How does Williamson show the use and abuse of power in “The Club”? Essay

David Williamson exposes the use and abuse of power in his play The Club, which offers â€Å"a look at the power behind the big men of the sporting world†. Through the use of dramatic and language techniques such as dramatic irony, mise en scene and simile. Williamson suggest that manipulation of power can destroy friendships, organisations and affects one’s passion. In particular the abuse of power is shown to backfire on Jock, Gerry and Ted this suggest that individuals and groups should not abuse their power but instead follows Laurie’s example and use power selflessly. The committee members’ passion for the game leads them to use and abuse their power to form an ideal team to win the premiership, however their actions go against the club’s values and negatively affect the club. Ted’s passion for the game is displayed by the line, â€Å"I’ve seen every game we’ve played since I was six†, and his detailed description of Laurie’s first kick with jargon like ‘long low pass’ and ‘blind turn’, which reveal his commitment towards the sport and the club. However, as the president, Ted only cares about winning and loses sight of the team. This is shown when Geoff Hayward is purchased without consulting Laurie (the coach) and the team members. Ted’s abuse of power is emphasised by Laurie’s angry tone when he is criticising Ted for trying to tell him how to coach, and by his dismissal in the line â€Å"I don’t appreciate interference from amateurs†, which co nnotes Ted’s status as a newcomer trying to run the club. Although Ted is motivated by his passion for the game, his abuse of power to show authority over the team makes the club suffer. In the text, Williamson shows factionalism through the portrayal of characters working against each other and manipulating one another. Jock and Gerry’s abuse of power is displayed with dramatic irony as they are shown to be plotting behind the player backs and scheming for Ted and Laurie to get fired. Gerry says to Laurie that he wants Ted out â€Å"as much as you do†, appearing sympathetic, but the audience also sees Gerry talking to Ted about how they are going to force Laurie to resign after the season. Gerry uses  and abuses his power to get the ideal team that he and Jock want. Also, Jock’s abuse of power is evident by Laurie’s accusation that Jock only supported the committee’s traditional approach to recruiting players to stop Laurie from succeeding, claiming that â€Å"the reason why you wouldn’t let the club buy players was to stop me winning a flag.† Williamson uses diction and tone to bring out Jock’s scheming and manipulation toward Laurie so he can achieve and accomplish his own hidden agenda, which is to undermine Laurie. Laurie’s selfless acts upon others show how moral he is, and show his loyalty to the club, he shows that he doesn’t abuse his power and uses his power selflessly. This is shown through the use of language of disagreement, where Laurie tries to defend Danny’s position when â€Å"Danny was getting thrashed. I thought you mightn’t have noticed†, a quote from Ted which emphasises how badly ‘thrashed’ Danny was. Because of this, Ted wanted to ‘shift him’ but Laurie disagreed with the fact that anyone on the team besides Danny could take Wilson (one of the best footballer). This shows Laurie’s morality in terms of how he thinks of others, that he knows that Danny ‘was desperate to keep on trying’. This shows Laurie’s human aspect and therefore shows his loyalty to the club. Another abuse of power to be measured is Jock’s human aspect. Jock is loyal to the club, but is based on selfish and violent acts; he wants everything to be good for him, so that his name can be on top of the club. He is also a non-secretive person, and because of this, he shows that he doesn’t care what he does, and therefore emphasises he only cares for himself and is self-motivated. In the play, The Club displays how characters take advantage of their status with their power of being talent. This is shown when the club receives a new player from Tasmania, which also changes the traditions of having their â€Å"local boys† playing for the game. Williamson exposes how players such as Geoff Hayward take advantage of their power and use their power to receive a better income and take advantage of the club. Geoff Hayward abuses his power also on Jock by telling his problems, however Geoff is lying to Jock and Jock believes everything in what he is saying. This is seen with the line delivery, and tone of â€Å" I get the feeling that something is worrying you Geoff†, in my own interpretation jock is gesturing to Geoff in a way that  offers to help by listening, but jokes facial expression would be that he thinks he is better for suspecting something is wrong. Geoff uses his power to abuse jock by fooling him in to a trick and making him believe in the unthinkable. In conclusion David Williamson highlights how the abuse of power that can take away one’s passion for the game, and loose in what they stood for like ted. Also that people use their power to gain respect and only use it for their own motives such as Jock and Gerry as they just wanted their ideal team. However, like Laurie he uses his power selfless and liked to use his power for what they believe is right. The Club explores how power can be used positively and negatively and the message behind it is to show the corruption behind the sporting world.

Macbeth Ambition Essay

English Assignment – Term 3 Representations of ambition within Macbeth Within Macbeth, there are numerous representations of human values and conflicts, including duty vs. desire, the effects of a guilty conscience on the human journey and the differences between genders, and the superiority of men within the play, and the modern era. The value foregrounded throughout this text is the representations of ambition within the play Macbeth, and we will be focusing on the protagonist of the story, ironically named Macbeth. The effect of ambition can be a double-edged sword. Ambition can provide a person with desire, so that they can accomplish goals, and give them a kick-start towards them. On the other hand, however, ambition can transition into what’s known as vaulting ambition, which can be defined as pursuing your ambitions without taking into consideration the consequences that comes with it, and hypothetically ‘vaulting’ over the boundaries set. The protagonist within the play, Macbeth, exemplifies the act of ‘vaulting ambition’, and it is mentioned once within the play. ‘The Prince of Cumberland! That is a step on which I must fall down, or else o’erleap, for in my way it lies. Stars, hide your fires, let not light see my black and deep desires. The eye wink at the hand; yet let that be which the eye fears, when it is done, to see.’ Macbeth’s inner desires are reignited after the battle, when he arranges to meet with the three witches on the heath. The witches proclaim and prophesize that Macbeth will not only hold his position as Thane of Glamis, but also be crowned Thane of Cawdor, and eventually, the King of Scotland, though they do not say how. If Macbeth decides to seek his ambitions, that have now been reminded to him by the witches’ foresights, it would mean that he would have to eradicate the King of Scotland, through the act of regicide. This is what Macbeth was discoursing through his significant soliloquy; that the obstacles he must destroy must not be seen by the eye. He does indeed know that this act is ‘black’, meaning the act is malicious, and outright wrong, though it must be done if his accomplishments are to be met. Once he murders the King Duncan, he knows that he must prolong his undeserved spot as King, as the repercussions will be that of the actions that he have committed. This is due to the Chain of Being, which he has distinctly broken. Once this hypothetical chain is broken, which by the way, represents the natural order, the universe will be plundered into chaos, and ‘righting the wrong’ will retain the natural order. Throughout the ending of the play, when Duncan’s sons plot to overthrow Macbeth, he accepts his fate, and the apparitions stated by the three witches during their second meeting with Macbeth come to fruition. He knows of his imminent downfall, and within his final moments of life, he accepts defeat. ‘I will not yield to kiss the ground before young Malcolm’s feet, and to be baited with the rabble’s curse. Though Birnam Wood be come to Dunsinane, and thou opposed, being of no woman born, yet I will try the last. Before my body I throw my warlike shield. Lay on, Macduff; and damned be him that first cries, ‘Hold, enough!’ This scene marks the promised demise of Macbeth, and good once again conquering evil. His ambitions overall lead to his demise, and if he had either followed his orders from the King, who is a higher being on the ‘Chain of Being’, or gained the royal, majestic position through an accepted process, then his death would not have been sentenced and sealed. Macbeth’s reactions to the prophecies given to him can be compared to the composure at which Banquo reacted to the prophecies handed to him. The three witches stated that Banquo’s future male lineage will be Kings, and left it at that. Banquo never went that step further, he decided that that would be good enough, and in the end, it was the more noble decision, and his death was through an act of atrocity by Macbeth, who saw Banquo as a threat who had to be eliminated. His death was not in vein, as it allowed good to overpower evil once again. It is through his ambitions, and the persuasion of his wife, Lady Macbeth, whose intention was to propel her husband to a more powerful position. Adding to that, the premonitions of the three sisters, meant that Macbeth seemingly had no choice but to chase his burning desires. He was so overcome with thoughts and feelings that lead to him being of a higher class, that it seemed so easy, and it was something that had to be done. It can be concluded that Macbeth’s collapse was due to the poor decisions made, and his overall pursuing of his ambitions to make it to the top,

