Passing A Bill In Congress Essay

In general, for a bill to get through congress it must be introduced into either the House of Representatives or the Senate. Before getting to a vote, a bill must be sponsored or written by a member or members of congress. Then, the bill will head to committees and subcommittees where is will be fleshed out by various members of congress as well as competing interests in congress. It then must be introduced to the floor where it can be brought up for a vote. Please note, it is not uncommon for bills to â€Å"die† in committee. That is, for various reasons, the bill is never brought to the floor for a vote. There are a number of reasons for this, but usually it is because either the bill has so little support that brining it to a vote where is would lose tremendously would be considered a waste of time. When the bill passes one area by 51% on final vote it then moved to the other area where it must pass by 51%. (Please note: certain bills such as bills dealing with taxation) must be initiated only in the House as opposed to the Senate. Also, the Senate must close out final vote with 60 Senators in agreement to end amendments and discussion to the bill before moving on to final vote. After the Bill passes both Houses of Congress, it then goes to the President’s desk where it is signed into law or vetoed. If vetoed, the president’s veto can be overridden by Congress voting in favor of the bill by a 2/3 majority; in such an instance, the bill then becomes the law of the land. On a side note, there is somewhat more partisanship in the Senate because of the fact that there are only 100 members as opposed to the 435 members found in the House. As such, the votes in the Senate are usually viewed by the public as being more â€Å"in line† with a party’s stance as opposed to the House where votes are considered more reflective of locality. The numbers of roadblocks that can derail a bill are vast. However, if recent history was an indication of what the most common methods a bill can be derailed it would be one of two things: and inability to â€Å"purchase† the votes of representatives with earmarks and the public learning more about the bill and becoming dissatisfied. While this may seem like a somewhat cynical statement, it is validated by reports that appear in the newspapers everyday. Often, to get representatives and senators on board for certain bills pork barrel spending (money/spending appropriated for specific local districts) must be utilized in order to purchase the vote. If such a purchase can not be facilitated, a lack of enough votes to process the bill occurs. The other common roadblock for a bill is when the public learns the details of a bill and grows dissatisfied with the bill and then threaten to withhold votes/contributions if the bill passes. Of all the roadblocks to getting a bill passed, the most common throughout American history, however, would be the filibuster. In order for debate on a bill to end in the senate, there must be a 60 vote majority. If this does not occur, the debate can go on forever and the bill may not reach a final vote. Usually, when a bill can not get past the filibuster, it is a â€Å"dead bill† and it is pulled off the floor. If there was any lesson to be learned from the long process it would be the fact that this was a brilliant move on the part of the Founding Fathers as it forces the process to be slow and it gives the public time to be informed about legislation. Because the process is slow, it prevents radical changes in government from occurring too fast and it also prevents the public from being â€Å"blindsided† by legislation that they may not truly support. This allows for a stability in the government system that can be somewhat lacking in other parts of the world.

Remember the Titans Essay

In â€Å"Remember the Titans† there are at least a series of ten or more conflicts, whether they are physical, mental, interpersonal, or even just random violence. there are groups of whites on one side and blacks on another side, having an interpersonal conflict about the school becoming integrated. A white boy gets an attack of random violence and he is killed, causing a group of white football players, deciding split second, create an assailant against a group of black people; thinking that if some blacks decide to do random violence on a white person that it is ok for them to create an act of aggravated assault on the blacks. As football camp comes rolling around, many of the whites still separate themselves from the blacks and vice versa. Coach Boone steps in to be a mediator and to have many of the kids converse with each other so they can learn tolerance with each other, causing less want for homicide. This causes any other conflicts to not escalate and then everyone is heard out on what they want to say or have to say. There is a conflict of authority between Coaches Yoast and Boone. Then there is a budding friendship between Bertier and Julius, and then the team in general uniting together regardless of color. The successful, almost-hall-of-famer, white coach, Bill Yoast is suddenly replaced by a no-crap-taking black coach, Herman Boone. At first there is a power struggle between Coach Boone and Coach Yoast, Coach Boone wants to run things his way and Coach Yoast wants to keep different things the way they were. They soon begin to level with each other and work together as a unit which is good for the team. In the beginning of the film Bertier was like the leader of the white boys of his team and Julius is seemingly the head of the black kids. When they arrive to football camp, the first day they fight. Julius doesn’t like the way Bertier leads the team as a captain and he decides that he is going to look out for himself, when Bertier brings up the fact this attitude is not good for the team Julius questions him as to why he is letting the black kds do the brunt of the work. Bertier realizes that Julius is right and then starts to change first off by correcting his white best friend’s blocking. Thus begins their friendship. When they get back from the camp they face problems in school from being friends. When Julius helps bertier stop a fight he gets called an â€Å"Uncle Tom†. When Bertier turnd down his girlfriend to go hang out with Julius she tells him that he needs to get his priorites straight. But through all this they remain best friends.

Leading and Developing a Work Team

UNIT 9 LEADING AND DEVELOPING A WORK TEAM Distinguish between management and leadership and assess the implications of each on effective team performance. Managers depend on their people. They cannot do without their wholehearted commitment and support. But gaining that support, motivating and engaging them and ensuring that they know what they are expected to do and how to do it is down to managers and it is a difficult task.This book How to Manage People of Michael Armstrong 2008 is designed to make it easier by going into the main actions that managers have to carry out to get things done through people, namely: managing effectively overall, leading, motivating, team building, delegating, interviewing, managing performance, developing and rewarding people, managing change and handling people problems. As a manager you are there to get things done through people. You are engaged in a purposeful activity involving others.But you are concerned with defining ends as well as gaining th em. You decide what to do and then ensure that it gets done with the help of the members of your team. You deal with programs, processes, events and eventualities. All this is done through the exercise of leadership. People are the most important resource available to you as a manager. It is through this resource that other resources are managed. However, you are ultimately accountable for the management of all resources, including your own.When dealing with immediate issues, anticipating problems, responding to demands or even a crisis, and developing new ways of doing things, you are personally involved. You manage yourself as well as other people. You cannot delegate everything. You frequently have to rely on your own resources to get things done. These resources include skill, know-how, competencies, time, and reserves of resilience and determination. You will get support, advice and assistance from your own staff and specialists, including human resources, but in the last analy sis you are on your own.It is important to examine particular aspects of managing people, such as leadership, organizing and motivation including teamwork. There is a need to exercise your people management responsibilities effectively. It starts with an overall look at the criteria for managerial effectiveness. This is followed by a review of the attributes of effective managers. The rest of the chapter deals with a number of the key aspects of management. As a manager and a leader you will be judged not only on the results you have achieved but the level of competence you have attained and applied in getting those results.Competence is about knowledge and skills – what people need to know and be able to do to carry out their work well. You will also be judged on how you do your work – how you behave in using your knowledge and skills. These are often described as ‘behavioral competencies’ and can be defined as those aspects of behavior that lead to effec tive performance. They refer to the personal characteristics that people bring to their work roles in such areas as leadership, team working, flexibility and communication.As a manager of people your role is to ensure that the members of your team give of their best to achieve a desired result. In other words you are a leader – you set the direction and ensure that people follow you. It is necessary to distinguish between management and leadership: Management is concerned with achieving results by obtaining, deploying, using and controlling all the resources required, namely people, money, facilities, plant and equipment, information and knowledge.Leadership focuses on the most important resource, people. It is the process of developing and communicating a vision for the future, motivating people and gaining their engagement. The distinction is important. Management is mainly about the provision, utilization and control of resources. But where people are involved it is imposs ible to deliver results without providing effective leadership.Describe the processes of team formation, and evaluate strategies for encouraging team formation and development One of your most important roles as a manager is to act as a team builder – developing and making the best use of the capacity of your team so that its members jointly deliver superior levels of performance. Team building takes place when you clarify the team’s purpose and goals, ensure that its members work well together, strengthen the team’s collective skills, enhance commitment and confidence, remove externally imposed obstacles and create opportunities for team members to develop their skills and competencies.A team is a group of people with complementary skills who work together to achieve a common purpose. Their team leader sets the direction, provides guidance and support, coordinates the team’s activities, ensures that each team member plays his or her part, promotes the le arning and development of team members, consults with the team on issues affecting its work and, in conjunction with team members, monitors and reviews team performance.However, some organizations have developed the concept of self-managing teams which are largely autonomous, responsible to a considerable degree for planning and scheduling work, problem solving, developing their own key performance indicators and setting and monitoring team performance and quality standards. The role of their team leaders is primarily to act as coordinators and facilitators; their style is expected to be more supportive and facilitative than directive.An effective team is likely to be one in which its purpose is clear and its members feel the task is important, both to them and to the organization. The structure, leadership and methods of operation are relevant to the requirements of the task. Team members will be highly engaged in the work they do together and committed to the whole group task. The y will have been grouped together in a way that means they are related to one another through the requirements of task performance and task interdependence.The team will use discretionary effort – going the extra mile – to ensure that its work gets done. The main features of well-functioning teams as described by Douglas McGregor (1960) are that the atmosphere tends to be informal, comfortable and relaxed; team members listen to each other; most decisions are reached by consensus; when action is taken, clear assignments are made and accepted, and team leaders do not dominate their teams – the issue is not who controls but how to get the work done.The performance of teams should be assessed in terms of their output and results and the quality of team processes that have contributed to those results. Output criteria include the achievement of team goals, customer satisfaction and the quantity and quality of work. Process measures comprise participation, collaborat ion and collective effort, conflict resolution, joint decision making, planning and goal setting, interpersonal relations, interdependence and adaptability and flexibility.How you and your team apply these criteria will be related to the following factors that affect team performance: the clarity of the team’s goals in terms of expectations and priorities; how work is allocated to the team; how the team is working its processes in terms of cohesion, ability to handle internal conflict and pressure, relationships with other teams; the extent to which the team is capable of managing itself – setting goals and priorities, monitoring performance; the quality of leadership – even self-managed teams need a sense of direction which they cannot necessarily generate by themselves; the level and range of skills possessed by individual team members; the extent to which team members work flexibly, taking advantage of the multi-skilling capabilities of its members; the syste ms and resources support available to the team.Good support to your team-building efforts will be provided if you conduct regular team performance review meetings to assess feedback and control information on their joint achievements against objectives and to discuss any issues concerning team work. The agenda for such meetings could be as follows: general feedback review of the progress of the team as a whole and problems encountered by the team which have caused difficulties or hampered progress, and helps and hindrances to the operation of the team. Work reviews of how well the team has functioned. The group problem solving, including an analysis of reasons for any shortfalls or other problems and agreement of what needs to be done to solve them and prevent their re-occurrence.Update objectives – review of new requirements, opportunities or threats and the amendment of objectives as required. Evaluate the stages of development of their work group as a team and select and e mploy strategies to improve and develop team working. One of your most important, if not the most important, responsibilities as a manager is to ensure that the members of your team achieve high levels of performance. You have to ensure that they understand what you expect from them, that you and they work together to review performance against those expectations and that you jointly agree what needs to be done to develop knowledge and skills and, here necessary, improve performance. Your organization may well have a performance management system which provides guidance on how this should be done but ultimately it is up to the manager. You are the person on the spot. Performance management systems only work if managers want them to work and are capable of making them work. You have to believe that your time is well spent in the process of managing performance as described in the first part of this chapter. You need to know about performance planning (agreeing what has to be done), m anaging performance throughout the year and conducting formal performance reviews as covered in the next three parts.You should have no problems in appreciating the importance of the first two activities. It is the third activity – performance reviews – managers often find hard to accept as necessary and even more difficult to do well. The process of managing performance is based on two simple propositions. First, people are most likely to perform well when they know and understand what is expected of them and have taken part in defining these expectations. In other words, if you know where you are going you are more likely to get there. Second, the ability to meet these expectations depends on the levels of knowledge, skill, competency and motivation of individuals and the leadership and support they receive from their managers.As a manager or team leader you need skilled, knowledgeable and competent people in your department or team. You may appoint able people from within and outside the organization but most of them will still have a lot to learn about their jobs. And to improve your team members’ performance you must not only ensure that they learn the basic skills they need but also that they develop those skills to enable them to perform even better when faced with new demands and challenges. Most learning happens at the place of work, although it can be supplemented by such activities as e-learning (the delivery of learning opportunities and support via computer, networked and web-based technology) and formal ‘off-the-job’ training courses.It is your job to ensure that favorable conditions for learning ‘on the job’ exist generally in your area as well as taking steps to help individuals develop. To do this job well you need to know about: the conditions that enable effective learning to take place; the importance of ‘self-managed learning’, i. e. individuals taking control of their own learnin g; the contribution of formal learning; the advantages and disadvantages of informal learning and development approaches; how you can contribute to promoting learning and development in your department or team; the use of such learning and development aids as coaching, mentoring, learning contracts and personal development plans; how to instruct people in specific tasks should the need arise. Set standards and targets and review performance.Managing performance is about getting people into action so that they achieve planned and agreed results. It focuses on what has to be done, how it should be done and what is to be achieved. But it is equally concerned with developing people – helping them to learn – and providing them with the support they need to do well, now and in the future. The framework for performance management is provided by the performance agreement, which is the outcome of performance planning. The agreement provides the basis for managing performance th roughout the year and for guiding improvement and development activities. It is used as a reference point when reviewing performance and the achievement of improvement and development plans.You should treat your responsibility for managing performance as an integral part of the continuing process of management. This is based on a philosophy which emphasizes: the achievement of sustained improvements in performance; the continuous development of skills and capabilities; that the organization is a ‘learning organization’ in the sense that it is constantly developing and applying the learning gained from experience and the analysis of the factors that have produced high levels of performance. You should therefore be ready, willing and able to monitor performance and define and meet development and improvement needs as they arise. As far as practicable, learning and work should be integrated.This means that encouragement should be given to your team members to learn from th e successes, challenges and problems inherent in their day-to-day work. You should carry out the process of monitoring performance by reference to agreed objectives and to work, development and improvement plans. You have to decide how tightly you monitor on the basis of your understanding of the capacity of individuals to do the work. Identify own leadership style and skills, and assess own effectiveness in leading and developing the team and its performance. Self-managed learning style involves encouraging individuals to take responsibility for their own learning needs.The aim is to encourage ‘discretionary learning’, which happens when individuals actively seek to acquire the knowledge and skills required to perform well. It is based on processes of recording achievement and action planning, which involves individuals reviewing what they have learned, what they have achieved, what their goals are, how they are going to achieve those goals and what new learning they n eed to acquire. The learning program can be ‘self-paced’ in the sense that learners can decide for themselves, up to a point, the rate at which they work and are encouraged to measure their own progress and adjust the program accordingly. Self-directed learning is based on the principle that people learn and retain more if they find things out for themselves.But they still need to be given guidance on what to look for and help in finding it. Learners have to be encouraged to define, with whatever help they may require, what they need to know to perform their job effectively. They need to be provided with guidance on where they can get the material or information that will help them to learn and how to make good use of it. Personal development plans as described later in this chapter can provide a framework for this process. People also need support from their manager and the organization, with the provision of coaching, mentoring and learning facilities, including e-lea rning. The leadership style I would apply is the combination of a Transformational and Transactional Leader.As a leader I can be both arouse emotions of my followers which motivates them to act beyond the framework of what may be described as exchange relations at the same time be aware of the link between the effort and reward. I can be proactive and form new expectation and be responsive from the basic orientation in dealing with present issues. Transformational leaders are distinguished by their capacity to inspire and provide individualized consideration, intellectual stimulation and idealized influence to their followers while transactional leaders rely on standard forms of inducement, reward, punishment and sanction to control followers. Leaders create learning opportunities for their followers and stimulate followers to solve problems at the same time they can motivate followers by setting goals and promising rewards for desired performance.A trait that a leader should posses s good visioning, rhetorical and management skills, to develop strong emotional bonds with followers and depends on the leader’s power to reinforce subordinates for their successful completion of the bargain. Lastly, leaders motivate followers to work for goals that go beyond self-interest.REFERENCES: http://www. ehow. com/how_5485211_evaluate-team- performance. html#ixzz1sqUbPZyH accessed on July 18, 2012 How to Manage People. Michael Armstrong 2008 accessed on July 24, 2012 How to Evaluate Team Performance | eHow. com accessed on August 3, 2012 http://www. ehow. com/how_5485211_evaluate-team-performance. html#ixzz1sqUbPZyH accessed on August 10, 2012

