Why Pit bulls should not be banned Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Why Pit bulls should not be banned - Essay Example The controversy surrounding particular breed of pit bulls is hidden from nobody these days. It is believed that the controversial rumors intended to attach a horrendous and notorious reputation to these dogs are specially appreciated by those who do not own one of these themselves. In contrast, the proponents of pit bull bans argue that dog bite epidemic has become a recognized problem in the US lately and it is high time now that weight actions at superior level be made to pin down the reports of pit bulls killing and maiming people. Facts and discussion presented in this essay are meant to illuminate the reality of the claim that â€Å"pit bulls should not be banned rather efforts should be directed at educating the dog owners and people and passing the strictest criminal and dog control laws.† There is an increasing need to acknowledge the fact that on grounds of only a few nasty and sorry incidents, not all pit bulls should be banned because unreasonable aggression is not a part of their nature and they tend to attack only under certain stressful or perilous circumstances. Not just pit bull but any other dog also would feel compelled to attack upon being annoyed by owners or other people who are not properly educated about a certain breed’s specifics which implies that people are to be blamed for the pit bull bite problem and not the entire breed itself. The idea of banning pit bulls should be condemned by everyone as one argument against implementation of breed specific laws reasonably suggests that â€Å"banning a breed is like human racial discrimination† (Phillips). ... roponents of pit bull bans claim that not only pit bulls but all closely related breeds should be banned which reflects a severe violation of animal rights because if it is really desired to put an end to the dog bite issues in the US, then those criminal minded dog owners should be apprehended and interrogated who subject the pit bulls to insanely hard to believe cruel and atrocious treatment as a way of making them violently dangerous. Why pit bulls are judged in such a negative and biased manner and arguments are made to ban them when they are not the culprits in the first place but innocent victims of severe abuse and cruelty? The proponents of pit bull bans should actually question their own flawed argument to â€Å"ban pit bulls and their closely related breeds† (Phillips). Another popular argument enthusiastically spread by the proponents of pit bull bans is related to the extreme danger associated with pit bulls because apparently this danger is so well established tha t these dogs are held responsible for about â€Å"75% of all reported canine-inflicted human deaths in the past two decades† (Phillips). What is sad is that the large group of advocates openly supporting the breed bans also includes some respected figures like Ingrid Newkirk whose opinions are trusted and considered valid. But the important thing is not to blindly believe someone else’s beliefs but to responsibly take up an issue to explore it in an impartial manner and reach decisions as objectively as possible. Considering the long history of cruel treatment of pit bulls at hands of the inhuman owners, the banning argument loses its validity along with the claim that pit bulls and other closely related breeds account for majority of all canine-inflicted deaths reported in the US. This is because

Education in Pakistan Essay Example for Free

Education in Pakistan Essay President Asif Ali Zardari signed ‘The Right to Free and Compulsory Education Bill 2012’ into law. The bill, which sought to ensure all children between five to 1 6 years of age are provided free education. He urged provincial governments to promulgate similar legislations in their respective assemblies as well. He said the responsibility for providing free education rests with both federal and provincial governments, referring to article 25-A of the Constitution. The article 25-A of Constitution of Pakistan obligates the state to provide free and compulsory quality education to children of the age group 5 to 16 years. The federal government will now provide free textbooks and uniform s to children and ensure schools have qualified teachers. Free pre-school education, early childhood care and free medical and dental inspection will also be provided to all citizens and no child will be subjected to corporal punishment â€Å"Under the law, private schools will be required to provide free education to disadvantaged students, who will comprise 10% of each class,† Zardari said, adding that school management committees will be established to persuade parents into sending their children to schools. â€Å"We will honor our international commitments and achieve the targets set by the Education for All and Millennium Development Goals initiatives. National Educational Policy 2009 Under the 18th constitutional amendment control and management of the education sector has been devolved to the provinces. They are now responsible for the key areas of the education sector i.e. curriculum and syllabus, centers of excellence, standards of education up to intermediate level (Grade 12) and Islamic education. Planning and policy and standards of education beyond Grade 12 are covered under Federal Legislative List. All the provinces have shown their commitment to the National Education Policy 2009. The National Educational Policy (NEP) 2009 is a milestone which aims to address a number of issues including: * Quality and quantity in schools and college education * Universal primary education * Improved Early Children Education (ECE) * Improved facilities in primary schools * Converting primary schools to elementary schools * Detaching classes XI-XII from college education * Adopting a comprehensive definition of ‘free ‘education * Achieving regional and gender parity especially at elementary level the share of resources for education in both public and private sectors Accordingto the latest Pakistan Social and Living StandardsMeasurement (PSLM) Survey 2010-11, the literacyrate for the population (10 years and above) is 58percent during 2010-11,

Hurrican Katrina :: Natural Disasters

Hurricane Katrina is one of the most powerful storms ever to threaten the United States for the past 100 years. It is the third most powerful hurricane to make landfall in the United States. The duration of the storm was from August 23 through August 31, 2005. The storm had a short period of time but its damages were so tragic that left long term damages (Figure 1). As shown in figure 2 you can see that on August 23rd Hurricane Katrina at first seems to be just a tropical depression in southeastern Bahamas. Then the tropical depression turned into a tropical storm on August 24th. During the afternoon it made landfall in south Florida with stronger winds and it turned into a category 1 (wind speeds of 75mph or greater) hurricane on August 25th. Hurricane Katrina strengthened and the worst was about to begin. (NOAA's National Climatic Data Center, 2005) On August 26th atmospheric and sea-surface conditions were contributing to cyclone's rapid growth that lead to Katrina attaining major hurricane status (Figure 3 and 4). Katrina continues to strengthen and move northwards. Katrina had sustained winds of 175 mph (280 km/h) in which the storm was labeled as a category 5 (Figure 5) hurricane. A category 5 hurricane is the most intense type of hurricane. As a category 5 hurricane Katrina continue to cause damages to many states for five days. (NOAA's National Climatic Data Center, 2005) Hurricane Katrina caused extensive damages along the central Gulf Coast states of the U.S. It affected cities such as New Orleans, Bahamas, South Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. Hurricane Katrina caused damages of about $100+ billion and this is the most costly tropical cyclone of all time. It killed about 1,383 people and it can potentially be more. The Hurricane also left millions of people homeless and without anything to look forward to. Many people lost their homes, some their family and friends, and everything they own. The impact of Katrina's force will need weeks and months of recovery efforts to restore normality. We hope that the U.S does not have to face another hurricane like Katrina in a very long time. (Wikipedia, 2005) The rising sea and violent winds thrashing through the coast of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama was not the only thing responsible for the damages that the Hurricane Katrina left behind. The area's natural environment had human-made changes that increased the effects of the storm; giving it the opportunity to become one of the largest natural disasters in the nation's history.

Literacy Case Study

Literature serves as a repository of human experience. The possibility of such is evident in the personal and political character evident in the creation of a literary work. Such a character is present in the process of creating a literary work. The literary work may be depicted as an artist’s compilation of thoughts and ideas formulated into a coherent whole. The process of formulating such is spearheaded by the artist’s acquisition of language through the socialization process. Socialization occurs at the formal and informal level. The formal level is generally characterized by the acquisition of the syntactical and semantical rules of a language. Such a process occurs during a child’s education. The acquisition of language, as well as the development of the interest for a particular language may occur during the early part of a child’s socialization process with the family. The family serves as the main element for a child’s acquisition of interest for particular styles or one may even state for particular literary genres. Hence, a child who has been introduced at an early age to fairly tales may have a taste for the fantastic and the supernatural. At the same time, a child introduced to personal narratives may develop an interest for personal narrations. In lieu of this, what follows is the result of literacy case study conducted with a peer/classmate. The study opts to present an analysis of a peer’s literacy level though the analysis of his/her reading and writing skills. Such an analysis involves the assessment of the individual’s personal views to the reading and writing process and the relation of these views to the individual’s assessment of his literacy level. Method The methodology employed for this case study involves a one on one interview with a particular peer/classmate. The methodology used enables the interviewer to assess the literacy level of the interviewee in terms of conversational language. Such an assessment enables the interviewer to consider the interviewee’s communication skills, which mirrors the interviewee’s self-perceived competency of his literacy level. Evaluation This case study was conducted with a classmate [Ali]. Several questions were posed which considered Ali’s socialization experience in terms of language acquisition. The study shows that an individual’s literacy level increasingly develops throughout the life span because of the continuous stimulation of various stimuli that necessitates the individual’s continuous use of his reading and writing skills. In Ali’s case, this is evident, as he perceives literature as the focal point, which enabled him to develop an interest for the other subjects during his junior year. In relation to this, his later years of development [specifically that which is situated within the University] mirrors his literacy development. Ali’s development has shifted towards a highly personal consideration of the role of these aforementioned skills in the development of his own voice and hence his own identity. Summary and Recommendations Based upon the interview, I perceive Ali’s utilization of the personal value that literature serves for the individual. Personal here ought to be understood as private. Literature for Ali thereby serves as an ensemble of various accounts that serve to reject the discursive unity that constructs subjectivity as simultaneously individualized and totalized since literature as Ali perceives it or utilizes it in his life takes the form or style of several generic discourses. The acts correlated with literature [reading and writing] thereby stand for Ali as acts that enable the discovery of the self through the daily recording of events that allows the creation of his singular account of the transactions and movements of his life. As I reckon, Ali’s interest lies in the creation of self-narratives in the form of daily records of his daily transactions. Such an act may be seen as an exercise of selfhood wherein Ali portrays his perception of his intimate self while recognizing that it is his mere perception of his self. Ali thereby allows the subversion of the act of turning â€Å"real lives into writing† as he allows the existence of conflicts and confusions in the formation of his identity [as depicted in his writings]. Ali himself notes that literature enables him to perceive the mistakes the he continuously commits in the act of delving within and understanding a literary work. Literature, in this sense, presents Ali with the form in which he may be able to continuously exercise the act of self-formation and hence self-creation. The possibility of such is evident if one considers that Ali takes the act of understanding a literary work as an internal act, which necessitates the reader’s complete understanding of the content of literary work. Such an understanding, although enabled and nurtured within a group through the introduction of various diverse views is only possible when one isolates one’s self in order to reassess one’s thoughts in connection to the simultaneous views presented within a group. To understand a literary work thereby serves as a process of reconsidering the self in order to attain a form of consensus within one’s self that enables the self’s creation and hence specification of its view. Literature, for Ali, thereby serves as a medium for self discovery and self creation wherein the acts of both reading and writing serve as the facilitators for the initial creation and finally in the end Ali’s own medium for the specification and exposition of his self as represented through his own creative work.      