The Silver Linings Playbook Chapter 1

An Infinite Amount of Days Until My Inevitable Reunion with Nikki I don't have to look up to know Mom is making another surprise visit. Her toenails are always pink during the summer months, and I recognize the flower design imprinted on her leather sandals; it's what Mom purchased the last time she signed me out of the bad place and took me to the mall. Once again, Mother has found me in my bathrobe, exercising unattended in the courtyard, and I smile because I know she will yell at Dr. Timbers, asking him why I need to be locked up if I'm only going to be left alone all day. â€Å"Just how many push-ups are you going to do, Pat?† Mom says when I start a second set of one hundred without speaking to her. â€Å"Nikki – likes – a – man – with – a – developed – upper – body,† I say, spitting out one word per push-up, tasting the salty sweat lines that are running into my mouth. The August haze is thick, perfect for burning fat. Mom just watches for a minute or so, and then she shocks me. Her voice sort of quivers as she says, â€Å"Do you want to come home with me today?† I stop doing push-ups, turn my face up toward Mother's, squint through the white noontime sun – and I can immediately tell she is serious, because she looks worried, as if she is making a mistake, and that's how Mom looks when she means something she has said and isn't just talking like she always does for hours on end whenever she's not upset or afraid. â€Å"As long as you promise not to go looking for Nikki again,† she adds, â€Å"you can finally come home and live with me and your father until we find you a job and get you set up in an apartment.† I resume my push-up routine, keeping my eyes riveted to the shiny black ant scaling a blade of grass directly below my nose, but my peripheral vision catches the sweat beads leaping from my face to the ground below. â€Å"Pat, just say you'll come home with me, and I'll cook for you and you can visit with your old friends and start to get on with your life finally. Please. I need you to want this. If only for me, Pat. Please.† Double-time push-ups, my pecs ripping, growing – pain, heat, sweat, change. I don't want to stay in the bad place, where no one believes in silver linings or love or happy endings, and where everyone tells me Nikki will not like my new body, nor will she even want to see me when apart time is over. But I am also afraid the people from my old life will not be as enthusiastic as I am now trying to be. Even still, I need to get away from the depressing doctors and the ugly nurses – with their endless pills in paper cups – if I am ever going to get my thoughts straight, and since Mom will be much easier to trick than medical professionals, I jump up, find my feet, and say, â€Å"I'll come live with you just until apart time is over.† While Mom is signing legal papers, I take one last shower in my room and then fill my duffel bag with clothes and my framed picture of Nikki. I say goodbye to my roommate, Jackie, who just stares at me from his bed like he always does, drool running down off his chin like clear honey. Poor Jackie, with his random tufts of hair, oddly shaped head, and flabby body. What woman would ever love him? He blinks at me. I take this for goodbye and good luck, so I blink back with both eyes – meaning double good luck to you, Jackie, which I figure he understands, since he grunts and bangs his shoulder against his ear like he does whenever he gets what you are trying to tell him. My other friends are in music relaxation class, which I do not attend, because smooth jazz makes me angry sometimes. Thinking maybe I should say goodbye to the men who had my back while I was locked up, I look into the music-room window and see my boys sitting Indian style on purple yoga mats, their elbows resting on their knees, their palms pressed together in front of their faces, and their eyes closed. Luckily, the glass of the window blocks the smooth jazz from entering my ears. My friends look really relaxed – at peace – so I decide not to interrupt their session. I hate goodbyes. In his white coat, Dr. Timbers is waiting for me when I meet my mother in the lobby, where three palm trees lurk among the couches and lounge chairs, as if the bad place were in Orlando and not Baltimore. â€Å"Enjoy your life,† he says to me – wearing that sober look of his – and shakes my hand. â€Å"Just as soon as apart time ends,† I say, and his face falls as if I said I was going to kill his wife, Natalie, and their three blond-haired daughters – Kristen, Jenny, and Becky – because that's just how much he does not believe in silver linings, making it his business to preach apathy and negativity and pessimism unceasingly. But I make sure he understands that he has failed to infect me with his depressing life philosophies – and that I will be looking forward to the end of apart time. I say, â€Å"Picture me rollin'† to Dr. Timbers, which is exactly what Danny – my only black friend in the bad place – told me he was going to say to Dr. Timbers when Danny got out. I sort of feel bad about stealing Danny's exit line, but it works; I know because Dr. Timbers squints as if I had punched him in the gut. As my mother drives me out of Maryland and through Delaware, past all those fast-food places and strip malls, she explains that Dr. Timbers did not want to let me out of the bad place, but with the help of a few lawyers and her girlfriend's therapist – the man who will be my new therapist – she waged a legal battle and managed to convince some judge that she could care for me at home, so I thank her. On the Delaware Memorial Bridge, she looks over at me and asks if I want to get better, saying, â€Å"You do want to get better, Pat. Right?† I nod. I say, â€Å"I do.† And then we are back in New Jersey, flying up 295. As we drive down Haddon Avenue into the heart of Collingswood – my hometown – I see that the main drag looks different. So many new boutique stores, new expensive-looking restaurants, and well-dressed strangers walking the sidewalks that I wonder if this is really my hometown at all. I start to feel anxious, breathing heavily like I sometimes do. Mom asks me what's wrong, and when I tell her, she again promises that my new therapist, Dr. Patel, will have me feeling normal in no time. When we arrive home, I immediately go down into the basement, and it's like Christmas. I find the weight bench my mother had promised me so many times, along with the rack of weights, the stationary bike, dumbbells, and the Stomach Master 6000, which I had seen on late-night television and coveted for however long I was in the bad place. â€Å"Thank you, thank you, thank you!† I tell Mom, and give her a huge hug, picking her up off the ground and spinning her around once. When I put her down, she smiles and says, â€Å"Welcome home, Pat.† Eagerly I go to work, alternating between sets of bench presses, curls, machine sit-ups on the Stomach Master 6000, leg lifts, squats, hours on the bike, hydration sessions (I try to drink four gallons of water every day, doing endless shots of H2O from a shot glass for intensive hydration), and then there is my writing, which is mostly daily memoirs like this one, so that Nikki will be able to read about my life and know exactly what I've been up to since apart time began. (My memory started to slip in the bad place because of the drugs, so I began writing down everything that happens to me, keeping track of what I will need to tell Nikki when apart time concludes, to catch her up on my life. But the doctors in the bad place confiscated everything I wrote before I came home, so I had to start over.) When I finally come out of the basement, I notice that all the pictures of Nikki and me have been removed from the walls and the mantel over the fireplace. I ask my mother where these pictures went. She tells me our house was burglarized a few weeks before I came home and the pictures were stolen. I ask why a burglar would want pictures of Nikki and me, and my mother says she puts all of her pictures in very expensive frames. â€Å"Why didn't the burglar steal the rest of the family pictures?† I ask. Mom says the burglar stole all the expensive frames, but she had the negatives for the family portraits and had them replaced. â€Å"Why didn't you replace the pictures of Nikki and me?† I ask. Mom says she did not have the negatives for the pictures of Nikki and me, especially because Nikki's parents had paid for the wedding pictures and had only given my mother copies of the photos she liked. Nikki had given Mom the other non-wedding pictures of us, and well, we aren't in touch with Nikki or her family right now because it's apart time. I tell my mother that if that burglar comes back, I'll break his kneecaps and beat him within an inch of his life, and she says, â€Å"I believe you would.† My father and I do not talk even once during the first week I am home, which is not all that surprising, as he is always working – he's the district manager for all the Big Foods in South Jersey. When Dad's not at work, he's in his study, reading historical fiction with the door shut, mostly novels about the Civil War. Mom says he needs time to get used to my living at home again, which I am happy to give him, especially since I am sort of afraid to talk with Dad anyway. I remember him yelling at me the only time he ever visited me in the bad place, and he said some pretty awful things about Nikki and silver linings in general. I see Dad in the hallways of our house, of course, but he doesn't look at me when we pass. Nikki likes to read, and since she always wanted me to read literary books, I start, mainly so I will be able to participate in the dinner conversations I had remained silent through in the past – those conversations with Nikki's literary friends, all English teachers who think I'm an illiterate buffoon, which is actually a name Nikki's friend calls me whenever I tease him about being such a tiny man. â€Å"At least I'm not an illiterate buffoon,† Phillip says to me, and Nikki laughs so hard. My mom has a library card, and she checks out books for me now that I am home and allowed to read whatever I want without clearing the material with Dr. Timbers, who, incidentally, is a fascist when it comes to book banning. I start with The Great Gatsby, which I finish in just three nights. The best part is the introductory essay, which states that the novel is mostly about time and how you can never buy it back, which is exactly how I feel regarding my body and exercise – but then again, I also feel as if I have an infinite amount of days until my inevitable reunion with Nikki. When I read the actual story – how Gatsby loves Daisy so much but can't ever be with her no matter how hard he tries – I feel like ripping the book in half and calling up Fitzgerald and telling him his book is all wrong, even though I know Fitzgerald is probably deceased. Especially when Gatsby is shot dead in his swimming pool the first time he goes for a swim all summer, Daisy doesn't even go to his funeral, Nick and Jordan part ways, and Daisy ends up sticking with racist Tom, whose need for sex basically murders an innocent woman, you can tell Fitzgerald never took the time to look up at clouds during sunset, because there's no silver lining at the end of that book, let me tell you. I do see why Nikki likes the novel, as it's written so well. But her liking it makes me worry now that Nikki doesn't really believe in silver linings, because she says The Great Gatsby is the greatest novel ever written by an American, and yet it ends so sadly. One thing's for sure, Nikki is going to be very proud of me when I tell her I finally read her favorite book. Here's another surprise: I'm going to read all the novels on her American literature class syllabus, just to make her proud, to let her know that I am really interested in what she loves and I am making a real effort to salvage our marriage, especially since I will now be able to converse with her swanky literary friends, saying things like, â€Å"I'm thirty. I'm five years too old to lie to myself and call it honor,† which Nick says toward the end of Fitzgerald's famous novel, but the line works for me too, because I am also thirty, so when I say it, I will sound really smart. We will probably be chatting over dinner, and the reference will make Nikki smile and laugh because she will be so surprised that I have actually read The Great Gatsby. That's part of my plan, anyway, to deliver that line real suave, when she least expects me to â€Å"drop knowledge† – to use another one of my black friend Danny's lines. God, I can't wait.

SOFTWARE USABILITY SLP Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

SOFTWARE USABILITY SLP - Essay Example Operations tell the performance levels of the software for certain tasks. A breakthrough in software usability evaluation came from Shackel (1991). It defines usability as the capability of artifact in terms of human functions. These human functions will enable the softwares easy, satisfactory and effective use by its users. It places the usability to the level of interaction between artifact and users. When the criteria of software usability are set, the approach supports the process of evaluation and the interpretation of results. Usability thus is not limited to features of the interface, but it is a measure of "interaction" between human and computer. There exist different methods to evaluate software usability. It depends on time, labor, evaluator – experience, development stage, preference, and facilities. In wider terms, the distinction in evaluation methods is user based, expert-based and model-based. The user-based methods are more realistic in estimation of usability and give a very concise record of significant problems. But this method is time-consuming and expensive for larger samples. The expert based models are cheap and fast. But here, there is a risk of overestimation of the actual number of problems. The model-based method gives a laborious estimate of the standard of software usability. The main disadvantage is it has a limited applicability in task. Hence, after that HCI came into existence. The four approaches are Eberts (1994) describes the user interface designs to be user-friendly, intuitive and efficient. He defines four approaches to HCI. Anthropomorphic, Cognitive, Empirical and predictive. The anthropomorphic way designs a user interface that possesses human-like qualities, for example, in interface error messaging, avatars or sounds. The cognitive approach considers the potential of human brain and senses, in order to develop the interface to support the user. A metaphoric design is one such example

Operating Systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 4

Operating Systems - Essay Example Windows 10 Unix/Linux (Linux Kernel 4.1) MacOS (El Capitan) Scalability Windows 8 has the best scalability compared to the tow other version. It supports several hardware and components (1/3) A great number of hardware does not support it and this affects its scalability. This has greatly affected its application in some operating environments (3/3) Although it is an improvement of earlier versions, its scalability still falls below Windows (2/3) Ease of Use Out of the three operating systems, Windows 10 is the easiest to use (1/3) It is Complicated and many people may find it hard to use (3/ 3) The inclusion of several new features compromises its ease of use (2/3) Reliability Although improvements have been made in this version, it cannot match the reliability of Linux and MacOS (1/3) Linux is a kernel which can run for months and years without the need to reboot (2/3) It only run in Apple computers and is therefore prone to software and hardware crashing. (3/ 3)

Ride along with a Police Officer Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ride along with a Police Officer - Term Paper Example After checking the vehicle registration, the driver would then be requested to provide the driver’s license. The police officer would then request the driver to step out of the car as he communicates to the station confirming the arrest of the traffic offenders. Moreover, we could sometimes ask random cars to pull over hence checking their vehicle condition and their registration numbers. If the vehicle is found to be in bad condition, or the registration expired, the driver would be asked to accompany the police officer to the station. Even though the night was lonely and boring, I got the chance to interact with Officer Ottey. He explained that he has been in the police force for about 5 years. With a smile on his face, I could tell he was proud to be a police officer. Officer Ottey’s father and grandfather were both police officers who died in the line of duty hence he had to join the police in honor of his father and grandfather. Apart from the police is a well-paying job, the officer explained that he is proud to be of service to the society. In the course of our discussion, I found out that the police are one of the diligent and humble people in the society. They are trained to exercise humility and patience when handling criminals. In their department, every police officer is treated with respect from their department heads and their seniors. This is because the training of the police instills discipline and respect to the colleagues and other members of the society. After the lengthy explanations, I was curious to know the qualifications for one to join the police academy. Officer Ottey explained that a person willing should be above eighteen years of age and must possess a high school diploma. In addition, some states require 60 college credits with a clean criminal record for the last 5years.  

