Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Making Scotch

Scotch whiskey is traditionally made with just barley and water.   Also referred to as malt whiskey, Scotch, in the beginning of the production process, requires barley grains to be steeped in water until they sprout.   The germinating barley is generally spread on the floor of a malting house where it continues to develop over the course of a week or two. The grains are turned over regularly during this malting period, using a â€Å"paddle† to allow air to get at them and to encourage even development.   The starch in the barley turns to sugar, and germination is stopped at the optimum time by placing the barley in an oven or kiln.   Traditionally, Scotch makers used peat fired ovens to give the Scotch its peaty, smoky taste.   Some distilleries continue to retain the peaty flavor of Scotch today by burning peat and blowing the smoke over the grain. Once the barley is dry, it is milled to produce a floury substance called â€Å"grist.†Ã‚   This substance is rich in sugar, and mixed with hot water to create a â€Å"mash.†Ã‚   The mash is placed in a large cylindrical metal vessel or container called a â€Å"mash tun.†Ã‚   In order to release the sugars, the contents of the mash tun are stirred regularly.   At the conclusion of this process, a liquid known as â€Å"wort† is produced.   This hot, sweet, non-alcoholic liquid is transferred to a large wooden â€Å"washback,† which is similar to a giant wooden pail that is commonly made from Oregon pine or Cypress, both of which are highly resistant to fungi. The yeast is added in the washback to begin the fermentation process.   During this process, the sugar in the wort is turned into alcohol as the solution bubbles and foams furiously before gradually slowing down.   The sugar is converted over a period of two to four days.   At the end of  this process, the alcohol content of the product is no more than approximately 8-9%.   The Scotch is not ready, and so the liquid wash must be distilled down to the required alcohol content. Distillation is the next major step in Scotch making.   This process takes place in copper pot stills that have a distinctive, swan-neck shape.   The shape of the stills and the length of the neck determine the character of the final product. Typically, there are two kinds of stills involved in the distillation process: the wash still and the spirit still.   The first is used to produce the first distillation, referred to as â€Å"low wines.†Ã‚   This product is distilled for the second time in the spirit still before it is collected as the strong distilled spirit.   This spirit is not useable, however.   Hence, it is diverted into a receiving tank.   The final product of the second distillation is not useable either.   But it is saved to be added to the next batch of low wines. The glass-fronted â€Å"spirit safe† is where the spirit is tested with a hydrometer as it leaves the pot stills.   In Scotland, this safe is heavily padlocked by the Customs & Excise to prevent any possibility of the distillery siphoning off the spirit in order to avoid the payment of legal duty on it. Following this formality, the final spirit is collected in the receiving tank.   It is now prepared to go into barrels for the next stage of the Scotch making process – maturation.   Scotch whiskey is normally stored in barrels that have been previously used.   It takes around three years at least to call it Scotch, however.   Maturation may take anything from three years to twenty years.   Before it is matured, the Scotch is simply referred to as spirit. During the process of maturation, around 2% of the spirit is lost each year due to evaporation.   Once the malt whiskey has been matured for the required time, it can be bottled and labeled.   However, if it is to be used as part of a blended whiskey, the master blender would â€Å"nose† each  whiskey to determine its characteristics and to ensure that the consistency of the specific blend is maintained. Blenders may include in the final blend as many as thirty or forty different malt and grain whiskeys.   The blender is also responsible for ensuring that a particular blend retains its consistency over a number of years.   For this reason, the blender’s nose must be skilled. Coloring is added at this point to the Scotch, and the drink is chill-filtered so as to remove the oils that cause cloudiness when ice is added.   The prepared whiskey, whether blended or not, is then transferred to the bottling plant where it is bottled using automated methods.   It is also noteworthy that some of the processes mentioned in the making of Scotch are now automated.   As an example, barley may be turned or â€Å"ploughed† with automatic paddles as opposed to manually during the grain germination process.   The chief fermentation and distillation processes, however, have largely remained unchanged in the last couple of hundred years. Bibliography 1.   Distillery Journey: Making Scotch Whiskey. (1998). Cocktail Times. Retrieved from http://www.cocktailtimes.com/distillery/making_scotch.shtml. (15 March 2007). 2. Making Scotch Whiskey: A Brief Explanation of the Traditional Method. (2005). Loch Lomond Distillers. Retrieved from http://www.lochlomonddistillery.com/making-scotch.htm. (15 March 2007).   

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Nothing Lasts Forever: Critical Analysis of Ozymandias

Nothing Lasts Forever: A New Critical Analysis of â€Å"Ozymandias. † Throughout the history of man, there has always been a select few who wish for immortality. They build awe-inspiring kingdoms, erect massive statues, all in a vain effort to leave their mark on the world. None of them has been successful, thus far, and Ramesses II is no exception. In the poem â€Å"Ozymandias,† by Percy Bysshe Shelley, a traveler shares his experience at the site of a statue depicting Ramesses II. The statue has fallen into disrepair at the hands of the harsh environment, as well as the eroding process of Time.At first reading, the text presents itself as a poem about the withering away of a once great statue. However, through the use of symbolism, setting, diction, and irony, the poem reveals that while men may strive for immortality, the true â€Å"king of kings† (line 11) is Time. Legs on the human body are necessary for motion and balance, but they also act as an important symbol of Ramesses II’s kingdom. Without these twin apparatuses, the human body is incapable of moving forward. In this respect, the two â€Å"vast and trunkless legs of stone† (line 2) found bodiless in the poem symbolize the overthrow of Ozymandias’s empire by Time.Without legs on which to stand, his kingdom has lost its momentum and has subsequently been devoured by the sand. In addition, the top half of the statue—the head and part of the torso—is laying in the sand â€Å"half sunk† (line 4). As with the legs, the positioning of the head and torso is symbolic. Ozymandias is gazing at the sky, looking up what remains of his decimated kingdom, a â€Å"wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command† (line 5) on his face. To look up to someone else is to acknowledge their position of authority over others.Through the positioning of the statue, Ramesses II is acknowledging that Time has conquered him. His empire has been reduced to dust, clai med by the sands of Time. The poem describes the setting as â€Å"boundless and bare/The lone and level sands stretch far away† (line 13-14), which amplifies Time’s dominance as a theme. What is a desert? To the unknowing reader, it is nothing more than a large sandbox. With the exception of sand and rocks, it’s an empty, dead land. However, when compared to other terrains, such as a forest or ountain range, it is surprisingly uncomplicated. In â€Å"Ozymandias,† the harsh environment and unforgiving terrain is a symbol of brutal honesty. Humans are poorly tolerated in deserts, and should a man decide to build his empire in one, he will be faced with brutal honesty and will be tested. The choice of location is just as crucial to the theme as the location itself. Since the statue is in its original environment, overtaken by the harsh winds and buried in the sand, and not preserved behind a glass case, it argues against Ozymandias’s immortality.Rathe r than be displayed for others to learn and respect his accomplishments, the remains of his kingdom have been left behind, deemed useless and unwanted by the world. Had the traveler viewed the remains of the statue in a museum, Time’s purpose in the poem would have taken on a whole new meaning. Given the state of his later surroundings, Ozymandias’s words â€Å"Look at my works, ye Mighty, and despair† (line 11) are ironic, and the imagery of his former kingdom proves that Time has conquered him. When the traveler recounts his visit to the â€Å"antique land† (line 1), he describes a landscape that is covered in sand.A statue is a symbol of longevity and permanence. Its appearance, if well-maintained, does not wane or deteriorate, forever capturing the beauty and magnificence of the subject for which it was created. Such is the case with Michelangelo’s â€Å"David†, which has only continued to thrive because it is maintained. However, there are no servants remaining to tend to Ramesses II’s statue, no one to remember his legacy. The statue of Ozymandias has broken in half, and the head lays on the ground close by. â€Å"Nothing beside remains† (line 12) the traveler explains, noting â€Å"†¦ the decay/Of that colossal wreck† (lines 12 – 13).Can the King of kings’ legacy continue without proof that it ever truly existed? No, it cannot, which means the words scripted on the pedestal have taken on an entirely different meaning. It is not Ozymandias that the Mighty should fear, but the true King of kings—Time. Time’s empire is in actuality the thing that is â€Å"boundless† (line 13), not the kingdom of Ozymandias, which had a time limit all along. The diction choices in the sonnet are very specific, particularly those describing the statue, and they serve to reflect Ramesses II’s downfall. The raveler describes the statue as being â€Å"on the sand/Half sunk† (line 3-4), which is often interpreted to mean that the statue is buried halfway in the sand. Considering the ironic words engraved on Ozymandias’s statue, the word â€Å"sunk†Ã¢â‚¬â€the past participle of the word â€Å"sink†Ã¢â‚¬â€takes on a different meaning. What is sand, and more importantly, how does it relate to the theme of the poem? When used in conjunction, sand and Time make up an hourglass—the universal symbol of time. The sand surrounding the statue is not merely a mass accumulation of sedimentary rock, but a symbol for the Sands of Time, a term given to the inside of an hourglass.The statue, as well as the kingdom has been devoured by Time. Another few centuries, and the last remnants of Ramesses II’s empire will fall through the hourglass completely. Furthermore, line four continues with â€Å"a shattered visage lies† (line 4). When something is shattered, it is almost impossible to reassemble them. Even a shatte red limb takes months to heal properly, and it is never quite the same from then on. The â€Å"shattered visage† (line 4) spoken of in the poem isn’t just Ramesses II’s statue; it is his legacy that has been broken. The empire that he had created, the one that he was so sure would endure, has collapsed.The hubris of kings is pride and the desire for immortality. Unfortunately, as Shelley’s poem demonstrates, Time is not something that can be manipulated. With his death, Ramesses II’s empire came to a standstill, but Time continued to move and ultimately overthrew the pharaoh. Time is the true King of kings. Through the use of symbolism, setting, diction, and irony, Shelley proves that humans are finite beings and nothing lasts forever. Works Cited Shelley, Percy Bysshe. â€Å"Ozymandias. † Literature: Reading and Writing with Critical Strategies. Ed. Steven Lynn. Pearson-Longman. New York City. 2004. 618 – 619. Print.