Eli Liily

1. Discuss Eli Lilly’s practices from the perspectives of utilitarianism and rights. The utilitarian principle affirms that, â€Å"an action is right from an ethical point of view if and only if the sum total of utilities produced by that act is greater than the sum total of utilities produced by any other act the agent could have performed in its place.† (Velasquez, 61) When Lilly began using homeless alcoholic subjects for phase 1 testing, they met the requirements set forth by Congress and the FDA. These subjects came forward, regardless of their personal motivation, to perform a service that would benefit the greater good. This act exemplifies utilitarianism. (Utilitarianism Principle, 63) To oppose this principle we would argue the two moral issues of rights and justice simultaneously. Some actions are morally right even if they are unjust (Utilitarianism Principle). An example of this would be a decision to steal food for your family or to let them go hungry. A person would need to decide between â€Å"legal good† versus â€Å"greater good† of feeding your family. The basic notion that separates justice from morality and suggests that one need only consider morality. (Rule-utilitarianism, 69) 2. In your judgment, is the policy of using homeless alcoholics for the test subjects morally appropriate? Why or Why not?  I believe that it is morally appropriate to use homeless alcoholics for test subjects if you consider this, an action is morally right if carrying out the action the agent exercises, exhibits or develops a morally virtuous character, and is morally wrong to the extent that by carrying out the action the agent exercises, exhibits, or develops a morally vicious character. (Virtue theory, 112) To oppose this principle we would argue the two moral issues of rights and justice simultaneously. Some actions are morally right even if they are unjust (Utilitarianism Principle). An example of this would be a decision to steal food for your family or to let them go hungry. A person would need to decide between â€Å"legal good† versus â€Å"greater good† of feeding your family. The basic notion that separates justice from morality and suggests that one need only consider morality. (Rule-utilitarianism, 69) The sacrifices these men are making are for the ultimate good of society. (Utilitarianism theory)

Timeline of the Persian Wars 492-449

Timeline of the Persian Wars 492-449 The Persian Wars (sometimes known as the Greco-Persian Wars) were a series of conflicts between Greek city-states and the Persian Empire, beginning in 502 BCE and running some 50 years, until 449 BCE. The seeds for the wars was planted in 547 BCE when the Persian emperor, Cyrus the Great, conquered  Greek Ionia. Before this, the Greek city-states and the Persian Empire,  centered in what is now modern-day Iran, had maintained an uneasy coexistence, but this expansion by the Persians would eventually lead to war.   Timeline and Summary of the Persian Wars 502 BCE,  Naxos: An unsuccessful attack by the Persians on the large island of Naxos, midway between Crete and the current Greek mainland,  paved the way to revolts by Ionian settlements occupied by the Persians in Asia Minor. The Persian Empire had gradually expanded to occupy Greek settlements in Asia Minor, and the success of Naxos at repelling the Persians encouraged the Greek settlements to consider rebellion.  c. 500 BCE, Asia Minor: The first revolts by Green Ionian regions of Asia Minor began, in reaction to oppressive tyrants appointed by the Persians to oversee the territories.  498 BCE, Sardis:  Ã‚  Persians, led by Aristagoras with Athenian and Eritrean allies, occupied Sardis, located along what is now the western coast of Turkey. The city was burned, and the Greeks met and were defeated by a Persian force. This was the end of the Athenian involvement in the Ionian  revolts.492 BCE, Naxos: When the Persians invaded, the inhabitants of the island fled. The Per sians burned settlements, but the nearby island of Delos was spared. This marked the first invasion of Greece by the Persians, led by Mardonius. 490 BCE, Marathon: The first Persian invasion of Greece ended with Athens decisive victory over the Persians at Marathon, in the Attica region, north of Athens.  480 BCE, Thermopylae, Salamis: Led by Xerxes, the Persians in their second invasion of Greece defeated the combined Greek forces at the Battle of Thermopylae. Athens soon falls, and the Persians overrun most of Greece. However, at the Battle of Salamis, a large island west of Athens, the combined Greek navy decisively beat the Persians. Xerxes retreated to Asia.  479 BCE, Plataea:  Persians retreating from their loss at Salamis encamped at Plataea, a small town northwest of Athens, where combined Greek forces badly defeated the Persian army, led by Mardonius. This defeat effectively ended the second Persian invasion. Later that year, combined Greek forces went on the offensive to expel Persian forces from Ionian settlements in Sestos and Byzantium.  478 BCE, Delian League: A joint effort of Greek city-states, the Del ian League formed to combine efforts against the Persians. When Spartas actions alienated many of the Greek city-states, they united under the leadership of Athens, thereby beginning what many historians view as the start of the Athenian Empire. Systematic expulsion of the Persians from settlements in Asia now began, continuing for 20 years.   476 to 475 BCE, Eion: Athenian general Cimon captured this important Persian stronghold, where Persian armies stored huge stores of supplies. Eion was located west of the island of Thasos and south of what is now the border of Bulgaria, at the mouth of the Strymon River.  468 BCE, Caria: General Cimon freed the coastal towns of Caria from the Persians in a series of land and sea battles. Southern Aisa Minor from Cari to Pamphylia (the region of what is now Turkey between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean) soon became part of the Athenian Federation.  456 BCE, Prosopitis: To support a local Egyptian rebellion in the Nile River Delta, Greek forces were besieged by remaining Persian forces and were badly defeated. This marked the beginning of the end of Delian League expansionism under Athenian leadership  449 BCE, Peace of Callias: Persia and Athens signed a peace treaty, although, to all intents and purposes, hostilities had ended several years earlier. Soon, Athens would find itself in the middle of the Peloponnesian Wars as Sparta, and other city-states rebelled against Athenian supremacy.

Hemingway in Seney Essay

Hemingway in Seney Essay Hemingway in Seney Essay Hemingway in Seney The hot August sun hovered directly overhead as twenty-year-old Ernest Miller Hemingway stepped carefully down from the train at Seney, Michigan. It was 1919. He walked slowly, favoring his right leg, towards the small wooden depot on the south side of the tracks. While his leg hurt each time he put weight on it, he was proud of his wounds and he could handle it. After all, he was one of the first Americans wounded in Italy during the Great War and he enjoyed talking about the Austrian mortar shell that had put him in a Milan, Italy, hospital for several months. Still, the pride would come more easily if he was wearing his fancy Italian officer’s uniform. He cringed as he recalled the brakeman’s cruel remark: â€Å"Hold her up,† the man yelled to the engineer. â€Å"There’s a cripple and he needs time to get his stuff down.† The trip from the Hemingway summer home on Walloon Lake had been long but enjoyable. From the moment they stepped aboard the Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad (GR & I) train in Petoskey early that day, Hemingway and his two friends- Jack Pentecost, his high school classmate from Illinois, and Al Walker- had looked forward to visiting Seney. This excursion was to be the last great fishing trip of the summer. The short trip to Mackinaw City had been enjoyable enough, but the boys watched with greater interest when they reached the straits. Their train car was loaded onto the Chief Wawatam for the hour-long ferry ride across the straits. The engine remained behind as the ferry took the train cars across the five miles to St. Ignace, where they hooked up to a Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic (DSS & A) engine for the remainder of the trip to Seney. The train stopped often that late August morning as it steamed through the swamp and cutover country of the eastern Upper Peninsula. They passed a number of locations, some with accompanying towns, some merely loading docks. But the names were interesting. Allenville, Moran, Ozark, Trout Lake and Hendrik. At Soo Junction, the tracks split for those travelers going northeast to the Soo and Canada. The boys’ train turned west, and they soon passed through Newberry, Dollarville and McMillan before reaching Seney. This trip was nothing more than a fishing excursion for three young men, but the visit would also make Seney famous once again- from this experience Ernest Hemingway wrote one of his most well-known short stories, â€Å"Big Two-Hearted River.† While the exploits of this tiny village disappeared into dusty history books, Hemingway’s story continued in countless editions of the author’s short stories, attracting visitors to the little town to ask about the famous author. Seney first gained fame in the 1880s, when it was called as â€Å"tough, [and] two-fisted a town as any on earth.† A major part of the population were poor lumberjacks, paid only $1.75 a day. When they had money in their pockets, they were anxious to spend it on anything to blot out their exhausting, dangerous and frustratingly celibate life in bleak camps and lonely pine woods. They found what they wanted in Seney. One chronicler was probably correct when he wrote that no one could truthfully â€Å"see how any place in the pineries could have come closer to hell than Seney.† In 1882, the Alger Smith company began logging the virgin pines that flourished in the sandy soil of the eastern Upper Peninsula. The lumber industry- like any other industry- depended on transportation for moving products and personnel, and Seney secured its place in history through the railroad. No major highways existed into the area, not even when Hemingway visited. The town’s name thus seems appropriate: it came from one of the major investors in the railroad, George Ingraham Seney, a New York banker who invested his own money and that of his bank in this venture. Seney’s investment went sour. Although the railroad survived- after being bought out by the DSS

Rudyard Kiplings Classic Speech on Values in Life

Rudyard Kiplings Classic Speech on Values in Life Both praised and criticized as a popular writer, Rudyard Kipling was a poet, novelist, short-story writer, and notorious imperialist. He is best known today for his novel Kim (1901) and his childrens stories, collected in The Jungle Book (1894), The Second Jungle Book (1895), and the Just So Stories (1902). Values in Life appears in A Book of Words (1928), a volume of Kiplings collected speeches. The address was originally delivered in the fall of 1907 to the students at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. At the end of his talk Kipling says, I have no message to deliver. Consider whether you agree with that observation. Values in Life by Rudyard Kipling 1 According to the ancient and laudable custom of the schools, I, as one of your wandering scholars returned, have been instructed to speak to you. The only penalty youth must pay for its enviable privileges is that of listening to people known, alas, to be older and alleged to be wiser. On such occasions youth feigns an air of polite interest and reverence, while age tries to look virtuous. Which pretences sit uneasily on both of them. 2 On such occasions very little truth is spoken. I will try not to depart from the convention. I will not tell you how the sins of youth are due very largely to its virtues; how its arrogance is very often the result of its innate shyness; how its brutality is the outcome of its natural virginity of spirit. These things are true, but your preceptors might object to such texts without the proper notes and emendations. But I can try to speak to you more or less truthfully on certain matters to which you may give the attention and belief proper to your years. 3 When, to use a detestable phrase, you go out into the battle of life, you will be confronted by an organized conspiracy which will try to make you believe that the world is governed by the idea of wealth for wealths sake, and that all means which lead to the acquisition of that wealth are, if not laudable, at least expedient. Those of you who have fitly imbibed the spirit of our university- and it was not a materialistic university which trained a scholar to take both the Craven and the Ireland in England- will violently resent that thought, but you will live and eat and move and have your being in a world dominated by that thought. Some of you will probably succumb to the poison of it. 4 Now, I do not ask you not to be carried away by the first rush of the great game of life. That is expecting you to be more than human. But I do ask you, after the first heat of the game, that you draw breath and watch your fellows for a while. Sooner or later, you will see some man to whom the idea of wealth as mere wealth does not appeal, whom the methods of amassing that wealth do not interest, and who will not accept money if you offer it to him at a certain price. 5 At first you will be inclined to laugh at this man, and to think that he is not smart in his ideas. I suggest that you watch him closely, for he will presently demonstrate to you that money dominates everybody except the man who does not want money. You may meet that man on your farm, in your village, or in your legislature. But be sure that, whenever or wherever you meet him, as soon as it comes to a direct issue between you, his little finger will be thicker than your loins. You will go in fear of him; he will not go in fear of you. You will do what he wants; he will not do what you want. You will find that you have no weapon in your armory with which you can attack him, no argument with which you can appeal to him. Whatever you gain, he will gain more. 6 I would like you to study that man. I would like you better to be that man, because from the lower point of view it doesnt pay to be obsessed by the desire of wealth for wealths sake. If more wealth is necessary to you, for purposes not your own, use your left hand to acquire it, but keep your right for your proper work in life. If you employ both arms in that game, you will be in danger of stooping, in danger also of losing your soul. But in spite of everything you may succeed, you may be successful, you may acquire enormous wealth. In which case I warn you that you stand in grave danger of being spoken and written of and pointed out as a smart man. And that is one of the most terrible calamities that can overtake a sane, civilized white man in our Empire today. 7 They say youth is the season of hope, ambition, and uplift- that the last word youth needs is an exhortation to be cheerful. Some of you here know- and I remember- that youth can be a season of great depression, despondencies, doubts, and waverings, the worse because they seem to be peculiar to ourselves and incommunicable to our fellows. There is a certain darkness into which the soul of the young man sometimes descends- a horror of desolation, abandonment, and realized worthlessness, which is one of the most real of the hells in which we are compelled to walk. 8 I know of what I speak. This is due to a variety of causes, the chief of which is the egotism of the human animal itself. But I can tell you for your comfort that the chief cure for it is to interest yourself, to lose yourself in some issue not personal to yourself- in another mans trouble or, preferably, another mans joy. But, if the dark hour does not vanish, as sometimes it doesnt, if the black cloud will not lift, as sometimes it will not, let me tell you again for your comfort that there are many liars in the world, but there are no liars like our own sensations. The despair and the horror mean nothing, because there is for you nothing irremediable, nothing ineffaceable, nothing irrecoverable in anything you may have said or thought or done. If, for any reason, you cannot believe or have not been taught to believe in the infinite mercy of Heaven, which has made us all, and will take care we do not go far astray, at least believe that you are not yet sufficiently important to b e taken too seriously by the Powers above us or beneath us. In other words, take anything and everything seriously except yourselves. 9 I regret that I noticed certain signs of irreverent laughter when I alluded to the word smartness. I have no message to deliver, but, if I had a message to deliver to a University which I love, to the young men who have the future of their country to mould, I would say with all the force at my command, Do not be smart. If I were not a doctor of this University with a deep interest in its discipline, and if I did not hold the strongest views on that reprehensible form of amusement known as rushing, I would say that, whenever and wherever you find one of your dear little playmates showing signs of smartness in his work, his talk, or his play, take him tenderly by the hand- by both hands, by the back of the neck if necessary- and lovingly, playfully, but firmly, lead him to a knowledge of higher and more interesting things. Â   Classic Essays About Values Of Truth, by Francis BaconAn Essay on the Noble Science of Self-Justification, by Maria EdgeworthSelf-Reliance, by Ralph Waldo EmersonQuality, by John GalsworthyA Liberal Education, by Thomas Henry HuxleyWhat Life Means to Me, by Jack LondonThe Tyranny of Things, by Edward Sandford MartinOn Virtue and Happiness, by John Stuart MillWho Owns the Mountains? by Henry Van Dyke