Influence of packaging on consumer attitudes and perceptions in the Dissertation

Influence of packaging on consumer attitudes and perceptions in the luxury market - Dissertation Example Therefore, the process of packaging must evolve as consumer perceptions and expectations evolve. Packaging must reflect the authenticity and superiority of the products based on the consumer experiences and orientation. Luxury branding is more psychological than physical (Chevalier & Gutsatz 2012). Therefore, the cultural identity and the collectivism must play a significant role in addressing the consumer expectations. The situational stimuli and the social identity are necessary in ensuring that products and services meet the psychological standards set by the consumers (Heine 2012). These include the need for social recognition, show of might and satisfaction. In the United Kingdom, some luxury products believe that sustainability is necessary in the development of products. Therefore, luxury products are expected to be durable and classic. The uniqueness of products should be reflected in packaging and quality. For example, luxury cars are expected not only to be comfortable but durable. A growing number of luxury brands in the United Kingdom have devised products that are appealing to the social class especially after the purchasing power continues to decrease. The rationale of luxury concept is to develop differentiated products for the upper class (Michman & Mazze, 2006). This justifies the use of exclusive prices while marketing the products.... The logos and symbols are intended to identify with the consumers’ definition of superiority. Cultural factors influence consumer perceptions and hence the buying behavior. Members of different societies define luxury and uniqueness differently. Luxury brands in the United Kingdom market have been consistent in reflecting sophistication, national heritage, good taste and style to the consumers (Hines & Bruce, 2007). A telling example is the Victoria’s secret. The modern luxury brands in the United Kingdom market reflect liberalness and power of women (Mira, 2008). Consumers are willing to pay more for brands that capture their perception and expectations (Martinez, 2012). The current global trends have caused the world to be saturated with logos and symbols (Kapferer, & Bastien 2009). The interpretations of these logos and symbols are expected to lead to competitive advantage for the brands involved. The concept of logos and symbolic consumption is pushed by the need to have a status that is reflected in the symbols and logos. Therefore, it is important for luxury products to have competitive and visually appealing logos. Luxury brands are expected to have logos that carry the mission and vision of the company in a graphical and stylish manner (Chevalier & Gutsatz 2012). Symbolic consumptions rhyme with consumer expectations and the concept of perceptions and attitudes. Logos or symbols are known to reflect status and social classes (Kapferer, & Bastien 2009).The necessity of luxurious view on a product is largely influenced by the culture of a different society. With increasing competition, industry is unstable and the level of innovation has been on the rise (Martinez, 2012). Different strategies of packaging are used to ensure the

Business Analysis Plan (BAP) Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Business Analysis Plan (BAP) - Assignment Example It would also include the analysis of the financial information of the company, i.e. the financial facts and figures and financial ratios that indicate the performance of the company. COMPANY OVERVIEW SingTel is one of the leading communications group in Asia. The company provides a number of services including; mobile, internet, data, info-communications technology, pay TV and satellite TV. With regard to market capitalization, SingTel is the largest listed company on the Singapore Exchange. The company has developed and implemented upon its strategy of investing outside its home market, thus the company wholly acquired the Australian telecommunications company Optus. The company also owns a significant shareholding in Bharti Airtel, the largest telecommunications company in India. The company conducts its operations in a number of other countries and it is also listed on Australian Securities Exchange after the acquisition of Optus, the second largest provider of communications ser vices in Australia. Apart from that, the company is also a long-term strategic investor in regional mobile operators in Indonesia, Thailand, Pakistan, India, the Philippines and Bangladesh. In order to facilitate the needs of multinational corporations, the company also has a network of offices in 19 countries and territories in Europe, the USA and Asia Pacific. The company has shown significant growth in the recent past and over a span of one year the number of its customer base has increased by 19 percent. The customer base of the company as at 30 June 2011 is 416 million. This growth in the customer base has brought the company in line with the largest mobile network operators in the world (SingTel). The company also has an advantage over its competitors due to its popularity and the company keeps its position by introducing new products in the market (Koh 2008). From investment perspective, the company defines itself as a long term investor. The company invests in regional compa nies and extends its expertise due to its large network, customer base and the experience in the industry. The company is actively involved in the operational decisions of the companies it has invested in. In all the investments the company has made, it holds potential shareholder rights and governance authorities. Through SingTel, regional companies acquire access to the experiences and insights of other companies which are affiliated with SingTel and thus the company also acts as a platform where regional companies benefit from each other’s expertise. The company intends to continue its growth through new investments therefore the company expresses that it continues reviews investment opportunities in Asia and other equally profitable markets. The mission statement of the company is ‘Breaking Barriers, Building Bonds’. The company specifies in its mission statement that it enables communication by breaking all the barriers and it brings together people by build ing new bonds. The company helps businesses and people communicate anytime and in various ways. The company’s mission statement also specifies that the company intends to make communication faster, easier, reliable and more economical. The company also intends to deliver value to its shareholders, affiliates and its customers (SingTel). Thus, it can be said

Can terrorism be defeated Discuss in terms of both the military and Essay

Can terrorism be defeated Discuss in terms of both the military and non-military responses to the threat - Essay Example These conflicting opinions are now in the process of ripening and it is hoped that it will not be long before they find their application in practical terms. Discussion Older theorists have proposed that terrorism can be defeated if certain principles are followed. Terrorists often win because we respond to terrorism the way terrorists want us to respond. If our response is not in accordance with the terrorist's will, they fail to achieve their objective. So, it should be realized that the choice is ours. If we can learn to refuse to act upon the will of terrorists, we can hope to defeat terrorism, although we cannot always prevent it (Fromkin, 1975). Such ideas have dominated the minds of intellectuals of the past, but keeping in mind the present scenario of the world, we can infer that such ideas are far from reality. The previous two decades have seen a rise in the tendency to control terrorism using the military approach. The idea of intervening within states for the resolution o f military conflicts appeared prominently in the international scenario in the early 1990s, when in the Gulf war and later in Cambodia the international community played its role (Snyder, 2008). Subsequent years have seen a surge in such military measures and a collective effort on part of many countries to contain terrorism and limit it to its origins. They have, however, resulted in a growth of terrorist activities across the world, let alone stopping its spread. Our recent experiences of waging war against terrorism have only made us realize some bitter realities of the life. Most modern discoveries in neuroscience, anthropology, human evolution and paleoethnology have favored the idea that Homo sapiens are not inclined towards killing others of their own species. The similarity between a 'killer in uniform' and a 'killer without uniform' is striking. Both have to be fed with 'hatred' in the process of de-humanizing them, during which they are trained to overcome their natural te ndency to allow others to 'live' (Ram & Summy, 2008). Such discoveries have led us to believe that the military approach is, in fact, not the solution to the problem of terrorism. Theorists of insurgency have focused on the element of preserving public sympathy during military actions to gain benefit after takeover of states. Similarly, an indirect approach to contain insurgency, which is termed the 'hearts and minds' approach, emphasizes the need to gain public support by political means (Snyder, 2008). Such observations have favoured the non-military approach for the solution of terrorism. Democracy is considered by some to be the solution for terrorism. This may be true in some cases, but again it has its own limitations. In many European states where democracy is the rule, a number of terrorist groups have emerged, which not only fail to comply with the norms of democracy for their own expression but also use democracy as a tool to augment their deleterious activities (Snyder, 2 008). Such observations have led us to believe that perhaps, the non-military approach is too 'soft' for terrorism oriented mentality. So, the lesson learnt during war on terrorism is that terrorism cannot be defeated; instead, it can only be attenuated, reduced and controlled to some degree. Unrealistic hopes of completely sweeping

IFM Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

IFM - Essay Example Besides the contributions by the members, the cooperative enjoys the loan facilities that are extended to the cooperative unlike the case with other cooperative societies. Through the lack of ranks within the management positions or the general employee’s positions, the members enjoy an equated level of salaries despite their experience as well as despite their period of stay within the cooperative society. The cooperative society still has relatively low level of operations because it has been in operation for relatively little period after its re-establishment in the last ten years. Based on the reason that the cooperative lacks a well-defined structure of administration, all members comprehensively are wholly liable for the consequences of decisions made. Moreover, the lack of this well-defined structure of management has often placed the business at a risk because the decisions made lack the professional approval because members lack management skills and professional expe rtise. However, the modern day cooperative operations would suffer severe losses in the event of operating without well laid out structures as Fortune Inc does. Business operations at any level necessitates clearly laid down structures and hierarchy in operations for the ease of its operations. The cooperative needs to establish a central management team who would be responsible in decision making while at the same time taking the responsibilities in consequences resultant from the decision made (Background paper on cooperatives, n. d., p. 1-3; Co-operative in the 21st Century, 2001, p. 6-7). The size of the cooperative, which has an employee base of twenty-five people, is relatively small compared to other large organizations. However, decision-making processes would be very tedious and time consuming while incorporating the decisions of all the employees, hence the need for a clearly established framework of organizational management. The organization incorporates employees from t he age of twenties to the mid-fifties and as such has a well-distributed working age. Beside, members are paid on an equal basis through which all employees earn an equal salary besides contributing equal amounts to the cooperative. However, the structure of operation that lacks to define responsibilities as well as the structures of authorities is undesirable due to the reason that the organization would lack command in operations. Moreover, the organization would fail to confer responsibility to any person in the event of liability to be suffered and as such, the people would fail to take responsibility in decision-making or regarding acting on behalf of the organization. Among other objectives to be pursued by the cooperative would be to establish legal documents and register the cooperative as a distinct entity with the registrar of cooperatives. Besides registration, other important documents defining the employees and the shareholders are necessary. Besides the responsibility outline, there is the need to have the cooperative establish a management team who would serve as the vision bearers to the team and therefore champion the

Bank of America Financial Statements Research Paper

Bank of America Financial Statements - Research Paper Example These auditors provide a clean opinion on the financial statements as they are in done with the accordance of the law of the state and they value the client’s long standing relationship. PwC values their clients and they share a long and committed relation with their clients. The financial statements of Bank of America provide materialistic and factual evidence of subsequent events. The bank also provides a consolidated five year summary of the selected financial data in order to provide accurate results. The bank is divided into six business segments, which consists of deposits, global card services, home loans & insurance, global commercial banking, GBAM and GWIM. â€Å"Results of our operations through six business segments: Deposits, Global Card Services, Home Loans & Insurance, Global Commercial Banking, GBAM and GWIM, with the remaining operations recorded in all Other† (Bank of America, 2010). The auditors provide a clear report of the firm and they dedicate thei r report to the society. The reason for the bank’s downfall which has reduced its profits in the year 2010 was a decrease in the growth of assets. Similarly the bank has raised large amounts of debt in the last financial year and aims to improve its financial and capital strength. Bank of America is the one of the earth’s major financial organizations, serving individual customers, small- and middle-marketplace business and big businesses with a complete variety of asset management, investing, banking and other fiscal and risk management goods and services. The business offers unmatched expediency in the US, serving around 57 million customer and small business relations with around 5,900 retail banking offices and about 18,000 ATMs and award-winning online banking by way of 29 million active consumers. Bank of America is one amongst the world's foremost wealth management businesses and is a worldwide leader in business and trading and investment banking across a wide variety of asset classes, serving businesses, governments, organizations and persons around the world. â€Å"Bank of America does not undertake an obligation, and disclaims any duty, to update any of the information in

