Business Law - Intellectual Property Rights Research Paper

Business Law - Intellectual Property Rights - Research Paper Example The purpose of this paper is to analyze intellectual property rights in detail. The pioneer of intellectual property law was the patent law, passed through a congress majority in 1790 (UCSC, 2005). The 1970 intellectual property law had similar legal undertones as European patent law. The law stipulates that owner of a property has the exclusive right to access and use the said property (Petersen, 2011). Intellectual property laws, despite raising many controversies, help to nurture global economic growth. The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) estimates some companies have over 40% of their asset base as intellectual property in terms of copyrights, patents and trade secrets (UCSC, 2005). As a result, intellectual property law is gaining popularity in business today. Intellectual property laws is a set of limited rights given by law as patents, trademarks, industrial designs, for products and services and copyright for literary and artistic works. Intellectual property rights offer state protection to creative works, and allow the originators to profit from them for a stipulated period of time (Singer & Schroeder, 2010). The laws also have a broader role of encouraging future innovators share their inventions with the world. Patents are the commonest of all intellectual property laws. Patents permit an individual to make, use, and sell a creation for 20 years. The government also provides protection and inimitability on the product (UCSC, 2005). However, the applicant must expose the details of what they seek to protect. A copyright, restricts the number of copies that can be prepared of a writing or work of art without approval, it lasts 70 years after a persons lifetime (Hooker, 2006). A copyright is an stress-free form of safeguard of intellectual property. As soon as somebody creates an artistic work, copyright law comes into effect, and violators can undergo prosecution. The copyright law

Handwriting recognition software

Handwriting recognition software Handwriting recognition is said to be growing rapidly in the current globalization. Handwriting recognition is something that is able to describe the ability of computer to translate the human writing to text writing. Handwriting recognition is a method where a computer system can recognize characters. It also can recognize other symbols written by hand which is natural handwriting. This handwriting recognition is a technology that is used to identify certain things and also it is used on devices. For an example, it is used in PDA and tablet PCs. In this device, a stylus is used to handwrite on the screen of the PDA with the stylus and then the computer turns the handwriting into a digital text. Handwriting recognition is a technology that has been in this technology world since the 1980s but only now it has been used rapidly. Handwriting technologys aim is to mainly let people to write what they normally write and it eventually digitize the writing that they made. There are many ways that this handwriting recognition works. Handwriting recognition is an electronic device that is able to determine what is person is writing. This process is done by turning the words into conventional type on a computer and other than that, it also can be done by reflecting the persons handwriting on the computer. There are certain devices that predict what the person wants to write. Handwriting recognition plays a big role in the technology world now. It also plays an important role in the storage and in the recovery of critical handwriting information. This handwriting recognition ensures an accurate medical care and it also reduces storage costs. It ensures that an essential field of research remains available to students in the future. In this era of globalization, technologies continue to improve and improve more in no time. NestorWriter was the first handwriting recognition device found. The one who started the NestorWriter is Dr. Charles Elbaum and he is the one who also developed the NestorWriter. This all happen at the beginning, when many other companies tried to develop these devices and machines all through the years of 1990s. But most of the companies failed, but the devices didnt improve that much as they wanted. There are two types of handwriting recognition techniques; Optical Character Recognition (OCR) and Online Recognition. Optical Character Recognition Optical Character Recognition is the first handwriting recognition techniques. Optical Character Recognition is the most successful handwriting recognition in the mainstream. Most of the scanning suits offer some form of the Optical Character Recognition. This form allows the users to scan the handwritten documents to be scan and it translates the words into basic text documents in the computer. That is how simple and easy it is. Optical Character Recognition is also used by some archivists. They use it as a way of converting large quantities of handwritten historical documents into an easy searchable text documents. The Optical Character Recognition changes the documents into a digital form which can be read and kept safe. This handwriting recognition system is so useful. Online Recognition This is the second type of the handwriting recognition, Online Recognition. This Online Recognition experienced a flow in popularity. Apple Computers released a handheld device called the Newton in the 1990s. This Newton device was made use of the first widely available handwriting recognition interface. A small stylus was used to write on the Newtons screen and this Newton device will recognize the letters that are written and convert as a text document. This made the Newton device to have more popularity than expected. Later as years pass by, the Palm Company tried a new handwriting recognition system. The Palm Company named the system Graffiti. The Graffiti system didnt only rely on the tradition Roman alphabet but the Graffiti system defined more on its own system by using much simpler line-strokes as a stand-in for each and every letter. This was an advantage for the Graffiti system as it allowed a higher success rate in identifying letters and also in learning a users variations. At the same time it made a steep for learning curve which kept most mainstream users at bay. Other than that, the Microsoft Corporations Tablet PCs also make use of the handwriting recognition system. The Tablet PCs didnt take an attempt to learn the users shading whereas the Tablet PCs draw an extensive database of character variation. This system appeared to have a higher success rate than the other adaptive system because of its extensive database of character variation. Handwriting Recognition software became more useful because of the mainstreaming of PDAs and cellular phones with the stylus inputs. This made the handwriting recognition system to be more useful and grow rapidly from time to time. Handwriting Recognition has many advantages that made it grow rapidly in the technology word now. There is much different kind of technologies that abide to enable others to take advantage of the handwriting recognition. The way this work was when people write letters a different way and they let the computer know what the intended letter was and change in to a text document. But the problem with this was the different way that the letters are written and this could make unnatural feel to the person who is writing it. Another way of appreciating this technology is that just write and the computer changes it to a text document but at the same time, the computer doesnt always get the right word and sometimes it insert the wrong letters. Certain cell phones have the handwriting recognition system in it. The advantage of this is that it allows people to write on the cell phones using stylus and then the phone software translates the written words to the phone in text. But at the same time, the problem or called as disadvantage of this again is the same problem that the original software face, which is the unnatural letters strokes and sometimes the software predict the letters wrongly. This is one of the reasons that not all phones have this software in it. Additionally, there are many more advantages of handwriting recognition system. Data storage, for an example, there are many files, contracts and some personal records that contains some handwritten information and notes. Certain of these documents contains original signature or notes that might not be electronically stored but this problems are overcome with the use of handwriting recognition system. Handwriting recognition software allows user to translate all those signature and notes into electronic words in a text document format. The advantage of this electronic storage is that this data only requires far less physical space than the storage of the physical copies. Another advantage of the electronic storage is also that it requires fewer employees to sort the documents through, organize and to keep the data storage warehouse. Other than that, data retrieval is another advantage of handwriting recognition. Physical data retrieval always requires personnel to sort through physical copies of old information. The data must always have been stored and correctly organized and also it must have proper maintenance and upkeep on the physical copies. To retain this information or data, we perform electronic data retrieval by using a file search by using specific keywords, for example, like the names and the dates of the file or document. Handwriting recognition software allows the old files to be saved in a proper electronic format. This is how handwriting recognition software helps in saving the old files or important document. For an example, some clinics prefer keeping their patients medical records and handwriting recognition helps in this situation by keeping these medical records safe in the computer. This data or files can be reviewed and updated time to time when needed without worrying if the date will be lost. Moreover, another advantage of handwriting recognition is historical preservation. Historical papers mostly exists has physical format. Examples of historical papers are genealogical information, written manuscripts, old family records, and some personal diaries and sometimes even shared old past stories. But still sometimes, these historical papers might be damaged or corrupted due to some accidents and there is when handwriting recognition software is really very helpful. Handwriting recognition helps to transform the writings in the papers to a text document format which can also be said as readable electronic format. By this way, historical facts can be stored, reviewed and shared easily too many people. Lastly, the advantage is textual studies. A textual study is a category of literature studies. Literature studies involve reviewing the original manuscripts of literature in comparison with the printed version. This means that the story has been dug and changed at the hands of the editors hand after coming from the hands of the author. This is why original manuscripts are cared very well but still this requires a complete review of the manuscript. Handwriting recognition helps to keep safe these original manuscripts in an electronic format and it can be reviewed without damaging the original copy of the manuscripts. The disadvantage of handwriting recognition technologies is that not everyones handwriting is the same, everyone writes differently. This starts the problem in the handwriting recognition technology when it need to translate a persons handwriting into type and because of this problem many companies failed to perform well because many couldnt effectively use the program well enough. In a nutshell, handwriting recognition is very useful software that really helps to safe and keeps data and documents well. But at time it also has its disadvantage such as that sometimes if fails to read certain peoples handwriting and due to this many people do not prefer to use the handwriting recognition software that much. Even though handwriting recognition has its disadvantages but still it is growing rapidly in the technology world. Handwriting recognition is used when there are certain people who prefer writing on the screens rather than writing it on a paper. As far as seen, handwriting recognition will still grow fast in the technology world if it is upgraded more well.