Business Implications of Security on the Internet Essay

Business Implications of Security on the Internet - Essay Example Loss of revenue is one of the major business implications of security on the internet. Lack of internet security can lead to loss of revenue in two main ways. Firstly, if the internet server that a business uses is compromised, hackers can (in most cases) gain access to the businesses financial information. Such information can be used to pilfer business funds and this leads to loss of revenue. Secondly, in cases where businesses rely a great deal on the internet and use e-commerce sites to sell their goods/services, a compromised internet network or site automatically leads to loss of revenue since such a site is rendered inoperable and consumers are not able to access the site (Ringwelski, 2010). There has also been loss of productivity on human personnel because of internet security measures taken by company. Due to the rise of internet security breaches, businesses may be forced to implement certain measures that ultimately lower all their employees’ productivity. For inst ance, employees may be asked to conduct various security checks before accessing the internet and this may be time consuming and lower productivity. Another major repercussion of internet security on businesses is the potential risk of the businesses reputation being damaged. In cases, where a business’s internet security is breached, hackers can damage the company’s reputation by posting false information about the company on the compromised site, or stealing the information of the company’s clients. For most businesses, this risk can be even more debilitating than the loss of business revenue. This is because while a business may recover from a loss of revenue, a damaged reputation can cause customers, investors and shareholders to lose faith in the business and withdraw their support. The loss of such support often leads to the collapse of the business (Shoniregun, 2005). Evidently, implications such as the ones discussed herein can lead to businesses being d amaged extensively. For these reasons, different businesses have devised various solutions to deal with internet security. For instance, some companies have developed information-sharing partnerships with various government agencies. Such partnerships enable companies to rely on the government’s law enforcement abilities to detect and prevent breaches in their internet security. In such partnerships, businesses rely on government law agencies to provide them with any information that can improve their internet security and the

Various Situations with Misleading Statistics Math Problem

Various Situations with Misleading Statistics - Math Problem Example Statistics can mislead people because they fail to represent single elements in the entire population (Bluman, 2005). This paper will consider the instances in which statistics can mislead people. â€Å"For every hundred women, 91 have taken the road less travelled† is a statement that represents a misleading statistic. From this statement, â€Å"the road less traveled† appears to offer readers an escape from daily life. The 91 per cent statistic appears to be an attractive statistic, but it is blatantly untrue. This statistic manipulates readers in the following ways: drawing readers in and piquing their curiosity by an implication that the advertisement will show the choices that 91 percent of women will make, presenting the readers with a situation to compare themselves with the 91 percent of women, and the statistic tries to add credibleness to the advertisement (Bluman, 2005). This shows that 91 per cent of women purchase the product that is under advertisement, wh ich enables readers to compare themselves with these women. The statistics can also make readers believe that the scientific study of the choices has undergone completion (Bluman, 2005). However, it is impossible for the reader to tell the meaning of 91 per cent statistic in practical terms.  Ã¢â‚¬Å"In a recent article, the author states that 71 per cent of adults do not use sunscreen† is another statement that represents a misleading statistic. There are a number of potential reasons as to why this statement could mislead readers. The readers may undergo temptation to assume that the author was referring to those individuals who do not use sunscreen while the sun is hot, but the author did not have the same implication (Bluman, 2005). Readers can ask themselves the following questions: What is the author talking about? Why did the writer write about not using Sunscreen? Does it mean the availability of sunscreen is in limited supply for every person who would like to wear i t? Does it mean the author has a company that distributes and sells sunscreen? Does it mean that the author is warning people against skin cancer? Does it mean that the author wrote an article with the intention of building a resume? Another question that readers may ask is the ‘when’ question. When does the 71 per cent of the adults not use sunscreen? Is it on vacation, when the adults are at work, when the adults go to bed at night, or when the adults are watching movies? Readers can also ask the ‘where’ question while trying to find what the author implies. Where do adults not use sunscreen? When the adults are at the office, when they are travelling in the sun, or when they are watching movies at home. It is not necessary for most adults to wear sunscreen when they have normal eyesight (Bluman, 2005).

Denver International airport Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Denver International airport - Research Paper Example However, there are some conspiracies surrounding the airport. It is claimed that Denver International was built by the Illuminati as the control center for the global extermination that will initiate the New World Order (Anomalies-unlimited, n.d.). These conspiracies also claim that DIA has fewer runways compared to the old Stapleton International Airport, and despite widespread protests, it was built and opened in 1995, thus reducing Denvers capacity. It is said to have up to 8 levels of underground facilities, and workers there refuse to give details about their work and what they do. They claim that electromagnetic pulse, resulting from the experiments conducted in these basements lead to the shattering of fourteen commercial aircrafts in 2007. The airport is fenced by barbed wire, with an inward angle, to keep people in, unlike other airports. The runways are placed in the shape of a swastika from a bird’s eye view (Anomalies-unlimited, n.d.). Indoors, the airport gets stranger with the Illuminati appearing to have displayed their plans for worldwide extermination and a New World Order in two large paintings and the Mayan symbol for 2012 presiding over all. On the floor close to the paintings "Au Ag" is written, which is said to be the abbreviation for a deadly toxin Australia Antigen, and markedly the Illuminatis weapon of choice to achieve the extermination. Furthermore, strange words in an unknown language are inscribed on the floors. And finally, the Queen of England, another supposed Illuminatus, has been covertly and secretly buying up the property near the airport (Anomalies-unlimited, n.d.). If we do a little research, then all these conspiracies can be explained logically and proven wrong. The old Stapleton Airport was in the middle of the city. It was 65 years old and was a constant nuisance due to noise. It had only three runways, 10,000 foot each, whereas Denver International has

English settlement in the Americas Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

English settlement in the Americas - Essay Example The colonization had made Spain the wealthiest nation, during the later years of the 1500s. The inflow of the English was triggered by the need to colonize and explore the Americas, after they saw that Spain was growing extremely rich during the sixteenth century (Benedict 1996). However, the colonization and the exploration style of England was different from that of Portugal and Spain, as England privatized its exploration, through granting letters of Marquis and charters to the individuals that captured English colonies as economic strongholds. This paper will explore the motives behind the development of English settlements in the Americas, both from the perspective of the settlers and official policy formulations (Starkey 1998). The motives included mercantilism, which is the economic outlook of integrating private and government efforts, towards fostering economic development. The aims of the system included managing all the components of American trade, including transport, pr oduction and retailing – under the control of England. ... There was also the spread of Protestantism, partly due to Henry VIII’s pursuit of getting a male child. After the death of Edward in 1553, Mary I took over, and she started killing Protestants, so that she could restore England to Catholicism. On one occasion, she commanded the execution of 300 Protestants for heresy, and had them burnt. During the time of fleeing England to avoid persecution, and after the reign of Elizabeth, the English settled in the Americas – and in the process realized the goal of expanding their religious coverage (Spielvogel 2000). The English sought to expand the coverage of their religion, as there was the common view that Spanish Catholicism was evil. As a result, the attacks staged on Spanish ships by Sir Francis, while in the American waters were hailed as a heroic act, and not pirate activity. The demolition of the Spanish armada paved way for the English explorers to colonize the Americas, which was also an effort to contain the spread of Catholicism. The development of English settlements in the Americas was also triggered by the population increase of the 1500s. During the time, England passed laws on enclosure, making all land private, which made it very difficult for commoners to feed their animals at public lands. The shift towards privatizing land resulted from the increase in the price of wool. As a result, land owners decided to stop the competition for provision of wool by increasing their farm lands and to increase their wealth through the trade. The shift increased wool production, but also led to an increase in the number of landless people, who has sustained their livelihood by grazing at public lands. Also, between 1530