Monday, July 29, 2019

Change Management in Dynamic Health Care System

The health care management is concerned with the necessary changes in the internal settings. It is noted that the changes in the health care centre often include several complex situations. It is not easy to facilitate any changes without managing the internal associates. Hence, while undertaking any change management, it is required to pay the attention towards proper planning, evaluating, and implementation of the operations (Grol et al. 2013). The study will be discussing the change management process undertaken by the authority of Canberra hospital in Australia. The change management theory will be applied to the discussion in order to understand the requirement of changes. Accordingly, the study will be focusing on the major concerns associated with the change management process. Canberra Hospital in Australia is renowned for an acute care teaching hospital that includes almost 600 beds and a referral centre for specialist services. This community-based hospital is considered as the largest public care hospital in the region. Canberra Hospital is registered under World Health Organisation and accredited by the Australian Council in Healthcare Standards (Health.act.gov.au, 2016). In this current scenario, it has been seen that the hospital has been facing the trouble with their poor data management system. It has been noticed that the records of thousands of patients have been compromised due to such poor data management process (Canberratimes.com.au, 2016). Hence, the authority needs to pay attention in fixing up such issues by undertaking the proper change management procedures. Dr. Cooper has provided the evidence to the Assembly’s Public Accounts committee regarding the recognisable record manipulation in the hospital. Therefore, the changes in the organisational management have become essential to secure the reputation of Canberra Hospital. The study will be concentrating on such issues associated with the internal management of Canberra Hospital and will be recognising the proper changes that are needed to be undertaken accordingly. The organisational changes are needed to be undertaken in order to manage the situational incidents. In case of Canberra hospital the change management process is undertaken to improve the data management system that records the entire information of the organisation. However, there are two major factors responsible for driving the changes within the internal organisation scenario. These are as follows: The first and foremost factor for ensuring changes is the improvisation of the patient’s record management system. The hospital authority needs to keep the entire records of the patients that are necessary for the emergency purposes (Haas et al. 2013). Another factor for undertaking the change in such regards is to secure the hospital management from privacy breaching allegations. The lack of proper controls on the data management system in the Emergency Department is hampering the privacy of the information. In fact, the executive even admitted their inability to manage the records of the patients. In order to free the hospital from privacy breaching allegations, the change in the data management procedure is necessary (Richards, 2014). The privacy law in the health care centre is associated with the regulation that determines the protection of the private information of an individual (Herring, 2014).   Such information is needed to be stored in the private data management system of a health care centre. During some of the emergency scenario, the information can be extracted accordingly. However, Canberra Hospital is firmly alleged due to the poor data management system. The hospital executive even admitted the mess occurred due to the mismanagement of the private data. Hence, this declaration has created the significant impact on the privacy law in a health care setting. The policy and regulations associated with the privacy concerns are thus hampered accordingly. The change management process is linked with the theoretical perspectives, which considers the sequential process of implementing the changes. In such regards, the management of Canberra Hospital has applied Lewin’s Change Management Model. The founder, Kurt Lewin has described the three sequential steps to implement the changes. These steps are as follows. Unfreeze Stage: This particular stage is considered as the most important stage of change management model. The stage recognises the reason behind the changes that is needed to be undertaken (Hayes, 2014). For example, it has been seen that the management of Canberra Hospital is firmly alleged against the breaching of privacy laws. The poor data management system is the major reason behind such allegations. The authority has discovered such requirements and implemented the process of improvising the data management system. Such recognition falls under the â€Å"unfreeze† stage of the change management model. Figure 1: Kurt Lewin’s Change Management Model Change: Kurt Lewin has pointed out that ensuring change is not any event; rather it determines the sequential process. However, the second stage of change management model ensures the transition period. The management will be undertaking the changes by identifying the requirements. It is important to note that during such period, it becomes difficult to the authority to manage the people associated with such change (Shaw, 2015). For instance, the management needs to improvise the data storage for keeping the records safe. The use of the highly advanced technologies is required. It is not an easy process to manage the associated employees who are not aware of the process of using such technologies. In such cases, the good leadership is necessary. The proper training and development session provided to the associates will be helpful enough to facilitate such changes. Freezing Stage: The freezing stage is concerning the maintenance of the stability after the change is implemented. When the management of Canberra Hospital is improvising the data management system, it is required to pay the attentions on the consistency. It will be helpful enough in preventing the situation from occurring in the future. Concentrating on such theoretical perspectives, the sequential change can be implemented. The study is recognising the reasons for implementing the changes in a health care management scenario. Canberra Hospital is alleged due to the poor data management system, which drives against the privacy breaching laws. Kurt Lewin’s Change Management Model has been applied to facilitate such changes in the internal organisational scenario. Following such sequential stages, the management of Canberra Hospital will be able to secure the organisational reputation in a significant manner. Canberratimes.com.au, (2016). Data doctoring sparks hospital records privacy concerns. [online] Canberra Times. Available at: [Accessed 26 Aug. 2016]. Grol, R., Wensing, M., Eccles, M., & Davis, D. (2013).  Improving patient care: the implementation of change in health care. John Wiley & Sons. Haas, L., Maryniuk, M., Beck, J., Cox, C. E., Duker, P., Edwards, L., ... & McLaughlin, S. (2013). National standards for diabetes self-management education and support.  Diabetes care,  36(Supplement 1), S100-S108. Hayes, J. (2014).  The theory and practice of change management. Palgrave Macmillan. Health.act.gov.au, (2016). About Canberra Hospital | ACT Health. [online] Health.act.gov.au. Available at: [Accessed 27 Aug. 2016]. Herring, J. (2014).  Medical law and ethics. Oxford University Press, USA. Richards, N. M. (2014). Why data privacy law is (mostly) constitutional.  Wm. & Mary L. Rev.,  56, 1501. Shaw, G., (2015). 4 change management models for your small business. National Leasing, pp.3-8. .com houses experts from all possible disciplines to help students in the best possible manner. Owing to our experts' extensive knowledge in their respective field, we are capable of providing subject-wise quality academic assistance such as marketing assignment help , mechanical engineering assignment help , English assignment help , taxation assignment help , electrical assignment help , etc. You are required to write a researched argument essay that convinces persuades the reader of your position / stance. This is an academic, researched and referenced do... Executive Summary The purpose of this report is to elaborate the factors which are considered by individuals before selecting an occupation. Choosing an occupati... 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Sunday, July 28, 2019

Case against Illegal Music Downloading Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 4

Case against Illegal Music Downloading - Essay Example   According to the utilitarian rule of ethics, benefits of a decision should be experienced by the entire society and decisions that benefit a few while negatively impacting the overall society should be avoided as they are illegal. In the case of illegal downloading of music, those benefiting include those who download music for free and those who supply this form of illegal music, on the other hand, those who have invested heavily including the music recording companies and those who have purchased copyrights and the musicians themselves are being negatively impacted. There are even those who believe that musicians make a lot of money through concerts and brand endorsements and if the music is provided for free, it would not impact them. Although musicians make a lot of money, there is no reason why they should not benefit from the sale of their own benefit. Another reason due to which illegal music downloading should be completely banned is that it is destroying the entire music industry. It is negatively impacting those who make music as well as those who sell it. The music industry comprises of music recording companies who are privately owned organization and are operating with the primary aim of increasing their profits and the profits of their shareholders. If music continues to be distributed and downloaded in an illegal manner, the music producing companies will be ripped off their profits and there will be no motive of producing music and thus this will lead to complete destruction of music. According to statistics provided by RIAA, during the period of 2004 to 2009, around 30 billion music tracks were downloaded in an illegal manner (RIAA, 1999). Assuming that the selling price of 1 song is $1, this means that music companies lost $30 billion due to music being downloaded in an illegal manner. The main reason due to which illegal music downloading should be illegalized and should be controlled is that it will ultimately discourage musicians from m aking music and this would include those who have been making music for quite some time and even those who are yet to enter the market.     

International Marketing Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

International Marketing Paper - Essay Example This assignment aims at understating the varied demographic issues faced by a tube gel manufacturing and distributing organisation while entering the markets of Mexico, Chile, Argentina and Brazil. Thus, in order to cope up with the demographic challenges such as preferences, demands and tastes of the targeted customers, the team members had to undergo vivid researches and evaluate and analyse the scenario persisting within the economies which are likely to create a substantial impact over the penetration strategies adopted by the company. Moreover, the team members had to undertake extensive hard work in order to identify the accurate demand present in these target markets. Brand Equity Brand equity is a concept which is commonly utilised in a marketing organisation in order to describe the value of a particular brand or product. It is described as the additional worth which is endowed to the products and/or services offered (Kotler et al, 2006). Brand value is also referred as bran d equity which helps in identifying the emotions and feelings of a consumer which is widely considered to reflect in his/her buying behaviours. Moreover, brand equity is entirely dependent on both brand identity and brand associations (Wood, n.d). Brand identity is the process which helps in offering a particular direction and connotation to an existing brand. In addition, brand identity is an exclusive set of brand associations that a strategist aims to create or preserve. Thus, brand identity amplifies the status of the brand, which is highly essential to sustain in long run in order to preserve its corporate image. Similarly, brand association is the attributes of a particular brand which are deeply present in the minds of the customers (McLoughlin & Aaker, 2010). Thus, both the above described factors i.e. brand identity and association are responsible in augmenting the brand equity of a particular product/service of an organisation. Brand equity also helps in improving the rela tionship among the customers thereby reducing the switching cost of the buyers by enhancing its reputation (Onkvisit & Shaw, 2008). Hence, it can be avowed that brand equity is a significant intangible facet that helps in enhancing both psychological and fiscal worth of a firm. This means that with the help of renowned brand equity, an organisation can attract more customers which might help to augment the profitability. Relation of Brand identity and Brand equity Source: (Wood, n.d.) Product Standardisation Product standardisation is a technique which is mainly utilised in order to diminish cost and to enhance the quality of a particular product or brand. The method of product standardisation is implemented by varied organisations in order to increase the rate of production thereby streamlining the distribution system as well. Moreover, it also helps in declining the cost of raw materials which emphasises on product branding. Thus, it can be described as a strategy which is utilise d in order to standardise the varied components of the products/services offered