Chicago Bulls and DNA Testing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Chicago Bulls and DNA Testing - Essay Example As the discussion outlines, a DNA test would have detected any anomalies in their systems and would have given the club’s medical team a head`s up and thus prevented these situations. It is crucial for professional athletes especially the ones whose families have a history of these diseases and complications to undergo a DNA test. Examples of such diseases include heart diseases, blood pressure complications, asthma and hypertension. If the symptoms are detected, the medical team can determine if the athlete should be allowed to play or not, it all depends on how the level of the threat posed by the discovered signs is handled. There are no clear laws that prohibit or disallow DNA testing although some players feel that the club asking for a DNA test is abusing its powers. The club and the affected individuals to decide on whether the test should be conducted. Clubs and professional sports associations conduct DNA tests for different reasons. Some clubs especially in Major Lea gue Baseball conduct these tests to insulate themselves from lawsuits and spending of millions of dollars on players` medical bills and lawsuits. In the recent past, sports prospects from the Dominican Republic often lie about their age to gain access in the United States where they are offered millions of dollars only to find out that the player lied about his age and name. Clubs also perform the tests to prevent any future situation that may arise from earlier detected complications and spare the fans from witnessing terrifying spectacles as players collapse while playing on the field. Some countries such as Australia have made strides that ensure predictive genetic information cannot be used to make decisions affecting employment and this law extends to professional sports.

Ethnocentrism Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ethnocentrism - Article Example The only reason behind such a behavior was ethnocentrism. Of importance is the fact that ethnicity is not related to the biology of a person, therefore being alterable and flexible. This is not true for race, which is considered to be the innate qualities of a person, which therefore is unalterable and fixed. Therefore, we can infer that race is a profound reality based on biological origins while ethnicity is relatively superficial. Ethnocentrism therefore does not gives importance to the physical characteristics of a person as long as that person remains a member of that culture. Contrary to this, racism does not give importance to cultural attachment. Rather it favors those who are biologically similar. Racism therefore fails to accommodate those who have similar ideas and interests but are biologically different. The delivery of health care to growing populations of multiple ethnicities in modern day world is a challenge for modern day health care providers. Lapses in cross-cultural communication and mutual understanding which mainly stems from the ethnocentric behavior of health care professionals result in non-compliance of the patients (Thiederman, 1986). Differences in religions and practices may in turn become the cause of disliking a patient by the health care providers. Superstitious behaviors may lead a health care provider to think that patient has some mental abnormality, while the patient is merely practicing what he believes in. Such matters require careful consideration by the health care providers to avoid causing loss to patients. Similarly, patients may suffer from poor standard of care due to the fact that a particular health care provider dislikes a particular ethnicity. Vienna Declaraction states that â€Å"the universal nature† of all human rights and fundamental freedom is â€Å"beyond question† (Ayton-Shenker,

Global operation and competition study of GlaxoSmithKline plc 181 Essay

Global operation and competition study of GlaxoSmithKline plc 181 - Essay Example Having over 99,000 employees, one unique feature of GSK is that fact that it came into existence only in 2000 through the measure of Glaxo Wellcome, SmithKline Beecham plc and SmithKline Beckman Corporation (quote). The table below outlines GSK’s key financials since 2009. There are a number of reasons that the pharmaceutical industry and GlaxoSmithKline were selected very specifically. In the first place, the selection of the pharmaceutical is based on the very favourable growth projections that have been made for the industry from now till 2018. MarketLine (2013) forecasted that by 2018, the industry will have a value of  £646.8699 billion, which is an increase of 26.8% since 2013 (see the figure below). This is an important projection that means that the pharmaceutical industry will be a major drive in global economic expansion. The rationale for selection is therefore based on the global economic hope that this unique industry gives. GlaxoSmithKline plc was on the other hand selected as a leader in the UK pharmaceutical industry to know how prepared the UK industry is to compete to be part of the global growth. Compared to its major competitors, GlaxoSmithKline has not been able to command a leading market capital for the past five years. This is regardless of the fact that compared to key competitors GlaxoSmithKline has a very large employee size. As showed in the table below also, GlaxoSmithKline has a very good gross margin but with the lowest revenue quarterly growth (quote). All these information shows that there are some fundamental causes to the company’s competitive position other than most of the internal factor that come from the everyday management of the organization. The aim of the research is therefore to understand how the external environment of the company impacts on its global operation and competition. The project shall be approached as a qualitative correlational study where GSK shall be compared to its major competitors to find