The Australian Government and Reserve Bank Assignment

The Australian Government and Reserve Bank - Assignment Example The main purpose behind the development of such type of an economy is to ensure the availability of opportunities for every Australian citizen for their future success (Key Achievements, n.d). The Reserve Bank of Australia started operating as the central bank of Australia on 14th January 1960. The main purpose of the Australian Reserve Bank is to â€Å"conduct monetary policy,† maintaining a strong economic system and issuing currency of the nation (Reserve Bank of Australia, 2011). The paper seeks to examine the performance of the Australian government and Reserve Bank of Australia in the past two with emphasis on their macroeconomic policies. How successful have the Australian Government and the Reserve Bank of Australia has been in running the Australian economy over the last two years? The time when most of the major powers like UK and USA were suffering due to the recession, the Australian economy was growing at a rate of 0.4pc in the first quarter of 2009 according to t he Australian Board of Statistics. There was even a rise in its GDP. Source: Keep Australian Government The only thing that might put the Australian economy at the backseat was the growing rate of unemployment and it needed immediate attention (Malkin, 2009). Thus when the Labor Party came into power it was expected from them to design their policies in such a way so as to bring more improvements for the economy and also reduce the rate of unemployment. In the department of health, the Gillard Government had signed a number of health reforms with all the States and Territories in order to secure the health of the Australians in the future. This agreement will be a boon for the economy as it will provide the funds required for the public hospitals, one can expect greater levels of â€Å"transparency and accountability† and less waiting for the patients. As a result of the above health reforms one can see that hospital funding has increased by over 50 percent. Around $ 1.5 bill ion have been injected in the emergency departments. Plans for the aged section of the population have increased by 10,000. In order to ensure availability of medical facilities in the rural areas incentives and bonuses are being given to the doctors (Health Reform, n.d). Though the health reforms were meant for the whole economy yet it lacked a â€Å"common architecture binding policy† attitude. Increasing health care costs have proved to be a factor responsible for lack of health care facilities among the indigenous Australians. Apart from that there has been the problem of lack coordination and content (Gillespie, 2011). The Gillard government has made efforts to make every school a great school because they believe that proper education is very important for increasing a person’s potential and also for increasing the wealth of the nation in future. Accordingly policies were designed in such a way so as to ensure uninterrupted flow of quality education. Funding for education continued, existing Education Tax Rebate was expanded; $3.1 million was to be spent in the next two years in order to establish National Trade Cadetships and many more (Schools Policy Analysis, 2010). As global warming as become an important issue all over the world, the Gillard Government has taken steps to ensure a safer environment for the Australians. The government’s Clean Energy Future Package is considered to be an important economic

English settlement in the Americas Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

English settlement in the Americas - Essay Example The colonization had made Spain the wealthiest nation, during the later years of the 1500s. The inflow of the English was triggered by the need to colonize and explore the Americas, after they saw that Spain was growing extremely rich during the sixteenth century (Benedict 1996). However, the colonization and the exploration style of England was different from that of Portugal and Spain, as England privatized its exploration, through granting letters of Marquis and charters to the individuals that captured English colonies as economic strongholds. This paper will explore the motives behind the development of English settlements in the Americas, both from the perspective of the settlers and official policy formulations (Starkey 1998). The motives included mercantilism, which is the economic outlook of integrating private and government efforts, towards fostering economic development. The aims of the system included managing all the components of American trade, including transport, pr oduction and retailing – under the control of England. ... There was also the spread of Protestantism, partly due to Henry VIII’s pursuit of getting a male child. After the death of Edward in 1553, Mary I took over, and she started killing Protestants, so that she could restore England to Catholicism. On one occasion, she commanded the execution of 300 Protestants for heresy, and had them burnt. During the time of fleeing England to avoid persecution, and after the reign of Elizabeth, the English settled in the Americas – and in the process realized the goal of expanding their religious coverage (Spielvogel 2000). The English sought to expand the coverage of their religion, as there was the common view that Spanish Catholicism was evil. As a result, the attacks staged on Spanish ships by Sir Francis, while in the American waters were hailed as a heroic act, and not pirate activity. The demolition of the Spanish armada paved way for the English explorers to colonize the Americas, which was also an effort to contain the spread of Catholicism. The development of English settlements in the Americas was also triggered by the population increase of the 1500s. During the time, England passed laws on enclosure, making all land private, which made it very difficult for commoners to feed their animals at public lands. The shift towards privatizing land resulted from the increase in the price of wool. As a result, land owners decided to stop the competition for provision of wool by increasing their farm lands and to increase their wealth through the trade. The shift increased wool production, but also led to an increase in the number of landless people, who has sustained their livelihood by grazing at public lands. Also, between 1530

Selling Sunglasses in an Online World Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Selling Sunglasses in an Online World - Essay Example The mission of the shop is to deliver the most highly sought after brand names with the top costumer service, in a mix which delights customers and has enabled the retailer to become one of the most successful examples of e-business in UK. On their website you get an on outlay which is at once catchy and informative. The brands are prominently displayed and range from premium to the ‘purse friendly’. There is a wide selection available and the shop team carefully monitors fashion trends and new arrivals to constantly update the products. They are registered dealers of all the brands they sell and some of the brands link back to their website as Oakley and Rayban. Technical eyewear such as goggles and designer spectacles are also two of the categories available for their customers. One of the main focus of the business is their strong inter relations within the employees and the suppliers. Training sessions and discussions with the suppliers keep the staff knowledgeable a bout the demand and supply of the sunglasses sector and they can further use this knowledge for the convenience of the customers. They act as experts on the latest and most desired products and the range of sunglasses available as well as provide quality control checks for the products which they deliver. Like other online retailers some of the perks offered by the retailer are the ability to compare and contrast the different products and prices available from the comfort of their home and free delivery of their shopping. The company goes to great lengths to ensure potential customers of their security and refund policies which work out to their benefit. The FAQ and about us page lets them know about the policies in a transparent way and provides the email address and contact number of customer service in order to answer any queries or provide any more information that the customer requires. The retailers do have a physical store in Highstreet, Essex. Fifteen employees in total man age both the online and retail business. The retail outlet was built to give their customers the opportunity to come and experience the products for themselves, as well as to attract those who were not very fond of online shopping. The outlet acts as a center for the transitional and accounting activities, they currently use the Wasp Quickstore solution to manage their check-out, stock levels, vendors and purchase orders. The emphasis is on replicating the same kind of efficiency in their outlet that exists in their online business. Possible E business models â€Å"Although â€Å"e-business† is a relatively new concept, there already exists a substantial base of experience in designing and implementing e-business initiatives and measuring their impact. As firms seek to go beyond the initial and often Imitated online store examples to the less obvious areas of their business that could be transformed with e-business technologies, there is a need for benchmarking the existing base of e-business experiences (Bagchi and Tulskie, 2000, 1) An E business can be defined as a company that has an online presence; these businesses sell merchandise, services and interact with customers through the internet. The model of conducting business that they follow is usually a combination of the different technology they use, website layout, company goals, marketing and selling strategies of that particular business. While every business is free to choose a model at their

Admissions Essay Essay Example for Free

Admissions Essay Essay Even since high school, I feel that I may have grown used to thinking that I will become a successful nurse someday. I envision myself, being like my two elder sisters who are nurses, being one of the best in this line of work. However, I do not regard this profession as a mere line of work. It is not a mere responsibility foster and nurture people, even unfamiliar ones. I honestly believe that there is a thin line between harboring life, and putting it in disrepair. I acquired my zeal for nursing since I was still in early high school. My two elder sisters, as mentioned, are also nurses. Sometimes being able to see them work, most of the time seeing them looking after patients’ health, as if it was their own, observing them obtain the satisfaction from helping other people†¦these are just some of the reasons that make me admire the people in that field of work. Moreover, my life experiences thrust me to practice Nursing and really put my life into it someday. My younger brother, who is indeed very dear to me, almost died when he was 8 months old. As what I was capable of understanding at that time, his temperature reached 107. See more: Satirical elements in the adventure of Huckleberry Finn essay 5 degrees, triggered by an ear and throat infection, which almost took his life. Throughout his illness, he was not able to do a lot of daily activities without someone to assist him. So, as his sister, I was there to look after him. I was there to nurse him, to assist in his needs, and make sure he was doing fine, at least that was what I can do. It is not that I am singing my own praises. It is just that, somehow, I feel that without someone to help or assist a sick person, he may not have been able to overcome such an illness. I am pleased and fulfilled to say I have taken care of my brother and helped him get through his ailment. I may have served as a support system for him, as well as my own family, in making things better, making him better, and keeping that thin line between life and death from becoming thinner for my dear brother. Sometimes when I look back to this experience, I tend to tell myself how possible I would have lost to death someone who is very close to me. I knew I did something for him, for him to get better. And somehow, that made me feel fulfilled. Thus, that gave me the inspiration to really push through a career in the future, such as Nursing. Inspired by my two elder sisters, enthused by my younger brother, I said to myself, I want to become a Nurse someday. Pursuing this field of interest is not just for and as my college course, but as a lifetime craft and vocation. It is not a mere money-earning job for me. Rather, as what I see from my siblings, I picture it as a self-fulfilling, people-caring job. I have lived my whole life in the small town of ____________. And in this small town, within the twenty years of my life, I have also been exposed to doing community work. I do volunteer works once a month at the nursery in my church at ______________. There, I teach three and four-year old children. Throughout doing this, I developed in myself the love for little children. That is why, when I become a nurse someday, I would really want to experience working specifically in relation to Pediatrics. Taking care of babies and innocent children feels like serving the satisfaction of being well appreciated. As far as what I have experienced, when children are well taken care of by adults, they give them high regards for making them feel well, especially when they are sick. Still, even if other soon-to-be nurses think that pursuing this career is a fast way to earn money by either staying in this country or going abroad, I still would prefer working at my little town where I grew up. When I finish my college degree as a Nurse, I would want to start working where I developed by passion for taking care of other people. It is because ___(Name of town)__ is where I will owe my success, hopefully. Besides, I also believe it is always a good deed to start helping your family and neighbors first, before you get on with the big world. At least, it would be a very good and fulfilling experience if I would be able to help my small town, in my small ways, at the start of my career. Since I am going to college soon, hopefully being able to pursue Nursing in ____Name of University___, I would be able to fully enhance and invigorate my passion for taking care of other people, and particularly their health. Because of my life experiences, especially with regards to my brother, I realized how important life is. And people need people who will take care of them when they are sick, people who scientifically know about health and who emotionally values life. And I believe I possess the qualities that it takes to become one good and successful nurse. One day, I told myself, I will be like my sisters. Dressed in clean white uniforms, taking care of my kin. As far as I know, nurses are indeed in demand here in the United States and in other continents like Europe. But I would prefer to stay here and serve my family and the rural town where I grew up. By the time I graduate, the need for nurses may have probably risen and I will be there to practice my profession, nurture and take care of people and live up to the care I have done for my brother and the inspiration I got from my sisters. And pursuing this as my college degree would be a step closer to my dream.