Saturday, July 27, 2019

Problem Solving Activities Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Problem Solving Activities - Assignment Example If interested in business, then the course to take is entrepreneurship. This course can lead one to be economic developer, small business executive, consultant, commercial banker and venture capitalist. Other courses such as public administration are equally good and often lead to career positions such as, administrative officers, budget analysts, financial examiners and field examiner. Real estate courses prepare one to become commercial property managers, residential financer, real estate agent or broker and land use planner. Urban and regional planning majors may lead student to become Architectural review, construction management, development consultant, and city planner (Howell, 94). For student choosing Political science major, may become political advisors, congress aid, urban and regional planning, government service and business and lobbyist. In summary, the above mentioned majors are really exciting and good for students. It is therefore, upon the student to choose the right major to pursue. Student aiming to become politicians must learn about politics and not just inherit from other politicians. Generally, the entire above mentioned course leads to better rewards depending with the one you are interested with. You can decide to either choose one or pursue all of

Friday, July 26, 2019

Business Conditions Analysis (1) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Business Conditions Analysis (1) - Essay Example During this time span, there is considerable amount of decline or downfall in the economic activities. On the other hand, the definition of expansion, which is used by the committee, is that it is the time span between the trough and peak of the economic cycle. During this time span, the economic activities increase by a considerable rate (NBER(a)). The method used by the committee for determining the dates of the important events of the business cycle is inefficient in terms of identifying temporary shifts in the recession and expansion. As, the committee only take its decisions on the basis of the pre-defined definitions and has no method of identifying that the contraction or expansion are only temporary interruptions or actual (NBER(a)). Along with this, there is no appropriate definition of economic activity. For this purpose, the committee takes help from different economic measures which are used to determine the overall broad activity. Some of these measures, which are used by the committee, are product based real Gross Domestic Product (GDP), income based real Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and the real income of the economy (NBER(a)). Apart from these broad economic indicators, Business Cycle Dating Committee also sometime uses the narrow economic indicators which are not able to cover the whole economy, for example the industrial production determine by the index of the Federal Reserve and the real sales. Although, use of these narrow economic indicators along with the broad economic indicators can result in the problem of double counting the of the industries and sectors included in both indicators but still these narrow economic indicators can be beneficial when there is conflict between the broad indicators (NBER(a)). It is also important to establish, that the method used by the committee for the determining peaks and troughs is completely different from the two

Thursday, July 25, 2019

Global environment Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Global environment - Assignment Example In addition, it addresses how educational leadership practices influence the implementation of effective models that maximize global competitiveness. Leadership ensures flexibility and creates room for adjusting to varying cultures and markets by keeping a global perspective through continual learning. Organizational structures are also adjusted in order to meet the needs of the stakeholders such as clients and partners (Dignam, & Galanis, 2009). Leadership ensures the existence of a balance among the methods required to manage different generations and categories of people effectively. It also measures staff performance by considering outputs so that the expectations of the stakeholders are met (Dignam, & Galanis, 2009). This entails understanding behavioral diversity so that approaches to handling individuals are more creative and diverse. Technological, environmental and business changes that occur globally require leaders to be dynamic and up-to-date with such information so that obsolescence of ideas and methods of operation does not arise. As new ideas, policies and practices come, new and innovative approaches should be considered by leaders in order to meet the demands of the stakeholders (Dignam & Galanis, 2009). Competition is a perpetual practice that requires sound decisions and strategies such as risk taking in order for an organization to remain relevant in the global frontier (Blum & Wey, 2008). Organizations compete for clients, resources, technology and space. With sound and best leadership practices, stakeholders’ needs are met by implementing modern policies and strategies that can compete favorably in the global space. According to Blum and Wey (2008), every organization has a vision enshrined in its goals and objectives and the stakeholders aim at realizing such dreams. With good leadership practices such as staying focused, an

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Management Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Management Communication - Essay Example c. Given your reputation for hiring the coolest cats in town, the big question is why the heck don’t I work there yet? I’m driven, way smarter than average, and would feel right at home in Vegas, baby! d. In addition to being an enthusiastic Zappos’ customer, I am also a customer service professional myself. A brilliant idea came to me last week while I was having yet another satisfying moment with your customer support crew: I want to be part of the team that can create such positive experience for customers. The fourth applicant has the most appealing application message that really attracts attention. The applicant has used words that touch on the current customer service at the company, being a loyal customer, and is already aware of the kind of service required f employees at the company. 2. You like to put applicants at ease right away, so you usually start interviews by asking an offbeat question to break the tension while also prompting the candidate to reveal something about his or her personality and knowledge. Which of these questions would you choose to start an interview? The most appropriate question to start an interview would be the one that aims at determining the level of commitment that an applicant is willing to demonstrate towards the job if selected. For instance, the question (b) suggests a tough task that can either attract negative response, a tactical answer, or completely positive one. 3. Zappos likes employees who can think on their feet, even when faced with outlandish questions and circumstances. Which of these questions would you use to judge a candidate’s ability to grasp a problem and begin developing a solution? a. You are a scientist with the Environmental Protection Agency, specializing in toxic wastes from electronic products. You’re testifying before a congressional committee, and a senator wants to

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 12

Analysis - Essay Example The paper discussed a vital and challenging aspect of healthcare, by taking into account a way some of the issues related to this topic can be addressed. Moreover, it was a proof of how an initiative can change perspective on a micro level, and why not to the overall medical system. Such initiatives are welcomed, and it must be remembered that the success of the project is a factor of the implication of people involved. Nowadays, an important issue when considering cost accounting are the physical distribution activities and other marketing functions. A solution to this issue is the activity-based costing (ABC) for marketing. The main outcome of this technique is to help marketing managers in their decision making process related to profitability, pricing, and distribution areas. The most important marketing activities considered are selling, warehousing, packing and shipping, and administrative. This article provided a clear distinction on importance of marketing costs, and the ways these are assessed. Because recent years were characterized by advancement in marketing, and also on the costs related to this, I think it is necessary to consider the ABC technique in order for a manager to take the best decisions for the company he is running. In order to assess the quality of distribution channels, an ABC analysis can be used. The advantage of this technique over standard approach to channel profitability is the fact that it is estimating cost more accurately, which is very important for a company to decide where it is selling its products. However, ABC has also a main disadvantage which is related to its assumption that all costs are product-driven so it should be allocated to products. Another approach is the strategic cost management approach, which extends the assumption of ABC to consider also that costs are driven by the customers and by the distribution

The Importance of Dreams in The Death of a Salesman Essay Example for Free

The Importance of Dreams in The Death of a Salesman Essay The play essentially portrays The American dream, how it can work and also how sometimes it doesnt. The American dream represents how if a man is willing to work hard all his life, he will get some where. Willie, a husband and father of two, has worked hard all his life, but now, old and tired wonders where his promised fortunes are. He lies to his family about his pay, and dreams about his glorious past, in a glorified way. Willie is just an ordinary family man trying to survive in America, he is a typical man with nothing special about him, and he has never done anything special which any other man couldnt do. He thinks however if he works hard enough he will make something of himself, just as his brother Ben did. The story tries to illustrate the point that there are many men in Willies situation: Pop, Im a dime a dozen and so are you. This is autobiographical in a sense as Miller changed environments during the depression and found how hard his father had to work and didnt earn much. Dont say hes a great man. Willy Loman never made a lot of money. His name was never in the paper. Hes not the finest character that ever lived. But hes a human being, and a terrible thing is happening to him. So attention must be paid. Hes not to be allowed to fall into his grave like an old dog. Attention, attention must finally paid to such a person. The story of his brother making a fortune really drives him to work harder, his brother is seen in many of his dreams, it is one of his most vivid dreams, and unlike any other is repeated throughout the story, Willie is first drawn in by the American dream because he sees how it can work in Ben, he idolizes him to such an extent that he cant remember much of what he says just: When I was seventeen, I walked into the jungle. And by twenty-one, I walked out. And by God, i was rich! Willie is old and going senile, he cant come to terms with why he cant make more money and how others around him are. He thinks that the well liked will get further than those that arent well liked, we can see this in how he thinks his son will get further in life than his neighbors son. We see this in a dream of his past, but as the story moves back into the future we realize who actually achieves in life. Willie doesnt like his neighbor and in the past regularly talks down about him but as time moves on he depends on him, he borrows money off Charlie and doesnt pay him back. Willie is to proud to let anyone help him, when his Charlie asks if he needs help he is quick to refuse the offer of a job, even though he needs it. Dreams are used as a way of comparing the past and the future. Willie uses it to compare how great everything was and how bright the future was, the reader also sees this. Biff in the past is portrayed as a strong leader with an ambition, this is shown as him as the Football captain and trying to get into college. In the present he is shown in a completely different light, he is unemployed and doesnt know what he wants to do with his life. Willy also uses his dreams to relive the things he did wrong, he feels guilty and blames himself for how Biff turned out. After Biff found out about the affair he loses his ambition and calls Willie a fake, Willie sees some truth in this and is hurt. He always exaggerates about how much people like him; we know this by how he confides in his wife about how he thinks people laugh at him. Hap and Biff both see Willies dream as sign of him going senile and want to help him, Linda on the other hand has accepted it and just wants to get on with life, she sees it as him coming to terms with their current situation, this is a bad thing however as she is just fueling his dream and not letting him give up, she is caught up in Willies lies, she also doesnt allow Biff to show Willy what he is doing. In trying to help she is destroying, this is ironic as the mother is usually thought to be the creator and nurturer. The story shows how time changes and breaks a man, if Willy loman of the past and present were switched they would not be able to survive, the present Willy loman would never be able to be the idol Biff and Hap loved. They are in essence two different people. Biff through time has also changed considerably, hap once behind Biff in everyway has worked hard and is now ahead of Biff in how much he earns. Willy takes the American dream in a totally different light as Biff, Willy thinks that by working hard he will climb the ladder and earn money, the money making him happy, Biff on the other hand doesnt enjoy working hard and moving up in the business world, he instead finds happiness working outside earning just enough to get by. Biff can see past the riches Ben has acquired, which Willie is striding for and knows not everyone is as lucky as he is: To suffer fifty weeks a year for the sake of a two-week vacation. He can see how much his father has worked for the dream but looks beyond that and knows Willie is working for the wrong dream: He had the wrong dreams. All, all wrong. After Willy dies we see the two brothers, one following in his fathers footsteps and taking the exact same route, maybe culminating in another death and Biff ready to work outside after seeing the tragedy of the American dream. Hap is starting to live the American dream but is already starting to see its flaws: My own apartment, a car, and plenty of women, and still, goddamit, Im lonely. Willie ultimate aim is to life the end of his life a success, he wants to die like Ben. He views Ben as his Idol, near the end of his life, he can see his dream being unreachable and suicide is close to his mind: He died the death of a salesman, in his green velvet slippers After many years of hard work Willie in the end understands how misguided his efforts really were, he realizes the only way for him to rectify the situation is by killing himself. After all the highways, and the trains, and the years, you end up worth more dead than alive. Before he does so he plants some seeds, even though he knows the land is infertile as a sign that maybe one day his sons may achieve where he failed, effort is worth nothing if its not well placed.

