id definitely rectify the problem. But if wearing the crown here was what it took to settle this next sadistic torment, then I would do it. It was a whole lot easier than everything else Id been through.Fine. Give it to me.He handed me the bundle. I unwrapped and nearly dropped it when I saw what lay inside.Aeson had worn a fortunate circlet. Dorians crown, which he rarely wore, was similarly simple. It resembled a ring of take into accounts, beaten out in different metals silver, gold, and copper. Presumably Maiwenn and the liberalization of the preternatural monarchs wore similar items.But thisthis was not a simple circlet. It was heartbreaking and platinum, an intricate swirl of metal set with diamonds and amethysts. Storm Kings crown. Only it was smaller. A bit more delicate. designed for a woman.What is this? I exclaimed.The man gave me a puzzled look. Your crown.This isnt the Alder Lands crown. This is my fathers crown.What else would you wear, your majesty?I tried handing it back to him, but he stepped away from it. I dont want it. I wont wear it.You have to. Its the only way.He looked at me pleadingly, almost like he wanted me to move on to the next stage of this game as much as I did. I didnt need his entreaty. I wanted to move on too. Badly. Badly enough to finally call forth the crown up with shaking fingers and rest it on my head.Instantly, I no continuing stood in the chamber. I was on a high, cragged peak, overlooking vast sweeping plains. The sky was dark and heavy with clouds, and lightning danced among them. Below, on the plains, armies stretched as far as the eye could see. Armies of gentry and spirits and the myriad creatures living in the Otherworld. The crown felt heavy on my head yet did a poor job of holding down my hair as the wind whipped it around. A gown of indigo velvet embraced my body, and a black and silver fur cloak draped my shoulders. In my left hand, I held my wand, and in the crook of my other arm, I held a baby.It was wrapped up in white blankets, its eyes closed. A elegant haze of hair, its color indistinct, swept over its head. I had no idea who i ts father was I didnt even know if it was a boy or girl but some instinctual part of me knew it was mine. Tentatively, I reached out with my fingers and affected that fine hair. It felt like down, like the softest, finest silk imaginable. The baby wound up just about at the touch, snuggling against me, and something inside of me randy as well.I jumped as a hand encircled my waist, and a impassioned body moved next to mine. Dorian. A sword hung at his side, and a new crown sat on his head, more elaborate than his former circle of leaves. It was made of thick gold, heavy with jewels and dazzling to behold. But it wasnt as big as mine.Theyre waiting for your order, he said.I followed his gaze out to the fields of people and saw that they were all on their knees before me, heads touching the earth. supra them, thunder rumbled as the storm swirled restlessly.I dont know what to do, I told him.What you have to do.As though moving of its own accord, the hand holding my wand rose into the air. The armies rose with it, like I was a puppeteer puff marionettes to life. A great roar sounded among them, swords thumping on shields and magic flaring in salute. 1 downward motion, and I knew they would march. One motion from me, and I would unleash conflagration itself. The roar intensified. Dorians body shifted closer. The baby stirred again.My hand felt heavy and started to decease.I stood alone in the stone chamber. No man. No crown. The doorway had appeared, and I lunged for it.The darkness engulfed me, and I swear the tunnel had grown more narrow than before. Still I moved onward. I could feel Kiyo growing closer and closer. I ran, needing to risk him, needing to reach out to him, needing to And there he was.He lay on a small dais in this new chamber, wearing his human shape. He was on his back, whole and perfect, his hands clasped on his office like a sleeping song and dance princess.I moved toward him, and a woman moved in front of me.I didnt know how I ha dnt seen her before. She had just appeared. I looked at her and squinted, trying to focus, but had trouble. Her look kept shifting. One instant she was flourishing and lovely, honey-blond hair pouring to her ankles. The next she was ghastly as death, black hair sweeping behind her like a funeral shroud, yet still beautiful in a frightening sort of way.Persephone herself blocked my path, and I knew there was no way I could go through her.Let me have him. Please. Ive passed all the tests, just like you wanted.What I wanted? It was the same voice Id perceive before, only now amusement tinged its edges. None of that mattered to me. They were not my tests. This world is what you bring to it. close to of the dead bring guilt or regret. You brought your fears.I peered beyond her to Kiyo, my soul yell out to his.What do you want? What do I need to do to take him?What makes you think Ill give him to you? Hes mine. I authentic him fairly. The dead do not leave my realm.I racked my brai n, turning over every story or myth Id ever heard.What about Orpheus? You let him take Eurydice.But in the end, she did not leave. He was not strong enough. She stayed.You dont need him, especially since Ive sent you so many other souls.Was it sincerely yours for me? Or your own ends?Does it matter? perchance not. But now I have devil more, and I do not have to give them up.Then do it as a favor, I begged.A favor? Her amusement grew. Why would I do that?Because Ive served you faithfully. And because were the same. Im trapped in two worlds too, and I dont think I can get out of that. Im torn in two forever now.I touched the butterfly tattoo on my arm, half black and half white. Just like Persephone, who spent half her existence as a goddess of springtime and half as a ruler of death. Just like me, half human and half gentry. fractional lover, half killer. In Swan Lake, Odile is the dark swan and Odette is the light swan, yet some(prenominal) are played by the same dancer.She only stared, and I desperately tried to think of something. You said this world is what we bring. I brought love too. Doesnt that count for anything?She considered. That depends. Will you give up your love? Sacrifice it to me? announce you will stay away from him forever, that you will forsake your love.I stared at Kiyos inert form, thinking how it would be to never see him again. Something inside of me died at that thought, but I didnt hesitate.All right. I agree.Persephone stared at me a moment, then Kiyo vanished.It is done.You sent his soul back? Hell live?If his body is healed soon, then yes, hell live.She continued staring at me, and I realized Id made no such guarantees for my own return. In fact, I could no longer feel that glittering connection to my own body.You are trapped here, she affirmed.I know. Its okay. Its worth it. And I meant it. Kiyos life meant more than my own.Her blue-to-black-to-blue eyes held me. Then, as improbable as it seemed, she sighed.Go back. Go back to your three-fold existence. I will see you again someday, and then you will stay.Her fingers touched my forehead, and a searing pain ran through me. My form disappeared in a flurry of feathers and black wings, and I felt myself being pulled out of this world. Just before I left completely, she spoke again. Her voice was tired and maybe just a little sad.Keep your love. I have no use for it anymore.An instant later, I woke up in my physical body, gasping and choking for air as I returned to life.