Evaluation Of Competitive Environment

Evaluation Of Competitive Environment INTRODUCTION In any businesses, understanding micro-economic and macro-economic environment that business is operating in is very important stage because the factors in these two environments have strong influence on the success of business. Micro-economic environment involves demand and supply for the business, market structure and cost structure. In other words, those are internal factor of the business that to some degree business can control. On the other hand, macro-economic environment comprises of external factors that cannot be controlled by the business but have strong influence on the business for example: economic situation, inflation, interest rates. This report will describe and analysis the impacts of micro and macro-economic environment on Dominos pizza business. The purpose of this report is to use knowledge and theory in economics for manager subject to apply into practical situation. MICRO-ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT The business overview Dominos Pizza is an American restaurant chain and international franchise pizza delivery corporation. Founded in 1960, Dominos is the second-largest pizza chain in the United States and has more than 10,000 corporate and franchised stores in 70 countries and all 50 states of United State. Dominos Pizza was bought out by Bain Capital in 1998 and went public in 2004. In Australia, Dominos Pizza is the largest pizza chain in terms of both network store numbers and network sales. In addition, Australias franchisee is the largest for the Dominos Pizza brand in the world. Dominos Pizza holds the exclusive master franchise rights for the Dominos brand and network in Australia, New Zealand, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and the Principality of Monaco. The Dominos brand is owned by Dominos Pizza, Inc, a listed US company. Dominos Pizza Enterprises are operating in five countries, with approximately 845 stores hiring about 21,000 people and making more than 60 million pizzas a year. Dominos Staff Products The current Dominos menu features a variety of  Italian-American  entrees and side dishes. Pizza is the main focus, with traditional, specialty and custom pizzas available in a variety of crust styles and toppings. Besides, Dominos also try to appeal to a larger base of customers by expanding its menus offering pastas, sides and desserts, chips. http://blog.vovici.com/Portals/60483/images/dominos_pizza_pie.png http://whatifeedmyhusband.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/img_2916.jpg https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibN9fbziYSZwMkn0tzfd1h5SIaKbas6W1EixhaSumCRCL19Qhg8iwJUQfugCTHZhUI96Hw6CCd5P45W0XhbRNA27XztmaSBPCwE6Z6tHxbIXxXyUxEkSE6I6isbfmUDUVeFHaC7wQzFrlq/s1600/DSC_5602.JPG http://slice.seriouseats.com/images/2013/01/20130108-dominos-chain-reaction-bread-bowl-pasta-5.jpg Customers Dominos target market is the consumers who is looking for reasonably-priced pizza and quick delivery. Dominos mainly focuses on delivery and pick-up customers. Demographically, Dominos does not target at a specific segmentation. Instead, it targets. Moreover, Dominos also concentrates on online pizza orders, so it can reach the greatest number of consumers while also improving its ability to meet customer demand, by 2012 online and mobile ordering account for up to 40% of sales. Competitors Domestically, Dominos faces highly competitive with main challenges coming from Pizza Hut, Papa Johns and various local/regional competitors. Direct competitors Pizza Hut: 271 stores Pizza Haven: 150 stores Pizza Capers: 95 storesC:UsersQuanDesktopdownload (2).jpgC:UsersQuanDesktopimages.jpgC:UsersQuanDesktopdownload.jpg Crust Gourmet Pizzas Eagle Boys Pizza: 281 stores C:UsersQuanDesktopdownload (1).jpgC:UsersQuanDesktopcrust_logo_vine__Square_normal.jpg Indirect competitors Dominos pizza has a huge variety of indirect competitors or close substitute products within fast food industry like Mc Donald, KFC, Subway, Nandos, Hungry Jack, Sushi†¦ Market share Dominos Pizza is the market leader in the Australian chained pizza market with 46.1% followed by Pizza Hut (29.8%), Eagle Boys Pizza (14%), Pizza Haven (3%) and other (7%) Figure : Market share Evaluation of competitive environment Monopolistic competition is a market structure where many producers of somewhat different products compete with one another (Robert, 2010, p 401). Dominos chain is operating in a fast food industry with a number of similar producers. These producers are competing together within Australia to gain market share in pizza market. Although the products produced and sold are basically the same among these producers, there are still different feature differentiate them, namely brand image, store design, location, additional services. What helps customers distinguish Dominos from other pizza stores are the distinct logo and design in store, easy online order and tracking as well as quick delivery service. In addition, barrier to entry pizza market is not really high. Although differentiation is a large and necessary expense for the large fast food chains, it is not difficult for private startups to overcome and thus not a significant barrier to market entry. As a result, it can be concluded that Dominos is operating in Monopolistic competition environment. Evaluation of Demand Curve Operating in Monopolistic competition environment and occupying 46.1% chained pizza market give Dominos a certain power to determinate pizza price in the market. Ii is assumed that Dominos increases its price; majority of customers would switch to other place for pizza like Pizza Hut, Eager Boys Pizza or switch to substitute products of pizza like burger, chicken, sushi. However, not all customers will do that; some of them will still buy Dominos pizza because of its convenient location or quick delivery. Therefore, demand curve for Dominos is relatively elastic but not horizontal as can be seen in the graph. Figure : Demand curve of Dominos As a nature of Monopolistic competition environment, firms that are operating in that environment can pursue the objective of maximizing their profit. As a result, price will be above marginal cost (as can be seen in the graph). Dominos also can maximize its profits by producing and selling the quantity of pizza at q* at which the pizza price will higher marginal cost of producing pizza. However, this pricing strategy need to be considered carefully and should be only employed in the short run because of the fact that in the long run if Dominos keep the price so high and its competitors reduce the price, Dominos will lose its customers base which means that the demand curve for Dominos will shift to the left leading to decreased profit of Dominos. In addition, this strategy also encourage new entrant to enter into the pizza market which also have the effect of shifting demand curve of Dominos to the left. Cost structure of Dominos Fixed cost and variable cost The short-run total costs of Dominos break down into two categories: fixed costs and variable costs. Fixed costs are the costs change with the level of outputs (Robert, 2010, p 296). For Dominos, these costs comprise of Management salaries, Plant and equipment, marketing expenses, occupancy expenses, store related expenses and communication expenses. On the other hand, variable costs are unchanged with the level of output. The variable costs of Dominos include the expenditure on Food and paper and employment. (For more detail refer to appendix 3) Figure : Cost structure of Dominos Evaluation of cost structure As can be seen from the cost structure of Dominos, the proportion of variable cost is relatively higher than fixed cost, 71% as opposed to 29%. In short term, declining average fixed cost is primary reason for the falling average total cost and with high output, diminishing marginal product causes marginal cost to increase which eventually causes average variable cost and average total cost to rise (Robert, 2010). Therefore, cost structure of Dominos indicates that as its pizza stores increase their sold pizza to stores capacity, the effect of declining average fixed cost will soon disappear and the effect of diminishing marginal product will be soon prominent leading to average total cost increasing quickly. This also explains why more Dominos pizza stores are going to be opened quickly within one year so that the average total cost will decrease again. This is illustrated in the graph below, as the average total cost increase quickly from A to B and its current stores nearly reach to capacity, Dominos will open another store to reduce the cost to C so that it can keep competitive price with its competitors. Diseconomies of scale occur as the firm finds it increasingly difficult to handle the complexities of large scale management (Robert, 2010, p 306). However, at the moment it is not a case for Dominos as the expansion strategy employed by the company is franchising. This strategy allows Dominos to expand operation without adding complexity to the management because the business model has been standardized to be able to be copied within a market and easily managed by manager. Therefore, in the long run Dominos still can manage its cost store by store and leverage the economies of scale for each new store opened. MACRO-ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT Political environment in Australia Recently, Australia stood out as an attractive investment destination due to a political system that has been evaluated as being highly effective in responding to economic challenges .The adaptability of Australian government policy to economic changes has been ranked in the top two countries in the region (IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook, 2009). Australia also has an open, efficient and transparent legal framework due to a strong system of checks and balances, and a highly respected judicial and law enforcement system. Moreover, tax policy, labour law, environmental law, trade restrictions and tariffs are carefully constructed and implemented consistently which provide a clear guideline and safe environment for businesses (Australian Trade Commission, 2011). Economic environment in Australia The economy of Australia is one of the largest economies in the world. In 2011, it was the 13th largest national economy by nominal GDP and the 17th-largest measured by PPP adjusted GDP, about 1.7% of the world economy. Australia is the 19th largest importer and 19th largest exporter. Service sector is the main contributor to the Australian economy with 68% of GDP. The mining sector presents 19% of GDP. Economic growth is largely dependent on the mining sector and agricultural sector with the products to be exported mainly to the East Asian market. Australia is a member of the APEC, G20, OECD and WTO. The country has also signed free trade agreements with ASEAN, Chile, New Zealand, Thailand, and the United States. The ANZCERTA agreement with New Zealand has greatly increased integration with the New Zealand economy subjecting to form a Single Economic Market by 2015. Growth rate Australia is one of the fastest growing economies among developed countries. Despite of the effect of global financial crisis, Australian economy still shows a good sign of continual growth. The main industries contribute largely to Australian economy include mining, tourism, education, agriculture and manufacturing. Historical Data Chart Figure : Australia GDP growth rate Unemployment rate Jobless rates in Australia fluctuated between 5 to 5.4% between 2010 and 2012, this is a satisfactory indicator of a growth and healthy economy as natural rate of unemployment is 5%, especially in the worlds current situation where the unemployment rates in other developed countries are alarmingly high such as 7.8% in US and 11.8% in Europe.Historical Data Chart Figure : Australian unemployment rate Inflation rate.Historical Data Chart Consumer Price Index (CPI) shows a downward trend over the period from 2010 to 2012 reflecting an effective monetary policy of Australian government. Figure : Australia inflation rate Interest rate Interest rates in Australia tend to decrease significantly during 2011-2012; this indicates a healthy economy that encourages investment and capital markets remain open to corporations Historical Data Chart Figure :Australia interest rate Evaluation of influence of micro-economics on Dominos business Through above overview of macro-economic environment, it can be stated that Australian economy currently is favorable for organizations operating in and Dominos is not an exception. Economy is still growing and creating more jobs indicating that people will have more disposable income to spend, hence demand for pizza will increase in the future. This is demonstrated by the fact that disposable income per capita in Australia over last decade has been increasing 2.6% per year in average, meanwhile revenue of Dominos has been also increasing significantly at average rate of 20%. This fact also shows that pizza is likely to be a normal good because quantity demanded increase with the growth of consumers incomes. In addition, low unemployment rate and interest rate are good indicators for Dominos because it cans easily access to financial and human resources which are the key factors of any business. However, the problem face Dominos is the increase of food price and wages. As these are two main costs that make up for about 75% of total cost, an increase in those cost will influence the ability of Dominos to keep the competitive prices to customers. APPENDIX Appendix 1: Management salary and fees Appendix 2: Statement of income 2012 Fixed cost Value ($000) Variable cost Value ($000) Management salaries 5,142 Food and paper expenses 78,679 Plant and equipment costs 8,588 In store employees wages 60,140 Depreciation and amortization expense 10,029 Occupancy expenses 7,837 Marketing expenses 11,477 Store related expenses 5,887 Communication expenses 6,669 Total 55,647 Total 138,819 Appendix 3: Fixed cost and Variable cost of Dominos in 2012