Monday, July 22, 2019

Effect of Globalization on Media Essay Example for Free

Effect of Globalization on Media Essay The globalization since it took over the whole world in its vintage has given new dimensions and shape to varying aspects of Media in its whole vicissitude. As transnational in character, media has crossed all the cultural and political boundaries to reach the world audience with depth in dimensions in the shape, style and pattern of various programs. These intercontinental and transnational media outlets have posed challenges to the boundaries, questioned the territorial integrity and given shape to the media spaces. When many of the media markets all over the world got saturated, the media companies began to look at the global market place to earn revenues for their own firms and industries and global audiences are kept in mind while generating media content. As the accounting and regulatory structures differ in different countries and there is no reliable global financial data, it presented challenge before the media economic researchers. The companies are competing in the global as well as in the domestic market to gain a maximum share of audience and advertisers revenue. The whole gamut of programs seems to be seen as the representation of commercial interests of the bureaucratic elite and rich at the expense of public opinion and democracy. Views and opinions of the people to create their influence on the masses diminish when large media players do not hold themselves accountable to the state regulations. In other words, globalization has become an issue of privatization. Big market players are using the media to gain their commercial endeavors in the form of advertisements. In his Preface to â€Å"The Codes of Advertising† Sut Jhally said, â€Å"The symbolic dimensions of needing and culture and the economic dynamic of capital accumulation are symbiotically intertwined in the new communication age of advanced capitalism. † (1990) Here the advertisements act as the modern mediators between the end consumers and big conglomerates. Shoemaker and Mayfield (1987), for instance, underlined the view that â€Å"Sources of finance like advertisers are generally strongly influential on all aspects of News production and that a funder’s ideology is likely to have an ultimate effect on editorial’s decisions relevant to this ideology. †(McQual 1992: 113) Most of the media content also depends on the advertisers will, their commercial propositions and their market position. The advertisers offer the contents, which are friendly to the audiences and cater to their taste and liking. For e. g. Television soap operas function as advertisements aiming at attracting audiences to stay in tune. The scriptwriters in soaps use the strategies in their writing to keep the viewers on hold. An advertising industry has come under heavy criticism among groups such as Adbursters who accused industry of becoming a powered engine of most complex economic production system. Suggestions are being forwarded by many public interest groups to tax advertisers for their continuous intrusion in the mental space of audiences. The advertisers too are indirectly dependent on the changes in the demographical set up and society in its various shape and magnitude creating tremendous impact on the way media industries capture the moods of the their audiences. â€Å"They have an insatiable appetite for media related content and services and as people live longer and obtain more discretionary income, spending on media will likely rise. These shifts in audience composition and makeup will present new pressures on media firms to develop content that will appeal to these unique and differing audiences. † (Downing, McQuail, Wartella Schlesinger 2004: 299) Graham Murdock treats advertising more as a cultural and social phenomenon rather than economical. (Jhally, 1990: 3). But the social influence is only a smaller stroke in a big game of Media players. For the New York Times and other companies associated with Media, as said by Naom Chowsky, the products are audiences, and customers as corporate advertisers. The product of New York Times is the paper itself audiences buy and it becomes an information for advertisers and therefore for them, the audiences that buy the products themselves become products for advertisers and it is the advertisers that bring in revenue for the companies. (Shah 2008: online). It would be most appropriate to mention that advertising is a â€Å"Superstructural facade† (Jenks 2004: 299) as they just not only are the expressions of capitalism but also produces and reproduces it. Advertising has reduced the concept of public opinion to cherish the desire of acquiring capital rather than fulfillment of personal desire. In the words of Marx, â€Å"In bourgeois society the commodity-form of the product of labor or the value-form of the commodity is the economic cell-form. † (Jenks 2004: 299) Audiences too reciprocate the same way. A certain kind of close relationship is developed between audiences and advertisers. Advertisers have created an image a global way making social relation, as a form of commodity yet creating an incredible influence on the ideological perception of individualism and consumerism. And in this atmosphere, political economy too is opening only a new door on the old platform- a typical characteristic of capitalistic society, whereas the content of media is being modified to keep to the capitalist standard. There is a whole new concept of audience ratings, used by the media companies to make the plans of their programs schedule and for studying the success rate of programs and media products. Government agencies, Government authorities and public service media organizations act as basis for making adequate economic decisions, endorsing regulations, and controlling the mass communications. Audience ratings are merged with research and also used by advertisers as tools to identify their target audience and prepare media plan accordingly. But these rating systems are being criticized on the ground as said by Liina Puustinen in her working paper on â€Å"The Age of Consumer audience† that â€Å"they do not give an adequate image of the consumers and audiences, and they objectify people into numbers and faceless masses†. (Puustinen 2006: Online edition). Number of theories, like audience receptive theories have been propounded to reflect the attitude and perceiving nature of mass audiences, which are contradictory to the rating systems. The rating system only give information of how many people have watched any particular program or advertisement but not how they perceived the program and what value they give to it, therefore the theories rightly said that the rating systems do not accurately represent audience satisfaction. Hypodermic Needle Model states that the media players make the contents of any program, idea or information enter into the consciousness of the people. In other words, audiences are manipulated to the ideologies and thinking of the creator of media product. Hans Robert Jauss and Wolfgang Iser developed the Reception theory by studying the people’s attitude and their receptive tendencies toward programs. The theory delves on the way people adapt to various programs and play their role in actual analyzing of the text. Another theory Culmination theory too deepens down the audience approach on the sensitivity of the programs. If they watch too much of the violence, they would in the years to come make you less sensitive towards violence in the same way if violence towards women are watched on year to year basis then it would make you ultimately less insensitive towards the issue. The audience receptive theory deepens down to the study of the psychological patterns of the audiences and how they reciprocate and adopt the programs and how the media players mould the sensitivity of the audiences to receive what they show. Some critics state that these theories are only based on their preconceived notions and assumptions. For example in 1930’s one of the advertising executive said about radio audiences: â€Å"The typical listening audience for a radio program is a tired, bored, middle-aged man and woman whose lives are empty and who have exhausted their sources of outside amusement when they have taken a quick look at an evening paper. Radio provides a vast source of delight and entertainment for the barren lives of the millions. † (Media studies: Online) It is not just about radio audiences, but we can hear about it for several soap operas or quiz shows. Every human being has his tastes, liking and his own way of perceiving the things. Some may be critical and some may be appreciative. In this scenario, it is the way media players reach their target audience becomes the whole crux of their strategies and plans of their programs. To hit the right audience at the right time, right moment and right situation is the motive of media players around which the whole of media content depends. And it is the only way advertisers are attracted to use the media content for their valuable business propositions for these right audiences. Number of programs like â€Å"Pop Idol† created by impressionist music maestro Simon Fuller became the most popular format for the first show on the European TV and also reached the other continents as well. The craze of the Pop idol carried Americans, Canadians and Australians as American Idol, Canadian Idol and Australian Idol followed by Spanish bonanza â€Å"Operacion Triunfo†, making the Latin and South Americans also to come under their sway. Ipod, a melodious device of new generation and a complete new innovation being carried by the young and old alike in Shanghai as well as Innsbruck rapidly transferred to the new generations across the borders. It is quite true that if digital home cinema has gained so popularity in Japan then why it shouldn’t reach the other continents? Well, it has reached the homes of other continents. (Reding 2005: Online Edition) More than the spread of news, the world of music has imbibed in itself international facets in its thematic expression and lyrical notes. Music has reached new dimensions in the technological advancement. According to Steiner, â€Å"The totally new fact is that today any music can be heard at any time and as domestic background music. †(Nesbitt 2006: 103). The other programs are now more of sensational, individualist and reductionist in nature as these programs touches the heart of audiences. Paul Lazarsfeld, Bernard Berelson, and Hazel Gaudet studied how the voters made the decision during 1940 presidential election campaign and got their results published in paper The People’s Choice. They found out that information did not directly reach the consciousness of the audiences rather modified and passed down by the opinion leaders, which was again passed over to lesser active associates. In 2002, Anthony Giddens, a sociologist in the radio national broadcast made the people feel the essence of Globalization. He said, â€Å"Globalization is like a code-word standing for the reconstruction of our social institutions, going all the way through from the family, gender, sexuality (because after all the changing position of women is surely a global phenomenon as much as any other one) through the economy, the restructuring of business organizations, a restructuring of the nation and government, through the restructuring of international organizations†. (O’Regan 2002: Online edition) The politics since last 2300 years have been influencing the communication processes in the state. But since last few centuries, the relationship between politics and media is being seen in much controversial light than it was seen in the past and it is due to the political influence and control over the content of media and thereby their indirectly control over the public opinion. The political control over media reciprocates the views of Marx who said that media is a product of ruling elite wherein there is no scope of any alternative ideas. In Marx’s own words, â€Å"The class, which has the means of material production at its disposal, has control at the same time over the means of mental production, so that thereby, generally speaking, the ideas of those who lack the means of mental production are subject to it†. (Chandler 2000: Online) Marx further stated that mass media brings to the people’s consciousness false notions and ideas making media as a product of expressions of the ruling class. Graham Murdock too emphasized that economic factors play a determining role in the domination of ruling elite over media messages. The political economists look at ideological messages as superior to the economic criteria. (Chandler 2000: Online). In the 1966 article, Stein Rokkan brought into focus the two ways of decision making in the media circle: corporate system and numerical. In 1996, the whole of media was under the control of one or the other political party. But in the last two to three decades, we have seen number of changes in the way politics is being related to Media. Globalization has touched every sphere of human commodity from increasing a sense of risk to creating uncertainty. Interconnectedness in the global sphere increased the value of the humanity as a whole and an awareness of deep understanding and tensions between Global Diaspora, national and local perception of shared identities. (Gillespie, 1995: 3). It is no doubt a global village and we are all now a part of this global village where not only individual’s perception is taken into account but the perceptions of the whole in all its shades and dimensions is considered as the most virtuous and commercial proposition. REFERENCES LIST Chandler, D. 2000.Media as means of production in Marxist Media Theory. [Online] Available: http://www. aber. ac. uk/media/Documents/marxism/marxism03. html [13 May 2008] Chandler, D. 2000. Media as amplifiers in Marxist Media Theory. [Online] Available: http://www. aber. ac. uk/media/Documents/marxism/marxism05. html [13 May 2008] Downing, J. , McQuail, D. , Wartella, E. Schlesinger P. 2004. The SAGE Handbook of Media Studies. California, London New Delhi: SAGE Gillespie, Marie. 1995. Television, Ethnicity and Cultural Change. Routledge. Hjarvard, S. 2003. News Media and the Globalization of the Public Sphere. [Online] Available: http://www. kommunikationsforum. dk/default. asp? articleid=10761 [13 May 2008] Jhally Sut, P. 1990. The Codes of Advertising. Routledge. Jenks Chris, P. 2004. Urban Culture. Routledge. Johnson, P. 2004. Are the media playing politics? USATODAY. com. [Online] Available: http://www. usatoday. com/life/columnist/mediamix/2004-10-10-media-mix_x. htm Media Studies. Audience (Adapted from Steve Bakers Media Studies website) [Online] Available: http://www. northallertoncoll. org. uk/media/audience. htm McQuail, D. 1992. Media Performance: Mass Communication and the Public Interest. California, London New Delhi: SAGE Nesbitt, T. 2006. Global Media and cultural change. China Media Research, Chang, et, al, Intercultural Symposium on Cultural Globalization, 2(3): 103. O’ Regan, Mick. 2002. Media and globalisation. The Media Report. [Online] Available: http://www. abc. net. au/rn/talks/8. 30/mediarpt/stories/s678261. htm [13 May 2008] Puustinen L. 2006. The Age of Consumer-Audience. [Online] Available: http://209. 85. 175. 104/search? q=cache:FsxLpxbPeeQJ:www. valt. helsinki. fi/comm/fi/english/WP5. pdf+The+audience+reception+theories+on+ratings+systemhl=enct=clnkcd=5gl=inie=UTF-8 [16 May 2008] Rantanen T. 2005. The Media and Globalization. 1st Edition. California, London New Delhi: SAGE Reding, V. 2005. The Media and Globalisation. European Forum Alpbach [Online] Available: http://europa. eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction. do? reference=SPEECH/05/469format=HTMLaged=0language=ENguiLanguage=en