Graduation Speech -- Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. On behalf of the 2012 graduating class of County High School, I would like to welcome you to our commencement ceremony. As valedictorian of this class I would like to speak to you, and my fellow graduates about responsibility, but first I would like to tell you a little story D.L. Moody told the story of a passenger on an Atlantic steamer who lay in his bunk during a raging storm with a severe case of sea sickness. Suddenly he heard the cry, "Man overboard." "May God help that poor fellow," he prayed, "but there's nothing I can do." Then he thought, "I can at least put my lantern in my small window," and with an effort he did so. The man was finally rescued. In recounting the story the next day, he said, "I was going down in the darkness for the last time when someone put a light in a porthole. It shone on my hand, and a sailor in the lifeboat grabbed it and pulled me in." Weakness is no excuse for not putting forth the little strength we have. Who can tell how God will work? Responsibility is one of the most important things that we have as human beings. We as Christians have much responsibility laid upon us. As citizens of two kingdoms, one earthly, and one heavenly, we all find ourselves with some responsibility to shoulder. No matter who we are, no matter what gender, what nationality, what color, what creed, God has given us as Christians the awesome responsibility to be his witnesses in this world. There are many different excuses people use to try to avoid responsibility. For example, some among us may say, "I am not ready." In 1 Peter chapter 3 verse 15b it says, "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have." This ... ...to plan for the future, yet to keep your eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, because only he can adequately guide our paths, so that we can make the best use of the time, talents, and the responsibility he has given us to be a witness unto (for) him. Now I would like to thank all of those people who have made it possible for us as young adults to be able to take on the responsibility that we have been given. I would like to thank Mr. Mehrtens, Mrs. Barnett, Mrs. Fuentes, Mrs. Miller and all of the other teachers who have come and gone, for all of their hard work and dedication, and also their Christian example. I would also like to thank all of our parents for thinking so much of us that they paid double for our education, and I would also like to thank them for the godly standards they have encouraged us to strive for. Thank you all. Thank you. Graduation Speech -- Graduation Speech, Commencement Address Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. On behalf of the 2012 graduating class of County High School, I would like to welcome you to our commencement ceremony. As valedictorian of this class I would like to speak to you, and my fellow graduates about responsibility, but first I would like to tell you a little story D.L. Moody told the story of a passenger on an Atlantic steamer who lay in his bunk during a raging storm with a severe case of sea sickness. Suddenly he heard the cry, "Man overboard." "May God help that poor fellow," he prayed, "but there's nothing I can do." Then he thought, "I can at least put my lantern in my small window," and with an effort he did so. The man was finally rescued. In recounting the story the next day, he said, "I was going down in the darkness for the last time when someone put a light in a porthole. It shone on my hand, and a sailor in the lifeboat grabbed it and pulled me in." Weakness is no excuse for not putting forth the little strength we have. Who can tell how God will work? Responsibility is one of the most important things that we have as human beings. We as Christians have much responsibility laid upon us. As citizens of two kingdoms, one earthly, and one heavenly, we all find ourselves with some responsibility to shoulder. No matter who we are, no matter what gender, what nationality, what color, what creed, God has given us as Christians the awesome responsibility to be his witnesses in this world. There are many different excuses people use to try to avoid responsibility. For example, some among us may say, "I am not ready." In 1 Peter chapter 3 verse 15b it says, "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have." This ... ...to plan for the future, yet to keep your eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, because only he can adequately guide our paths, so that we can make the best use of the time, talents, and the responsibility he has given us to be a witness unto (for) him. Now I would like to thank all of those people who have made it possible for us as young adults to be able to take on the responsibility that we have been given. I would like to thank Mr. Mehrtens, Mrs. Barnett, Mrs. Fuentes, Mrs. Miller and all of the other teachers who have come and gone, for all of their hard work and dedication, and also their Christian example. I would also like to thank all of our parents for thinking so much of us that they paid double for our education, and I would also like to thank them for the godly standards they have encouraged us to strive for. Thank you all. Thank you.

Introduction to the Network Communication Devices Essay

In this tutorial you will learn get the basic introduction to network devices such as nic adapters, routers, hubs, switches, modems, communication cables, lan/wan routers, gateway and other devices. A network is consists of a larger number of the communication devices. The simplest device that is used in the communication is the NIC adapter which is attached with the every computer in a network. If you want to build a LAN, you will need to have computers, hubs, switches, network adapters, UTP/STP cables, routers, internal/external modems, connectors, cable testers and clipping tool. On the other hand if you need to build WAN, you will need to have routers, switches, dedicated or leased telephone lines such as ISDN lines, frame relay connection and other types of wan communication connections. There are different communication mediums such as Ethernet cables, copper wire, coaxial cable, fiber optic cables, leased telephone lines and ever air is also a communication medium for the sate llite communication. The most common networking medium is the LAN is the Ethernet cable (UTP/STP), which is used in the star topology. Hub is a central device of a network and every computer in a network is directly connected with the hub. If the hub fails to work, the communication between the computers stops till the hub again starts working. Hub broadcasts the data to its every port, and then finding the destined computer, the data sent toward it. The switch is an advance form of the hub similar in functions but the advanced switches has a switching table in them. A advanced switch stores the MAC address of every attached computer and the data is only sent to the destined computer, unlike the hubs where data is sent to all ports. A router is a key device in the internet communication and wan communication system. A router has software called routing table and the source and destination addresses are stored in the routing table. | A router connects two logically and physically different networks. Router finds the IP address of the next hop (next router) and the data is sent toward it and so on. The well known routers developing companies are Cisco systems, Nortel, DLink and others. Every ISP, banks, corporate offices and multinational companies use routers for LAN and WAN communications and communication in their private networks. A gateway can be device or software in a network. A gateway device connects the LAN with the internet. A gateway is directly exposed to the internet so it should be securely configured and in and out traffic should be monitored. If you are using DSL connection, you must need a DSL modem in your network. The telephone line is connected with the DSL modem and UTP/STP cable attaches your computer with the DSL modem. Modems are the devices that are used to modulate and demodulate the data. They convert analogue signals to digital and digital signals to analogue so that signals can travel on the telephone lines. There are certain types of the cables that are used to connect two or more computers in a network. Fiber optic cable acts as a backbone between the ISPs and corporate offices. Data travels at the speed of light on the fiber optic cables. The cost and the installation cost of the fiber optic cable is very high but it is becoming very popular in the home networking and LANs also. In the local area networking, 10baseT/CAT5 cable is most commonly in use. A server is a computer in network that provides services to the client computers such as logon requests processing, files access and storage, internet access, printing access and many other types of services. Servers are mostly equipped with extra hardware such as plenty of external memory (RAM), more data store capacity (hard disks), high processing speed and other features.