Comparison between Canada's Military Correctional System and the Research Paper

Comparison between Canada's Military Correctional System and the United States Military Correctional System - Research Paper Example The responsibility of the Army Correctional Command ACC is the management of resources like force structure, budget, personnel and the day to day operations of the U.S Military Corrections System (Grande, 2009). The U.S Military Corrections system has two oversees facilities in Germany and Korea, two medium security regional facilities in Fort Sill Oklahoma and Fort Lewis Washington, and one maximum security prison ( U.S Disciplinary Barracks ) in Fort Leavenworth Kansas. Both the regional Military Corrections facilities and U.S Disciplinary Barracks provide a complete range of custodial and correctional treatment programs to military offenders regardless of the branch of service, and the only maximum security facility in the department of U.S defense is the U.S Disciplinary Barracks. The military corrections system comprise of three level tiers: Level-1 accommodates inmates with sentence of less than one year. The level-1 tier has no different from the public prisons and most progra ms are the same in comparison. The marine corps operates two facilities; the navy is in charge of six facilities, while the air force manages 36 facilities. The level-1 tier is not controlled by the Army. The level-2 tier accommodates inmates with sentence of less than 7 years and is the middle tier. The majority of military offenders are retained in level two. The army is in charge and controls the better part of level two while the marine corps operates and controls 3 facilities. The Air force does not operate any facility in level two, thus majority of inmates are retained in at two Naval consolidated brigs. The level-3 accommodating inmates with sentence of more than 7 years and inmates whose character pose threat to the national security of the United states. Females are majorly confined in this level so as to benefit from the health facilities, assets and consolidated space. Level-3 tier includes male military. The level-3 does not accommodate pre-trial inmates and its mission is â€Å"Our mission, Your Future†. Unlike the United States of America, Canada has only one Military forces prison named, the Canadian Forces Service Prison and Detention Barracks (CFSPDB), located at the Canadian Forces Based Edmonton. The Canada military prison is maintained and controlled by the Canadian Forces Military Police, although non-commissioned officers NCOs from various branches of the Canadian Forces also serves as staffs at the prison. The prison confines inmates with the jail term not exceeding two years. Military offenders with a crime sentence of more than two years imprisonment are then referred to the public prison after they have been relieved of their duties as Canadian Force Personnel. Rights/Treatment of Inmates The Canada’s detention facilities at Edmonton Alberta have unforgettable experience in store for any soldier who dares to go the wrong path of the law, which is very useful in military personnel behavior corrections purposes. The Canad ian Forces Service Detention Barracks (CFSPDB) inmates go through training, counseling and are assigned various duties majorly hard labor like performing drills. For about two weeks from their arrival, the military prisoners have limited privileges like sleeping and eating, but are not allowed to make phone calls, interacting with fellow prisoners, interact with

The First Continental Congress Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The First Continental Congress - Research Paper Example Each colony sent representatives to the Congress except Georgia which did not want to jeopardize the aid of British troops which were needed in that colony to help fend off Indian attacks. These representatives were not of one mind, however. The historically significant meeting of 54 men which included George Washington, John Adams and Patrick Henry were divided in purpose. Some delegates such as John Adam’s cousin Samuel Adams favored democratizing the colonies though were not yet suggesting forming their own country, at least not publically. Others insisted resolving the issues with Britain were the only sensible way and the meeting’s only intention. The convening of the First Continental Congress was meant to unite the colonies and gain the attention of the Mother Country and in that, its goal was accomplished. The colonists had considered themselves British citizens for the approximately century and a half they had been in America and likely would have continued thi s loyalty to country if the British Parliament and King George III had not restricted trade, increased taxation and permitted Colonies seats in House of Commons. Britain and France were engaged in costly battles both in Europe and America. Desperate to raise funds to pay back debts caused by continued military endeavors, Britain passed the Sugar Act on April 5, 1774 which not only levied a tax on American sugar but prohibited the importation of rum and French wine. The Stamp Act followed the next year requiring stamps to be purchased to sell many common products such as newspapers and playing cards. Stamps are still required today on liquor and cigarettes. Britain justified the tax claiming it was to pay for the protection provided its soldiers to protect citizens from Indian raids, a reason that did fell on deaf ears. Since 1770 the majority of colonists had been against British soldiers occupying America. On March 5th of that year tensions between soldiers and citizens reached its peak when soldiers fired shots into a taunting mob throwing ice-balls and sharp oyster shells at them. The event is popularly known as the Boston Massacre, an incident that might have escalated into all-out war at that time if not for John Adams. He successfully defended the British soldiers against a backdrop of a mob-mentality existing in Boston and spreading through Massachusetts along with the other colonies. (â€Å"American Revolution,† (2012). Following the Boston Massacre, Parliament abolished the Townshend tax which ended the taxes on just about everything except tea which led to another historical event. In December, 1773, colonists disguised as Indians boarded several English ships anchored in Boston Harbor. They tossed 342containers of tea into the sea to protest the tax and British occupation. George Washington, a member of the Virginia House, was concerned this overreaction to a three pence tax would cause the British, known for their ruthless tactics, to retali ate. Samuel Adams, leader of the Sons of Liberty, was â€Å"convinced that the tea duty had to be stopped at all costs and that their symbolic action had aroused America from its slumber.† (Chorlton, 2011 p. 34). Unlike Washington, they were happy because it forced American colonists to take sides. In May of 1774, Parliament passed the Massachusetts Government Act which nullified the Colony’s Charter and made town meetings illegal. The Administration of Justice Act soon followed. It allowed for British

Production and Operations Management (Case Study on Renewable Energy Essay

Production and Operations Management (Case Study on Renewable Energy Technologies Implementation) - Essay Example Energy development closely associated with the development of the economy and thus, the efficiency of energy use needs to be increased to reach moderate energy growth. Renewable energy is one of the ways aimed at meeting increased challenges of energy use and environmental concerns. This offers an alternative of traditional sources of energy for developing countries. Alternative sources of energy help in meeting the needs of customers like the use of solar heaters to produce hot water and even small-scale industries of agro-processing plants. Renewable energy use is promoted around the globe and by studying this case; the researchers will gain knowledge and understanding on how to reduce carbon dioxide and green house gases emission. For this case study, several issues that need addressing include schemes of financing the project, technical testing, and appraisal, transfer of technology, creation of the job and manufacturing of the products. The establishment of this project will bri ng into light the implementation of renewable energy projects by analyzing the causes for the failure or success of technologies and or projects. This case study aims at identifying the possibility of eradicating existing barriers. Hence, promotes the implementation process of Renewable Energy Technologies (RETs). The benefit of implementation of this project bears sanitation or environmental and agricultural profits that will address rural needs of drinking water. The case study project will be able to improve skills, knowledge and confidence of the NGOs in identifying instances in which, renewable energy technologies contributes to the energy needs of developing countries. Secondly, it aims at strengthening the capacity of NGOs for implementation and analysis of RET project. Lastly, it will generalize the experiences and disseminate findings in an international way for other groups to benefit from gained knowledge. From this research, it is evident that, some of the common barrier s hindering the implementation process include market, institutional, information awareness, and financial, technical, social, economic, environmental, capacity and political issues of the country. The greatest problem contributing to the implementation process is associated with the lack of information, skilled manpower and facilities of training respondents. These same respondents also refuse to give this technology a chance to be incorporated into the society. Thus, their lack of social acceptance and participation in local levels is a hindrance to RETs implementation. In order for this process of implementation to be successful, a company needs to identify all barriers and remove them. Some of the actions needed include changing of policies, mechanical institution setting for upgrade and availability of technology, financing, making skilled personnel available, and designing and implementing a framework that accommodate law changes. By critically examining and evaluating existin g problems, the company was able to make the necessary changes and implement renewable energy technologies. The case study also evaluated both direct and indirect effects by using a qualitative assessment approach. Social, environmental, political and other effects comprise the direct impacts of implementation

Ghana Cocoa Industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Ghana Cocoa Industry - Essay Example However, it is of great significance to note that output varies on an annual basis. Factors such as price fluctuations, politics, and management play a crucial role in influencing output. Discussed in this paper is the role of politics in influencing cocoa production in Ghana, and interventional strategies set up to boost production of cocoa in the country. In addition, the paper also analyzes the cocoa industry in Ghana from different theoretical perspectives. Political theory centers on the analysis of economics influence on political ideologies. Tenants of the theory uncover the interplay of relationships between law, politics, and economics. In addition, it analyzes the development of various institutions in different economics and social systems for example, capitalist, socialist, and communist systems. Competing interests of specific individuals, groups or institutions affect a countrys economic development. This theory enables individuals visualize and understand the formation of public policies. Small-scale farmers in Ghana lack the resources to export their produce directly. They rely on intermediaries (businesspersons) and the government to broker deals with customers interested in their produce. Herein, lays the root cause of the countrys economic problem. These farmers receive meager compensation compared to the parties charged with the task of brokering the deal. As a result, poverty in Ghana is at an all-time high despite its flourishing cocoa industry. As mentioned, Ghana ranks second after Ivory Coast in the cocoa export industry (Ecobank, 2013). The country lost the title amidst waves of political upheaval in the country. In a bid to advance their personal interests, influential individuals mismanaged the cocoa industry. Through the Cocoa Marketing Board, farmers received fixed compensation for their produce.

Contemporary Philosophy Essay Example for Free

Contemporary Philosophy Essay On the first page of Being and Time, Heidegger describes the project in the following way: Our aim in the following treatise is to work out the question of the sense of being and to do so concretely. Heidegger claims that traditional ontology has prejudicially overlooked this question, dismissing it as overly general, indefinable, or obvious. Instead Heidegger proposes to understand being itself, as distinguished from any specific entities. †Being† is not something like a being. Being, Heidegger claims, is what determines beings as beings, that in terms of which beings are already understood. Heidegger is seeking to identify the criteria or conditions by which any specific entity can show up at all. If we grasp Being, we will clarify the meaning of being, or sense of being, whereby sense Heidegger means that in terms of which something becomes intelligible as something. According to Heidegger, as this sense of being precedes any notions of how or in what manner any particular being or beings exist, it is pre-conceptual, non-propositional, and hence pre-scientific. Thus, in Heideggers view, fundamental ontology would be an explanation of the understanding preceding any other way of knowing, such as the use of logic, theory, specific ontology or act of reflective thought. At the same time, there is no access to being other than via beings themselves—hence pursuing the question of being inevitably means asking about a being with regard to its being. Heidegger argues that a true understanding of being can only proceed by referring to particular beings, and that the best method of pursuing being must inevitably, he says, involve a kind of hermeneutic circle, that is as he explains in his critique of prior work in the field of hermeneutics, it must rely upon repetitive yet progressive acts of interpretation. Thus, Heidegger also conceptualized that being with time prior of having that time alone. This means that we can’t have time by simply telling that time exists but we also need to have that sense of being or the individual being to say that time really exist. Time in other hand, makes a history because of that sense of being which Heidegger rely on with his work of the Time and Being.