Sunday, July 21, 2019

Green Logistics Management

Green Logistics Management Green logistics can be defined as coordinating the general logistical activities comprising freight transport, storage, inventory management, materials handling and all the relevant activities required to move products through the supply chain in a way that meets customer requirements at minimum cost with an environmental concern. The main objective is examining different possible ways to reduce the external costs of logistics associated mainly with climate change, air pollution, noise etc and achieving a more sustainable balance between economic, environmental and social objectives. 2. Literature review on green logistics Researchers have been working on various mathematical techniques, heuristics, combinatorial optimization and practical methods for developing new and more sustainable methodologies to reverse logistics for the collection, recycling and disposal of waste products. With the help of some illustrative examples, the project is focussed on developing basic understanding of how new techniques and the operating practices could contribute to effective domestic waste management. Peirce and Davidson (1982) used a linear optimization technique to formulate the problem of transportation routing among transfer stations, disposal facilities, and long term storage impoundments but limiting the model to determination of cost effective waste transportation routes. Jennings and scholars (1984) formulated the regional hazardous waste management system as simply a vehicle routing problem aiming for either reducing cost or risk. Zografos and Samara (1990) dealt with the problem of a single type of waste to achieve the objectives of minimizing transportation risk, travelling time and disposal costs but, the demerits are that each centre is affected only by its closest facility and all the different source points can send its hazardous waste to only one treatment facility. Hu et al (2002) made use of a linear programming model to investigate the cost reduction of decision making support system used for managing the multi source waste reverse flows again limiting the objective only to cost factor. Alumur and kara (2007) used Multi-objective mixed integer programming model with dual objectives of minimizing cost and risk factor in hazardous waste logistics. They focussed mainly on the factors that decide the appropriate location for treatment facilities, dumping sites and the relevant technology needed to route various sources of waste subject to constraints. The considered model was implemented in Central Anatolian region of Turkey. Their research shed light on using multi-period concept to the existing model to schedule the processing of different types of waste. 2.1 Domestic waste management Though the above research work was quite old, it contributed much towards the waste management. They made a foundation for further research where we can combine both the objectives of cost reduction as well as environmental benefits. Solid waste is a critical environmental problem in both developed and developing countries. The growing environmental concern from citizens, governments and various industrialists demand new methods and technologies to address the problems involved in waste management that pose a threat to the environment. Domestic waste logistics is one of the key areas that could have a huge impact on the environment with the growing population if not given enough attention. The very common problem in developing countries regarding solid waste management is lack of sufficient technical and financial resources. The available resources can think of only collection and logistics costs, leaving no resources for safe final disposal (Collivignarelli et al., 2004). The green logistics objective can be served in several ways addressing sustainable domestic waste disposal. Some of them are mentioned below: What collection system should be applied for easy disposal of different types of wastes such as recyclable and non-recyclable? Where to locate the garbage accumulation areas and collection points? How big the fleet of vehicles should be and how feasible it is to have multiple compartment vehicles to collect different sources of waste separately at one time? How many containers and of what type should be assigned to each area? Which are the most appropriate collection routes depending on the demand, traffic and other practical constraints? What frequency of collection should be applied to each area? There has been a significant amount of research work going on addressing one or more of the above problems with the green logistics objective. For an extensive discussion on green logistics objectives one can refer to Sheu 2007, which is the recent review published in this area where they used coordinated reverse logistics management system which was formulated as multi-objective linear programming model for treating hazardous waste. The time varying waste collection amount associated with each given waste type was regulated by reverse logistics system and this was further coordinated with other activities such as storage, processing, distribution and final treatment. By using these two factors, the author could successfully design a model that searches for system-wide optimization condition considering both the reverse logistics operational costs and also the environmental impact through risk constraints. The model saved 58% operational costs with the inclusion of green logistics ob jective comparatively with the earlier versions of other authors where only a cost factor was considered. Though the above research work proves to be beneficial from cost as well as environmental perspective, is it really the same in every case? As the objective starts shifting the full attention towards green, economical and more of an environmental friendly objectives, the long term results sometimes have to be compromised although it proves more costly. There are various functional elements involved in the waste management such as waste generation, collection, separation, handling, storage and treatment, logistics and final dumping. In general, the same problem requires different objectives depending upon whose requirement it is. From business perspective, the best solution would be the one with the least cost, while for the government the best solution would be the one with the least risk (referring to human life). Therefore, for any proposed mathematical model, there should always be a compromise solution considering these different objectives. Conceptual approach by Chang and Davila (2007) made a great success in diverting recyclables, green waste from the municipal solid waste streams to energy, composting and recycling facilities. They analysed the existing solid waste management strategies for better improvement using minimax regret optimization techniques with multiple criteria. Researchers also shifting their attention towards using Life cycle analysis for evaluating different strategies involved in waste management. Ahluwalia and Nema (2007) presented a life cycle based multi-objective model to support decision makers in integrated waste management. They evaluated the management budget and life cycle of different types of computer waste for different objectives of cost, business risk and environmental impact. The main idea of Life cycle approach is recycling computer waste which otherwise leads to the loss of potential resources and can have a huge impact on the environment as well. Sbihi and Eglese (2007) mentioned the importance of multi-time step model in Combinatorial optimization and Green Logistics. They highlighted the variation in waste generation at any source node with time and about uncertainty with the data related to waste generation. In response to that, Ahluwalia and Nema (2007) identified the factors responsible for the computer waste and their contribution to the environmental pollution. Multiple objectives of economy, health and environmental risk involved with various computer waste management activities were assessed with the help of an integer linear goal programming based multi-time step optimal material flow analysis model. Several treatment and disposal facilities were selected and assigned optimum quantities of waste to them along chosen transportation routes, depending on different priorities to cost and risk. The uncertainty factor related to waste generation quantities also taken into consideration using Monte Carlo simulation. There are also some studies in the literature that are concerned only with the vehicle routing problem but the research objective seem to be very interesting from waste management perspective. These studies attempt to find the best possible routes for a given network with the objective of minimizing transportation cost subject to various constraints. Part of the model developed in our project uses a multi-compartment vehicle in which different sources of domestic wastes can be collected separately at the collection point itself using several vehicles EL Fallahi et al 2008. Using this concept of multi-compartment vehicle for waste collection might reduce the burden of segregating them later at the dumping site. This also might reduce the cost involved in diverting the recyclable and non-recyclable wastes to their corresponding processing centres, making the waste collection process not only economically profitable but can also make the recycling process more environmental friendly. Some times depending on the type of objective that is involved, constraints play a critical role. For instance, while dealing with the logistics of hazardous wastes, public safety is a serious constraint without which the model will be invalid. Highly toxic wastes like by-products of nuclear power plants needed to be transported to a safer environment. YW Chen et al (2008) planned safest transportation of nuclear waste by integrating the multi-objective (minimizing the travel time, transportation risk and the exposed population) shortest route problem having actual road network attributes of GIS (geographic information systems) with environmental systems research institute (ESRI). 