Environmental Pollution Essay Example for Free

Environmental Pollution Essay Environmental pollution is the biggest menace to the human race on this planet today. It means adding impurity to environment. The environment consists of earth, water, air, plants and animals. If we pollute them, then the existence of man and nature will be hampered. It is true that trees are being cut down rapidly. Our earth is becoming warmer. If pollution continues, the day is not far when our earth will be a boiling pan and become a desert. Or it will be covered with sea water causing destruction of mankind. Pure air is always needed for inhaling. If we take pure air, our health improves. On the other hand impure air causes diseases and impairs our health and causes our death. Smoke pollutes the air. It is the root of air pollution. The smoke which is discharged from industries, automobiles and kitchens is the mixture of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, methane etc. These are all poisonous gases. These cause lung-cancer, tuberculosis etc. which take a heavy toll of life. The glaring incident is the Bhopal gas leak in December 1984. Thousands of the residents of Bhopal died due to lungs problem which was caused by methylamine gas from the Union Carbide Plant. The garbage emitting foul smell, the decaying plants and animals also cause air pollution. Hence the doctors advise the patients having lungs trouble to settle in some rural places because the air of villages is pure and free from population. Then comes sound pollution. The harsh sounds of buses, its, mopeds etc. affect our power of hearing and causes fart trouble. It has been reported that there are two villages named Biraspalli and Devadas Palli near Dum Dum airport m Calcutta where a large number of people have lost their power of hearing. This is because of the frequent sounds of planes coming in and going out of Dum Dum Airport. The evils of sound pollution can be imagined from this example. The water of rivers and seas is being constantly polluted all over the world by various dangerous chemical and biological wastes. Mills and factories discharge very harmful waste waters into many rivers and sea. The water of the Ganges flowing by the side of both Varanashi and Calcutta is extremely polluted and contains all sorts of dangerous bacteria. It is really very strange and laughable that large number of the Indians regard this water as holy. They even drink this water for salvation. There is no doubt that the fish that grow in such waters are poisonous too. Reckless application of chemical fertilizers, insecticides and pesticides pollutes the soil. Vegetables and fruits are quite injurious today, because they contain the poison of insecticides and pesticides. If the air we breathe, the water we drink and the soil which produces our crops, vegetables and fruits, all become more and more impure, then our chances of good health and longevity will be very less and less. Environment pollution is a serious menace to our existence. Realising the danger, we must plant trees in large number to absorb impure air. Impure water from industries can be sent back for purification and then it can be used for irrigation purpose. Our government is well aware of the fact and is taking steps to save environment from pollution. We have also I minister to look after the environment.