Angels Demons Chapter 106-108

106 It was 11:07 P.M. Langdon's car raced through the Roman night. Speeding down Lungotevere Tor Di Nona, parallel with the river, Langdon could now see his destination rising like a mountain to his right. Castel Sant' Angelo. Castle of the Angel. Without warning, the turnoff to the narrow Bridge of Angels – Ponte Sant' Angelo – appeared suddenly. Langdon slammed on his brakes and swerved. He turned in time, but the bridge was barricaded. He skidded ten feet and collided with a series of short cement pillars blocking his way. Langdon lurched forward as the vehicle stalled, wheezing and shuddering. He had forgotten the Bridge of Angels, in order to preserve it, was now zoned pedestrians only. Shaken, Langdon staggered from the crumpled car, wishing now he had chosen one of the other routes. He felt chilled, shivering from the fountain. He donned his Harris tweed over his damp shirt, grateful for Harris's trademark double lining. The Diagramma folio would remain dry. Before him, across the bridge, the stone fortress rose like a mountain. Aching and depleted, Langdon broke into a loping run. On both sides of him now, like a gauntlet of escorts, a procession of Bernini angels whipped past, funneling him toward his final destination. Let angels guide you on your lofty quest. The castle seemed to rise as he advanced, an unscalable peak, more intimidating to him even than St. Peter's. He sprinted toward the bastion, running on fumes, gazing upward at the citadel's circular core as it shot skyward to a gargantuan, sword-wielding angel. The castle appeared deserted. Langdon knew through the centuries the building had been used by the Vatican as a tomb, a fortress, a papal hideout, a prison for enemies of the church, and a museum. Apparently, the castle had other tenants as well – the Illuminati. Somehow it made eerie sense. Although the castle was property of the Vatican, it was used only sporadically, and Bernini had made numerous renovations to it over the years. The building was now rumored to be honeycombed with secret entries, passageways, and hidden chambers. Langdon had little doubt that the angel and surrounding pentagonal park were Bernini's doing as well. Arriving at the castle's elephantine double doors, Langdon shoved them hard. Not surprisingly, they were immovable. Two iron knockers hung at eye level. Langdon didn't bother. He stepped back, his eyes climbing the sheer outer wall. These ramparts had fended off armies of Berbers, heathens, and Moors. Somehow he sensed his chances of breaking in were slim. Vittoria, Langdon thought. Are you in there? Langdon hurried around the outer wall. There must be another entrance! Rounding the second bulwark to the west, Langdon arrived breathless in a small parking area off Lungotere Angelo. On this wall he found a second castle entrance, a drawbridge-type ingress, raised and sealed shut. Langdon gazed upward again. The only lights on the castle were exterior floods illuminating the fa;ade. All the tiny windows inside seemed black. Langdon's eyes climbed higher. At the very peak of the central tower, a hundred feet above, directly beneath the angel's sword, a single balcony protruded. The marble parapet seemed to shimmer slightly, as if the room beyond it were aglow with torchlight. Langdon paused, his soaked body shivering suddenly. A shadow? He waited, straining. Then he saw it again. His spine prickled. Someone is up there! â€Å"Vittoria!† he called out, unable to help himself, but his voice was swallowed by the raging Tiber behind him. He wheeled in circles, wondering where the hell the Swiss Guard were. Had they even heard his transmission? Across the lot a large media truck was parked. Langdon ran toward it. A paunchy man in headphones sat in the cabin adjusting levers. Langdon rapped on the side of the truck. The man jumped, saw Langdon's dripping clothes, and yanked off his headset. â€Å"What's the worry, mate?† His accent was Australian. â€Å"I need your phone.† Langdon was frenzied. The man shrugged. â€Å"No dial tone. Been trying all night. Circuits are packed.† Langdon swore aloud. â€Å"Have you seen anyone go in there?† He pointed to the drawbridge. â€Å"Actually, yeah. A black van's been going in and out all night.† Langdon felt a brick hit the bottom of his stomach. â€Å"Lucky bastard,† the Aussie said, gazing up at the tower, and then frowning at his obstructed view of the Vatican. â€Å"I bet the view from up there is perfect. I couldn't get through the traffic in St. Peter's, so I'm shooting from here.† Langdon wasn't listening. He was looking for options. â€Å"What do you say?† the Australian said. â€Å"This 11th Hour Samaritan for real?† Langdon turned. â€Å"The what?† â€Å"You didn't hear? The Captain of the Swiss Guard got a call from somebody who claims to have some primo info. The guy's flying in right now. All I know is if he saves the day†¦ there go the ratings!† The man laughed. Langdon was suddenly confused. A good Samaritan flying in to help? Did the person somehow know where the antimatter was? Then why didn't he just tell the Swiss Guard? Why was he coming in person? Something was odd, but Langdon didn't have time to figure out what. â€Å"Hey,† the Aussie said, studying Langdon more closely. â€Å"Ain't you that guy I saw on TV? Trying to save that cardinal in St. Peter's Square?† Langdon did not answer. His eyes had suddenly locked on a contraption attached to the top of the truck – a satellite dish on a collapsible appendage. Langdon looked at the castle again. The outer rampart was fifty feet tall. The inner fortress climbed farther still. A shelled defense. The top was impossibly high from here, but maybe if he could clear the first wall†¦ Langdon spun to the newsman and pointed to the satellite arm. â€Å"How high does that go?† â€Å"Huh?† The man looked confused. â€Å"Fifteen meters. Why?† â€Å"Move the truck. Park next to the wall. I need help.† â€Å"What are you talking about?† Langdon explained. The Aussie's eyes went wide. â€Å"Are you insane? That's a two- hundred-thousand-dollar telescoping extension. Not a ladder!† â€Å"You want ratings? I've got information that will make your day.† Langdon was desperate. â€Å"Information worth two hundred grand?† Langdon told him what he would reveal in exchange for the favor. Ninety seconds later, Robert Langdon was gripping the top of the satellite arm wavering in the breeze fifty feet off the ground. Leaning out, he grabbed the top of the first bulwark, dragged himself onto the wall, and dropped onto the castle's lower bastion. â€Å"Now keep your bargain!† the Aussie called up. â€Å"Where is he?† Langdon felt guilt-ridden for revealing this information, but a deal was a deal. Besides, the Hassassin would probably call the press anyway. â€Å"Piazza Navona,† Langdon shouted. â€Å"He's in the fountain.† The Aussie lowered his satellite dish and peeled out after the scoop of his career. In a stone chamber high above the city, the Hassassin removed his soaking boots and bandaged his wounded toe. There was pain, but not so much that he couldn't enjoy himself. He turned to his prize. She was in the corner of the room, on her back on a rudimentary divan, hands tied behind her, mouth gagged. The Hassassin moved toward her. She was awake now. This pleased him. Surprisingly, in her eyes, he saw fire instead of fear. The fear will come. 107 Robert Langdon dashed around the outer bulwark of the castle, grateful for the glow of the floodlights. As he circled the wall, the courtyard beneath him looked like a museum of ancient warfare – catapults, stacks of marble cannonballs, and an arsenal of fearful contraptions. Parts of the castle were open to tourists during the day, and the courtyard had been partially restored to its original state. Langdon's eyes crossed the courtyard to the central core of the fortress. The circular citadel shot skyward 107 feet to the bronze angel above. The balcony at the top still glowed from within. Langdon wanted to call out but knew better. He would have to find a way in. He checked his watch. 