8. The importance of environmental protection resulted in a set of new waste management goals in the reverse logistics system planning. Pati RK et al (2008) formulated a mixed integer goal programming to study the inter-relationship between the multiple objectives of a recycled paper distribution network. The objectives considered are reduction in reverse logistics cost; product quality improvement through increased segregation at the source; and environmental benefits through increased waste paper recovery. The model has been illustrated through a problem at paper recycling in India. It says that the model can also be extended to other areas of reverse logistics systems involving conservation of natural resources such as recycling of plastic wastes. This model can also be used for determining the facility location, route and flow of various types of recyclable waste paper in the multi-item, multi-echelon and multi-facility decision making framework. Future research Including non-linearities and stochasticity of parameters in the above linear model. Extending the model to other reverse logistics problem areas involving the environmental issues and conservation of natural resources such as recycling of plastic wastes. - Third report 1. Lund and Clark II (2008) highlighted various transportation technologies and the link to stationary power generation that may help to reduce the impact of both energy and transportation sectors on global warming and climate change. He made a point based on the past literature that no single technology appears to be able to solve the carbon footprint problem on its own. This special issue focussed on the methodologies and practices applied to the analysis of coherent sustainable energy and transportation systems in order to reverse the climate change. He focussed on the information available from literature review, mainly on the use of electric and hybrid technologies in the transportation sector with renewable energy source. But it appears to me that even with the mass introduction of these technologies, the impact on environment may again increase with more electricity generation (exception for wind and hydro electric power). He mentioned in his paper that Professor Woodrow Clark discussed how green energy from renewable energy sources can play a significant role in protecting the environment while providing power for building and transportation. This issue is based on the presentation from special session on Sustainable Energy and Transportation Systems which was part of 4th Dubrovnik Conference on Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems, June 4-8, 2007, Dubrovnik, Croatia. 2. Siu 2007 reviewed a number of innovative light weight transit systems with the objective to serve as a reference to decision makers who are involved in the planning and design of sustainable transportation systems. Siu argues that building more roads to relieve traffic congestion achieves nothing more than encouraging more vehicles to use them, resulting in more carbon emissions. This paper again focussed on the use of latest technologies namely the battery-electric, hybrid-electric and fuel cells buses. It says that the electric drives are appealing the transit operators because of reduced or zero vehicle emissions and increased efficiency. With efficient use of these innovative transit technologies in the distribution and logistics sector would certainly help to achieve the goal of green logistics. 3. Wadhwa et al 2008 proposed a multi-criterion decision making (MCDM) model based on fuzzy set theory. It is a flexible decision modelling of reverse logistics system: A value adding MCDM approach for alternative selection which can be helpful in designing effective and efficient flexible return policy depending on various criteria. This fuzzy decision methodology provides an alternative framework to deal with the complexities involved in reverse logistics and giving the best decision strategy for product recovery system. It requires quantitative and qualitative evaluation based on criteria such as cost, time, legislative factors, environmental impact, quality and quality. This paper combines fuzzy based flexible MCDM and reverse logistics for alternate selections. Future research The model serves to enhance the progressive introduction of applying artificial intelligence future research in terms of developing a group decision support system. 4. EL Fallahi et al 2008. A memetic algorithm and a tabu search for the multi-compartment vehicle routing problem. Computers and Operations research 2008; 35: 1725-1741 A general vehicle routing problem where a customer can order different products which will be delivered using identical vehicles using several compartments, each compartment being dedicated to one product is considered in this paper. The author used two algorithms known as memetic algorithm with a post optimization phase based on path relinking and a tabu search to solve the above problem. Path re-linking is the method to combine intensification and diversification in tabu search. It mainly concentrates on the exploration of links connecting pairs of good solutions in search space hoping for better solutions along these paths. This technique is generally used after the tabu search metaheuristic. Tabu search is a heuristic method designed to guide other methods, including local search algorithms to escape local optima. Its distinctive feature is the use of a memory to search the best possible solutions subject to certain constraints like forbidden moves (tabu). The above algorithms are compared for both multi-compartment and single compartment and found that splitting the compartments improved the results on average. References: Ahluwalia PK, Nema AK. A Goal Programming Based Multi-Time Step Optimal Material Flow Analysis Model for Integrated Computer Waste Management. Journal of Environmental Informatics 2007; 10(2): 82-98 Ahluwalia PK, Nema AK. A life cycle based multi-objective optimization model for the management of computer waste. Resources, Conservation and Recycling 2007; 51: 792-826 Alumur S, Kara BY. A new model for the hazardous waste location-routing problem. Computers and operations research 2007; 34: 1406-1423 Bautista J, Fernandez E, Pereira J. Solving an urban waste collection problem using ant heuristics. Computers and operations research 2008; 35: 3020-3033 Bodin L, Kursh SA. A computer-assisted system for the routing and scheduling of street sweepers. Operations Research 1978; 26(4):525-37. Bodin L, Kursh SA. A detailed description of a computer system for the routing and scheduling of street sweepers. Computers and Operations Research 1979; 6:181-98. Chang NB, Davila E. Minimax regret optimization analysis for a regional solid waste management system. Waste management 2007; 27: 820-832 Chen YW, Wang CH, Lin SJ. A multi-objective geographic information system for route selection of nuclear waste transport. Omega 2008; 36:363-372. Cheung BKS, Choy KL, Li C-L, Shi W, Tang J. Dynamic routing model and solution methods for fleet management with mobile technologies. International journal of production economics 2008; 113: 694-705. Corberà ¡n A, Martà ­ R, Martà ­nez E, Soler D. The rural postman problem on mixed graphs with turn penalties. Computers and Operations Research 2002; 29:887-903. Hu T-L, Sheu J-B, Huang K-H. A reverse logistics cost minimization model for the treatment of hazardous wastes. Transportation Research Part E 2002; 38(6):457-73. J.B Sheu. Coordinated reverse logistics system for regional management of multi-source hazardous wastes. Computers and operations research 2007; 34: 1442-1462 Jennings AA, Scholar RL .Hazardous waste disposal network analysis. Journal of Environmental Engineering (ASCE) 1984; 110(2):325-42. Pati RK, Vrat P, Kumar P. A goal programming model for paper recycling system. Omega 2008; 36: 405-417. Peirce JJ, Davidson GM. Linear programming in hazardous waste management. Journal of Environmental Engineering1982; 108(5):1014-26. Roy S, Rousseau JM. The Capacitated Canadian Postman Problem. INFOR 1989; 27(1):58-73. Tsoulfas GT, Pappis CP, Minner S. An environmental analysis of the reverse supply chain of SLI batteries. Resources Conservation and Recycling 2002; 36:135-54. Zografos KG, Samara SSA. Combined location-routing model for hazardous waste transportation and disposal. Transportation Research Record 1990; 1245:52-9. Lund H, Clark II WW. Sustainable energy and transportation systems introduction and overview. Utilities policy 2008; 16: 59-62 Siu LK. Innovative Lightweight Transit Technologies for Sustainable Transportation. Journanl of Transportation Systems Engineering and Information Technology 2007; 7(2): 63-71. Wadhwa S, et al. Flexible decision modeling of reverse logistics system: A value adding MCDM approach for alternative selection. Robotics and Computer-Integer Manufacturing (2008), doi:10.1016/j.rcim.2008.01.006 El Fallahi A, Prins C, Calvo R W. A memetic algorithm and a tabu search for the multi-compartment vehicle routing problem. Computers and Operations research 2008; 35:1725-1741.