Why Plato thinks Philosophers should be Kings Essay Example for Free

Why Plato thinks Philosophers should be Kings Essay Platos strategy in the Republic is to explicate the primary notion of societal or political justice and then parallel it to the concept of individual justice. Before he can prove that justice is a good thing, Plato must first state its definition, by showing justice in its perfect form in order to discover the true essence of it. Therefore, Socrates claims that the only way to have a perfect state is if the state has a perfect leader, thus he introduces the concept of the philosopher-king. Plato identifies political justice as harmony in a structured political body. An ideal state consists of three main classes of people: producers, auxiliaries, and the guardians (rulers); a state is just when relations between these three classes are right. Justice is a principle of specialization: a principle that requires that each person fulfils the societal role to which nature fitted him or her, and does not interfere in any other business. Socrates describes philosophers as those who love the sight of truth (475-e). He claims that what makes philosophers different from lovers of sights and sounds is that they apprehend the Forms. While lovers of sights and sounds love beautiful things, they are unable to see the nature of beauty itself. The Philosophers, on the other hand, believe that beauty exists and can see both it and the things it participates in. In order to back up this claim, that only philosophers can have knowledge, Socrates paints a metaphysical and epistemological picture. He divides the concept of knowledge into: what is, what is not and an intermediate between being and not being. This intermediate between knowledge and ignorance is what he defines as an opinion and casts it as a fallible power. Furthermore, knowledge is the strongest infallible power that is set over the being or what is. Given that only philosophers can have knowledge, Socrates emphasizes that they are clearly the ones best able to grasp what is good for the state, and so are in the best position to know how to run and govern it. Plato offers a more intuitive explanation for why the philosophers are virtuous. He idealizes them as being focused and determined because they are  fond of learning the function of the being, which does not wander between coming to be and decaying. At the end of Book IV, Plato argues that the nature of the state and the individual are the same. Furthermore, he promotes the notion that when the virtues of reason, passion, and desire act in perfect harmony the individual and consequently the state will become just. Though it is not directly stated, it is fair to make the allusion that Plato would have assumed the same for the Philosophers. Their desires also incline strongly for learning, therefore, weakening other pleasures of the soul. Their emotions and appetites no longer provide a strong impetus toward vice, making the Philosophers moderate in character. Courage also considered as an important characteristic, is defined as the power to preserve through everything its belief abo ut what things are to be feared (429-c). Since the Philosopher devotes his being to understanding the essence of universal truth, he does not consider individual human life as a priority, making him fearless of death. Even though, the Philosopher possesses all the needed virtues, Socrates fails to explain how such a special ruler will be able to relate with the common folk. A person of such immense talent would most likely be needed in other parts of the state as well, but according to Plato, he should be given the power to rule, erasing all possibilities of a Philosophers individual choice to devote his life to a different task. And while the Philosopher is portrayed as a perfect leader for the state nationally, there is no mention of why he would be so attached to the state or how international affairs would be handled. Lastly, one cant help but worry that despite having a philosophical nature and possessing all needed virtues, there is no guarantee that a philosopher would not become corrupted, as it is hard to be a good person in a bad society. Socrates explores the nature of the guardians further to describe the different types of corruption to which the philosophic nature is susceptible. Using the analogy of the seed (human soul) and its environment, Socrates argues that, in most cases, alien soil produces noxious weeds. Sophists and spurious educators are indicted in this corruption, for they create values outside and inferior to virtue. Socrates compares their morality, which derives from the masses they serve, to the understanding and rationalization of the tempers of a mighty strong beast. His analogy of the mighty beast criticizes the majority, or mass, notion of morality. What is the opinion of most men, in fact, of the world, is almost always not the opinion or should it be said, knowledge of the philosophers. The masses are neither wise, nor temperate, nor courageous; as a result, their desires do not reflect the good, because of their lack of strenuous education. And thus, because the true philosophers must hold to a minority truth or renounce their nature, they are condemned to persecution by the multitudes the very people that need them the most. Socrates seems to create a paradox: the city cannot do without philosophy, but it can also hardly tolerate it. Antagonism between the philosophic nature and the binding pressure of the multitudes ensures that a potentially great philosopher is lost or warped. No government exists in which he may utilize fully his innate and learned gifts. Often, says Socrates, the dejected philosopher seeks refuge in solitude, contrary to a previously made point that a true leader will want to lead not for power, but for fear that somebody less competent than themselves will rule. The fact that Philosophers would give up on lawlessness around them to do work quietly alone contradicts Platos description of a rightful leader. The problem of how to ease the clash between philosophers and the majority, making it possible for philosophers to assume their rightful position as rulers is, logically enough, the next topic. Erasing the state and the manners of men to achieve a clean surface on which to sketch the new plan is Socrates first, though seemingly impossible solution (the other is the philosophical education of kings). In summation, the relationship of the philosopher of the state is one of exploration and criticism. Only by balancing the traits of reason, passion, and desire will the individual being to understand notions of the greatest good. After this understanding has been reached, he or she must attempt to share these values with the citizens of the state. Unfortunately, the people whom this philosopher is trying to educate about the greatest good are too caught up with the trials of their own lives to comprehend a society in which justice is absolute. As the ultimate fate of Socrates demonstrates,  being a philosopher is not a simple task. Generally, people are uncomfortable with trading their freedom for a world in which justice is absolute. Since the masses are not entitled to the education of the guardians, a desire to be rich, powerful or famous will prevail over the values of the philosopher. His ideals, no matter how noble, will almost always fall upon deaf ears.

Human Resource Management in Pakistan

Human Resource Management in Pakistan Pakistan is categorized in the list of developing countries. Many multinationals organizations are operational in Pakistan and along with these multinational organizations many large and small businesses are also operating in Pakistan. Now a day there is a trend of doing business thats why both experienced and well educated entrepreneurs are staring their businesses and this will a positive sign in the success of Pakistan. In Pakistan, most of the organizations dont have a proper human resource department to perform all the related activities of human resource department. Organizations dont give importance to the human resource department and do not realize the effectiveness of human resource department. They think that hiring a person is the only responsibility of human resource department in any organization and it can be done by any other person of the organization. But on the other hand, many multinational and national organizations realize the importance of human resource department and they have a proper human resource department in their organization and they are achieving the results positively. Organizations are now thinking and many organizations start building a proper human resource department so that they meet the challenges of the market. So in near future, we will see that almost every organization must have a proper human resource department and human resource managers are performing th eir duties effectively. PEST Analysis A PEST analysis is an analysis of the external macro-environment that affects all firms. P.E.S.T. is an acronym for the Political, Economic, Social, and Technological factors of the external macro-environment [1]. Political, economic, social and technological forces form the human resource management policies and activities. Local economy in terms of output and demand of labor is affected by the global economy influences. Political Factor: Political factor is more complex in our scenario because Pakistan is facing political instability and its relation to the other factors which are related to the human resource management. As Pakistan is in the category of developing countries and political environment is constantly changing, mainly in the area of regulatory requirements. Employment legislation, human rights, pay equity, occupational health and safety, industrial relations legislation and pension all impose on most human resource management activities, including selection, training and rewards. Also, government can get involved in the economy to influence economic activity and thus change labor market trends. In the meanwhile, government can influence on the work week and mandatory employee benefits which is directly related to the human resource management [2]. Economical Factor: A human resource management practices are strongly influenced by the current economic climate of the country. Skill level of workforce and labor cost are main factors of human resource management which are affected by the economical factor of a country. As Pakistan is a developing country and dont have a strong economic conditions which also impact on the organizations and they also dont have very much resources and on the other side those organizations who have resources only invest a certain level of amount which the organizations think they get back with profit. Due to weak economic conditions, organizations lack in competent human resource because people dont have much resources to get high profile employees. Due to economic condition, small businesses do not build a proper human resource department. They think that this will be wastage of money but do not give importance to it. Social Factor: Social factor also affect the human resource management practices of any country. Demographics, class structure, education, culture and entrepreneurial spirit are some of the parts of social factor which directly affect the human resource management of any country. In Pakistan, this factor plays a very important role but unfortunately plays a negative role to some extent. Some parts of this factor also play a positive role like education and entrepreneurial spirit are the most important ones. On the other hand, some organizations and government sector organizations are ruled by the class structure and demographics politics. Technological Factor: Technological factor plays a very important and also positive role in the human resource management. Those organizations that have a proper human resource department are now using latest technology and due to this employees confidence is built on the organization and they work more effectively because they know they get what they deliver. Most of the human resource departments are using customized softwares because of which their efficiency and effectiveness increased and they are delivering their best to the organization. These softwares help the human resource department in the time of recruitment and performance appraisals etc. Areas of Human Resource Management There are different areas of human resource management and here I select two areas of human resource management which I think are the most important areas of human resource management. The selected areas of human resource management are recruitment and selection. These both are the important areas of human resource management because if you dont select a right candidate for right position than you do not get the required results from that candidate. I will further high light the importance of these two areas by using an example of a company. The company which I select for this evaluation is wi-tribe Pakistan limited. I will discuss how the internal and external factors of wi-tribe affect the recruitment and selection process. Recruitment and Selection: Recruitment  refers to the process of attracting, screening, and selecting qualified people for a  job [3].  Different organizations outsource some of the recruitment process but there are organizations which perform the recruitment process itself. wi-tribe has its own full-fledged human resource management department which performs the activities related to human resource department. But there are few activities which wi-tribe outsource to different consulting organizations. wi-tribe outsource these activities to HRS global. Internal and External Factors The external factors [4] of an organization include; Economic forces Social, cultural, demographics and environmental forces Political, legal and governmental forces Technological forces The internal factors of an organization include; Employees Suppliers Distributors Economic Forces: If the economic conditions of wi-tribe is not so good than they have to think about the cost incurred while conducting the recruitment and selection process. So because of this the organization tries that source of recruitment which will bear a lower cost of recruitment for each candidate and this will affect the selection of the candidate and there are chances that the wi-tribe will not select the right candidate and this will affect its operations and performance. Social, Cultural, demographic and Environmental Forces: These forces also have a strong effect on recruitment and selection process. If wi-tribe has a recruitment and selection process which is opposite to the social and cultural trends than this will also affect the recruitment and selection of the right candidate. Social, cultural, demographics and environmental forces affect the organization and it is the responsibility of the management to set the policies of the organization in a way that they are not affected by these factors. Management has to handle these forces otherwise they are hurdles in the way of recruiting and selecting the right candidate for the right position. Political, Legal and Governmental Forces: A number of government regulations have direct impact on recruitment and selection process. Trade unions also play a vital role in recruitment and selection. But these unions and regulations sometimes badly affect the organization and play a negative role. In wi-tribe there are no unions but they are affected by the regulations imposed by the government and also the Pakistan telecom authority. Political pressure is also used for any post which also affects the image of the organization among its employees and outsiders even the employee has the capabilities for a certain post. Technological Forces: Technology is also a factor which effects on the organization but in the case of wi-tibe it has more important role because wi-tribe is working in internet providing industry and providing wireless internet connections to its customers. wi-tribe has to stay up to date in his technology so that he can compete his competitors in technology. The more the latest technology the wi-tribe uses the more the positive impact effects on its customers wi-tribe impose. Now a days wi-tribe is using the latest technology available and importing that technology from china. For the handling of that technology wi-tribe recruits and selects the most capable candidates so that they handle that technology with care and customers get the best services. Employees: Employees are the back bone of any organization. Those organizations that are successful in the market are only because of their competitive employees. wi-tribe also have competitive employees which are capable of achieving their goals and because of these employees wi-tribe become the number 1 internet providing company in Pakistan within few years. This shows how effective the human resource department wi-tribe have because these employees are selected by the human resource department. Suppliers: Suppliers are also the important factor which affect the organization and play important role in the success of the organization. Those organizations who have effective and best suppliers are leaders in the markets and leading the market because the facility which you are offering to the market is a quality product or not based on your suppliers because if your supplier supply you the best quality products than you can deliver the best product. With garbage event his top leaders cannot produce the master piece. Distributors: Distributors are also the important factor and they are your front line army men. If you produce the best quality product and because of your distributors negligence your product will be infected than you are unable to lead the market and get required result. Some products are sensitive and need some extra care. Recommendations Every organization is looking for perfection in his every department. Here are some recommendations related to human resource management department of wi-tribe so that they can achieve their targets easily. They give full rights to their human resource department and also gave them the freedom of recruiting and selecting the employee which they think is the most suitable for the given position. Human resource department also include at least a single person from every department during the recruitment process of that department so that they can select the right candidate.