Mobile Grocery Store Business Plan

Mobile Grocery Store Business Plan Business Plan Table of Contents (Jump to) Executive Summary Section 2 – Business Summary 2.1. Business Description 2.2. Business Objectives 2.3. Current Situation and Background 2.4. Financial Situation and Legal Requirements Section 3 – Industry Analysis 3.1. Industry Description 3.2. Industry Growth 3.3. Future Industry Developments Section 4 Market Summary 4.1 Market Analysis 4.2 Market Segmentation 4.3 Market Research 4.4 Competition Analysis 4.5 Competition Strengths 4.6 Competition Weaknesses Section  5 Sales and Marketing 5.1. Marketing Strategies 5.2. Unique selling point 5.3. Media, promotion strategy and advertising campaign 5.5. Budget Section  6 – Financial considerations 6.1. Pricing strategy 6.2. Projected sales 6.2. Other financial considerations Cost Appendices Appendix 1 – Cash Flow Forecasts Section 2 – Business Summary Due to the impact of supermarkets growth and rising costs the numbers of local and convenience stores are declining[i], particularly in rural areas. This means consumers in many of the rural areas of Wales are finding themselves having to travel further afield for their basic grocery shopping requirements, which can present difficulties, particular for the older age segment and those in single families or with busy lifestyle. It is therefore seen that there is an opportunity for the introduction of a mobile grocery business to service these consumers needs on a regular basis, bringing convenience store benefits and prices to their locale. This business plan presents the case for a business that will fill this niche market sector. Provisionally named North Wales Mobile Grocery (NWMG) the business, whilst not a new concept, is innovative in that it brings all of the benefits of convenience shopping close to the door of the consumer whilst at the same time eliminating many of the shopping difficulties experienced by consumers in rural areas, particular those in the older age segment, single families and with busy lifestyles. The business plan is being presented with the intention of seeking a partnership with a branded grocery organisation that will provide the capital investment to assist with its development and future growth programme. 2.1 Business Description NWMG will operate two mobile shops offering convenience store shopping close to the homes of those who live in the rural areas of North Wales that are not adequately serviced by local stores. The two stores will be of different sizes, with the larger on being based upon a refurbished coach, with the smaller vehicle being either a reasonable sized van or smaller coach version. The advantage of the former is that, with its low level access, it will allow elderly shoppers to board and browse. The smaller vehicle will be operated on the basis of the consumer having their requirements served personally by the vehicle operators, and will be better able to service the more remote locations where accessibility would be difficult for the larger vehicle. It is anticipated that the vehicles will be able to carry a range of between 100 and 200 products, with the larger vehicle having the ability of offering a small range of frozen items. This will include all of the staple and basic grocery and food items that are always in demand by consumers. The mobile shops will operate on a time slot basis at convenient locations that will serve between one and three streets. Dependent upon demand, each area will be allocated between one or two slots a week. It is anticipated that each slot will cover a time period of one and a half hours. With hours from 7.30 am to 9.00 pm, and allowing for thirty minutes travel between slots and six day opening, this provides the business with seven retailing slots per day, equalling 42 retail slots per vehicle per week. To enable the business to operate on the basis of offering competitive prices, it is the intention of the proprietor to develop a partnership relationship with an existing grocery distribution or retailing brand so that the business will gain low cost competitive advantage[ii] from the economies of scale that partner can offer. The will enhance the ability of the business to deliver consumer satisfaction and at the same time assist in the development of a loyal customer relationship. 2.2 Business Objectives The objective for the business is to create a quality alternative convenience shopping experience for the consumer, one that will bring quality service at competitive prices. In addition, this experience will address the true meaning of convenience, being located a few steps away from their door at a time when they need to avail themselves of the products being offered for sale. Following the successful establishment of this pilot business, for the longer term the proprietor is considering commencing a franchise operation that will expand into other rural locations throughout the UK and Ireland. 2.3 Current Situation and Background The growth of supermarket chains within the past few decades, with their share of the grocery market rising to 75% in 2006[iii] together with the increased costs of running a local business, has led to the demise of many local stores during the course of the past few decades, a position that experts expect to continue[iv]. In many rural areas this has created a situation where consumers have been left with no local stores, forcing them in some instances to travel reasonable distances to do their daily and weekly shopping in out of area stores. Of itself, this presents difficulties for the elderly, single parent families and those with business rural lifestyles. Valuable time and money is having to be spent by these consumers in having to arrange for transportation or to take time off work in order to do their shopping at distant supermarkets. Furthermore, there is a need to purchase additional supplies during these visits as they have no convenient store from which to satisfy sudden extra need or impulse buying requirements. The disadvantage of this situation is that any price benefit gained from their shopping is eroded by the extra cost and inconveniences they experience. It is these problems that our mobile service is intended to address. Between once and twice a week our mobile stores will bring convenience back to the local area. It will reduce the trauma of having to make time consuming and difficult trips for the elderly and those who have time limitations. Furthermore, the small price differential between our products and those offered by distant stores will be more than offset by the cost saving of the travel involved. 2.4 Financial Situation and Legal Requirements As this is a new business, there is no financial background to rely upon. However, a detailed financial plan has been constructed and is attached within the appendices at the end of this plan. This shows that the business requires funding of  £X,XXX,XXX to complete its programme. To facilitate the attractiveness of the investment, it is intended to set the business up as a limited company, which will provide the investor with formal shares, which will pay out dividends as well as having the potential for capital gain return. In terms of legal requirements, the owners are aware that the business will need to comply with all the health and safety regulations relating to food retailing. In addition, if the product range is to include alcoholic, tobacco and other legally controlled products, the relevant licences will need to be applied for. Section 3 – Industry Analysis 3.1 Industry Description Latest statistics show that the numbers of local and convenience stores, particular those that are independent, are continuing to decline[v], and there is little sign of this situation being reversed within the foreseeable future. The statistics also show that the position in respect of independent stores is being exacerbated by the increase in the share that supermarkets and multiples are taking of the convenience retailing market. For example, Tesco now has a 6% share of the convenience store market[vi]. However, the supermarkets and multiples, despite the inroads they are making into this market segment, still have catchment area criteria that need to be met before they will consider opening a convenience store in a specific location. This means that consumers in the less densely populated and more rural areas of the country, as is the case in North Wales, are the losers, as these larger organisations do not consider the replacement of closed down stores in these areas as being ec onomically viable, which thus leaves consumers in these areas bereft of the convenience retailing services available to their suburban neighbours. Indeed, a recent report showed that between 2002 and 2006, 7,337 or 4 independent retailers a week were forced to close this businesses, which shows the significant scale of the problem that has been created[vii]. However, demographic statistics show that the consumer segmentation is changing. The UK consumer population is aging, particularly in rural areas[viii] as are the general lifestyle and social habits of the population as a whole. Similarly, there is increasing pressures being seen to affect long distance shopping experiences, which includes the rise in traffic congestion problems, environmental concerns, both in terms of climate and the degeneration of local community life. As a result of these issues, consumers are increasingly turning towards convenience shopping as being a more appropriate alternative. By bringing a mobile service to rural areas, our business offers the consumer in those areas the ability to have that choice. 3.2 Industry Growth Despite the decline in the number of independent retail outlets, and a slow down in the growth of supermarket growth over the past few years[ix], one area of industry grown that has maintained a fairly consistent level of increase is the convenience store sector. The IGD[x] report in 2007 shows that there was a growth of 4.9% in this sector in 2006, which took its revenues to over  £26 billion, with expectations that this figure will exceed  £35 billion by 2012. 3.3 Future Industry Developments A Datamonitor report in 2007[xi] shows that the grocery market is perhaps the most competitive in UK retailing. This report confirms the research conducted by IGD in terms of the consumer’s control over the development of this sector, forecasting that in the next five year it is the changes in consumer perception and demand that will drive the market segmentation and, as has been seen, this is moving more towards convenience and local shopping as is predicted by IGD. However, neither of these reports, or other market observations, see the independent store sector recovering. With the decline of independents expected to continue, this provides additional opportunities for a business such as the one NWMG is proposing to develop in an area that is expected to suffer significantly from this decline. Section 4 Market Summary 4.1 Market Analysis The grocery retailing market can be divided into three main segments. These are the supermarkets and multiples, who between them now how a share approaching 90% of the total market, leaving the co-operatives and independents with the balance[xii]. However, as a recent economic report produced by Defra[1] in (2003, p.18)[xiii]reveals, the situation is different in Wales, which has the highest number of non-superstores per 100,000 of population in the UK. It can thus be deduced that the continual closure pattern of independent stores is likely to affect North Wales, a more rural area of the country, to a greater degree than other areas of Wales and the UK, increasing the gap in the marketplace for the consumer orientated local store provision to be filled. However, with the problems of cost, competitive pricing and market share penetration affecting local stores the most, the meeting of consumer demands can be seen to be more appropriately filled through the introduction of the more fl exible mobile store business model that is being proposed by NWMG. 4.2 Market Segmentation In terms of segmentation of the North Wales market, the Defra report mentioned in section 4.1 also reveals that, in comparison with the rest of the UK, a high proportion of the Welsh population employment is concentrated in rural areas. Another report conducted by Swansea University also show that the age demographics in Wales is changing, with an above average growth of population in North Wales between 1981 and 2001 and an 88% increase in the numbers of people aged 75 and over in the three decades to 2001[xiv] These statistics show the potential for the increased need for convenience grocery retailing in the area, and a need that is set to continue to rise during the coming decades. 4.3 Market Research Undertaking the market research, the results of which have been presented within this business plan, has helped the Proprietor of NWMG to identify the potential for the mobile grocery concept envisaged. For example, it has determined that there is a gap in the market that provides opportunity for business growth and also that the segmentation of population and the market performance are conducive to enabling the business to achieves its goals and objectives, both in terms of market share and financial projections. Furthermore, this research has confirmed that the consumer perception and demand is continuing to focus upon convenience â€Å"time limited† shopping rather than the â€Å"marathon† shops that were prevalent in the early days of supermarket expansion, which also fits in with the structure of the mobile store concept. 4.4 Competition Analysis There is no doubt that the UK retail grocery sector is dominated by supermarkets and multiples and these represent a formidable force of competition. However, the Defra (2003, p.12) report referred to previously shows that in Wales, these retailers control under a third of the retailing stores per 100,000 people, when compared with independent stores. The geographical and widespread demographics of North Wales also make supermarket growth and penetration more difficult than it would be in a more suburban area. Another area of competition may also occur from smaller independent stores within close proximity to the areas that the NWMG business will be servicing, although it is considered that the price differentiation will limit the response from this sector of the market. Therefore, it is considered that, although competition from these sectors would be strong, some of that strength would be dissipated by these demographic obstructions. 4.5 Competition Strengths Irrespective of the last comment made within the last section, the competition to NWMG does have some considerable areas of strength. Some of their main strengths emanate from their position of size and market dominance. For example, the economies of size[xv]and brand awareness give these businesses the financial and loyalty ability to be able to react positively and aggressively to any new market entrant. It is partly for these reasons that NWMG is seeking a partnership with an established brand to assist with the development of its business model. 4.6 Competition Weaknesses However, as has briefly referred to earlier, there are some weaknesses that attach to the competition as well. Foe example, the low area concentration of the North Wales population and the geographical structure of the region make it more difficult for theses larger stores to be able to find suitable stores to fulfil the standard criterion that is needed before development is commenced. Similarly, the governments current determination to regenerate rural communities is also having a restrictive impact on the major chain development programmes. Finally, the supermarket growth is particularly constrained by the regulatory conditions laid down by the monopolies commission in terms of limits to market share positions. These issues will assist NWMG by muting any negative response form these competitors to its entry into the convenience market sector. The proprietor of NWMG has used the market research conducted, in conjunction with other efforts, to endeavour to closely define the target market for the business. The result of this research conclusion is that the target market will be concentrated upon three main types of consumers. The first, and perhaps primary market segment will be the older age segmentation. The inherent difficulties in terms of cost and transportation that these people experience as a result of the loss of their local stores. This is in addition to the desire these people have to reviving local facilities. Secondly, there is the large segment of the population that is employed in rural areas. Because of the constraints of their employment, these people do not have the ability to be able to access distant stores with the same ease as those who are employed within a more suburban or town location. Whether they are employed or self-employed, this sector of the population do not afforded the luxury of being able to pop to the local store at lunchtime or during a break. The final segment of the population being targeted is the singles market. This includes single parents who cannot afford to spend the time travelling to distant stores due to their child commitments, such as school runs etc., an d those people who live on their own and do not wish to spend the time or expense travelling long distances to purchase a ready meal of few items of grocery needs. The local position of the North West Mobile Grocery mobile stores together with their ease of accessibility, predetermined time slots that will be maintained on a regular basis and the price competitiveness of the products is seen to be addressing the concerns and demands of all of these target segments. As seen from the attached cash flows, the owner intends to spend the first month organising the refurbishment and conversion of the vehicles used for the service, the estimated costs for which have already been provided. In addition, this time will also be spent in putting into place all of the other capital expenditure items and implementing the supply, administrative and management systems that are required for a business of this nature. From a retailing aspect, research will be conducted to enable the development of the initial time slot calendar and location rota, which will need to be established to ensure an efficient deployment of staff and vehicles. From the human resource aspect, the employees selected will need to have HGV licences but, as customer service is also an integral part of their duties, it is intended to that the necessary training is undertaken by these employees to ensure they can interact with the customers in an effective and appropriate manner, thus building a relationship that will enhance the business product and create a loyalty factor that will continue to improve customer retention. Another step in the initial development process for the business will be to address the issue of location parking. In addition to public parking availability it is also intended to enter into discussions with owners of Public Houses, elderly care homes, local farmers and local village community centres to assess the viability of these sites being used where appropriate. These have the added advantage of potentially attracting custom from those who frequent those establishments. As the business grows, the product range is likely to increase. Additionally, as customer relationships develop it is intended to introduce a limited request service that ensures the product range continues to reflect the products that customers require. Section  5 Sales and Marketing 5.1 Marketing Strategies As the intention is for the business to position itself as a time determined local convenience store, a major part of the marketing strategy is to deliver the vehicle to specific locations at time slots that equate to local needs. For example, in areas of higher employment, these would be prior to office hours, lunchtimes and after office hours. Similarly, for areas with a high concentration of elderly and family residents, the mid-morning and mid-afternoon time slots are perceived to be more appropriate. 5.2 Unique selling point The unique selling points of this particular business model, apart from the intention for the retailing opportunity to be where the consumer needs it at the time it is needed, is to maintain a competitive price, service and product range advantage. The partnership connection is particularly important in regards to the first and last of these advantages in that it will enable NWMG to keep prices at a level where the differential between these and distant store prices will be offset by the cost and time saving of making such a trip. 5.3 Media, promotion strategy and advertising campaign Because of the nature and geographic area of the business, the media and promotional strategy will be localised, using newspaper, local radio and TV stations to promote the business. The approach will be further enhanced with the delivery of direct flyers, which will introduce the service and market research conducted through local questionnaires and interviews. This type of direct consumer feedback is considered to be essential for both the establishment of and future growth of the business. It also allows for the employees to begin to develop a customer relationship, whilst at the same time assisting the business in determining that it’s strategy is delivering to customer needs and satisfaction. 5.5 Budget The budget details for the sales and marketing programme are addressed in more details within the cash flow projections. However, because of the localised nature of the business and the direct interaction with customers that will be achieved during retailing activities and the market research programme, it is not considered that a substantial budget will be required for this area of the business overheads. In this area also, in addition to comparing actual with budget coats, a system for monitoring the return on marketing expense will be maintained The predominant owner of this business will the author this report, who intends to invest  £30,000 of his own capital into the project. With the objective of forming a partnership with large grocery brand distributor or retailer, it is anticipated that this partner will be offered a position on the board of the limited company. The responsibility will be shared by these board members in the following manner. With regard to the day-to-day business activities and development, the author will be responsible for this areas. The new board members will have responsibility for product development and assisting in the development of the business retailing strategy for the future. In addition to senior management, the business will employ four full time personnel. All of these employees will be required to have HGV licences and, as previously indicated, undergo customer relationship training. The employees will work in pairs on the two vehicles, dividing the responsibility of driving and retailing appropriately, with required rest periods being taken during the times when the vehicles are at a static location. To ensure that the required hours of employment are maintained the proprietor, who has an HGV licence, will act as a relief driver for part of the week on each vehicle. It is anticipated that the above management and employee structure will serve the business during the course of the first year years of operation. Where required, other expertise will be engaged on an â€Å"as and when† required basis to deal with legal, accounting and taxation issues that affect the business. Section  6 – Financial considerations 6.1 Pricing strategy Although, due to the additional costs of transportation, staff, economies of scale and other overhead cost that attach to the type of business being operated by NWMG it will not be possible to maintain prices as low as those offered by supermarkets, as mentioned earlier, through the facilities offered by the intended partnership connection, including the economies of scale this provides, the pricing of products will be maintained at a competitive level for the local consumption and will largely by offset by savings that consumers achieve from lessening distant shopping trips. 6.2 Projected sales In terms of the projection for sales, it is anticipated that the business will experience a reasonably significant rise in sales revenue within the first six to nine months of operations. From the position at the end of the first year the objective is to achieve an annual sales increase of around two and a quarter times in year two and approximately a third in year three. Although part of these sales progressions will come from product range and price increases, most of the increase will result from the business attracting an increased customer bases and encouraging additional purchases. The progression from year four onwards is likely to demand an increase in the number of routes covered, which will require additional vehicles and staff levels. All of these intentions have been incorporated within the projected cash flow forecasts and account statements that are attached in appendices one to three at the conclusion of this plan. 6.2 Other financial considerations As can be seen from the cash flows, the majority of the capital investment for the business will be required within the initial months of trading. In total, these capital costs can be identified as follows: Retail equipment includes chip and pin and remote stock control programmes. Of this capital  £27,000 of the vehicle is intended to be met through the provision of a six year hire purchase agreement, with the balance of the funding being achieved through the initial capital investments. As a point of interest, it is also intended to replace the business vehicles on a four year cycle, using the asset replacement fund, as this will maintain the professional image of the business and reduce the amount of maintenance costs expended during their usage. The total financial requirement of the business is  £75,000, which is anticipated to be met by a  £25,000 investment from the proprietor and the remainder from the partnering organisation. In exchange for the partner’s investment, they will receive 45% of the business shares and the remainder of their investment will form the basis of the share premium account noted on the balance sheets. Appendices Appendix 1 – Cash Flow Forecasts Notes to the cash flow Number of weeks is counted by reference to the number of Saturdays in the month No account has been taken for VAT and Corporation tax at this stage Product price increases have not been taken into account as it is considered that these will be offset by increased costs A contingency amount of 1% has been allowed to account for any unexpected expenses North Wales Mobile Grocery Service Cash Flow Forecast Year to April 2009