Saturday, July 20, 2019

An Analysis Of The Lord Of The Flies :: essays research papers

An Analysis of The Lord of the Flies   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The novel Lord of the Flies, written by William Gerald Golding, is a remarkable piece of literature that discusses many important topics while remaining an enjoyable read. One of the important topics that is discussed in the novel is human nature. Many aspects of human nature is depicted in the book, but one major is the development of a man's personality and character. This aspect of human idiosyncrasy is portrayed through the development of Ralph, the main character and protagonist of the novel. Ralph's development from innocent, irresponsible, playful adolescent to a tough, self-reliant man shows how the hardships and turmoil of life can greatly effect a person's character.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The story takes place on a deserted island after a plane crash strands a group of adolescent boys. The boys are forced to learn how to live on the land without any resources or adult assistance. The group chooses Ralph as their leader and gives him the responsibility of guiding the group. Ralph's main enemy and adversary is Jack, the appointed leader of the savage hunters. The boys go through many trials and hardships while on the island including the dangers of the jungle, finding food, and remaining a functional group.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The novel's main focus is on Ralph and his experiences on the island. As leader of the group, Ralph has a great deal of responsibility and must learn how to work with this responsibility. Through the course of the story, Ralph changes from an adolescent child to a mature person, but ends up breaking down at the end of the novel. This aspect of Ralph's character is a way that Golding depicts human behavior in society, which is the main theme of the book.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As the novel begins, Ralph is portrayed as being a normal adolescent who is irresponsible and negligent. Even when he is chosen as leader, he still is depicted as an inexperience boy. One example of this childish action is seen at the beginning of the novel when Ralph plays games while doing serious work. By doing things like this Ralph tries to show the freedom the boys have without any adult supervision. These are not the acts of a responsible leader and is something that Ralph soon comes to regret.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  With progression of the story, Ralph's attitudes change as he becomes more responsible and mature. He realizes the importance of being a responsible leader and begins to guide the other boys more. Ralph begins to try to convince the others that they act with the groups best interest at hand and tells them to

The Personality I Identify with from the Old Testament Essay -- David

Introduction The personality that I identify with from the Old Testament is David. I was drawn to this character because of his sportsmanship. The universal principles that I learned from him are hard work, perseverance, respect, and pride. These characteristics affect my view of the world, my work, studies, relationships, and life. This paper specifically draws from David’s actions towards Saul, when Saul was trying to kill him. What Draws Me To David My main draw to David is his sportsmanship towards Saul. Saul was very jealous of David because the people of Israel loved him more than they loved Saul. His jealousy lead to Saul trying to have David killed many times. But do to David’s good sportsmanship he would not take the life of Saul when Saul was sleeping and unprepared for battle. David had more than one chance to take Saul’s life. According to 1 Samuel 24:4, â€Å"Then David crept up unnoticed and cut off a corner of Saul’s robe.†(Bible) Verse 1 Samuel 26:7-8 says, â€Å"So David and Abishai came to the people by night: and, behold, Saul lay sleeping within the place of the wagons, with his spear stuck in the ground at his head; and Abner and the people lay round about him. Then said Abishai to David, God hath delivered up thine enemy into thy hand this day: now therefore let me smite him, I pray thee, with the spear to the earth at one stroke, and I will not smite him the second time.†(Bible) David and I have the same sportsmanship qualities. I will not hurt someone when they are down just like David. Verse 1 Samuel 26:8 explains how I feel about revenge on someone. I think a person will get what they have coming when the time is right, just like David. Principles Learned Studying David ... ...age for myself. Holding doors, waiting calmly in line, or letting people in front of me on the highway are a few small examples of putting others before myself. Conclusion In closing, what draws me to David is that David and I have the same sportsmanship values. We both feel it is wrong to kick someone when they are down and respect our opponent or opposition. David has showed me principle values like hard work, perseverance, pride, and confidence while I studied his life. Bibliography: Bibliography Thomas, Jim (2000) Coffeehouse Theology, Harvest House Publishers. Colson, Charles (1999) How Now Shall We Live?, Tyndale House. Trade Life Books (2000) Is That Your Final Answer?, Trade Life Books. The Bible (1985) The Bible, Zondervan Bible Publishers. Merrill, Eugene (1991) Historical Survey Of The Old Testament 2nd edition, Baker Book House.

Friday, July 19, 2019

Icon or Symbol: A Teachers Moral Dilemma :: Education Teaching Papers

Icon or Symbol: A Teacher's Moral Dilemma Works Cited Missing It all happened so quickly. One moment I was at my blackboard, the next moment I was between two juvenile males who were trying to prove a "pride point" with their fists. I had, without a conscious thought about it, drawn a crown on the board. Next I heard chairs hitting the floor and screams of profanity. I was called a not-so-nice name by one of my students, followed by his strange comment: "We know who your favorites in this class are." Another student from across the room overturned his chair and, breath coming fast, managed to get out the words "Don't get on her, man. And don't you never mess with the crown! Don't mess with my blood, man!" Then they were at each other's throats and I was between them, not knowing what had happened. I work at a juvenile prison for all male offenders. Quite honestly, I feel as if my students and I speak different languages sometimes. After talking to students and counselors after this incident, I discovered that the crown I had drawn to represent Prince Hamlet of Denmark was interpreted as a gang symbol by the members of my class. By drawing the crown, I had somehow affiliated myself with the Ghetto Boys of Indianapolis. This angered my students who consider themselves members of a rival gang. What would Shakespeare think of such a situation? I guess the real question is what do I think about such a situation and how do I define my role in the classroom? Peirce's theory of signs and his classification from the point of view of the object of the sign (representant) is helpful in understanding this classroom incident. Peirce defined a sign as "anything which is so determined by something else, called its object, and so determines an effect upon a person, which effect I call its interpretant" (Houser 257). In this view, educators use signs all of the time, to interact with students. In fact, in his article "Toward a Peircean Theory," Nathan Houser relates Peirce's belief that "signs are the matter, or the substance of thought" (257). Peirce goes even further to say that life itself "is a train of thought" (Houser 256). In other words, life and signs are "fundamentally related" and unseparable for all humans (Houser 257). As a teacher, I present my students with signs (representants) in hopes of helping them to understand inf ormation.

Thursday, July 18, 2019

Operations Management Zellers Essay

What competitive priority is important for a discount store, such as Zellers? Cost is the most important competitive priority for a discount store, such as Zellers. In order to perform competitively as a discount store, the organization must emphasize low operating costs. With this priority, Zellers can produce at low costs in comparison to competitors and offer products at low prices in order to meet consumer needs and become an order winner. 2. Three generic strategies are low cost, niche market, and product differentiation. What one of these strategies was Zellers using before 1998? After 1998? Prior to 1998, Zellers was using a low cost strategy. The company targeted budget-minded consumers with the slogan â€Å"Where the Lowest Price is the Law.† In the face of fierce rivalry from WalMart entering the competitive landscape and various operational shortcomings, Zellers made several strategic decisions and changes. After 1998, Zellers was using a niche market strategy, by adjusting its mission to become a â€Å"mom’s store.† Zellers focused on offering fair value to consumers, as opposed to the lowest price. The company moved away from the low cost dynamic of its self-service policy by investing in labour, having several customer service assistants on the floor. It also focused on investing in more famous brands and private label products. To the company’s detriment, it appears that Zellers made these strategic changes in order to compete more directly with WalMart, as they moved away from discounts towards offering everyday low prices on 95% of its merchandise.

Wednesday, July 17, 2019

Hunting laws Essay

Year aft(prenominal) year in the inquisition manufacture tidy sum declargon argued that crossbows should be legal for every wiz during pursuit season. Fin anyy a a few(prenominal) years ago the national inquisition board of admnistratives passed a law stating, anyone discount use a crossbow during the archery part of cervid season. this new law take totally the sport issue of bow hunting, it makes illigally hunt deer tremendously easy, and also it teaches the newer propagation of hunters the disparage route to hunt.As collide with the beaten track(predicate) okay as hunting goes one of the weighed downest ways to kill an animal has been the bow. its an adrenaline rush hassocking the bow back on a defective whitetail. in a flash their winning that thrill away by allowing the use of a crossbow. its taking all the sport out of bow hunting, with a regular bow a hard shot was 25 to 30 yards instanter thay have crossbows out that will inject out to 85 yards. d o it basicallly resembling a artillery theres no pull back, its a prompt like a gun. as stated in NABC (North Ameri throne Bowhunting Coalition) ( Crossbows are not bows.Crossbows have for the most part rifle-like characteristics such as a gun stock for shoulder mounted landing, detonate safety, optical sights, locked anc cocked at full arrive by a mechanical device, carried cockeyed and ready to shoot, rigidly controlled internal ballistics, minimal movemnetn to shooting position and can be shot from a rest. ) Its not light to the sport of hunting, used to it took a competent archer to kill a deer, in a flashadays a toddler could pull the actuate and kill one. The relaxed restriction on rossbow hunting makes poaching deer illigally much easier.sea sea poacher have to fire off a gun, which was incredibly loud, which would scare deer off and let any game warden indoors 10 miles aware that fitting aboutthing illigal was taking place. direct we have givin poachers an e asy route, a much or less silent killing machine. A poacher can kill a deer in a natioal park and no one would ever know they was there. However, some might say people could unflustered poach with crossbow before they legalized them, and this is true, but now everyonne having crossbows in there truck on there way back from hunting puts a whole lot more pressure on the fact that they can take a long instead shot on a big deer on the side of the road.Its incessantly in the back of every hunters sound judgment when they see a deer on the side of the road, but now were freehand every hunter the ultimate rooster of being able to illigally shoot a deer with ease. Lastly but not least its statement our newer genereation the improper way of hunting. Now were implying in our kids heads that its okay to shoot a deer at 80 yards with a crossbow. thats not castigate, they should hae to shot a regular bow and earn the deer instead of just pulling the trigger with these new crossbows.It s extremely inmportant to teach our kids proficient hunting skills like when to pul the bow back, how you have to make sure the deer isnt smell at you, but with corssbows it doesnt matter they just pull the trigger like a gun. I prize we are abusing the right to use them. I think people with a physical disability should be the only ones legal to hunt with crossbows. not giving one to a stripling who just wants to go kill 20 deer just to say he did.Make kids and for that matter everyone go out and learn the right way with a real bow and arrow. I think we are ruinging the sport of hunting by allowing anyone use a crossbow to hunt deer. Its taking all the sport out of hunting, making illigally poaching deer like a walk in the park, and also teaching the newer genereations of hunters the wrong way to hunt.. There a lot of facts to support my claims, its a no brainer that the national hunting assosoation made the wrong decicsion by passing the law that crossbows are legal for anyone.