Dramatic Irony in Oedipus Rex Essay -- essays research papers

Dramatic Irony in Oedipus Rex In Oedipus Rex, by Sophocles, there are several instances of dramatic irony. Not only does this irony give the plot a rounder shape, but it helps the audience understand, or follow along, the plot better.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dramatic irony is sometimes used to intensify a scene or act. By doing this, the plot of the story, or play, is made more interesting. One example is Oedipus taunting Teiresias for his blindness, both physical and stellar. He says, â€Å"You sightless, witless, senseless, mad old man!†, â€Å"You child of endless night! You can not hurt me or any other man who sees the sun.† Oedipus constantly made remarks to Teiresias blindness and his sight, though unknowingly, Oedipus himself was the â€Å"child of endless night†, the â€Å"sightless, witless, ... Dramatic Irony in Oedipus Rex Essay -- essays research papers Dramatic Irony in Oedipus Rex In Oedipus Rex, by Sophocles, there are several instances of dramatic irony. Not only does this irony give the plot a rounder shape, but it helps the audience understand, or follow along, the plot better.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dramatic irony is sometimes used to intensify a scene or act. By doing this, the plot of the story, or play, is made more interesting. One example is Oedipus taunting Teiresias for his blindness, both physical and stellar. He says, â€Å"You sightless, witless, senseless, mad old man!†, â€Å"You child of endless night! You can not hurt me or any other man who sees the sun.† Oedipus constantly made remarks to Teiresias blindness and his sight, though unknowingly, Oedipus himself was the â€Å"child of endless night†, the â€Å"sightless, witless, ...

Pragmatism as a Philosophy :: Skepticism, Rationalism, Metaphysics

I have often heard people use the word pragmatic to describe actions, laws or feelings, but I never really looked at pragmatism as a philosophy before. As we studied this semester I found myself asking one question about each philosophy we covered. We discussed skepticism and the claim that we have no knowledge (Lawhead, W., The Philosophical Journey, 2009, p. 55). We compared rationalism and empiricism which posit that we do have knowledge, but disagree on whether that knowledge comes from intellect or experience (Lawhead, p. 55). Along with that we covered Kant’s attempt bridge the gap between rationalism and empiricism, known as constructivism (Lawhead, p. 120). We moved on to the different varieties of relativism, and I still found myself asking the same thing. So what? In other words, does any of this really matter? Then we got to pragmatism, and I found that it asked the same question. Pragmatism looks for the practical value of a belief. If I look at the oth er subjects we have studied pragmatically, I can determine which ideas have the most value to me. Apart from the epistemological philosophies, another area we have also covered is metaphysics. Within metaphysics we have covered dualism and two forms of monism, materialism and idealism. Each of these beliefs deal with what reality actually is. Idealism claims there is one type of reality and that it is mental or spiritual in nature (Lawhead, p. 97). If, as Berkeley claims, matter is a useless concept (Lawhead, p. 206), it would be useless for us to try manipulating the world around us. Since we do try to manipulate our world, Berkeley’s idealism does not work with how we live. It is not practical. The other form of monism, materialism, more specifically physicalism, may hold more practical value than idealism. In materialism, reality is entirely physical (Lawhead, p. 205). Physicalism is a materialist view that the mind can be completely explained by the physical makeup of the brain (Lawhead, p. 214). This has practical value because it leads to the ability to study the min d, and allows the mind to interact with the rest of the world. This form of monism seems to be the more practical of the two, but monism is not the only way to look at reality. Pragmatism as a Philosophy :: Skepticism, Rationalism, Metaphysics I have often heard people use the word pragmatic to describe actions, laws or feelings, but I never really looked at pragmatism as a philosophy before. As we studied this semester I found myself asking one question about each philosophy we covered. We discussed skepticism and the claim that we have no knowledge (Lawhead, W., The Philosophical Journey, 2009, p. 55). We compared rationalism and empiricism which posit that we do have knowledge, but disagree on whether that knowledge comes from intellect or experience (Lawhead, p. 55). Along with that we covered Kant’s attempt bridge the gap between rationalism and empiricism, known as constructivism (Lawhead, p. 120). We moved on to the different varieties of relativism, and I still found myself asking the same thing. So what? In other words, does any of this really matter? Then we got to pragmatism, and I found that it asked the same question. Pragmatism looks for the practical value of a belief. If I look at the oth er subjects we have studied pragmatically, I can determine which ideas have the most value to me. Apart from the epistemological philosophies, another area we have also covered is metaphysics. Within metaphysics we have covered dualism and two forms of monism, materialism and idealism. Each of these beliefs deal with what reality actually is. Idealism claims there is one type of reality and that it is mental or spiritual in nature (Lawhead, p. 97). If, as Berkeley claims, matter is a useless concept (Lawhead, p. 206), it would be useless for us to try manipulating the world around us. Since we do try to manipulate our world, Berkeley’s idealism does not work with how we live. It is not practical. The other form of monism, materialism, more specifically physicalism, may hold more practical value than idealism. In materialism, reality is entirely physical (Lawhead, p. 205). Physicalism is a materialist view that the mind can be completely explained by the physical makeup of the brain (Lawhead, p. 214). This has practical value because it leads to the ability to study the min d, and allows the mind to interact with the rest of the world. This form of monism seems to be the more practical of the two, but monism is not the only way to look at reality.

Incat Wave-Piercing Catamaran Essay -- Innovation Research Paper

Describe your selected innovation/invention and discuss the design practice used in its development. Use appropriate images to illustrate this section of your report. Relate your discussion to the industry standards that were being applied at the time. Did this innovation challenge existing standards? Incat’s wave piercing catamarans are an innovation of the catamaran through design and materials. The original catamaran where made to be a fast and stable two hulled boat, although on choppy seas they where unable to maintain this stability. Incat’s catamaran uses wave-piercing technology to increase the catamarans speed and stability, through the innovation of a wave-piercing center bow, Incat has never patented its center bow design, relying instead on keeping ahead of the technology in this field. The wave piercing catamaran’s centre bow, is designed so that the buoyancy in the forward portions are reduced, due to this when it is approached by a wave due to the lack of buoyancy in the forward proportions of the bow it results in the bow piercing through the water instead of riding over the top. Due to this it provides a smoother ride and reduce the boats wave making resistance that slows down the boat, The two outer hulls of the catamaran known as a SWARTH is designed to minimize the area of the hull cross-section at the oceans surface, this minimizes the surface area that wave are able to hit. This results in higher speeds and greater stability especially in rough seas. The Incat wave piercing catamaran idea began in 1983, Phil Hercus in 1984 began development of a wave-piercing catamaran. This design combined the hull design called a SWARTH (Small Waterplane Area Twin Hull) with a center bow designed by Phil Hercus... .../teamaustralia/vessels_wave_piercing_catamaran.htm [Accessed: 24 Feb 2014]. Hhpinsight.com. 2014. Incat’s LNG Ferry – ‘World’s Fastest Ship’ | HHPInsight.com. [online] Available at: http://hhpinsight.com/marine/2013/06/incats-lng-ferry-worlds-fastest-ship/ [Accessed: 24 Feb 2014]. Incat.com.au. 2014. Incat Home. [online] Available at: http://www.incat.com.au [Accessed: 24 Feb 2014]. Powerhousemuseum.com. 2014. Wave Piercing Catamaran - Australia Innovates - Powerhouse Museum. [online] Available at: http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/australia_innovates/?behaviour=view_article&Section_id=1080&article_id=10089 [Accessed: 24 Feb 2014]. Wikipedia. 2014. HSC INCAT 046. [online] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HSC_INCAT_046 [Accessed: 24 Feb 2014]. Wikipedia. 2014. Swarth. [online] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swarth [Accessed: 24 Feb 2014].

Innovations In English Language Teaching Essay

Within the inter-related fields of linguistics, psychology and specifically language learning it has been recognized that language acquisition depends on several cognitive and environmental aspects. When giving instruction in a foreign language, it is also necessary to consider the language of origin already mastered by the learner, as well as the peculiarities of culture that may interfere with or otherwise have an impact on the manner in which a given language is learned (Collier, 1995). In Singapore, innovations in language learning based on these criteria have already been made, but implementation has posed a challenge (Tucker & Corson, 1997). The true language expert has a deep understanding these barriers and must be prepared to come up with ideas that facilitate the change that drives the actual implementation of these innovative processes (Reza-Hernandez & Clifford, 2003; Garcia, 1994). In Singapore, English has been acknowledged as the language of business and commerce, and therefore it has become crucial for greater strides to be made in passing on its knowledge to the citizens (Tucker & Corson, 1997). Singapore’s national university has instituted such innovations as the creation of computerized databases that hold â€Å"profiles of Singapore-based English† as a method improving the research and development in the area of English language teaching in the country (1997, p. 227). This type of research appears to enable language instructors to understand the general areas of English that need more or better instruction. Other innovations directly affecting Singapore include the new dictionary of Southeast Asian English as well as numerous conferences that promote the improvement of the language. This research hopes to add further innovations, including in the area of technology, that would build on the projects already begun and further enhance the learning of the language in the country (Chapelle, 2003; Parker, 2007; Reza-Hernandez & Clifford, 2003; Klein et al. 2006). Research Objectives The aim of this research is to find new approaches to teaching English that can be easily implemented in the Singaporean context. These will include new instructional methods, teaching aids, and the use of technologies as an integral aspect of imparting the language experience to those who learn. Research Question: How does collaborative learning, using the primary learners as mediators of the language, affect English language instruction in Singapore? Methods The major theme of the implementation strategies will be the establishment of a community of English language learners using a core group of English language institute students as mediators of the language. The use of technology will enhance the project but not be the main focus. In community building, emphasis will be placed on building bridges between and among students of language-learning institution and other schools or groups within the community (Hones, 2000; Parker, 2007; Klein, et al. , 2006). Technology will come into play as computers and the internet will provide the means of uniting persons separated by distance. It will also be used to engage the participation of native speakers of English from the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, and other English speaking countries of the world. Technology will also be used as a supplement to the activities performed in the language-learning setting (Kamhi-Stein, 2000). The study will therefore take the form of an action research in which the use of existing educational software, games, and activities in English are used within an integrative context. This integrative context will involve the exposure of the language-learning institute students to activities with native speakers, which they will in turn pass on to a group of Singaporeans within a given community—perhaps children or youth group. The types of activities used will include the following †¢ internet word-searches and studies †¢ webquests (Teclahaimanot & Lamb, 2004) †¢ on- and offline word-game applications such as Scrabble †¢ watching and discussing movies in English †¢ reading and discussing books in English These will be done together with volunteers from English speaking countries who will be instructed to maintain constant dialogue with the institute student about the activities for the duration of the session. Group chats as well as one-on-one conversations will be used. Later the student will be expected to impart the knowledge gained from the session to members of the community. Activities will be monitored via reports and observation in order to provide the data for the research.