Poems :: Poetry Essays

Poems Star-watching The moon grows smaller As it slips up behind the aspen tree. Warm, night winds rustles the leaves While across the sky white, pin-point stars spread Earlier, the moon was huge and yellow, Sitting low over the eastern horizon. A refreshing sight after the severe heat Of the late August day. The cold, dampness of the ground Seeps into my body. Grass ends tickle through the fabric of my shirt. It is a good night for star-watching. Red Dust Clouds Dragon-shaped clouds are gilded gold by the setting sun As it slips towards the flat, western edge of the desert. The sagebrush, lining both sides of the red dirt road, Houses an assortment of singing insects, Or was it stinging insects. At any rate, Their tracks, along with those of fox, coyote, snakes And a varied assortment of rodents, criss-cross the road. I obliterate them with the toe of my shoe, Kicking up a small cloud of red dust with each scuffing step. On Rain The swirling water runs brown Spring forever rains River banks are swept under The shining sun bakes the earth Green leaves turn yellow The rains are long forgotten Fall rains mat dead brown leaves Carpeting the ground Gray branches pray towards heaven Cold rain becomes falling snow Drifts cover the creek Spring will melt the snow again. Moon Shadows Shining forth from the black sky, a brilliant image, the glowing face of the moon, drawing on the snow-covered ground with its light. The shadows on the ground mirror the moon's own dark shadows. The stark lines make faces on the snow, dark eyes, with white cheeks and lips sparkling. The faces seem to hold a certain brilliance all their own. More than just the tangible night light reflecting in shimmers off slopes of snow, It is as if all of the knowledge stored in the moon had passed through moonbeams to hide in the dark shadows, behind the snow's surface, sparkling. Icy fingers reach out to my soul, the fingers of snow- shadows. Made out of the endless, luminous light from the knowledge of moon-beams and star-beams. Theirs, a brilliant plot, they capture my eyes, my being, with their own sparkling eyes. They see past my eyes into my innermost soul, where it is dark. Poems :: Poetry Essays Poems Star-watching The moon grows smaller As it slips up behind the aspen tree. Warm, night winds rustles the leaves While across the sky white, pin-point stars spread Earlier, the moon was huge and yellow, Sitting low over the eastern horizon. A refreshing sight after the severe heat Of the late August day. The cold, dampness of the ground Seeps into my body. Grass ends tickle through the fabric of my shirt. It is a good night for star-watching. Red Dust Clouds Dragon-shaped clouds are gilded gold by the setting sun As it slips towards the flat, western edge of the desert. The sagebrush, lining both sides of the red dirt road, Houses an assortment of singing insects, Or was it stinging insects. At any rate, Their tracks, along with those of fox, coyote, snakes And a varied assortment of rodents, criss-cross the road. I obliterate them with the toe of my shoe, Kicking up a small cloud of red dust with each scuffing step. On Rain The swirling water runs brown Spring forever rains River banks are swept under The shining sun bakes the earth Green leaves turn yellow The rains are long forgotten Fall rains mat dead brown leaves Carpeting the ground Gray branches pray towards heaven Cold rain becomes falling snow Drifts cover the creek Spring will melt the snow again. Moon Shadows Shining forth from the black sky, a brilliant image, the glowing face of the moon, drawing on the snow-covered ground with its light. The shadows on the ground mirror the moon's own dark shadows. The stark lines make faces on the snow, dark eyes, with white cheeks and lips sparkling. The faces seem to hold a certain brilliance all their own. More than just the tangible night light reflecting in shimmers off slopes of snow, It is as if all of the knowledge stored in the moon had passed through moonbeams to hide in the dark shadows, behind the snow's surface, sparkling. Icy fingers reach out to my soul, the fingers of snow- shadows. Made out of the endless, luminous light from the knowledge of moon-beams and star-beams. Theirs, a brilliant plot, they capture my eyes, my being, with their own sparkling eyes. They see past my eyes into my innermost soul, where it is dark.

Identity and Belonging Context Essay Essay

A strong sense of identity & belonging are vital for personal happiness. Intro; Imagine youre a child on a playground who is bullied. You feel rejected and left out. At home with your family you are comforted and warm, and you are able to play games and do what you like, be yourself. Although you do not feel as though you belong at school, you feel as though you belong. This makes you happy. You can be yourself and your identity is not lost when you are at home. Some could argue that this is personal happiness. However it could be stated that because you have not got a strong sense of a identity in the outside world, it is difficult to understand your public identity, therefore perhaps not even have one. Some have multiple identities for different communites in their lives. Humans are not meant to belong to every group there is, our likes and dislikes form our identity and who were are. In saying this, it is important to have a strong sense of who you are and where you belong, regard less of who this is and where this person belongs. Belonging to multiple groups means sometimes changing your identity for these groups. You might be the confident coach of a soccer team, but also the quiet and demure listener of a book reading evry week. Identity is formed around what a person is like. gaga. To not understand oneself adds difficulty in finding where you belong. Perfect chinese children; ‘ Erica doesn’t speak to [her] for the rest of the day. Without knowing why, [she is] ashamed’. Vanessa is ashamed because Erica saw her as resembling the Australians more than an Asian, but she doesn’t understand when she is just as ridiculed as Erica is. This puts Vanessa in a confusing and upsetting place, not knowing who she is and who she belongs with. She doesn’t understand if she is Asian or aussie, and in her world those seem to be the only two places to fit in. If you don’t have an identity, how are you supposed to know where you belong? Youre identity is like a key to your own happiness. If you know who you are, and what you like or don’t like, you know where you belong. An identity crisis can cause you to feel lost and unknown

Sample Addendum

INTRODUCTION Welcome to EAC 149! This semester we will be working hard on improving your English writing, reading, and oral skills. Please join me in using this addendum to the EAC 149 general outline (available at http://www. senecac. on. ca/fulltime). This addendum is your guide to the subject requirements and activities in my class. TEXTS & MATERIALS o Gaetz, Lynne & Suneeti Phadke. The Canadian Writer's World: Paragraphs and Essays, â€Å"Canadian† 2010. o A good quality English-language dictionary, such as Oxford or Merriam Webster. All students are required to use the following Research Guide for their assignments: Seneca Libraries. Guide to Research and Citation: MLA Style. 3rd ed. Toronto: Seneca College, 2010. Print. o A folder/portfolio to keep all your work throughout the semester GRADING / ASSIGNMENTS (tentative) Paragraphs(2)10%(2Ãâ€"5%) Summary(1)10% Quizzes(2)10%(2Ãâ€"5%) Reading Comprehension Test(1)10% Essay(2)30%(2Ãâ€"15%) Final Exam(1)30% Note: †¢ St udents must pass both the term (60%) and the final exam (60%) to pass the course. See the section on Evaluation below. Use of internet, cell phones and other electronic devices is not permitted during class and the final exam. The term work for courses within the School of English and Liberal Studies includes a minimum of 250 pages of reading and 2000 words of writing. This is consistent with Seneca College policy for English and Liberal Studies courses. TENTATIVE WEEKLY SCHEDULE |WEEK |TOPIC |Pre-class READING |ASSIGNMENT | |1 Sept. – 9 |Introduction |Addendum |Get the text Diagnostic Essay | |2 Sept. 12 – 16 |The Writing Process. Transitional |Chap. 1, 2, 3 |TBA | | |words/expressions |p. 47 | | |3 Sept. 19 – 23 |Narrative Writing |Chap. |Paragraph 1 (5%) | | | |Reading p. 605: â€Å"A Faith in Others |(narrative) | | | |Versus Security† | | |4 Sept. 26 – 30 |Descriptive Writing. |Chap. 6 |Quiz 1 (5%) (apostrophe, quotation marks, | | |Punctuatio n (apostrophe, quotation |Chap. 4 |titles) | | |marks, titles) |Reading p. 550 â€Å"Bound Feet† | | |5 Oct. 3 – 7 |Cause & Effect |Chap. 11 |Paragraph 2 (5%) | | |Comma use |Chap. 33 |(cause & effect) | | | |Reading p. 71 â€Å"Growing up in | | | | |Cyberspace† | | |6 Oct. 10 – 14 |Process Writing |Chap. 7 |Quiz 2 (5%) | | |Comma use cont’d |Chap. 20 (p. 319-332) |(comma use, fragments, run-on sentences) | | |Review of fragments & run-on |Reading p. 66 â€Å"How Spies are Caught†| | | |sentences | | | |7 Oct. 17 – 21 |Understanding Readings |Chap. 37 |Reading Comprehension Test (10%) (includes | | |Practice Reading Essay with Questions|Reading p. 556 â€Å"The Scourge of |short comprehension questions and a | | | |Self-Sabotage† plus Questions p. response paragraph) | | | |557-558 | | | Oct. 24 – 28 |STUDY WEEK | |8 Oct. 31 – Nov. 4 |Summarizing & paraphrasing |Chap. 5 p. 252-255 |Summary (10%) | | |The Essay |C hap. 3 | | | | |Reading TBA | | |9 Nov. 7 – 11 |Comparison & Contrast Essay |Chap. 10 |Essay 1 Rough Outline (comparison and | | | |Chap. 14 p. 232-237 |contrast) | | | |Reading p. 48 â€Å"The Old Movie Houses | | | | |are Where Memory Sits† | | |10 Nov. 14 – 18 |The Essay Cont’d. |Chap. 15 p. 246-265 |Essay 1 (15%) (comparison and contrast) | | |Intro. To MLA |Chap. 36 p. 529-534 | | | Revising and editing practice | | | |11 Nov. 21 – 25 |The Argumentative Essay |Chap. 12 |Essay 2 Rough Outline (argumentative essay)| | | |Chap 14 p. 241-245 | | | | |Reading p. 568 â€Å"This Boat is My Boat†| | |12 Nov. 8 – Dec. 2 |The Essay cont’d. |Chap. 36 p. 534-541 |Essay 2 (15%) (argumentative essay) | | |Revising and editing practice |TBA | | |13 Dec. 5 – 9 |Exam Preparation Review |Appendix 6 p. 623 (preparing for |Practice Exam | | | |exams) | | |14 Dec. 2 – 16 |EXAM DATES | CLASS STANDARDS Format:Only work with a neat, professional appearance will be accepted for grading. Out-of-class assignments must be word-processed. Rewrite Policy:Assignments and tests are not eligible for rewriting. Late Assignments:A late out-of-class assignment will be penalized at a reduction of ? letter grade per day with a one-week maximum for submission. Missed Tests / Presentations / In-Class Assignments:These receive a grade of zero. If there are valid reasons for missing the item, the student MUST: a) Contact the professor or student advisor either by phone or by email prior to the start time of the test, presentation or in-class assignment and b) Next class, present the professor with a signed, word-processed memo indicating why the test, presentation or in-class assignment was missed, with medical documentation where appropriate. At the professor’s discretion, a make-up test/in-class assignment or new date for the presentation may be granted or the value of the test may be added to a subsequent test or final exam. EVALUATION Promotion Policy: To pass EAC 149, you must meet the subject learning outcomes in BOTH your term work and the final examination. The term work will constitute 70% of the final grade; the exam 30%. Successful completion of term work is a prerequisite for writing the final exam. The final grade will be SAT (satisfactory) or UNSAT (unsatisfactory). You must achieve a grade of 60% or higher in BOTH the term and the final exam to successfully complete this subject. ATTENDANCE AND PARTICIPATION Consistent attendance is important for success in this subject. If you are absent from class, please notify me by phone or e-mail. You are sill responsible for the material and assignments missed and may be required to provide documentation. For extensions or special considerations, make the request to me well in advance of any due dates. Considerate classroom conduct, adequate class preparation, and constructive participation will enhance your academic experience and that of your colleagues. In particular, you are asked to be prompt, courteous, responsible and collaborative. STUDENT / FACULTY CONSULTATION OUTSIDE CLASSROOM HOURS: My consultation hours are Mon Period 3,4 and Wed Period 5 (or by appointment. ) LEARNING CENTRE The Learning Centres offer academic support to all Seneca students in the form of one-on-one tutoring, small group tutoring, and workshops and are located in the libraries of the Newnham, Markham, York and King campuses. Students should book tutoring appointments by either logging on to the Web Access Booking system (WABS) at https://www. senecac. on. ca/wabs/ or by visiting The Learning Centre in person. DROPPING A SUBJECT There are two deadlines for dropping this subject. If you drop by Day 10 of the semester, the subject will not appear on your transcript. If you drop by the last drop date (see Student handbook), the subject will appear on your transcript with a grade of DNC. To drop, please notify your professor, complete a â€Å"Timetable Change Form,† and return it to Registration by the deadline. Discuss any possible negative consequences of dropping the subject with the Coordinator. ACADEMIC REGULATIONS It is your responsibility as a student of Seneca College to be aware of and abide by the academic and behavioural policies outlined in the College Academic Policy and the Student Handbook. Here are some key policies: ACADEMIC HONESTY (Section 9 and Appendix E – Academic Policy) To continue to graduate high quality students and to sustain our reputation as a leading institution, Seneca must have the highest standards of academic honesty. Academic honesty means that all Seneca College persons will conduct themselves in an honest and trustworthy manner in all aspects of their academic career. Engaging in any form of academic dishonesty to obtain any type of academic advantage or credit is an offence and will not be tolerated by the College. The penalty for a first offence is a grade â€Å"0† on the work in which the offence occurred, and will result in a comment being placed on the student’s transcript. The penalty for the second offence is an â€Å"F† in the course where the offence occurred, a second comment on the transcript and immediate suspension from the college normally for a minimum of three semesters. For more information about what constitutes academic dishonesty and how to avoid it, go to http://www. senecac. on. ca/library/Academic_Honesty/index. html STUDENT APPEALS (Section 12 – Seneca College Academic Policy) Students have the right to appeal academic decisions of the College. The procedures for informal and formal appeals are outlined in Academic Policy. If a student disagrees with the evaluation of an assignment or with a final grade, s/he must first discuss the matter with the professor in an attempt to resolve the matter informally. If the matter is not resolved, the student should discuss the problem with the Student Advisor or the Chair. Students must keep all assignments (including drafts and outlines) and exercises until they receive their final grade. No appeal will be considered unless a complete file is submitted at the time of the appeal. COPYRIGHT Copyright means the sole right to produce, reproduce, and copy work in which copyright subsists. This includes books, articles, textbooks, and other original creative works such as photographs, and text, graphics, images, sound video, and games from the Internet. It is illegal to reproduce and/or distribute copyrighted materials without the express written permission of the author. Copyright information is available at http://www. senecac. on. ca/policies/copyright. html INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ACCEPTABLE USE Official College E-mail is available to all employees and students. Faculty, staff and students are required to use College-provided e-mail when corresponding electronically about College-related matters. (For further information regarding the IT acceptable use policy, please refer to: http://www. senecac. n. ca/policies/itau. html DISCRIMINATION AND HARASSMENT All students and employees have the right to study and work in an environment that is free from discrimination and/or harassment. It is the policy of Seneca College that all employees and students have a right to work and study in an environment that asserts the personal worth and dignity of each individual. In order to achieve this objective, Seneca College will not tolerate any f orm of discrimination and/or harassment in its employment, education, accommodation, or business policies dealings. Information and assistance are available from the Resolution, Equity and Diversity Centre. For further information please see: http://www. senecac. on. ca/equity ACCOMMODATION FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES AND SPECIAL NEEDS The college will provide reasonable accommodation for students with disabilities in order to promote academic success. If you require accommodation, contact the Counselling and Disabilities Services Office at ext. 2900 to initiate the process for documenting, assessing and implementing your individual accommodation needs. Approved by:____________________________________ Claire Moane, Chair School of English and Liberal Studies ———————– SENECA COLLEGE OF APPLIED ARTS & TECHNOLOGY SCHOOL OF ENGLISH AND LIBERAL STUDIES FACULTY OF BUSINESS |PROFESSOR’S ADDENDUM TO SUBJECT OUTLINE | SUBJECT: EAC149 – English and Communication SEMESTER: Fall 2011OFFICE: B3019B PROFESSOR: Kathleen BellOFFICE HRS: Mon Pd 3,4 Wed Pd 5 EMAIL: Kathleen. [email  protected] on. ca PHONE: ext. 6767