11:12 P.M. Dashing down the stone ramp that hugged the inside of the wall, Langdon descended to the courtyard. Back on ground level, he ran through shadows, clockwise around the fort. He passed three porticos, but all of them were permanently sealed. How did the Hassassin get in? Langdon pushed on. He passed two modern entrances, but they were padlocked from the outside. Not here. He kept running. Langdon had circled almost the entire building when he saw a gravel drive cutting across the courtyard in front of him. At one end, on the outer wall of the castle, he saw the back of the gated drawbridge leading back outside. At the other end, the drive disappeared into the fortress. The drive seemed to enter a kind of tunnel – a gaping entry in the central core. Il traforo! Langdon had read about this castle's traforo, a giant spiral ramp that circled up inside the fort, used by commanders on horseback to ride from top to bottom rapidly. The Hassassin drove up! The gate blocking the tunnel was raised, ushering Langdon in. He felt almost exuberant as he ran toward the tunnel. But as he reached the opening, his excitement disappeared. The tunnel spiraled down. The wrong way. This section of the traforo apparently descended to the dungeons, not to the top. Standing at the mouth of a dark bore that seemed to twist endlessly deeper into the earth, Langdon hesitated, looking up again at the balcony. He could swear he saw motion up there. Decide! With no other options, he dashed down into the tunnel. High overhead, the Hassassin stood over his prey. He ran a hand across her arm. Her skin was like cream. The anticipation of exploring her bodily treasures was inebriating. How many ways could he violate her? The Hassassin knew he deserved this woman. He had served Janus well. She was a spoil of war, and when he was finished with her, he would pull her from the divan and force her to her knees. She would service him again. The ultimate submission. Then, at the moment of his own climax, he would slit her throat. Ghayat assa'adah, they called it. The ultimate pleasure. Afterward, basking in his glory, he would stand on the balcony and savor the culmination of the Illuminati triumph†¦ a revenge desired by so many for so long. The tunnel grew darker. Langdon descended. After one complete turn into the earth, the light was all but gone. The tunnel leveled out, and Langdon slowed, sensing by the echo of his footfalls that he had just entered a larger chamber. Before him in the murkiness, he thought he saw glimmers of light†¦ fuzzy reflections in the ambient gleam. He moved forward, reaching out his hand. He found smooth surfaces. Chrome and glass. It was a vehicle. He groped the surface, found a door, and opened it. The vehicle's interior dome-light flashed on. He stepped back and recognized the black van immediately. Feeling a surge of loathing, he stared a moment, then he dove in, rooting around in hopes of finding a weapon to replace the one he'd lost in the fountain. He found none. He did, however, find Vittoria's cell phone. It was shattered and useless. The sight of it filled Langdon with fear. He prayed he was not too late. He reached up and turned on the van's headlights. The room around him blazed into existence, harsh shadows in a simple chamber. Langdon guessed the room was once used for horses and ammunition. It was also a dead end. No exit. I came the wrong way! At the end of his rope, Langdon jumped from the van and scanned the walls around him. No doorways. No gates. He thought of the angel over the tunnel entrance and wondered if it had been a coincidence. No! He thought of the killer's words at the fountain. She is in the Church of Illumination†¦ awaiting my return. Langdon had come too far to fail now. His heart was pounding. Frustration and hatred were starting to cripple his senses. When he saw the blood on the floor, Langdon's first thought was for Vittoria. But as his eyes followed the stains, he realized they were bloody footprints. The strides were long. The splotches of blood were only on the left foot. The Hassassin! Langdon followed the footprints toward the corner of the room, his sprawling shadow growing fainter. He felt more and more puzzled with every step. The bloody prints looked as though they walked directly into the corner of the room and then disappeared. When Langdon arrived in the corner, he could not believe his eyes. The granite block in the floor here was not a square like the others. He was looking at another signpost. The block was carved into a perfect pentagram, arranged with the tip pointing into the corner. Ingeniously concealed by overlapping walls, a narrow slit in the stone served as an exit. Langdon slid through. He was in a passage. In front of him were the remains of a wooden barrier that had once been blocking this tunnel. Beyond it there was light. Langdon was running now. He clambered over the wood and headed for the light. The passage quickly opened into another, larger chamber. Here a single torch flickered on the wall. Langdon was in a section of the castle that had no electricity†¦ a section no tourists would ever see. The room would have been frightful in daylight, but the torch made it even more gruesome. Il prigione. There were a dozen tiny jail cells, the iron bars on most eroded away. One of the larger cells, however, remained intact, and on the floor Langdon saw something that almost stopped his heart. Black robes and red sashes on the floor. This is where he held the cardinals! Near the cell was an iron doorway in the wall. The door was ajar and beyond it Langdon could see some sort of passage. He ran toward it. But Langdon stopped before he got there. The trail of blood did not enter the passage. When Langdon saw the words carved over the archway, he knew why. Il Passetto. He was stunned. He had heard of this tunnel many times, never knowing where exactly the entrance was. Il Passetto – The Little Passage – was a slender, three-quarter-mile tunnel built between Castle St. Angelo and the Vatican. It had been used by various Popes to escape to safety during sieges of the Vatican†¦ as well as by a few less pious Popes to secretly visit mistresses or oversee the torture of their enemies. Nowadays both ends of the tunnel were supposedly sealed with impenetrable locks whose keys were kept in some Vatican vault. Langdon suddenly feared he knew how the Illuminati had been moving in and out of the Vatican. He found himself wondering who on the inside had betrayed the church and coughed up the keys. Olivetti? One of the Swiss Guard? None of it mattered anymore. The blood on the floor led to the opposite end of the prison. Langdon followed. Here, a rusty gate hung draped with chains. The lock had been removed and the gate stood ajar. Beyond the gate was a steep ascension of spiral stairs. The floor here was also marked with a pentagramal block. Langdon stared at the block, trembling, wondering if Bernini himself had held the chisel that had shaped these chunks. Overhead, the archway was adorned with a tiny carved cherub. This was it. The trail of blood curved up the stairs. Before ascending, Langdon knew he needed a weapon, any weapon. He found a four-foot section of iron bar near one of the cells. It had a sharp, splintered end. Although absurdly heavy, it was the best he could do. He hoped the element of surprise, combined with the Hassassin's wound, would be enough to tip the scales in his advantage. Most of all, though, he hoped he was not too late. The staircase's spiral treads were worn and twisted steeply upward. Langdon ascended, listening for sounds. None. As he climbed, the light from the prison area faded away. He ascended into the total darkness, keeping one hand on the wall. Higher. In the blackness, Langdon sensed the ghost of Galileo, climbing these very stairs, eager to share his visions of heaven with other men of science and faith. Langdon was still in a state of shock over the location of the lair. The Illuminati meeting hall was in a building owned by the Vatican. No doubt while the Vatican guards were out searching basements and homes of well-known scientists, the Illuminati were meeting here†¦ right under the Vatican's nose. It suddenly seemed so perfect. Bernini, as head architect of renovations here, would have had unlimited access to this structure†¦ remodeling it to his own specifications with no questions asked. How many secret entries had Bernini added? How many subtle