Kudler Fine Foods E-Commerce Website

Kudler Fine Foods E-Commerce Website Kudler Fine Foods E-Commerce Website * Introduction â€Å"E Commerce is one of the most important facets of the Internet to have emerged in the recent times. Ecommerce or electronic commerce involves carrying out business over the Internet with the assistance of computers, which are linked to each other forming a network. To be specific, ecommerce would be buying and selling of goods and services and transfer of funds through digital communications† (Benefits of Ecommerce†,  2007).With the launch of Kudler Fine Foods new eCommerce solution quickly approaching, this is an exciting time for Kudler and its staff. The benefits of this expansion will not only increase revenue for the company, but afford the opportunity to create new jobs and provide a new range of services to all customers. From the customer’s perspective, everything will start from the Kudler Fine Foods homepage. The home page will maintain the original look and design, but the customer will notice two new additions when visiting. The first addition will be a â€Å"shop† link included in the navigation bar.This will bring the customer into the store’s inventory of items available for online purchase. These new features and services will now be explained, as well as a step by step walk through the customer will experience when making online purchases. Shop When Shop is selected in the navigation toolbar at the top of the website the user opens a new webpage. This webpage is the â€Å"shop† page where the user sees a dropdown box giving them the following categories to choose from: Bakery, Meat and Seafood, Produce, Cheese and Dairy and final Wine.After selecting the category the user will then click on the â€Å"shop† button to the right. They will then be sent that category webpage to make their purchases. Purchase of Items To purchase items the user will see the category webpage where there is a list of all the products offered for this category. Each item will have a description of the product and the price of each item. There is an â€Å"add† button at the end of each item description where the user can choose to purchase this item by â€Å"clicking† on the add button.At the top of each category page the user has the option to go to the other category pages by clicking on the â€Å"go to† button for each category listed on that button. At the bottom of each page there are two buttons to choose; View Cart and Checkout. View Cart View cart allows the user to see all the items that they have chosen to purchase. A list of each item with their price will be shown. At the end of each item row there is a â€Å"remove† button where the user can remove the item from the list. This is the only location the user can remove their items they have chosen to purchase.At the bottom of this page there are buttons to choose to go to the other category pages or to checkout page. If the user chooses to go to another category and selects and item from that page, it will be added to the view cart page. Even if the user goes all the way back to the â€Å"home† page they can start looking at other categories and each item will be added to the shopping cart where it can be seen on the view cart page. After the user has made all their choices to purchase, they can click on the â€Å"checkout† button at the bottom of the page to finalize their purchase.Checkout The checkout page is the final page the customer will need to go to in order to finish their purchase. Here the customer can see all of the items they have selected along with the total of the purchase they are about to make. It they want to remove an item they will need to go back to â€Å"view cart† where they can remove the item. Under the list and total of the items to be purchased, there is a form to fill out. This form is the Payment Information form needed to finish the purchase. Here the customer will input their Name, Address, Town/City, State and Zip code.Then they will select from the dropdown box which credit card they plan to use to make the purchase. After selecting the credit card, there is a box for the credit card number to be entered. After the customer enters in their credit card number, they can either choose the â€Å"submit† to finish the purchase or choose the â€Å"reset† button to clear out the form. If they choose to reset the form, the information will be deleted and they may begin a new ordering process. Marketing our website/promote website Marketing in e-commerce is just as important as the site itself.That brings us to how we can add code into our site to help make us more visible to search engines; meta data is what is used to make us visible to our customers. â€Å"Meta data is, quite simply, data about data. Your document is nothing but a piece of data for a search engine, and meta data helps describes and categoriz es it. Webmasters place meta data inside their HTML documents, to help improve their ranking on search engines, and to help end-users locate their site† (â€Å"Marketing Your Website : Meta Data†,  1999).We will put a description meta tag and keyword metadata tag on each of the webpages we have made for the shopping feature. This way each category will be part of the web search when a customer is looking for one of our products. The metadata tags we are going to use will be the â€Å"description†, â€Å"keyword† (these will be on all webpages); â€Å"author†, â€Å"content-type†, â€Å"refresh† and â€Å"revised† tags (only one the shop page). The description tag lets you put the title of the page when the keyword tag is where you can put important keywords to be found when search engine can find it easier.The author tag shows all that look at our website who created it. The content-type tag shows what we used such as text, ht ml and the UTF8. The refresh one allows the page to refresh at the time limit we set for each page. Then revised will show who ever has to update or modify the shopping pages will know when they were last done making it easier to keep up with the alterations. SEO (search engine optimization) is the process of optimizing a website so it will position well in search engines results. â€Å"This means designing your web pages so the search engines will find the right keywords in your web page content.Optimization is all about making sure the search engines will find information that will increase the chance of your page being included in search results†(â€Å"How to promote a website as part of the website design†, n. d. ). some ways to help in this area to make the site more visible include but not limited to include the main keywords in the website title, more keywords in the website description, keywords in the sidebar links, keywords in the content text, be sure all pa ges are reachable, and pages should be easy to navigate. A website can be submitted to search engines so they will know about it.This used to be a necessary step to notify search engines about new websites. Now search engines constantly monitor the Internet for new web pages (and changed web pages) so they will discover your website. â€Å"To ensure that your fresh content or site improvements don't languish un-indexed, submit to Google an XML sitemap, which shows your site's coding, each time you do an update. Google will help you correct any errors in the sitemap to make its indexing more accurate, and will crawl your site more often if you routinely send it XML sitemap updates. † (McElgunn, J. )It is still a good idea to submit your website to all four major search engines (AOL, Google, MSN, and Yahoo) because these four primarily are the ones used for most Internet searches. Another way to increase the SEO for Kudler Fine Foods is with a Facebook page since they are used to get consumers from a social media. Creating a Facebook page for Kudler Fine Foods and getting the consumer to click on â€Å"like† on the page will boost the way the SEO ranks there website. Facebook is another way to notify customers of deals being offered so they will want to check them out on their website.More consumers viewing their website will move them to the top faster. We will add the Facebook logo to the top of each page so the customer can access it from the website. Publish/upload website Once the website has been created, the testing is complete, and the site is ready to go live we need to upload the files to our web server so our customers can start accessing and using the site. One easy option we can use is a program called FileZilla which uses an FTP (file transfer protocol) or we can use a web design product from the host that can upload all the files easily.With the FTP option we have to manually upload each file we want to use. If using a web design pro duct it will upload everything you have at one time. â€Å"Be sure to thoroughly test the website after the upload to be sure all necessary files were successfully uploaded and work correctly. When you need to update a web page you can just upload that page (and related files) and the upload will overwrite the old files. NOTE – Some web design software products save web pages in their own unique file format and automatically convert the files to web format files (e. . HTML) when the upload/publish function is used. If you are going to use FTP software for your uploads, you will first need to do a save-as/export for the web page files to create HTML files. It is a good idea to save these files in a separate folder to make the FTP file selection easier as the web design unique format files do not need to be uploaded. Also, if you use FTP software for your uploads you must also upload files and graphics used by the webpage† (â€Å"How To Publish/upload Web Pages†,à ‚  n. d. )†. Resource: Benefits of ecommerce. 2007). Retrieved from http://www. ecommerceprogram. com/ecommerce/benefits-of-ecommerce. asp How to publish/upload web pages. (n. d. ). Retrieved from http://www. doawebsite. com/publish. html How to promote a website as part of the website design. (n. d. ). Retrieved from http://www. doawebsite. com/promote. html Marketing your website : Meta Data. (1999). Retrieved from http://www. davidreilly. com/topics/electronic_commerce/web_marketing/meta-data. html McElgunn, J. Google Grabbers. Profit, Mar2008, Vol. 27 Issue1, p56-57, 2p.