Night World : Daughters of Darkness Chapter 8

She waited another hour after he set off down theroad, heading east-doing what, she had no idea. There was nothing that way except two creeks andlots of trees. And her house. She hoped he was goingto try to walk into town, and that he didn't realize how far it was. All right, he's gone, now forget about him. You'vegot a job to do, remember? A slightly dangerous one. And he's not involved. I don't believe he knows anything about what happened to Mrs. B. She got the shovel and started down the road west.As she walked she found that she was able to put Ash out of her mind completely. Because all she could think of was what was waiting ahead. I'm not scared to do it; I'm not scared, I'm notscared†¦. OfcourseI'm scared. But being scared was good, it would make her careful. She would do this job quickly and quietly. In through the gap in the hedge, a little fast work with the shovel, out again before anybody saw her. She tried not to picture what she was going to findwith that shovel if she was right. She approachedBurdock Farm cautiously, going north and then doubling back southeast to come in through the back property. The farmland had gone wild here, taken over by poison oak, beargrass, and dodder, besides the inevitable blackberry bushes and gorse. Tan oaks and chinquapins were moving in. Sometime soon these pastures would be forest. I'm not sure I believe I'm doing this, MaryLynnette thought as she reached the hedge that surrounded the garden. But the strange thing was that she didbelieve it. She was going to vandalize a neighbor's property and probably look at a dead bodyand she was surprisingly cool about it. Scared but not panicked. Maybe there was more hidden inside her than she realized. I may not be who I've always thought I am. The garden was dark and fragrant. It wasn't theirises and daffodils Mrs. B. had planted; it wasn't the fireweed and bleeding heart that were growing wild. It was the goats. Mary-Lynnette stuck to the perimeter of the hedge,eyes on the tall, upright silhouette of the farmhouse. There were only two windows lit. Please don't let them see me and please don't letme make a noise. Still looking at the house, she walked slowly, taking careful baby steps to the place where the earth was disturbed. The first couple of swipes with the shovel hardly moved the soil. Okay. Put a little conviction in it. And don't watch the house; there's no point. If they look out, they're going to see you, and there's nothing you can do about it. Just as she put her foot on the shovel, somethingwent hooshin the rhododendrons behind her. Crouched over her shovel,Mary-Lynnette froze. Stop worrying, she told herself. That's not the sisters. It's not Ash coming back. That's an animal. She listened. A mournful maaaa came from the goat shed. It wasn't anything. It was a rabbit. Dig! She got out a spadeful of dirt-and then she heardit again. Hoosh. A snuffling sound. Then a rustling. Definitely an animal. But if it was a rabbit, it was an awfully loud one. Who cares what it is? Mary-Lynnette told herself.There aren't any dangerous animalsout here. And I'm not afraid of the dark. It's my natural habitat. I love the night. But tonight, somehow, she felt differently. Maybe it was just the scene with Ash that had shaken her, made her feel confused and discontented. But just now she felt almost as if something was trying to tell her that the dark wasn't any human's natural habitat. That she wasn't built for it, with her weak eyes and her insensitive ears and dull nose. That she didn't belong. Hoosh. I may have rotten hearing, but I can hearthatjustfine. And it's big. Something big's sniffing around in bushes. What kind of big animal could be out here? Itwasn't a deer deer went snort-wheeze. It sounded larger than a coyote, taller. A bear? Then she heard a different sound the vigorousshaking of dry, leathery rhododendron leaves. In the dim light from the house she couldseethe branches churning as something tried to emerge. it's coming out. Mary-Lynnette clutched her shovel and ran. Nottoward the gap in the hedge, not toward the housethey were both too dangerous. She ran to the goat shed. I can defend myself in here-keep it out—hit itwith the shovel†¦. The problem was that she couldn't see from in here.There were two windows in the shed, but between dirt on the glass and the darkness outside, Mary-Lynnette couldn't make out anything. She couldn'teven see the goats, although she could hear them. Don't turn on the penlight. It'll just give awayyour position. Holding absolutely still, she strained tohear any thing from outside. Nothing. Her nostrils were full of goat. The layers of oat straw and decomposing droppings on the floor were smelly, and they kept the shed too warm. Her palms were sweating as she gripped the shovel. I've never hit anybody †¦ not since Mark and Iwere kids fighting †¦ but, heck, I kicked a strangerthis morning†¦ . She hoped the potential for violence would comeout now when she needed it. A goat nudged her shoulder.Mary-Lynnette shrugged it away. The other goat bleated suddenlyand she bit her lip. Oh, God-I heard something out there. The goatheard it, too. She could taste her bitten lip. It was like sucking on a penny. Blood tasted like copper, which, she realizedsuddenly, tasted like fear. Something opened the shed door. What happened then was that Mary-Lynnette Something unholy was after her. Something thatsniffed like an animal but could open doors like ahuman. She couldn't see what it was-just a shadowdarkness against darkness. She didn't think ofturning on the penlight-her only impulse was to smash out with the shovel now, to get ft before ft could get her. She was tingling with the instinct forpure, primordial violence. Instead, she managed to hiss, â€Å"Who is ft? Who'sthere?† A familiar voice said,†Iknew you were going to do this. I've been lookingeverywherefor you.† â€Å"Oh,God, Mark.† Mary-Lynnette sagged against wall of the shed, letting go of the shovel. The goats were both bleating. Mary-Lynnette's earswere ringing. Mark shuffled farther in. â€Å"Jeez, this place smells. What are you doing inhere?† â€Å"Youjerk,†Mary-Lynnette said. â€Å"I almost brained you!† 0†³You said you were forgetting all this crazy stuff. You lied to me.† â€Å"Mark, you don't †¦We can talk later†¦. Did you hearanything out there?† She was trying to gather her thoughts. â€Å"Like what?† He was so calm. It made MaryLynnette feel vaguely foolish. Then his voice sharpened. â€Å"Like a yowling?† â€Å"No. Like a snuffling.† Mary-Lynnette's breath was slowing. â€Å"I didn't hear anything. We'd better get out ofhere. What are we supposed to say if Jade comes out?† Mary-Lynnette didn't know how to answer that. Mark was in a different world, a happy, shiny world where the worst that could happen tonight was embarrassment. Finally she said â€Å"Mark, listen to me. I'm your sister. I don't have any reason to lie to you, or playtricks on you, or put down somebody you like. AndI don't just jump to conclusions; I don't imagine things. But I'm telling you, absolutely seriously,that there is something weird going on with these girls.† Mark opened his mouth, but she went on relentlessly. â€Å"So now there are only two things you can believe, and one is that I'm completely out of mymind, and the other is that it's true. Do you really think I'm crazy?† She was thinking of the past as she said it, of allthe nights they'd held on to each other when their mother wassick, of the books she'd read out loud tohim, of the times she'd put Band-Aids on his scrapes and extra cookies in his lunch. And somehow, even though it was dark, she could sense that Mark was remembering, too. They'd shared so much. They would always be connected. Finally Mark said quietly, â€Å"You're not crazy.† â€Å"Thank you.† â€Å"But I don't know what to think. Jade wouldn't hurtanybody. I justknow that. And since I met her , .†Hepaused. â€Å"Mare, it's like now I know why I'm alive.She's different from any girl I've ever known. She's ____ she's so brave, and so funny, and so †¦ herself.† And I thought it was the blond hair, MaryLynnette thought. Shows how shallow I am. She was moved and surprised by the change in Mark-but mostly she was frightened. Frightenedsick. Her cranky, cynical brother had found somebody to care about at last †¦ and the girl was probably descended from Lucrezia Borgia. And now, even though she couldn't see him, shecould hear earnest appeal in his voice. â€Å"Mare, can't we just go home?† Mary-Lynnette felt sicker. She broke off and they both snapped their heads to look at the shed window. Outside a light had gone on. â€Å"Shut the door,† Mary-Lynnette hissed, in a tone that made Mark dose the door to the shed instantly. â€Å"And be quiet,- she added, grabbing his arm and pulling him next to the wall. She looked cautiously out the window. Rowan came out of the back door first, followedbyjade,followed by Kestrel. Kestrel had a shovel. Oh. My. God. â€Å"What's happening?† Mark said, trying to get alook. Mary-Lynnette damped a hand over his mouth.What was happening was that the girls were digging up the garden again. She didn't see anything wrapped in garbage bags this time. So what were they doing? Destroying the evidence? Were they going to take it into the houseand burn it, chop it up? Her heart was pounding madly. Mark had scooted up and was looking out. MaryLynnette heard him take a breath-and then choke. Maybe he was trying to think of an innocent explanation for this. She squeezed his shoulder. They both watched as the girls took turns with theshovel. Mary-Lynnette was impressed all over againat how strong they were. Jade looked so fragile. Every time one of the sisters glanced around the garden, Mary-Lynnette's heart skipped a beat. Don't see us, don't hear us, don't catch us, she thought. When a respectable mound of dirt had piled up, Rowan and Kestrel reached into the hole. They lifted out the long garbage-bagged bundle Mary-Lynnettehad seen before. It seemed to be stiff-and surpris ingly light. For the first time, Mary-Lynnette wondered if it was too light to be a body. Or too stiff †¦ how longdid rigor mortis last? Mark's breathing was irregular, almost wheezing.The girls were carrying the bundle to the gap inthe hedge. Mark cursed. Mary-Lynnette's brain was racing. She hissed,†Mark, stay here. I'm going to follow them-â€Å" â€Å"I'm going with you!