embellishments pointing the way? The Church of Illumination. Langdon knew he was close. As the stairs began narrowing, Langdon felt the passage closing around him. The shadows of history were whispering in the dark, but he moved on. When he saw the horizontal shaft of light before him, he realized he was standing a few steps beneath a landing, where the glow of torchlight spilled out beneath the threshold of a door in front of him. Silently he moved up. Langdon had no idea where in the castle he was right now, but he knew he had climbed far enough to be near the peak. He pictured the mammoth angel atop the castle and suspected it was directly overhead. Watch over me, angel, he thought, gripping the bar. Then, silently, he reached for the door. On the divan, Vittoria's arms ached. When she had first awoken to find them tied behind her back, she'd thought she might be able to relax and work her hands free. But time had run out. The beast had returned. Now he was standing over her, his chest bare and powerful, scarred from battles he had endured. His eyes looked like two black slits as he stared down at her body. Vittoria sensed he was imagining the deeds he was about to perform. Slowly, as if to taunt her, the Hassassin removed his soaking belt and dropped it on the floor. Vittoria felt a loathing horror. She closed her eyes. When she opened them again, the Hassassin had produced a switchblade knife. He snapped it open directly in front of her face. Vittoria saw her own terrified reflection in the steel. The Hassassin turned the blade over and ran the back of it across her belly. The icy metal gave her chills. With a contemptuous stare, he slipped the blade below the waistline of her shorts. She inhaled. He moved back and forth, slowly, dangerously†¦ lower. Then he leaned forward, his hot breath whispering in her ear. â€Å"This blade cut out your father's eye.† Vittoria knew in that instant that she was capable of killing. The Hassassin turned the blade again and began sawing upward through the fabric of her khaki shorts. Suddenly, he stopped, looking up. Someone was in the room. â€Å"Get away from her,† a deep voice growled from the doorway. Vittoria could not see who had spoken, but she recognized the voice. Robert! He's alive! The Hassassin looked as if he had seen a ghost. â€Å"Mr. Langdon, you must have a guardian angel.† 108 In the split second it took Langdon to take in his surroundings, he realized he was in a sacred place. The embellishments in the oblong room, though old and faded, were replete with familiar symbology. Pentagram tiles. Planet frescoes. Doves. Pyramids. The Church of Illumination. Simple and pure. He had arrived. Directly in front of him, framed in the opening of the balcony, stood the Hassassin. He was bare chested, standing over Vittoria, who lay bound but very much alive. Langdon felt a wave of relief to see her. For an instant, their eyes met, and a torrent of emotions flowed – gratitude, desperation, and regret. â€Å"So we meet yet again,† the Hassassin said. He looked at the bar in Langdon's hand and laughed out loud. â€Å"And this time you come for me with that?† â€Å"Untie her.† The Hassassin put the knife to Vittoria's throat. â€Å"I will kill her.† Langdon had no doubt the Hassassin was capable of such an act. He forced a calm into his voice. â€Å"I imagine she would welcome it†¦ considering the alternative.† The Hassassin smiled at the insult. â€Å"You're right. She has much to offer. It would be a waste.† Langdon stepped forward, grasping the rusted bar, and aimed the splintered end directly at the Hassassin. The cut on his hand bit sharply. â€Å"Let her go.† The Hassassin seemed for a moment to be considering it. Exhaling, he dropped his shoulders. It was a clear motion of surrender, and yet at that exact instant the Hassassin's arm seemed to accelerate unexpectedly. There was a blur of dark muscle, and a blade suddenly came tearing through the air toward Langdon's chest. Whether it was instinct or exhaustion that buckled Langdon's knees at that moment, he didn't know, but the knife sailed past his left ear and clattered to the floor behind him. The Hassassin seemed unfazed. He smiled at Langdon, who was kneeling now, holding the metal bar. The killer stepped away from Vittoria and moved toward Langdon like a stalking lion. As Langdon scrambled to his feet, lifting the bar again, his wet turtleneck and pants felt suddenly more restrictive. The Hassassin, half-clothed, seemed to move much faster, the wound on his foot apparently not slowing him at all. Langdon sensed this was a man accustomed to pain. For the first time in his life, Langdon wished he were holding a very big gun. The Hassassin circled slowly, as if enjoying himself, always just out of reach, moving toward the knife on the floor. Langdon cut him off. Then the killer moved back toward Vittoria. Again Langdon cut him off. â€Å"There's still time,† Langdon ventured. â€Å"Tell me where the canister is. The Vatican will pay more than the Illuminati ever could.† â€Å"You are naive.† Langdon jabbed with the bar. The Hassassin dodged. He navigated around a bench, holding the weapon in front of him, trying to corner the Hassassin in the oval room. This damn room has no corners! Oddly, the Hassassin did not seem interested in attacking or fleeing. He was simply playing Langdon's game. Coolly waiting. Waiting for what? The killer kept circling, a master at positioning himself. It was like an endless game of chess. The weapon in Langdon's hand was getting heavy, and he suddenly sensed he knew what the Hassassin was waiting for. He's tiring me out. It was working, too. Langdon was hit by a surge of weariness, the adrenaline alone no longer enough to keep him alert. He knew he had to make a move. The Hassassin seemed to read Langdon's mind, shifting again, as if intentionally leading Langdon toward a table in the middle of the room. Langdon could tell there was something on the table. Something glinted in the torchlight. A weapon? Langdon kept his eyes focused on the Hassassin and maneuvered himself closer to the table. When the Hassassin cast a long, guileless glance at the table, Langdon tried to fight the obvious bait. But instinct overruled. He stole a glance. The damage was done. It was not a weapon at all. The sight momentarily riveted him. On the table lay a rudimentary copper chest, crusted with ancient patina. The chest was a pentagon. The lid lay open. Arranged inside in five padded compartments were five brands. The brands were forged of iron – large embossing tools with stout handles of wood. Langdon had no doubt what they said. Illuminati, Earth, Air, Fire, Water. Langdon snapped his head back up, fearing the Hassassin would lunge. He did not. The killer was waiting, almost as if he were refreshed by the game. Langdon fought to recover his focus, locking eyes again with his quarry, thrusting with the pipe. But the image of the box hung in his mind. Although the brands themselves were mesmerizing – artifacts few Illuminati scholars even believed existed – Langdon suddenly realized there had been something else about the box that had ignited a wave of foreboding within. As the Hassassin maneuvered again, Langdon stole another glance downward. My God! In the chest, the five brands sat in compartments around the outer edge. But in the center, there was another compartment. This partition was empty, but it clearly was intended to hold another brand†¦ a brand much larger than the others, and perfectly square. The attack was a blur. The Hassassin swooped toward him like a bird of prey. Langdon, his concentration having been masterfully diverted, tried to counter, but the pipe felt like a tree trunk in his hands. His parry was too slow. The Hassassin dodged. As Langdon tried to retract the bar, the Hassassin's hands shot out and grabbed it. The man's grip was strong, his injured arm seeming no longer to affect him. Violently, the two men struggled. Langdon felt the bar ripped away, and a searing pain shot through his palm. An instant later, Langdon was staring into the splintered point of the weapon. The hunter had become the hunted. Langdon felt like he'd been hit by a cyclone. The Hassassin circled, smiling now, backing Langdon against the wall. â€Å"What is your American adagio?