The Host Chapter 31: Needed

I froze and then looked quickly over my shoulder to see if someone was behind me. â€Å"Gladys was his wife,† Jamie whispered almost silently. â€Å"She didn't escape.† â€Å"Gladys,† Walter said to me, oblivious to my reaction. â€Å"Would you believe I went and got cancer? What are the odds, eh? Never took a sick day in my life†¦Ã¢â‚¬  His voice faded out until I couldn't hear it, but his lips continued to move. He was too weak to lift his hand; his fingers dragged themselves toward the edge of the cot, toward me. Ian nudged me forward. â€Å"What should I do?† I breathed. The sweat beading on my forehead had nothing to do with the humid heat. â€Å"†¦ grandfather lived to be a hundred and one,† Walter wheezed, audible again. â€Å"Nobody ever had cancer in my family, not even the cousins. Didn't your aunt Regan have skin cancer, though?† He looked at me trustingly, waiting for an answer. Ian poked me in the back. â€Å"Um†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I mumbled. â€Å"Maybe that was Bill's aunt,† Walter allowed. I shot a panicked glance at Ian, who shrugged. â€Å"Help,† I mouthed at him. He motioned for me to take Walter's searching fingers. Walter's skin was chalk white and translucent. I could see the faint pulse of blood in the blue veins on the back of his hand. I lifted his hand gingerly, worried about the slender bones that Jamie had said were so brittle. It felt too light, as if it were hollow. â€Å"Ah, Gladdie, it's been hard without you. It's a nice place here; you'll like it, even when I'm gone. Plenty of people to talk to-I know how you need to have your conversation†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The volume of his voice sank until I couldn't make out the words anymore, but his lips still shaped the words he wanted to share with his wife. His mouth kept moving, even when his eyes closed and his head lolled to the side. Ian found a wet cloth and began wiping Walter's shining face. â€Å"I'm not good at†¦ at deception,† I whispered, watching Walter's mumbling lips to make sure he wasn't listening to me. â€Å"I don't want to upset him.† â€Å"You don't have to say anything,† Ian reassured me. â€Å"He's not lucid enough to care.† â€Å"Do I look like her?† â€Å"Not a bit-I've seen her picture. Stocky redhead.† â€Å"Here, let me do that.† Ian gave me the rag, and I cleaned the sweat off Walter's neck. Busy hands always made me feel more comfortable. Walter continued to mumble. I thought I heard him say, â€Å"Thanks, Gladdie, that's nice.† I didn't notice that Doc's snores had stopped. His familiar voice was suddenly there behind me, too gentle to startle. â€Å"How is he?† â€Å"Delusional,† Ian whispered. â€Å"Is that the brandy or the pain?† â€Å"More the pain, I would think. I'd trade my right arm for some morphine.† â€Å"Maybe Jared will produce another miracle,† Ian suggested. â€Å"Maybe,† Doc sighed. I wiped absently at Walter's pallid face, listening more intently now, but they didn't speak of Jared again. Not here, Melanie whispered. Looking for help for Walter, I agreed. Alone, she added. I thought about the last time I'd seen him-the kiss, the belief†¦ He probably wanted some time to himself. I hope he isn't out there convincing himself that you're a very talented actress-slash-Seeker again†¦ That's possible, of course. Melanie groaned silently. Ian and Doc murmured in quiet voices about inconsequential things, mostly Ian catching Doc up on what was going on in the caves. â€Å"What happened to Wanda's face?† Doc whispered, but I could still hear him easily. â€Å"More of the same,† Ian said in a tight voice. Doc made an unhappy noise under his breath and then clicked his tongue. Ian told him a bit about tonight's awkward class, about Geoffrey's questions. â€Å"It would have been convenient if Melanie had been possessed by a Healer,† Doc mused. I flinched, but they were behind me and probably didn't notice. â€Å"We're lucky it was Wanda,† Ian murmured in my defense. â€Å"No one else -â€Å" â€Å"I know,† Doc interrupted, good-natured as always. â€Å"I guess I should say, it's too bad Wanda didn't have more of an interest in medicine.† â€Å"I'm sorry,† I murmured. I was careless to reap the benefits of perfect health without ever being curious about the cause. A hand touched my shoulder. â€Å"You have nothing to apologize for,† Ian said. Jamie was being very quiet. I looked around and saw that he was curled up on the cot where Doc had been napping. â€Å"It's late,† Doc noted. â€Å"Walter's not going anywhere tonight. You should get some sleep.† â€Å"We'll be back,† Ian promised. â€Å"Let us know what we can bring, for either of you.† I laid Walter's hand down, patting it cautiously. His eyes snapped open, focusing with more awareness than before. â€Å"Are you leaving?† he wheezed. â€Å"Do you have to go so soon?† I took his hand again quickly. â€Å"No, I don't have to leave.† He smiled and closed his eyes again. His fingers locked around mine with brittle strength. Ian sighed. â€Å"You can go,† I told him. â€Å"I don't mind. Take Jamie back to his bed.† Ian glanced around the room. â€Å"Hold on a sec,† he said, and then he grabbed the cot closest to him. It wasn't heavy-he lifted it easily and slid it into place next to Walter's. I stretched my arm to the limit, trying not to jostle Walter, so that Ian could arrange the cot under it. Then he grabbed me up just as easily and set me on the cot beside Walter. Walter's eyes never fluttered. I gasped quietly, caught off guard by the casual way Ian was able to put his hands on me-as though I were human. Ian jerked his chin toward Walter's hand clasped around mine. â€Å"Do you think you can sleep like that?† â€Å"Yes, I'm sure I can.† â€Å"Sleep well, then.† He smiled at me, then turned and lifted Jamie from the other cot. â€Å"Let's go, kid,† he muttered, carrying the boy with no more effort than if he were an infant. Ian's quiet footsteps faded into the distance until I couldn't hear them anymore. Doc yawned and went to sit behind the desk he'd constructed out of wooden crates and an aluminum door, taking the dim lamp with him. Walter's face was too dark to see, and that made me nervous. It was like he was already gone. I took comfort in his fingers, still curled stiffly around mine. Doc began to shuffle through some papers, humming almost inaudibly to himself. I drifted off to the sound of the gentle rustling. Walter recognized me in the morning. He didn't wake until Ian showed up to escort me back; the cornfield was due to be cleared of the old stalks. I promised Doc I would bring him breakfast before I got to work. The very last thing I did was to carefully loosen my numb fingers, freeing them from Walter's grasp. His eyes opened. â€Å"Wanda,† he whispered. â€Å"Walter?† I wasn't sure how long he would know me, or if he would remember last night. His hand clutched at the empty air, so I gave him my left, the one that wasn't dead. â€Å"You came to see me. That was nice. I know†¦ with the others back†¦ must be hard†¦ for you†¦ Your face†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He seemed to be having a difficult time making his lips form the words, and his eyes went in and out of focus. How like him, that his first words to me would be full of concern. â€Å"Everything's fine, Walter. How are you feeling?† â€Å"Ah -† He groaned quietly. â€Å"Not so†¦ Doc?† â€Å"Right here,† Doc murmured, close behind me. â€Å"Got any more liquor?† he gasped. â€Å"Of course.† Doc was already prepared. He held the mouth of a thick glass bottle to Walter's slack lips and carefully poured the dark brown liquid in slow drips into his mouth. Walter winced as each sip burned down his throat. Some of it trickled out the side of his mouth and onto his pillow. The smell stung my nose. â€Å"Better?† Doc asked after a long moment of slow pouring. Walter grunted. It didn't sound like assent. His eyes closed. â€Å"More?† Doc asked. Walter grimaced and then moaned. Doc cursed under his breath. â€Å"Where's Jared?† he muttered. I stiffened at the name. Melanie stirred and then drifted again. Walter's face sagged. His head rolled back on his neck. â€Å"Walter?† I whispered. â€Å"The pain's too much for him to stay conscious. Let him be,† Doc said. My throat felt swollen. â€Å"What can I do?† Doc's voice was desolate. â€Å"About as much as I can. Which is nothing. I'm useless.† â€Å"Don't be like that, Doc,† I heard Ian murmur. â€Å"This isn't your fault. The world doesn't work the way it used to. No one expects more of you.† My shoulders hunched inward. No, their world didn't work the same way anymore. A finger tapped my arm. â€Å"Let's go,† Ian whispered. I nodded and started to pull my hand free again. Walter's eyes rolled open, unseeing. â€Å"Gladdie? Are you here?† he implored. â€Å"Um†¦ I'm here,† I said uncertainly, letting his fingers lock around mine. Ian shrugged. â€Å"I'll get you both some food,† he whispered, and then he left. I waited anxiously for him to return, unnerved by Walter's misconception. Walter murmured Gladys's name over and over, but he didn't seem to need anything from me, for which I was grateful. After a while, half an hour maybe, I began listening for Ian's footsteps in the tunnel, wondering what could be taking him so long. Doc stood by his desk the whole time, staring into nothing with his shoulders slumped. It was easy to see how useless he felt. And then I did hear something, but it wasn't footsteps. â€Å"What is that?† I asked Doc in a whisper; Walter was quiet again, maybe unconscious. I didn't want to disturb him. Doc turned to look at me, cocking his head to the side at the same time to listen. The noise was a funny thrumming, a fast, soft beat. I thought I heard it get just a little louder, but then it seemed quieter again. â€Å"That's weird,† Doc said. â€Å"It almost sounds like†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He paused, his forehead furrowing in concentration as the unfamiliar sound faded. We were listening intently, so we heard the footsteps when they were still far away. They did not match the expected, even pace of Ian's return. He was running-no, sprinting. Doc reacted immediately to the sound of trouble. He jogged quickly out to meet Ian. I wished I could see what was wrong, too, but I didn't want to upset Walter by trying to free my hand again. I listened hard instead. â€Å"Brandt?† I heard Doc say in surprise. â€Å"Where is it? Where is it?† the other man demanded breathlessly. The running footsteps only paused for a second, then started up again, not quite as fast. â€Å"What are you talking about?† Doc asked, calling back this way. â€Å"The parasite!† Brandt hissed impatiently, anxiously, as he burst through the arched entry. Brandt was not a big man like Kyle or Ian; he was probably only a few inches taller than me, but he was thick and solid as a rhinoceros. His eyes swept the room; his piercing gaze focused on my face for half a second, then took in Walter's oblivious form, and then raced around the room only to end up on me again. Doc caught up with Brandt then, his long fingers gripping Brandt's shoulder just as the broader man took the first step in my direction. â€Å"What are you doing?† Doc asked, his voice the closest to a growl I'd ever heard it. Before Brandt answered, the odd sound returned, going from soft to screaming loud to soft again with a suddenness that had us all frozen. The beats thudded right on top of one another, shaking the air when they were at their loudest. â€Å"Is that-is that a helicopter?† Doc asked, whispering. â€Å"Yes,† Brandt whispered back. â€Å"It's the Seeker-the one from before, the one who was looking for it.† He jerked his chin at me. My throat was suddenly too small-the breaths moving through it were thin and shallow, not enough. I felt dizzy. No. Not now. Please. What is her problem? Mel snarled in my head. Why can't she leave us alone? We can't let her hurt them! But how do we stop her? I don't know. This is all my fault! Mine, too, Wanda. Ours. â€Å"Are you sure?† Doc asked. â€Å"Kyle got a clear view through the binoculars while it was hovering. Same one he saw before.† â€Å"Is it looking here?† Doc's voice was suddenly horrified. He half spun, eyes flashing toward the exit. â€Å"Where's Sharon?† Brandt shook his head. â€Å"It's just running sweeps. Starts at Picacho, then fans out in spokes. Doesn't look like it's focusing on anything close. Circled around a few times where we dumped the car.† â€Å"Sharon?† Doc asked again. â€Å"She's with the kids and Lucina. They're fine. The boys are getting things packed in case we have to roll tonight, but Jeb says it's not likely.† Doc exhaled, then paced over to his desk. He slouched against it, looking as if he'd just run a long race. â€Å"So it's nothing new, really,† he murmured. â€Å"Naw. Just have to lay low for a few days,† Brandt reassured him. His eyes were flickering around the room again, settling on me every other second. â€Å"Do you have any rope handy?† he asked. He pulled up the edge of the sheet on an empty cot, examining it. â€Å"Rope?† Doc echoed blankly. â€Å"For the parasite. Kyle sent me out here to secure it.† My muscles contracted involuntarily; my hand gripped Walter's fingers too tightly, and he whimpered. I tried to force it to relax while I kept my eyes on Brandt's hard face. He was waiting for Doc, expectant. â€Å"You're here to secure Wanda?† Doc said, his voice hard again. â€Å"And what makes you think that's necessary?† â€Å"Come on, Doc. Don't be stupid. You've got some big vents in here, and a lot of reflective metal.† Brandt gestured to a file cabinet against the far wall. â€Å"You let your attention wander for half a minute, and it'll be flashing signals to that Seeker.