† â€Å"You have to tell Dad if anything happens to me-â€Å" â€Å"I'm going withyou.† There wasn't time to argue. And something inside Mary-Lynnette was glad to have Mark's strength to back her. She gasped, â€Å"Come on, then. And don't make asound.† She was worried they might have already lost the sisters–it was such a dark night. But when she and Mark squeezed through the gap in the rhododendron bushes, she saw a light ahead. A tiny, bobbing white light. The sisters were using a flashlight. Keep quiet, move carefully. Mary-Lynnette didn'tdare say it out loud to Mark, but she kept thinking it over and over, like a mantra. Her whole consciousness was fixed on the little shaft of light that was leading them, like a comet's tail in the darkness. The light took them south, into a stand of Douglasfir. It wasn't long before they were walking into forest. Where are they going? Mary-Lynnette thought. She could feel fine tremors in her muscles as she tried to move as quickly as possible without making a sound. They were lucky–the floor of this forest was carpeted with needles from Douglas fir and Ponderosa pine. The needles were fragrant and slightly damp and they muffled footsteps. Mary-Lynnette could hardly hear Mark walking behind her except when he hurt himself. They went on for what seemed like forever. It was pitch dark and Mary-Lynnette very quickly lost any sense of where they were. Or how they were going to get back. Oh, God, I was crazy to do this-and to bring Markalong, too. We're out in the middle of the woodswith three crazy girls†¦. The light had stopped. Mary-Lynnette stopped, holding out an arm thatMark immediately ran into. She was staring at thelight, trying to make sure it really wasn't moving away. No. It was steady. It was pointed at the ground. â€Å"Let's get loser,† Mark whispered, putting his lips against Mary-Lynnette's ear. She nodded and began to creep toward the light, as slowly and silently asshe knew how. Every few steps she paused and stood absolutely still, waiting to see if the light was going to turn her way. It didn't. She got down and crawled the last ten feet to the edge of the clearing where the girls had stopped. Once there, she had a good view of what they were doing. Digging. Kestrel had shoveled the pine needles aside and was working on a hole. Mary-Lynnette felt Mark crawl up beside her,crushing sword fern and woodfem. She could feel his chest heaving. She knew he saw what she saw. I'm so sorry. Oh, Mark, I'm so sorry. There was no way to deny it now. Mary-Lynnetteknew. She didn't even need to look in the bag. How am I going to find this place again? When I bring the sheriff back, how am I going to remember it? It's like a maze in one of those computer fantasy games-Mixed Evergreen Forest in every direction,and nothing to distinguish any bit of it from any other bit. She chewed her lip. The bed of moist needles she was lying on was soft and springy-actually comfortable. They could wait here for a long time, until the sisters left, and then mark the trees somehow. Takephotographs. Tie their socks to branches. In the clearing the flashlight beam showed a hand putting down the shovel. Then Rowan and Kestrellifted the garbage-bagged bundle-Jade must beholding the flashlight, Mary-Lynnette thought-and lowered it into the hole. Good. Now cover it up and leave. The beam showed Rowan bending to pick up the shovel again. She began quickly covering the hole with dirt. Mary-Lynnette was happy. Over soon, she thought, and let out a soft breath of relief. And in that instant everything in the clearingchanged. The flashlight beam swung wildly. Mary-Lynnette flattened herself, feeling her eyes widen. She could see a silhouette against the light-golden hair haloed around the face. Kestrel. Kestrel was standing, facing Mark and Mary-Lynnette, her body tense and still. Listening. Listening. Mary-Lynnette lay absolutely motionless, mouthopen, trying to breathe without making a soundThere were things crawling in the soft, springy needlebed under her. Centipedes and millipedes. She didn'tdare move even when she felt something tickle acrossher back under her shirt. Her own ears rang from listening. But the forest was silent †¦ eerily dent. All Mary-Lynnette couldhear was her own heart pounding wildly in herchest-although ft felt as if it were in her throat, too.It made her head bob with its rhythm. She was afraid. And it wasn't just fear. It was something shecouldn't remember experiencing since she was nineor ten. Ghost fear. The fear of something you're not even sure exists. Somehow, watching Kestrel's silhouette In the dark woods, Mary-Lynnette was afraid of monsters.She had aterrible,terrible feeling. Oh, please–I shouldn't have brought Mark here. It was then that she realized that Mark's breathing was making a noise. Just a faint sound, not a whistling, more like a cat purring. It was the sound he'd made as a kid when his lungs were bad. Kestrel stiffened, her head turning, as if to locate a noise. Oh, Mark, no. Don't breathe. Hold your breath-Everything happened very fast. Kestrel sprang forward. Mary-Lynnette saw her silhouette come running and jumping with unbelievable speed. Toofast-nobody moves thatfast .. . nobody human†¦. What are these girls? Her vision came in flashes,as if she were under a strobe light. Kestrel jumping. Dark trees all around. A moth caught in the beam. Kestrel coming down. Protect mark†¦ A deer. Kestrel was coming down on a deer. Mary-Lynnette's mind was filled with jumbled, careening images. Images that didn't make sense. She had a wild thought that it wasn't Kestrel at all, but one of those raptor dinosaurs she'd seen at the movies. Because Kestrel moved like that. Or maybe ftwasn't a deer-but Mary-Lynnette could seethe white at its throat, as pure as a lace ruffle at the throat of a young girl. She could see itsliquid black eyes. The deer screamed. Disbelief. I can't be seeing this†¦. The deer was on the ground, delicate legs thrashing. And Kestrel was tangled with it. Her face buriedin the white of its throat. Her arms around it. The deer screamed again. Wrenched violently.Seemed to be having convulsions. The flashlight beam was all over the place. Then it dropped. At the very edge of the light, Mary-Lynnette could see two other figures join Kestrel.They were all holding the deer. There was one last spasm and it stopped fighting. Everything went still. Mary-Lynnette could see Jade's hair, so fine that individual strands caught the light against the background of darkness. In the silent Bearing the three figures cradled thedeer. Huddling over it. Shoulders moving rhythmically. Mary-Lynnette couldn't see exactly what theywere doing, but the general scene wasf,miliar.She'd seen it on dozens of nature documentaries. About wild dogs or lionesses or wolves. The pack hadhunted and now ft wasfeeding. I have always tried†¦ to bea very good observer. And now, I have to believe my own eyes†¦ . Beside her, Mark's breath wassobbing. Oh, God, let me get him out of here. Please justlet us get out. It was as if she'd been suddenly released from paralysis. Her lip was bleeding again-she must havebitten down on it while she was watchingthe deer.Copperbloodfear filled her mouth. â€Å"Come on,† shegasped almost soundlessly, wiggling backward. Twigs and needles raked her stomachas her T-shirt rode up. She grabbed Mark's arm.†Come onl† Instead, Mark lurched to his feet. â€Å"Mark!† She wrenched herself to her knees andtried to drag him down. He pulled away. Hetook a step toward theclearing. No â€Å"Jade!† He was heading for the clearing. No, Mary-Lynnette thought again, andthen shewas moving after him. They were caught now, andit really didn't matter what he did. Butshe wantedto bewith him. â€Å"Jade!† Mark said and he grabbed the flashlight.He turned it directly on the little huddle at the edgeof the clearing. Three faces turned toward him. Mary-Lynnette's mind reeled. It was one thing toguess what the girls were doing; it was another thingto seeit. Those three beautiful faces, white in the flashlight beam †¦with what looked like smearedlipstick on their mouths and chins. Cardinal red, thimbleberry color. But it wasn't lipstick or burst thimbleberries. It wasblood, and the deer's white neck was stained with it. Eating the deer, they're really eating the deer;oh, God, they're really doing it†¦. Some part of her mind-the part that had absorbedhorror movies-expected the three girls to hiss and cringe away from the light. To block it out with bloodstained hands while making savage faces. It didn't happen. There were no animal noises, nodemon voices, no contortions. Instead, as Mary-Lynnette stood frozen in an agonyof horror, and Mark stood trying to get a normal breath, Jade straightened up. And said, â€Å"What are you guys doing out here?† In a puzzled, vaguely annoyed voice. The way youwould speak to some boy who keeps following you everywhere and asking you for a date. Mary-Lynnette felt her mind spinning off. There was a long silence. Then Rowan and Kestrelstood up. Mark was breathing heavily, moving the flashlight from one of the girls to another, but always coming back to Jade. â€Å"What areyoudoing out here; that's the question!† he said raggedly. The flashlight whipped to the hole, then back tothe girls. â€Å"What are you doing?† â€Å"I asked you first,† Jade said, frowning. If ft hadJust been her, Mary-Lynnette would have started towonder if things were so awful after all. if maybethey weren't in terrible danger. But Rowan and Kestrel were looking at each other,and then at Mark and Mary-Lynnette. And their ex pressions made Mary-Lynnette's throat close. â€Å"You shouldn't have followed us,† Rowan said.She looked grave and sad. â€Å"They shouldn't have beenableto,† Kestrel said.She looked grim. â€Å"It's because they smell like goats,† Jade said. â€Å"What are you doing?†Mark shouted again, almostsobbing. Mary-Lynnette wanted to reach for him, butshe couldn't move. Jade wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.†Well, can't youtell?†She turned to her sisters.†Now what are we supposed todo?† There was a silence. Then Kestrel said, â€Å"We don'thave a choice. We havetokill them.†