† he chided. â€Å"Something about curiosity and the cat?† Langdon could barely focus. He cursed his carelessness as the Hassassin moved in. Nothing was making sense. A sixth Illuminati brand? In frustration he blurted, â€Å"I've never read anything about a sixth Illuminati brand!† â€Å"I think you probably have.† The killer chuckled as he herded Langdon around the oval wall. Langdon was lost. He most certainly had not. There were five Illuminati brands. He backed up, searching the room for any weapon at all. â€Å"A perfect union of the ancient elements,† the Hassassin said. â€Å"The final brand is the most brilliant of all. I'm afraid you will never see it, though.† Langdon sensed he would not be seeing much of anything in a moment. He kept backing up, searching the room for an option. â€Å"And you've seen this final brand?† Langdon demanded, trying to buy time. â€Å"Someday perhaps they will honor me. As I prove myself.† He jabbed at Langdon, as if enjoying a game. Langdon slid backward again. He had the feeling the Hassassin was directing him around the wall toward some unseen destination. Where? Langdon could not afford to look behind him. â€Å"The brand?† he demanded. â€Å"Where is it?† â€Å"Not here. Janus is apparently the only one who holds it.† â€Å"Janus?† Langdon did not recognize the name. â€Å"The Illuminati leader. He is arriving shortly.† â€Å"The Illuminati leader is coming here?† â€Å"To perform the final branding.† Langdon shot a frightened glance to Vittoria. She looked strangely calm, her eyes closed to the world around her, her lungs pulling slowly†¦ deeply. Was she the final victim? Was he? â€Å"Such conceit,† the Hassassin sneered, watching Langdon's eyes. â€Å"The two of you are nothing. You will die, of course, that is for certain. But the final victim of whom I speak is a truly dangerous enemy.† Langdon tried to make sense of the Hassassin's words. A dangerous enemy? The top cardinals were all dead. The Pope was dead. The Illuminati had wiped them all out. Langdon found the answer in the vacuum of the Hassassin's eyes. The camerlegno. Camerlegno Ventresca was the one man who had been a beacon of hope for the world through this entire tribulation. The camerlegno had done more to condemn the Illuminati tonight than decades of conspiracy theorists. Apparently he would pay the price. He was the Illuminati's final target. â€Å"You'll never get to him,† Langdon challenged. â€Å"Not I,† the Hassassin replied, forcing Langdon farther back around the wall. â€Å"That honor is reserved for Janus himself.† â€Å"The Illuminati leader himself intends to brand the camerlegno?† â€Å"Power has its privileges.† â€Å"But no one could possibly get into Vatican City right now!† The Hassassin looked smug. â€Å"Not unless he had an appointment.† Langdon was confused. The only person expected at the Vatican right now was the person the press was calling the 11th Hour Samaritan – the person Rocher said had information that could save – Langdon stopped short. Good God! The Hassassin smirked, clearly enjoying Langdon's sickening cognition. â€Å"I too wondered how Janus would gain entrance. Then in the van I heard the radio – a report about an 11th hour Samaritan.† He smiled. â€Å"The Vatican will welcome Janus with open arms.† Langdon almost stumbled backward. Janus is the Samaritan! It was an unthinkable deception. The Illuminati leader would get a royal escort directly to the camerlegno's chambers. But how did Janus fool Rocher? Or was Rocher somehow involved? Langdon felt a chill. Ever since he had almost suffocated in the secret archives, Langdon had not entirely trusted Rocher. The Hassassin jabbed suddenly, nicking Langdon in the side. Langdon jumped back, his temper flaring. â€Å"Janus will never get out alive!† The Hassassin shrugged. â€Å"Some causes are worth dying for.† Langdon sensed the killer was serious. Janus coming to Vatican City on a suicide mission? A question of honor? For an instant, Langdon's mind took in the entire terrifying cycle. The Illuminati plot had come full circle. The priest whom the Illuminati had inadvertently brought to power by killing the Pope had emerged as a worthy adversary. In a final act of defiance, the Illuminati leader would destroy him. Suddenly, Langdon felt the wall behind him disappear. There was a rush of cool air, and he staggered backward into the night. The balcony! He now realized what the Hassassin had in mind. Langdon immediately sensed the precipice behind him – a hundred-foot drop to the courtyard below. He had seen it on his way in. The Hassassin wasted no time. With a violent surge, he lunged. The spear sliced toward Langdon's midsection. Langdon skidded back, and the point came up short, catching only his shirt. Again the point came at him. Langdon slid farther back, feeling the banister right behind him. Certain the next jab would kill him, Langdon attempted the absurd. Spinning to one side, he reached out and grabbed the shaft, sending a jolt of pain through his palm. Langdon held on. The Hassassin seemed unfazed. They strained for a moment against one another, face to face, the Hassassin's breath fetid in Langdon's nostrils. The bar began to slip. The Hassassin was too strong. In a final act of desperation, Langdon stretched out his leg, dangerously off balance as he tried to ram his foot down on the Hassassin's injured toe. But the man was a professional and adjusted to protect his weakness. Langdon had just played his final card. And he knew he had lost the hand. The Hassassin's arms exploded upward, driving Langdon back against the railing. Langdon sensed nothing but empty space behind him as the railing hit just beneath his buttocks. The Hassassin held the bar crosswise and drove it into Langdon's chest. Langdon's back arched over the chasm. â€Å"Ma'assalamah,† the Hassassin sneered. â€Å"Good-bye.† With a merciless glare, the Hassassin gave a final shove. Langdon's center of gravity shifted, and his feet swung up off the floor. With only one hope of survival, Langdon grabbed on to the railing as he went over. His left hand slipped, but his right hand held on. He ended up hanging upside down by his legs and one hand†¦ straining to hold on. Looming over him, the Hassassin raised the bar overhead, preparing to bring it crashing down. As the bar began to accelerate, Langdon saw a vision. Perhaps it was the imminence of death or simply blind fear, but in that moment, he sensed a sudden aura surrounding the Hassassin. A glowing effulgence seemed to swell out of nothing behind him†¦ like an incoming fireball. Halfway through his swing, the Hassassin dropped the bar and screamed in agony. The iron bar clattered past Langdon out into the night. The Hassassin spun away from him, and Langdon saw a blistering torch burn on the killer's back. Langdon pulled himself up to see Vittoria, eyes flaring, now facing the Hassassin. Vittoria waved a torch in front of her, the vengeance in her face resplendent in the flames. How she had escaped, Langdon did not know or care. He began scrambling back up over the banister. The battle would be short. The Hassassin was a deadly match. Screaming with rage, the killer lunged for her. She tried to dodge, but the man was on her, holding the torch and about to wrestle it away. Langdon did not wait. Leaping off the banister, Langdon jabbed his clenched fist into the blistered burn on the Hassassin's back. The scream seemed to echo all the way to the Vatican. The Hassassin froze a moment, his back arched in anguish. He let go of the torch, and Vittoria thrust it hard into his face. There was a hiss of flesh as his left eye sizzled. He screamed again, raising his hands to his face. â€Å"Eye for an eye,† Vittoria hissed. This time she swung the torch like a bat, and when it connected, the Hassassin stumbled back against the railing. Langdon and Vittoria went for him at the same instant, both heaving and pushing. The Hassassin's body sailed backward over the banister into the night. There was no scream. The only sound was the crack of his spine as he landed spread-eagle on a pile of cannonballs far below. Langdon turned and stared at Vittoria in bewilderment. Slackened ropes hung off her midsection and shoulders. Her eyes blazed like an inferno. â€Å"Houdini knew yoga.†