† I sucked in a shocked breath; it was loud in the still room. â€Å"See?† Brandt said. â€Å"Guessed its plan in one.† I wanted to bury myself under a boulder to hide from the bulging, relentless eyes of my Seeker, yet he imagined I wanted to guide her in. Bring her here to kill Jamie, Jared, Jeb, Ian†¦ I felt like gagging. â€Å"You can go, Brandt,† Doc said in an icy tone. â€Å"I will keep an eye on Wanda.† Brandt raised one eyebrow. â€Å"What happened to you guys? To you and Ian and Trudy and the rest? It's like you're all hypnotized. If your eyes weren't right, I'd have to wonder†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Go ahead and wonder all you want, Brandt. But get out while you're doing it.† Brandt shook his head. â€Å"I've got a job to do.† Doc walked toward Brandt, stopping when he was between Brandt and me. He folded his arms across his chest. â€Å"You're not going to touch her.† The throbbing helicopter blades sounded in the distance. We were all very still, not breathing, until they faded. Brandt shook his head when it was quiet again. He didn't speak; he just went to the desk and picked up Doc's chair. He carried it to the wall by the file cabinet, slammed it to the ground, and then sat down hard, making the metal legs squeal against the stone. He leaned forward, his hands on his knees, and stared at me. A vulture waiting for a dying hare to stop moving. Doc's jaw tightened, making a little popping noise. â€Å"Gladys,† Walter muttered, surfacing from his dazed sleep. â€Å"You're here.† Too nervous to speak with Brandt watching, I just patted his hand. His clouded eyes searched my face, seeing features that weren't there. â€Å"It hurts, Gladdie. It hurts a lot.† â€Å"I know,† I whispered. â€Å"Doc?† He was already there, the brandy in hand. â€Å"Open up, Walter.† The sound of the helicopter thumped quietly, far away but still much too close. Doc flinched, and a few drops of brandy splattered on my arm. It was a horrible day. The worst of my life on this planet, even including my first day in the caves and the last hot, dry day in the desert, hours from death. The helicopter circled and circled. Sometimes more than an hour would pass, and I would think it was finally over. Then the sound would come back, and I would see the Seeker's obstinate face in my head, her protruding eyes scouring the blank desert for some sign of humans. I tried to will her away, concentrating hard on my memories of the desert's featureless, colorless plain, as if I could somehow make sure she saw nothing else, as if I could bore her into leaving. Brandt never took his suspicious stare off of me. I could always feel it, though I rarely looked at him. It got a little better when Ian came back with both breakfast and lunch. He was all dirty from packing in case of an evacuation-whatever that meant. Did they have anywhere to go? Ian scowled so hard he looked like Kyle when Brandt explained in clipped phrases why he was there. Then Ian dragged another empty cot beside mine, so that he could sit in Brandt's line of sight and block his view. The helicopter, Brandt's distrustful watch, these were not really so bad. On an ordinary day-if there was really such a thing anymore-either one of these might have seemed agonizing. Today, they were nothing. By noon, Doc had given Walter the last of the brandy. It seemed like only minutes later that Walter was writhing, moaning, and gasping for breath. His fingers bruised and chafed mine, but if I ever pulled away, his moans turned to shrill screams. I ducked out once to use the latrine; Brandt followed me, which made Ian feel like he had to come, too. By the time we got back-after nearly running the whole way-Walter's screams no longer sounded human. Doc's face was hollow with echoed agony. Walter quieted after I spoke to him for a moment, letting him think his wife was near. It was an easy lie, a kind one. Brandt made little noises of irritation, but I knew that he was wrong to be upset. Nothing mattered beside Walter's pain. The whimpers and the writhing continued, though, and Brandt paced back and forth at the other end of the room, trying to be as far from the sound as possible. Jamie came looking for me, bringing food enough for four, when the light was growing orangey overhead. I wouldn't let him stay; I made Ian take him back to the kitchen to eat, made Ian promise to watch him all night so he wouldn't sneak back here. Walter couldn't help shrieking when his twisting moved his broken leg, and the sound of it was nearly unbearable. Jamie shouldn't have this night burned into his memory the way it would surely be burned into Doc's and mine. Perhaps Brandt's as well, though he did what he could to ignore Walter, plugging his ears and humming a dissonant tune. Doc did not try to distance himself from Walter's hideous suffering; instead, he suffered with him. Walter's cries carved deep lines in Doc's face, like claws raking his skin. It was strange to see such depths of compassion in a human, particularly Doc. I couldn't look at him the same way after watching him live Walter's pain. So great was his compassion, he seemed to bleed internally with it. As I watched, it became impossible to believe that Doc was a cruel person; the man simply could not be a torturer. I tried to remember what had been said to found my conjectures-had anyone made the accusation outright? I didn't think so. I must have jumped to false conclusions in my terror. I doubted I could ever mistrust Doc again after this nightmarish day. However, I would always find his hospital a horrible place. When the last of the daylight disappeared, so did the helicopter. We sat in the darkness, not daring to turn on even the dim blue light. It took a few hours before any of us would believe the hunt was over. Brandt was the first to accept it; he'd had enough of the hospital, too. â€Å"Makes sense for it to give up,† he muttered, edging out the exit. â€Å"Nothing to see at night. I'll just take your light with me, Doc, so that Jeb's pet parasite can't get up to anything, and be on my way.† Doc didn't respond, didn't even look at the sullen man as he left. â€Å"Make it stop, Gladdie, make it stop!† Walter begged me. I wiped the sweat from his face while he crushed my hand. Time seemed to slow down and stop; the black night felt unending. Walter's screams got more and more frequent, more and more excruciating. Melanie was far away, knowing she could do nothing useful. I would have hidden, too, if Walter hadn't needed me. I was all alone in my head-exactly what I had once wanted. It made me feel lost. Eventually, a dim gray light started to creep in through the high vents overhead. I was hovering on the edge of sleep, Walter's moans and screams keeping me from sinking under. I could hear Doc snoring behind me. I was glad that he'd been able to escape for a little while. I didn't hear Jared come in. I was mumbling weak assurances, barely coherent, trying to calm Walter. â€Å"I'm here, I'm here,† I murmured as he cried out his wife's name. â€Å"Shh, it's okay.† The words were meaningless. It was something to say, though, and it did seem that my voice calmed the worst of his cries. I don't know how long Jared watched me with Walter before I realized he was there. It must have been a while. I was sure his first reaction would be anger, but when I heard him speak, his voice was cool. â€Å"Doc,† he said, and I heard the cot behind me shake. â€Å"Doc, wake up.† I jerked my hand free, whirling, disoriented, to see the face that went with the unmistakable voice. His eyes were on me as he shook the sleeping man's shoulder. They were impossible to read in the dim light. His face had no expression at all. Melanie jolted into awareness. She pored over his features, trying to read the thoughts behind the mask. â€Å"Gladdie! Don't leave! Don't!† Walter's screech had Doc bolting upright, nearly capsizing his cot. I spun back to Walter, shoving my sore hand into his searching fingers. â€Å"Shhh, shhh! Walter, I'm here. I won't leave. I won't, I promise.† He quieted down, whimpering like a small child. I wiped the damp cloth over his forehead; his sob hitched and turned into a sigh. â€Å"What's that about?† Jared murmured behind me. â€Å"She's the best painkiller I've been able to find,† Doc said wearily. â€Å"Well, I've found you something better than a tame Seeker.† My stomach knotted, and Melanie hissed in my head. So stupidly, blindly stubborn! she growled. He wouldn't believe you if you told him the sun sets in the west. But Doc was beyond caring about the slight to me. â€Å"You found something!† â€Å"Morphine-there's not much. I would have gotten here sooner if the Seeker hadn't pinned me down out there.† Doc was instantly in action. I heard him rustling through something papery, and he crowed in delight. â€Å"Jared, you're the miracle man!† â€Å"Doc, just a sec†¦Ã¢â‚¬  But Doc was at my side already, his haggard face alight with anticipation. His hands were busy with a small syringe. He stuck the tiny needle into the crease at Walter's elbow, on the arm that was attached to me. I turned my face away. It seemed so horribly invasive to stab something through his skin. I couldn't argue with the results, though. Within half a minute, Walter's entire body relaxed, melting into a pile of loose flesh against the thin mattress. His breathing went from harsh and urgent to whispery and even. His hand relaxed, freeing mine. I massaged my left hand with my right, trying to bring the blood back to my fingertips. Little prickles followed the flow of blood under my skin. â€Å"Uh, Doc, there really isn't enough for that,† Jared murmured. I looked up from Walter's face, peaceful at last. Jared had his back to me, but I could see the surprise in Doc's expression. â€Å"Enough for what? I'm not going to save this for a rainy day, Jared. I'm sure we'll wish we had it again, and too soon, but I'm not going to let Walter scream in agony while I have a way to help him!† â€Å"That's not what I meant,† Jared said. He spoke the way he did when he'd already thought about something long and hard. Slow and even, like Walter's breath. Doc frowned, confused. â€Å"There's enough to stop the pain for maybe three or four days, that's all,† Jared said. â€Å"If you give it to him in doses.† I didn't understand what Jared was saying, but Doc did. â€Å"Ah,† he sighed. He turned to look at Walter again, and I saw a rim of fresh tears start to pool above his lower lids. He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. I wanted to know what they were talking about, but Jared's presence made me silent, brought back the reserve I rarely felt the need for anymore. â€Å"You can't save him. You can only save him pain, Doc.† â€Å"I know,† Doc said. His voice broke, like he was holding back a sob. â€Å"You're right.† What's going on? I asked. As long as Melanie was going to be around, I might as well make use of her. They're going to kill Walter, she told me matter-of-factly. There's enough morphine to give him an overdose. My gasp sounded loud in the quiet room, but it was really just a breath. I didn't look up to see how the two healthy men would react. My own tears pooled as I leaned over Walter's pillow. No, I thought, no. Not yet. No. You'd rather he died screaming? I just†¦ I can't stand the†¦ finality. It's so absolute. I'll never see my friend again. How many of your other friends have you gone back to visit, Wanderer? I've never had friends like this before. My friends on other planets were all blurred together in my head; the souls were so similar, almost interchangeable in some ways. Walter was distinctly himself. When he was gone, there would be no one who could fill his place. I cradled Walter's head in my arms and let my tears fall onto his skin. I tried to stifle my crying, but it made its way out regardless, a keening rather than sobs. I know. Another first, Melanie whispered, and there was compassion in her tone. Compassion for me-that was a first, too. â€Å"Wanda?† Doc asked. I just shook my head, not able to answer. â€Å"I think you've been here too long,† he said. I felt his hand, light and warm, on my shoulder. â€Å"You should take a break.† I shook my head again, still keening softly. â€Å"You're worn out,† he said. â€Å"Go clean up, stretch your legs. Eat something.† I glared up at him. â€Å"Will Walter be here when I get back?† I mumbled through my tears. His eyes tightened anxiously. â€Å"Do you want that?† â€Å"I'd like a chance to say goodbye. He's my friend.† He patted my arm. â€Å"I know, Wanda, I know. Me, too. I'm in no hurry. You get some air and then come back. Walter will be sleeping for a while.† I read his worn face, and I believed the sincerity there. I nodded and carefully put Walter's head back on the pillow. Maybe if I got away from this place for a little bit, I'd find a way to handle this. I wasn't sure how-I had no experience with real goodbyes. Because I was in love with him, no matter that it was unwilling, I had to look at Jared before I left. Mel wanted this, too, but wished that she could somehow exclude me from the process. He was staring at me. I had a feeling his eyes had been on me for a long time. His face was carefully composed, but there was surprise and suspicion in there again. It made me tired. What would be the point of acting out a charade now, even if I were that talented a liar? Walter would never stand up for me again. I couldn't sucker him anymore. I met Jared's gaze for one long second, then turned to hurry down the pitch-black corridor that was brighter than his expression.