Socrates Philosophical Teachings And Corruption Philosophy Essay

Socrates Philosophical Teachings And Corruption Philosophy Essay In works of Ancient Greek thinkers many great problems which and direct today development of psychological ideas are opened. In their explanations of genesis and soul structure three directions on which there was a search of those big spheres independent of the individual just like which it was treated microspace individual human soul are found out. The son of the sculptor and the midwife, Socrates, having got the general for Athenians of that time education, became the philosopher discussing problems of the theory of knowledge, ethics, a policy, pedagogics with any person, who agreed to his questions in any place in the street, on the market area, at any time. Socrates, unlike sophists, did not take money for philosophising, and among his listeners there were people of the most various property status, formation, political convictions, an ideological and moral warehouse. The sense of activity of Socrates (it has received the name dialectics a finding of true by means of conversation) consisted in, that with the help of definitely picked up questions to help the interlocutor to find the true answer (so-called Ñ Ãƒ Ã‚ ¾Ãƒ Ã‚ ºÃƒâ€˜Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ Ã‚ °Ãƒâ€˜Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒ Ã‚ ¸Ãƒâ€˜Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ãƒ Ã‚ µÃƒâ€˜Ã‚ Ãƒ Ã‚ ºÃƒ Ã‚ ¸Ãƒ Ã‚ ¹ a method) and by that at its message from uncertain representations to logically clear knowledge of di scussed subjects. To discussion the extensive circle of everyday concepts about justice was exposed, to injustice, good, beauty, courage etc. Socrates considered as the debt to accept active participation in a public life of Athens. Thus he far not always agreed with opinion of the majority in national meeting and in a jury that demanded considerable courage, especially in board thirty tyrants. Not the consent with the majority Socrates considered the as result, that he always aspired to observance of laws and justice of which the majority of people not always cares. He has been accused that does not honour gods and corrupts youth, and is sentenced to death by 361 voice from 500 judges. Socrates has courageously accepted a sentence, having drunk poison and having rejected plans of the pupils about runaway as rescue. Socrates did not write down the reasonings, considering, that only the live conversation leads to the necessary result to education of the person. Therefore it is difficult to reconstruct completely its sights about which we know from three basic sources of comedies by Aristophan, memories of Xenophont and Platons compositions. All these authors underline, what exactly Socrates considered for the first time soul first of all as a source of morals of the person, instead of as a source of activity of a body (as it was accepted in theories Geraclit and Democrit). Socrates said that soul the mental quality of the individual peculiar to it as a reasonable being, operating according to moral ideals. Such approach to soul could not start with thought on its materiality that is why simultaneously with occurrence of a sight at communication of soul with morals there is also a new sight at it which has been developed by Socratess pupil Platon later. Speaking about morals, Socrates connected it with behaviour of the person. The morals are the blessing realized in acts of people. However to estimate this or that act as moral, it is necessary to know preliminary, that such blessing. Therefore Socrates connected morals with reason, considering, that virtue consists in knowledge of good and in operation according to this knowledge. For example, that person who knows how it is necessary to behave in danger is brave, and arrives according to the knowledge. Therefore first of all it is necessary to train people, to show them a difference between good and bad, and then already to estimate them on conducting. Learning a difference between good and harm, the person starts to learn and itself. Thus, Socrates comes to the major position of the sights connected with carrying over of the centre of research interests from the surrounding validity on, the person. Socratess motto said: Learn yourself. By yourself Socrates understood Under knowledge not the reference inside to own experiences and consciousness conditions (the concept about consciousness was not isolated by then yet), and the analysis of acts and relations to them, moral estimations and norms of human behaviour in various vital situations. It conducted to new understanding of essence of soul. If sophists have accepted for a starting point the relation of the person not to the nature, and to other people for Socrates the relation of the person to as to the carrier of intellectual and moral qualities becomes the major. Subsequently even said, that Socrates was the pioneer of psychotherapy, trying by means of a word to bare that is hidden behind external displays of work of mind. Anyway, in his methodics the ideas which have played in many centuries a key role in psychological researches of thinking were concealed. First, thought work was put in dependence on a problem creating an obstacle for its habitual current. Such problem was the system of questions which Socrates brought down on the interlocutor, clearing up that its intellectual activity. Secondly, this activity initially had character of dialogue. Both signs: the orientation of thought created by a problem, and dialogics, assuming, that knowledge initially socially as roots in dialogue of subjects, steels in the XX-th century the main reference points of experimental psychology of thinking. About this philosopher who has become for all centuries by an ideal of unselfishness, honesty, independence of thought, we know according to his pupils. He never wrote nothing and considered itself not as the teacher of wisdom, and the person who is clearing up in others aspiration to true. After Socrates, in which centre of interests there was mainly a cerebration (its products and values) the individual subject, the concept about a soul was filled with the new subject maintenance. It made absolutely special essence which the physical nature does not know. The Socratess dialogic-dialectic method assumes freedom of the person and is based on democratic idea that the person is a being responsible, capable to learn true and to make the decision on own fear and risk. By means of test by irony Socrates exposed superficial claims for pansophy and infallibility, subverting all imaginary, pseudo-serious and any false authorities. The Socratess irony is search true and positive, an appeal to originally serious and considerable, to their constant test. Socratess irony results from love to wisdom and is directed on excitation of this love as to the higher value. Socrates believed, that the reason is poured on all Universe, that the human reason makes only insignificant share of the general reason. As proof of life of the higher Reason Socrates referred on the order in the Universe, to conformity of human sense organs to natural phenomena: eyes are created for sight, ears for hearing and so on, and so on. Unlike sophists, Socrates did not show the superiority over associates; he aspired to learn to distinguish them under a mask of pansophy ignorance. He considered training of the person thinking, ability to find the main task of the life in itself (himself) the deep spiritual beginning. By his own words, he has been put to the Athenian people as a gadfly to a horse that that did not forget to think of the soul. The method, which Socrates has selected for the decision of this uneasy problem, the irony releasing the person from self-confidence, from noncritical acceptance of anothers opinion. In the beginning Socrates as though models initial opposition: admits own ignorance and gives the chance to the interlocutor to affirm as the belief. Then by means of smart questions brings the interlocutor to opposite representation that that has seen Socrates spiritual superiority and own ignorance. The irony purpose not destruction of moral principles; on the contrary, as a result of the ironical relation to all external, to prejudiced opinions the person develops the general representation about that spiritual beginning which lays in each person. The way of independent opening of true person Socrates named maietics (literally birth art). Maietics is  «soul childbirth, instead of bodies », it is a way of true births on which there is a person by means of the teacher. The philosophy should become the doctrine how the person to live, the philosophy develops the general concept about things, finds out a uniform basis existing which for human reason appears the blessing the prime target. The uniform basis of a human life does not exist in a separation from spiritual efforts of the person, it not the indifferent natural beginning. Only when Uniform becomes the purpose of the person, it will be presented in the form of concept, it will make his happiness. Such rapprochement of knowledge and morals has caused many objections of thinkers of the subsequent epoch. However Socrates ethical rationalism, not clear to the modern person, was rather pertinent during an epoch of destruction of the patriarchal communal relationship, traditional religion. The person of the sociality which has not got stronger yet without the aid of sophists remained in loneliness, became the captive of the passions, began to be afraid of himself. As it is shown in  «Criton », motives of refusal of runaway follow from Socrates ethical doctrine and are reduced to that  «the unfair act is angrily and a shame for making it, and besides in all cases » (Platon. Criton.49 b). Therefore, contrary to public opinion,  «it is not necessary neither to answer injustice with injustice, nor to do to somebody harms even if it would be necessary to suffer from someone » (In the same place. 49 à Ã‚ °-Ñ ). Especially it is impossible to make injustice concerning domestic laws for only thanking it there is a state, thanking it Socrates was born from a legal marriage, has received education ordered by them and became the citizen of Athens which have allocated with its every possible blessings. Being the citizen, he was obliged to support, instead of to undermine laws of the fatherland. As against the father and mother, and the it is more against the state and its laws is inadmissible to make violence even if you test from the m injustice, including such not deserved penalty, as condemnation on death. The first of the specified arguments is reduced to that the runaway Socrates wishes to ruin laws and the state for they cannot exist if the decisions which have been taken out by court, at will of private persons are not carried out, cancelled and become void (Criton. 50 à Ã‚ °-Ñ ). Socrates considers possible to challenge this argument, having referred that  «the state has arrived with us has unfairly and incorrectly solved business » (In the same place. 50). Criton catches at this objection as it is meant, that Socrates has the right to arrive unfairly concerning the state which has arrived unfairly in relation to it. Therefore default of an unfair sentence of court by Socrates will lead to death not of the state and its laws, and only to cancellation of a wrong sentence. However Criton forgets, that earlier he has agreed with Socrates ethical principle, that (contrary to opinion of the majority expressing a traditional ethical standard) it is not necessary to arrive u nfairly even if with you have arrived so, and it is not necessary to answer with harm (49 b-d). Instead of specifying to Criton in this contradiction, Socrates (become to the place of Criton in dialogue with Laws) results possible counter objection of Laws: Laws agreed with citizens of the policy (city-state) not that they, citizens, will submit and execute only those judgements which are represented to them fair but only that separate persons should carry out all and any judgements which have been taken out by the State (50). The second argument says that Socrates is in relation to the State and Laws in the same dependence as the slave before the owner and as the child before the parents their relations are unequal, therefore Socrates should obey to the court decision (50 d-51). The state has found fair to sentence Socrates to a death penalty. Hence, Socrates attempt will escape the life unfair act. Further, in considered argument the analogy between parents and the child, and also between the mister and the slave is spent, however in other places of dialogue about children is spoken as about timid and inconsistent silly little chaps (46 with, 49 b), and about slaves as about contemptible beings (52 d; see also 53). Following this analogy, it is possible to prove, that if Socrates, contrary to will of the State, will make runaway from prison, he will assimilate to the child or the slave; But as Socrates does not want it, he will not make runaway, will not break the obligations to the State which generat ed and has brought up him. However all sense of analyzed argument just in that also consists what to be the unequal child or the slave not too badly that Socrates opposed such state of affairs: he should aspire to accept the restrictions following from its position. All it, are noticed by G.Young, is a stretch, if not obvious inconsistency which forces to think of, whether the second argument is so convincing, to what he it is represented at first sight (Young. P. 18). The third argument, concerning the agreement concluded between Socrates and Laws (50), consists that any of the Athenian citizens, knowing a decision-making and business management order in the State, nevertheless does not leave Athens, thereby silently submitting to laws and executing all commands from the State. In  «Criton » we read:  « Who remains, knowing as we judge in our courts and we run in the State other business, we can already assert, that he has in practice agreed to carry out that we (Laws. F. à Ã… ¡) We order; and if he does not obey, we say, that he three times as much breaks justice: that does not obey us Having agreed to us to obey Also does not try to overpersuade us when we do something badly, and though we offer, instead of roughly we order to execute our decisions and we give it on a choice one of two either to overpersuade us, or to execute, he does not do neither that, nor another  »(51 e-52 and; see also 51 b-Ñ ). Attracts attention, that execution of laws is dycon as the obligation (agreement) to carry out the laws, taken on itself the citizen of the state, assumes, that: 1) the citizen has the right to challenge justice of the accepted decisions, possibility to overpersuade the state and to explain, in what justice (In the same place consists. 51 with, 52); 2) acceptance by the citizen on itself of obligations excludes compulsion (###) or a deceit (###) from the state (52; 3) agreement undertaking does not connect the citizen with the state for ever, but gives to each citizen the right to take away the property, to lodge outside of fatherland at own discretion (51 d-e). It is easy to notice, that on conditions of the agreement the state or laws do not guarantee and hardly can guarantee, that they will make in relation to the citizen only the blessing and to do with him only fairly. The only thing, that they promise, is to give to the citizen possibility to overpersuade them, i.e. To listen to arguments of the citizen which he will wish to state, concerning a prospective inaccuracy and injustice taken out by them (laws) of decisions. Strictly speaking, chances of possibility to overpersuade them are represented illusory. After all in practice to convince to (overpersuade) it is necessary the fellow citizens in which person exist and laws function. There is a question and on legitimacy of carrying out of distinction between citizens of the state and laws as the last, wishing to keep the advantage and to save itself from infringements, say, that in case of wrong decisions the citizen will be offended  «not by us, Laws, and people » (54 b). The know n contradiction is observed also between the second argument according to which the citizen obliged by the birth and education to the state, is something like the property or the state slave, and the third argument considerably limiting the rights of the citizen if and not obliging it to voluntary slavery. (The third argument forcing, according to Young, the citizen to voluntary slavery, we consider insufficiently proved, as, however, and its some other statements on which we here will not stop.) anyway, Laws recognize, as we already saw, à Ã‚ ½Ãƒ Ã‚ µÃƒâ€˜Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ Ã‚ °Ãƒ Ã‚ ²Ãƒ Ã‚ ½Ãƒ Ã‚ ¾Ãƒ Ã‚ ¿Ãƒâ€˜Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ Ã‚ °Ãƒ Ã‚ ²Ãƒ Ã‚ ½Ãƒ Ã‚ ¾Ãƒâ€˜Ã‚ Ãƒâ€˜Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€˜Ã…’ the citizen before the state (50). Not only in Apologia, but also in  «Criton » Socrates adheres to the point of view, that a life without philosophy and philosophising is not a life. Therefore in Apologia he is said, that, preferring to obey supreme more, than to people, the death is faster than signs, than will refuse philosophy. In Criton, refusing flight, Socrates refers to this argument not because he has decided to obey people more, than to the god, and for that simple reason, that flight (besides would serve as the indirect demonstration of its fault) did not promise it philosophising possibility on foreign land. [5] here that Laws speak to Socrates:  « If you will go to one of the nearest cities, to Thebes or Megara, after all both these cities cope good laws, that will come there, Socrates, the enemy of their state order: all those to whom of roads their city, on you will be mown, including you by the blighter of laws, and you will strengthen glory as if they have correctly solved your business for y our judges And can be, you are intended to avoid the arranged well states and decent people? But whether in that case it is necessary to you to live? Or you will wish to approach with such people and will not feel ashamed with them to talk? But what to talk about, Socrates? About the same, about what here again what is more expensive to people of all virtue and justice, customs and laws? Really your way it would be worthy Socrates? And after all it would be necessary to think of it  »(Criton. 53 b-d). To Socrates who was teaching, that the main question of a life is a question on good and harm and that the person at all situations can and should choose good, possibility, and on a personal example has been given, to prove practicability of to what he teaches. On court the choice was coming before him: to stop philosophising and to keep a life or on pain of death to continue the activity. For Socrates refusal of the mission was equivalent to refusal of a life, its sense. He has chosen death. For such integral and fair natures as Socrates, other alternative was not. Gegel specified in it still. Gegels point of view was divided by T.Gompertsem (p. 83) and other scientists. It finds supporters and now. Having put cultural wealth in the forefront, Socrates considered their creation by an overall objective of a human life. And as, according to Socrates, the spiritual blessings are not transferred in a ready kind from one person to another, but reveal and got in search, in research itself and others, in  «to care of a soul » so far as refusal of such search is equivalent to refusal of a life. According to Socrates, dialogue and a dialectic (question-answer) method of definition of concepts are necessary conditions of joint search of true.

Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and the World :: World War II History

Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and the World Einstein first told president Roosevelt about the tremendous power of fused uranium in the late 1930's. Soon after this news from Einstein the atom bomb was built and tested. With bombs ready, Truman is faced with a decision. America is in the middle of World War II with no end in sight. He decides to deploy two atomic bombs on two Japanese cities. Hiroshima and Nagasaki were the two fateful cities. The atomic bombs give relief to America because it ends the war. Even though America wins the war they defeat the whole purpose of keeping the world secure by bringing turbulence not only to Japan, but the rest of the world. Truman stops the torture and death for American soldiers fighting in the war. Truman, though, showed total disregard for the well being of the world. Uranium was the explosive used in both bombs. The explosion of an atomic bomb is equal to 15,000 tons of TNT. In the bomb, a piece of uranium is propelled into a larger piece of uranium and they fuse into a phase called critical mass. After this a chain reaction of fission occurs. In fission, atoms are split, and neutrons hit each other causing supplementary fission. Fission causes an enormous amount of energy in the form of extreme heat, a massive shock wave, and the lasting effect of radiation. As soon as the bomb explodes a wave of heat ranging from 1,000 to 15,000 degrees engulfs everything in a mile radius. The shock wave destroyed most of the buildings within the mile radius. After the blast, radiation from gamma rays and neutrons cause death and injury. The bombs caused death in Japan and feelings of insecurity for the remainder of the world. The bomb called," Little Boy," was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945 at approximately 8:15 a.m. Three days before the bombing fliers were dropped from aircrafts warning Hiroshima that they were going to be victims of a destructive weapon. The bomb was dropped from the altitude of six miles by a B-52 bomber named Enola Gay. The bomb exploded a thousand feet from ground. It leveled five square city miles. In this bombing 70,000 innocent people died. It was said that everybody in the city lost somebody. After the blast a metal lunch pale of a schoolgirl was found about 1,000 feet from the blast, she was not.

Affordable Health Care: A Review of the 2010 HealthCare Reform Bill Es

After months of substantial and aggressive deliberation around the United States, particularly in Washington, the HealthCare Reform of 2010 also known as the Affordable Care Act, was passed with a filibuster favorable to Democrats and signed into office on March 23rd by President Barrack Obama. Though it is intricately detailed, the ideal purposes as promised by those who promoted it are to provide inexpensive and uncomplicated health insurance to citizens along with enhanced coverage for those with pre-existing conditions, beneficial prescription drug provisions and changes to tax credits. Essentially, the law incorporates the positive aspects of today’s health care system and repairs the areas due for improvements. Over the first ten years of its enforcement in office, this reform is intended to expand coverage to over 32 million Americans who are currently uninsured and estimates a 130 billion dollar reduction in nationwide deficit. Each provision of the law was proposed to occur over a four year period with some of its ten titles such as the FDA’s authorization to approve generic versions of certain drugs ensuing immediately while others including the expansion of Medicaid eligibility for the poverty stricken taking effect in early 2014. Many are concerned it is futile and will only further damage a fragile American economy but to many the introduction of the Affordable Care Act is perfectly timed to mend a broken health system in a struggling society. Conceivably the industry most affected by the passage of the bill is insurance agencies. As of September 23rd 2010, according to the government’s website, whitehouse.gov, all insurers are required to pay the entire fees of advised precautionary medical services such as mammogra... ...g News Headlines: Business, Entertainment & World News - CBS News. 23 Mar. 2010. Web. 11 Apr. 2011. . 2. "Preventive Care under the Affordable Care Act | HealthCare.gov." Home | HealthCare.gov. 23 Sept. 2010. Web. 13 Apr. 2011. . 3. "Top 10 Pros & Cons - Health Care Reform - ProCon.org." Health Care Reform ProCon.org. 01 Sept. 2010. Web. 13 Apr. 2011. . 4. "Health Bill a Milestone -- or a Mistake? - CNN.com." CNN.com - Breaking News, U.S., World, Weather, Entertainment & Video News. 22 Mar. 2010. Web. 13 Apr. 2011. .