Maori Culture essays

Maori Culture essays In recent decades, Maori people have come a long way toward reclaiming the status and land that used to be theirs when they first settled New Zealand, several centuries before the influx of Europeans. Today, the Maori people comprise about 15 per cent of the population of Aotearoa, and the nation is in many respects bi-cultural. In the traditional Maori social structure, clearly defined roles for males and females exist and male-dominated structure is emphasized. Status was always awarded to a man and characteristics of manhood were rewarded. The division of work was also gendered. Men did the fishing and hunting while women were responsible for the food processing and cooking (Salmond, 2004). However, todays Maori women begin to assume active roles in Aotearoa. Mana Wahine, translated as power of women, is about the power of Maori women to resist challenge change or transform spaces within system of domination (Class notes, 2004). The status of women, Mana Wahine, is pivotal to spi ritual, physical, emotional and cultural well-being for whanau, hapu, iwi and for Maori society in any context. Nowadays Mana Wahine plays a significant role in development of New Zealands women. In this essay, I will discuss the huge differences between Maori women and Pakeha women (non-Maori women) in different sectors such as education, decolonization/indigenization, impact of Treaty of Waitangi and employment. Those differences are increasingly attracting attention of New Zealands society and gender issues are taken seriously ,for development of Maori women is very important for the whole development of New Zealand. Whats more, the practice of development takes these differences into account. Effective development strategy supports Maori economic and social development including development of Maori women. In addition, Maori women need to improve their capacity unceasingly not only for themselves but also for Maori revival an...

Barry Bonds Essay Essay Example

Barry Bonds Essay Essay Example Barry Bonds Essay Essay Barry Bonds Essay Essay Barry Bonds is the best baseball participant of all clip. Even before people accused him of utilizing steroids. Chemical bonds complete things on the baseball field that most can merely woolgather of. Chemical bonds started his calling in the National League in 1986. as a member of the Pittsburg Pirates. His first four old ages in the League started slow and his Numberss were really mean for an every-day MLB participant. From so on out. there was nil norm about Bonds’ calling. Throughout the following 10 old ages. from 1990-1999. Bonds’ Numberss increased dramatically across the board. He eclipsed 140 hits and 90 walks 8 out of 10 old ages. The exclusions were the 1994 and ’99 season. in which he merely played 112 and 102 games severally. due to injury. His norm on base per centum for those 10 seasons was. 432. This means over this 10 twelvemonth span Bonds got on base over 43 % of the clip he came to bat. For those of you who don’t know baseball. that is a pathetic per centum. He besides exceeded 100 RBI’s in all 8 of the old ages he surpassed 140 hits and 90 walks. Along with acquiring on base and exceeding 100 RBI’s on the regular. Chemical bonds could besides steal bases and play the field at a high degree. From 1990-1999. Chemical bonds stole over 30 bases 6 out of 10 seasons and neer committed more than 6 mistakes in a individual season. Barry Bonds is most-known for his ability to hit place tallies. Hiting more than 25 10s out of 10 times and more than 40 three times throughout this 10 twelvemonth period. Bonds was one of the most fecund place tally batters of his clip. even before the steroid accusals started to stack up. Although he was really good at it. hitting place tallies clearly wasn’t his lone ability. Chemical bonds should be remembered for his overall ability as a baseball participant instead than merely hitting place tallies. This becomes most evident when one views his broad assortment of terminal of season awards. During this 10 twelvemonth span I’ve been mentioning to. Chemical bonds finished in the top 5 in MVP voting 7 out of 10 old ages. winning it 3 times. He won the Gold Glove for his place 8 times. the Silver Slugger 6 times and was elected to the MLB All-Star game 8 times. Although Bonds’ calling became really confrontational in ulterior old ages. his Numberss during his early old ages in the conference stack up to the likes of Willie Mays and Hank Aaron. and that’s stating a batch. Yes he may hold done steroids. but even when he wasn’t utilizing. Bonds was still an all clip great.