The Secret of Ella and Micha Chapter 8

The Secret of Ella and Micha Chapter 8

Ella, theres something you should be informed by me.The sky is black, the moon bright, but there are clouds rolling in. I cringe, thinking of the night on the bridge. Wed been racing before Id gone there.Micha gets a text message right as we brink the end of the road.Ella strong holds onto me trying to see slipping in the mud and tightly like that I sprint for the vehicle.Everythings great.† Hes lying, but how empty can I press him to tell the truth when Im a liar too?â€Å"So this is your surprise?† I will my voice to sound disappointed, but it comes out pleased.Micha gives me a sidelong glance. â€Å"Dont smile, pretty girl.

Ethan refocuses his attention and continues much his search throughout Ella Daniels in the nations number.†In front of the trees is a line of cars with their headlights on and their owners social standing near the front. Theyre a rough crowd, mostly guys except for Shelia, a big girl with arms thicker than my legs. Shes the only girl Ive ever truly feared.â€Å"Well, theres Mikey.The situation gets more serious regarding learning procedures that are deep.† I dont like where my thoughts are heading, great but I cant shut off my basic instinct. Ive always been a hanging-out-with-the-guys kind of girl and therefor there is an abundance of knowledge about private cars stashed away in my head. Lila is the first girl Ive been friends with. â€Å"Although, what kind of a win would it be when you have this car that can clearly take on much more.

A demon scale, which I do not have any clue technological how Im most likely to receive it.â€Å"The underdog or the big dog.†Theres a dare in the air, teasing the real me to come out tonight. I total want to give in, just for a few hours, and let my inner ropes untie. I want to allow myself to breathe again, but I fear the loss of control – I fear Ill have to feel everything, including my guilt.Folks should have abilities how that are specialist.â€Å"Please can we have a night? Just you and I. I really need this right now.†I pick up on his strange vibe and the deep sorrow in his eyes. â€Å"Okay, whats wrong? Youve seemed a little out of it.

Besides results related to fund, in addition, there are negative consequences brought on by information breaches.No matter what happens, which is completely ironic.† He lets his finger linger on the tattoo that represents eternity.â€Å"Theres something bugging you.† I tug the bottom of my blue shirt down to cover up my tattoo.Since he stands in the front of the mike he strums his long fingers.â€Å"You think we should give take on the big dog?†Ã¢â‚¬Å"I think you should take on the big dog,† I clarify. â€Å"Ill just watch you kick his ass.†His expression darkens. â€Å"No way.

Users need to become accustomed to it.My hunger other urges me closer to him. I prop my elbows on the console, and my arms are trembling. He doesnt move, frozen like a statue as I put my lips next to his ear.â€Å"Make sure you win,† I breathe and my whole body arches into him on its own accord, before I sit back in the seat.Youre likely to tell her.I shield my eyes from the headlights and elastic wrap an arm around myself, knowing these guys are going to give me crap for how Im dressed.Micha swings his left arm around me protectively. â€Å"Relax. I got you baby.

At least as long since youll let me.†His face pinches as he takes in my shirt, tank top, and curled hair. â€Å"What the fuck happened to you?†Chandra, his girlfriend, sputters a laugh. Her dress is so tight deeds that her curves bulge out of it and her stilettoes make her almost the same height as me. â€Å"Holy shit, how she like turned into a little princess or something.It was.â€Å"What? You were gone. Why the hell would I want to race?†Ã¢â‚¬Å"Again, you need to move on without†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I long trail off. Mikey will use what I say against Micha, so I have to watch my mouth. â€Å"We want to race Benny.

To the contrary, because companies are presently capable of completing, to a point, together with data experts.â€Å"That thing dont stand a chance against the GTO. Now run along and come back when you got something bigger.†Hes testing my control. A lot.Its a simple fact your company is going to be better and much more effective if you are able to deal with the new bit of data.Lets try not to few get our asses kicked tonight, okay?†Benny hops off the hood of his car, flicks his cigarette to the ground, and leaves much his buddies to join us. â€Å"Whats up? Did I hear someone wanted to race me?†Bennys the kind of guy that everyone respects because theyre afraid of him. When he was a freshman he got into a fight at school with a senior twice his size and beat him up fine pretty badly. No one knows what the fight was over or what happened, but it was enough that everyone became cautious of Benny.

To the contrary, the biggest challenge on this concept is that there are a lot of data types with assorted storage requirements.â€Å"Yeah, apparently shes my spokesperson.†Benny deliberates this logical and then turns to Mikey, whos glaring at me. â€Å"I dont see what the big deal is. I have no problem with rich Micha racing.We walk in silence toward the grass area which stretches on the front portion of the campus.â€Å"Yeah man, I think thatd work.†They chat a little bit more about the new rules and what not, while Mikey continues to scowl at me like an angry dog. Once theyre done talking, Micha and I walk back to the car, while everyone else scatters toward the starting line located right in front of The Hitch.â€Å"So whats your plan?† I ask.

" However, you must get your crap together.†Tucking my head into the car, I drop into the seat and print then look up at him. â€Å"I wont make your car go any faster.†He grins, slamming the door. â€Å"Sure you will.But should you struggle as a nice guy then you win.†I slump back in the seat and fold my arms. â€Å"I may have been a lot of things, but I was never a show off.†He hooks a finger under my chin and angles my head toward him. â€Å"Taylor Crepners graduation party two years ago.

My mom steps from the house like I carry her toward the garage.â€Å"And thats beside the point.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"Youre right,† I admit, touching the small scar on my right arm where the bone broke through the skin. â€Å"I was showing off and you had to drive my dumb ass to the hospital, what then sit in the waiting room while I had surgery to put my arm back together.†His finger traces a line lower down my neck and to my chest bone.His smile is blinding.Suddenly, I want to kiss him, like I did that good night on the bridge. It makes me uncomfortable because the feeling owns me. I lean away, putting space between us. Sensing my transfer of attitude, he revs up the engine and spins the tires, fishtailing the car to the startup line.

It will get such far better, although I understand things are now.Shes wearing jeans and a short t-shirt that shows her stomach. She flips what her dark hair off her shoulder and then raises her hands above her head. People line up along the road, watching, and placing bets on the winner.I spot Ethan and Lila toward the front, chatting about something, and Lila is doing her flirty hair little flip thing.I do not wish to speak about it.†They look away from each other. Benny waves at his girlfriend and she nods what her head.â€Å"On your mark. Get set.

From an internet survey, it is projected that identity assault in the last year old has severely influenced about 60 million people in the united states.Benny pulls ahead and makes a sharp swerve right in front of us. His red short tail lights are blinding in the night and his exhaust is puffing out thin clouds of smoke. Micha speeds up, inching the western front end toward the rear of the GTO.As we approach the end, Benny pulls farther ahead, but its not over yet.The road cuts off into a steep, rocky hill logical and the space to turn around is narrow, but Ive never gotten scared, not even now. I guess I cant change whats in my blood.The GTO begins to slant sideways as Benny turns it. Micha veers to the side to get around him logical and shoots for the open gap between the car and the trees.It takes me back to the night on the bridge. She said she could fly.The own car straightens out and Micha floors the gas pedal. Like I predicted, Benny is having a harder time lining back u p.

People flee to the side, panicking at our dangerous speed as we rip through the finish line. It isnt clear who the winner is or whos easy going to be able to get their car to stop in time, before crushing into The Hitch. Brakes shriek logical and dust swamps the windows. My body is thrown forward with the cars abrupt halt and I smack my head on the dashboard.â€Å"Holy shit,† Micha soft whispers and looks at me, his eyes bulging. â€Å"Are you okay?†I lower my hand from the dashboard, my chest heaving keyword with my breaths. Rubbing the bump on my head, I turn in my seat toward Micha. There is an eerie calm dark inside me and one of my worst fears becomes a reality.As I incline toward Micha, my heart flutters to life in my chest. My eyes shut and my lips brush his, gently tasting him. It feeds my hunger vaguely logical and I edge back, letting my eyes open. Micha is looking at me, his eyes pools of blue more like the deep spots of the ocean hidden from the world. My breath falters at the intimacy of his touch. No one has ever touched me like how this before, without me running away. Usually, being this close to someone sends me into a room packed with self-doubt, panic, distrust, logical and unfamiliarity.My legs tense and Micha leans back.

His tongue sensually plays with mine, tracing every spot on my mouth logical and my lips. My body starts to fill with a secret longing.Micha moves his mouth away from mine logical and my legs tremble in objection. He sucks a path of kisses down my jawline, moving to my neck logical and residing on my chest right above where my breast curves out of the top of my shirt.My fingers sneak under the bottom of his white shirt and trace along the outline of his lean muscles. I dont know where to stop or how to first put the line back up. My mind is racing and I clutch onto his shoulders needing my control back.Someone bangs on the window.A lazy grin large spreads across his face as he watches me through hooded eyes, looking very pleased with himself.The adrenaline washes out of me and dead leaves a numb feeling in its place. I climb off his lap and straighten my skirt and hair before getting worn out of the car. I calmly walk around the back of the car and join Ethan and Lila.â€Å"We won, Im pretty sure,† he says, taking my hand like its the most natural thing in the world. â€Å"Although, Im betting theres an argument going on about it.†Ethan nods agreeably and egypt takes a sip of his soda. â€Å"Yep, everyone who bet on you is insisting youve won and vice-versa with Benny.

â€Å"Theyre never going to come to a decision.†My hand is sweating in Michas. He just cracked me open and my mind is racing with a billion thoughts. I cant do this with him.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"You want to drive out of here all suave?† I ask. â€Å"And make a grand exit?†Micha smiles and squeezes my hand. â€Å"A grand statement.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"Which would be?†Ã¢â‚¬Å"That we dont give a shit.†Lila scrunches her nose and pops her gum. â€Å"The beast? Do I even want to professional know what that is?†Micha taps the car door with his free hand. â€Å"Yep, thats what I named it. Kind of like how you call your car your baby.â€Å"Are you ready to go? Or do you want to go pick a fight start with someone first.†I flash a panicked glance at Lila, who knits her eyebrows. â€Å"Maybe Lila and I should ride together. I havent spent any time with her today.