Last Sacrifice Chapter Twenty-six

â€Å"SHE'S WHAT?' I EXCLAIMED. The dream birds singing in the garden fell silent. â€Å"With them? Is that why they called the guardians?' Sonya's calmness continued, but she frowned slightly. â€Å"Victor and Robert didn't call the guardians. Why would they?' â€Å"Because †¦ because they wanted to get rid of Dimitri and me †¦' â€Å"Perhaps,' said Sonya. â€Å"But not while they were still in the house. Victor's as wanted as you are. It was only Robert's magic that got them out.' â€Å"Then who †¦' The answer hit me. I groaned. â€Å"John and Emily. I should have known it wouldn't be that easy. They were too quick to accept fugitives into their house.' â€Å"I actually think it was just John. Emily really did seem to believe you were innocent †¦ even if she didn't like why you were there. I also suspect she'd worry calling guardians would just draw more attention to Jill's identity. It wouldn't surprise me if John didn't even warn her about calling them. He probably thought he was doing everyone a favor.' â€Å"And instead, he lost his stepdaughter,' I said. â€Å"But why would Victor and Robert take her? And how the hell did two old men subdue a teenage girl anyway?' Sonya shrugged. â€Å"They're probably stronger than they seem. Compulsion also likely played a role. And as for why? Hard to say. But Victor wants power and control. Keeping the missing Dragomir with him is a good way to possess that.' I slumped against a tree. â€Å"We'll never get her to Court.' â€Å"We just have to find her,' said Sonya. â€Å"Which I should be able to do once she's asleep.' â€Å"More dream-walking,' I said. My hope began to rekindle. â€Å"You should go to her now. Find out–‘ â€Å"I've tried. She's not asleep. And I'm willing to bet they're keeping her awake for that very reason so they can put some distance between us. I'll keep trying, though.' It wasn't ideal but was the best we could hope for right now. â€Å"And Sydney and the Mastranos?' â€Å"Facing a lot of questions.' Sonya's face fell. I knew she still felt bad about abandoning her cousin, just as I felt bad about Sydney. I gently touched Sonya's arm. â€Å"It's okay. They'll be okay. What you did will help Jill.' She nodded. â€Å"How are we going to stay in touch? I can't always wait for you to be asleep.' Silence. Excellent point. â€Å"Maybe we could get a cell phone today †¦ God knows we've needed one. And well †¦ why don't you just come to us? Where are you anyway?' I wondered if I was making a mistake in inviting her to join us. Dimitri and I had gone to great pains to keep our location secret, and that run-in with the guardians had already been a bit closer than I would have liked. Aside from the obvious problems– imprisonment, execution, et cetera–being captured would take us out of the picture for helping Lissa. Yet, I was pretty sure Sonya was one of our allies, and at this point, she might be our only link to Jill. I'd made a similar gamble in revealing where we were to Victor. And while he had technically helped us, that help had obviously backfired. Nonetheless, I told Sonya the name of our campground and the best directions I could. She said she'd come–I didn't know how she'd manage it but suspected she was resourceful–and would keep trying to reach Jill. â€Å"Sonya †¦' I hesitated to speak, knowing I should just let her end the dream. We had important problems, more serious than what I was about to ask. Plus, this was personal territory. â€Å"What did you mean in the car †¦ when I said I'd shared a dream with my boyfriend? You looked surprised.' Sonya studied me for a long moment, those blue eyes looking deeper into me than I would have liked. Sometimes she seemed safer in crazy mode. â€Å"Auras tell a lot, Rose, and I'm very good at reading them. Much better than your friends probably are. A spirit dream wraps your own aura in gold, which is how I knew. Your personal aura is unique to you, though it fluctuates with your feelings and soul. When people are in love, it shows. Their auras shine. When you were dreaming, yours was bright. The colors were bright †¦ but not what I expected from a boyfriend. Of course, not every relationship is the same. People are at different stages. I would have brushed it off, except †¦' â€Å"Except what?' â€Å"Except, when you're with Dimitri, your aura's like the sun. So is his.' She smiled when I simply stared in stunned silence. â€Å"You're surprised by this?' â€Å"I †¦ that is, we're over. We used to be together, but after his change, he didn't want me anymore. I moved on.' Where moving on apparently meant holding hands and having close, heated moments. â€Å"That's why I'm with Adrian. I'm happy with Adrian.' That last sentence sounded almost defensive. Who was I trying to convince? Her or myself? â€Å"Behaviors and feelings rarely line up,' she said, sounding very Dimitri Zen-like. â€Å"Don't take this the wrong way, but you've got some issues to work out.' Great. Therapy from a crazy woman. â€Å"Okay, let's suppose there's something to this. I only really gave up on Dimitri a couple weeks ago. It's possible I'm probably still holding onto some feelings.' Possible? I thought about how acutely aware of his physical presence I always was in the car, the carefree harmony in the library, how good it felt to work with him in that way of ours, both so determined and almost never second- guessing the other. And only hours ago, in the guestroom †¦ Sonya had the audacity to laugh. â€Å"Possible? After only two weeks? Rose, you're wise in so many ways †¦ and so young in others.' I hated being judged by my age but had no time for temper tantrums. â€Å"Okay, whatever. I've still got feelings. But not him. You didn't see him after he was changed. It was horrible. He was depressed. He said he wanted to avoid me at all costs, that he couldn't love anyone again. It wasn't until this escape madness that he even started acting like his old self.' â€Å"He and I talked about that,' she said, face serious again. â€Å"About the depression. I understand it. After being Strigoi †¦ doing what we did †¦ you don't feel worthy of life. There's just guilt and darkness and the crushing memories of that evil.' She shuddered. â€Å"You †¦ you've acted differently from him. I mean, you look so sad sometimes, but at others †¦ it's like nothing happened. You're already back to your old self. Mostly. Why the difference in you two?' â€Å"Oh, I've still got the guilt, believe me. After Robert changed me †¦' There was venom when she spoke his name. â€Å"Well, I didn't want to leave my house, my bed. I hated myself for what I'd done. I wished I'd been staked to death. Then Dimitri talked to me†¦ . He said that guilt was inevitable. The fact that I can feel it proves I'm not Strigoi. But he told me I can't let that stop me from embracing life again. We've been given second chances, he and I. We can't throw them away. He also said it took him a while to realize it and that he didn't want me to make the same mistakes. He told me to embrace life and its beauty and the people I love before it was too late–even though it'd be difficult. Shaking that Strigoi past †¦ it's like a weight, always pressing on me. He swore he wasn't going to let it control him anymore–which, believe me, sounds noble but is very hard to do–and that he wouldn't let his life be pointless. He'd already lost s ome things forever but refused to let go of the rest.' â€Å"He said all that? I †¦ I'm not even sure what half of it means.' He told me to embrace life and its beauty and the people I love before it was too late. â€Å"Sometimes I don't either. Like I said, it's much easier said than done. Still, I think he has helped me recover more quickly than I would have on my own. I'm grateful. And as for you and your auras †¦' That small smile returned. â€Å"Well, you've got to figure it out. I don't believe in soul mates, not exactly. I think it's ridiculous to think there's only one person out there for us. What if your â€Å"soul mate' lives in Zimbabwe? What if he dies young? I also think â€Å"two souls becoming one' is ridiculous. You need to hold onto yourself. But I do believe in souls being in sync, souls that mirror each other. I see that synchronicity in auras. I can see love too. And I see all of that in his aura and in yours. Only you can choose what to do with that information–if you even believe it.' â€Å"No pressure,' I muttered. She looked like she was about to end the dream but then stopped and gave me a piercing look. â€Å"One thing to be careful of, Rose. Your auras match, but they aren't identical. Dimitri's is spiked with bits of darkness, leftover from his trauma. That darkness fades a little each day. You carry darkness too–but it's not fading.' I shivered. â€Å"Lissa. It's the darkness I'm taking from her, isn't it?' â€Å"Yes. I don't know much about bonds, but what you're doing–even if it's helping her–is very dangerous. Spirit tears us apart, no question, but in some ways †¦ I think we spirit users are built for it a little better. Not that it's always obvious,' she added wryly. â€Å"But you? No. And if you take too much, I don't know what'll happen. I'm afraid of it building and building. I'm afraid it's just going to take one spark–one catalyst–to make it explode inside you.' â€Å"What happens then?' I whispered. She shook her head slowly. â€Å"I don't know.' With that, the dream faded. I fell back into dreamless sleep, though my body–as if knowing it was time to take my shift–woke on its own a few hours later. Night's blackness surrounded me once more, and nearby, I could hear Dimitri's even, steady breathing and sense his warmth. Everything I'd just discussed with Sonya came pouring back to me. Too much, too much. I didn't know where to begin processing it. And no, I didn't know if I could believe it, not with what I'd seen in real life. Behaviors and feelings rarely line up. With a deep breath, I forced myself to be a guardian, not an emotionally distraught girl. â€Å"Your time for sleep, comrade.' His voice came to me like light in the darkness, soft and low. â€Å"You can get more rest if you need it.' â€Å"No, I'm fine,' I told him. â€Å"And remember, you're not–‘ â€Å"I know, I know,' he chuckled. â€Å"I'm not the general.' Oh lord. We finished each other's jokes. I do believe in souls that are in sync. Sternly reminding myself that Sonya's visit hadn't actually been about my love life, I recounted the rest of the dream to Dimitri, describing John's betrayal and Jill's abduction. â€Å"Did I †¦ did I do the right thing telling Sonya where we are?' Several moments passed before he replied. â€Å"Yes. You're right that we need her help–and she can find Jill. The problem is, Victor and Robert have to know that too.' He sighed. â€Å"And you're right that I'd better rest up for what's to come.' So, in that efficient way of his, he said no more. Soon, his breathing shifted as he fell back into sleep. It was amazing how he could do that with so little effort. Of course, that was something we'd been taught as guardians: sleep when you can because you don't know when you'll be able to again. It was a trick I'd never picked up. Staring into the darkness, I kept my senses sharp, listening for any sounds that might indicate danger. I might not have a talent for falling asleep instantly, but I could keep my waking body alert while still checking in with Lissa. Jill and our escape had occupied me today, but events at Court still weighed heavily on me. Someone had tried to kill Lissa, and a group of guardians had just dragged off Eddie. When I looked through her eyes, it was no surprise that I found most of my friends together. They were in a stark, intimidating room similar to the one she'd been questioned in about my escape–except it was larger. And with good reason. It was packed with all sorts of people. Adrian and Christian stood by Lissa, and I needed no aura reading to know the two guys were as uneasy as she was. Hans stood behind a table, hands pressed on it as he leaned forward and glared at everyone. Opposite Lissa, against the far wall, Eddie sat stone-faced in a chair with a guardian on either side of him. Both of his guards were tense, braced to leap into action. They thought Eddie was a threat, I realized, which was ridiculous. Yet, Hans seemed to share their opinion. He jabbed his finger at a photograph lying on the table. Taking a step forward, Lissa saw that the picture was of the guy who'd attacked her–a picture taken after his death. His eyes were closed, his skin gone pale–but it provided a detailed look at his facial features, bland as they were. â€Å"You killed a Moroi!' exclaimed Hans. I'd apparently tuned in to the middle of the conversation. â€Å"How is that not a problem? You're trained to protect them!' â€Å"I did,' said Eddie. He was so calm, so serious that the part of me that could still muster a sense of humor thought he was like Dimitri Junior. â€Å"I protected her. What difference does it make if the threat's Moroi or Strigoi?' â€Å"We have no proof of any of the details of this attack,' growled Hans. â€Å"You have three witnesses!' snapped Christian. â€Å"Are you saying our reports are worthless?' â€Å"I'm saying you're his friends, which makes your reports questionable. I would have liked to have had a guardian around to verify this.' Now Lissa's temper flared. â€Å"You did! Eddie was there.' â€Å"And there was no way you could have protected her without killing him?' asked Hans. Eddie didn't answer, and I knew he was seriously considering the question, wondering if he might truly have made a mistake. At last, he shook his head. â€Å"If I hadn't killed him, he would have killed me.' Hans sighed, his eyes weary. It was easy for me to be angry at him right now, and I had to remind myself he was just doing his job. He held up the picture. â€Å"And none of you–none of you–have ever seen this man?' Lissa studied the face once more, repressing a shiver. No, she hadn't recognized him during the attack and didn't recognize him now. There was really nothing remarkable about him–no notable feature you could point out. Our other friends shook their heads, but Lissa felt herself frowning. â€Å"Yes?' asked Hans, immediately jumping on that subtle shift. â€Å"I don't know him †¦' she said slowly. The conversation with Joe the janitor popped into her mind. â€Å"What'd the guy look like?' she'd asked Joe. â€Å"Plain. Ordinary. Except the hand.' Lissa stared at the picture a moment longer, which just barely showed a scarred hand with a couple of bent fingers. I had also noticed it in the fight. She lifted her eyes to Hans. â€Å"I don't know him,' she repeated. â€Å"But I think I know someone who does. There's a janitor †¦ well, a former janitor. The one who testified about Rose. I think he's seen this guy before. They have an interesting business relationship. Mikhail was going to make sure he didn't leave Court.' Adrian did not look happy at all about having Joe brought up, seeing as it implicated his mother for bribery. â€Å"They'll have a hard time making him talk.' Hans narrowed his eyes. â€Å"Oh, if he knows something, we'll make him talk.' He gave a sharp nod toward the door, and one of the guardians by Eddie moved toward it. â€Å"Find this guy. And send in our â€Å"guests.† The guardian nodded and left the room. â€Å"What guests?' asked Lissa. â€Å"Well,' said Hans, â€Å"it's funny you mention Hathaway. Because we just had a sighting of her.' Lissa stiffened, panic flashing through her. They found Rose. But how? Abe had assured her I was safe in that town in West Virginia. â€Å"She and Belikov were spotted outside of Detroit, where they kidnapped a girl.' â€Å"They'd never–‘ Lissa stopped. â€Å"Did you say Detroit?' It was with great restraint that she didn't shoot questioning looks at Christian and Adrian. Hans nodded, and although he gave the appearance of just passing on information, I knew he was watching for some sort of telling reaction from my friends. â€Å"They had a few other people with them. Some of them got away, but we caught one.' â€Å"Who did they kidnap?' asked Christian. His astonishment wasn't faked either. He too had thought we were safely stashed. â€Å"Mastrano,' said Hans. â€Å"Something Mastrano.' â€Å"Jill Mastrano?' exclaimed Lissa. â€Å"Jailbait?' asked Adrian. Hans clearly wasn't up to date on this nickname but didn't have a chance to question it because just then, the door opened. Three guardians entered, and with them was– Sydney.