Commercial Limestone and Marble Explained

Commercial Limestone and Marble Explained We all encounter limestone buildings and marble statues during our lives. But the scientific and commercial definitions of these two rocks dont match. When geologists enter the stone dealers showroom, and when lay people go out in the field, each has to learn a new set of concepts for these two different names. Limerock Basics Limestone and marble are both limerocks, an old-fashioned industrial term for stone that is roasted to produce lime, or calcium oxide. Lime is a basic ingredient in cement and much else. (For more about lime, see About Cement and Concrete.) Cement makers look at limerock as chemical feedstock of greater or lesser purity and expense. Beyond that, they are indifferent to what geologists or stone dealers call it. The key mineral in limerock is calcite, or calcium carbonate (CaCO3). Any other mineral is undesirable, but a particularly bad one is dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2), which interferes with lime manufacture. In the past, quarriers, builders, craftsmen and manufacturers called limerock used for industrial purposes limestone. Thats how limestone got its name in the first place. Limerock suitable for structural and decorative purposes, like buildings and statuary, was called marble. The word comes from ancient Greek with the root meaning of strong stone. Those historic categories are relevant to todays commercial categories. Commercial Limestone and Marble Dealers in stone use limestone and marble to denote a category of stone that is softer than commercial granite (or basalt or sandstone) but does not split like slate. Commercial marble is more compact than commercial limestone, and it takes a good polish. In commercial use, these definitions arent limited to rocks made of calcite; dolomite rock is just as good. In fact, serpentinite too has minerals softer than granite and is considered a commercial marble under the names serpentine marble, green marble or verd antique. Commercial limestone has more pore space than commercial marble and does not wear as well. This makes it suitable for less demanding applications like walls and columns and patios. It may have some flat layering, but generally it has a plain appearance. It may be honed or polished smooth, but it is limited to a matte or satiny finish. Commercial marble is denser than commercial limestone, and its preferred for floors, doorways and steps. Light penetrates farther into it, giving marble a glowing translucency. It also commonly has attractive swirling patterns of light and dark, although pure white marble is also prized for statues, gravestones and decorative features. To add a bit of confusion, marble used to be called crystalline limestone in previous centuries. Its key feature is the ability to take a high finish. None of these categories mean what they mean to geologists. Geologic Limestone and Marble Geologists are careful to distinguish limestone from dolomite rock, classifying both of these carbonate rocks as sedimentary rocks. But with metamorphism both become marble, a metamorphic rock in which all the original mineral grains have been recrystallized. Limestone is not made of sediment derived from rocks, but instead generally consists of the calcite skeletons of microscopic organisms that lived in shallow seas. In some places its formed of tiny round grains called ooids, formed as calcite precipitates directly from seawater onto a seed particle. The warm seas around the islands of the Bahamas are an example of an area where limestone is forming today. Under gentle conditions underground that are not well understood, magnesium-bearing fluids may alter the calcite in limestone to dolomite. With deeper burial and higher pressure, dolomite rock and limestone both recrystallize into marble, wiping out any fossils or other traces of the original sedimentary environment. Which of these are the real limestone and marble? Im prejudiced in favor of geologists, but builders and carvers and lime makers have many centuries of history on their side. Just be careful about how you use these rock names.

European Union Establishment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

European Union Establishment - Essay Example Though, the primary task of my paper is to, after conducting the research and deeply studying the EU concepts, answer the question of whether the EU was mainly created due to political or economical reasons. It is rather surprising that the European Union was officially created fourteen years ago, in 1993, because the idea of United Europe was pursued by many thinkers long before the 1990s. The list of historical personalities, who in different ways followed an idea of EU, is remarkable. It starts with Charlemagne, Charles V, Napoleon, and Metternich, and can be continued with such intellectuals and philosophers as Rousseau, Marx, Kant, and Leibniz the remarkable thinkers who proposed the idea of a European Community "as a long-term desirable political objective" (Davies). Furthermore, the first great effort to integrate an imperative section of Eurasia and the lands surrounding the Mediterranean Sea was brought up in the times of Roman Empire. It was the time when the idea about "eurocenttrism" and superiority of the European civilization arose for the first time (Davies). For those living in Europe, World War I and World War II meant the beginning of the end of the traditional time-honored European civilization. ... For the majority it was the period of perplexity and uncertainty, the Europeans were simply squeezed between the two growing powers: the USA and the USSR. Though, there was a minority of people who, having survived the wars, drew some important conclusions. At that point of time people realized that the way Europe reacted to wars and actually its capacity to react to military operations depended on its ability to surmount the hostile nationalism that brought about only catastrophes, desolation, and misery (European History Spartacus Educational). For that little group of people it was clear that the time to adopt the ideal of a joint and peaceful Europe as a common project has come (Davies). Nonetheless the fact that there was only a minority of those advocating the creation of joint and peaceful Europe, there were three reasons, or so to say "realities" that evidently showed that the time for new orientation towards the European integration had come. To begin with, the Europeans, even the most nationalistic ones were fully aware of their overall political and economical weaknesses. The world was once and forever changed by the wars, and the eminent and traditional European hegemony was in the past, while the two new superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union, were formed possessing a superior economic, political and military strength. Secondly, having learnt the lesson from the two drastic wars, the European countries were fully aware of impossibility and malignancy of repeating the confrontation among European States. The last but not least reason for the establishment of European Union was a desire to create an open, just and more affluent continent in which the international relationships were developed in a frame of harmony, peace, and unity.

Individual Rights and the Law Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Individual Rights and the Law - Case Study Example Article 5of the Human Rights Act guaranteeing liberty is the most important article for detained mentally disordered people. Interpretations of article 5in the context of persons of unsound mind resulted from the decision of the European Court in the case of Winterwerp V the Netherlands. Detention under article 5(1) e is considered lawful only if the patient is deemed to be of unsound mind. Also, it is necessary that the mental disorder must be of a kind or degree warranting compulsory confinement. Further, continued confinement should depend on the persistence of the disorder. Finally, the detention must be in accordance with the prescribed law. (Potential impact of the Human Rights Act on psychiatric practice: the best of British values Rosanne MacgregorMorris, Jane Ewbank, Luke Birmingham). Scottish and other European Cases challenging restricted medical treatment have largely been unsuccessful as current clinical practice generally does not breach an individual's human rights and recent Scottish Case Laws, have high - lighted that an individual patient's rights may be of a lower priority than public safety. Following the decision of the European Court of Human Rights, in X V United Kingdom, 1981, 4EHRR 188, The Mental Health (Scotland) Act 1983, introduced a periodic right of appeal for restricted patients enabling them to apply to the sheriff annually for a discharge. The relevant provision is section 63 of 1984 act. According to this section as long as it is required, the sheriff and Scottish ministers do not discharge a restricted patient from the hospital. This is in order to protect the public from serious harm, regardless of whether, the patient is treatable or not. These cases bring into focus the conflict between the individual's right to liberty, now enshrined in The European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedom (The Convention) and the duty of the state to protect its citizens from harm. We will now, consider three very important cases in this context. Case One. The applicant Karl Anderson formerly known as Karl Tonner pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the basis of diminished responsibility at Dundee Sheriff Court in 1968 to an indictment containing a charge of culpable homicide in respect of assaulting a girl aged 12 and then killing her, . Tonner was charged with culpable homicide and in the High Court at Edinburgh, on 6 December 1968, the judge authorized his admission to, and detention without time limit in, the State Hospital at Carstairs under Section 55 of the Mental Health (Scotland) Act 1960 ("the 1960 Act"). On 8 July 1999 Anderson appealed to the Sheriff at Lanark under Section 63 of the 1984 Act for an absolute discharge under Section 64. This appeal was based on the 2 August 1999 judgment was given in the case of Ruddle v. The Secretary of State for Scotland 1999 G.W.D. 29-1395. In this case Noel Ruddle appealed to the Sheriff under Section 63(2) of the Mental Health (Scotland) Act 1984. He sought an order in terms of Section 64(1) (a) of that Act directing his absolute discharge. Ruddle's argument was that he was no longer liable to be detained in a hospital for treatment since: he no longer suffered from a mental illness justifying his detention as a restricted pati

Analysis of alka seltzer commercial from 1950 and alka seltzer Essay

Analysis of alka seltzer commercial from 1950 and alka seltzer commercial from 2010 - Essay Example Moreover, the world of men in action and women indulging in feminine parties depicted in the 1950s version gives way to that of a woman in the office – a clear change that took place in the post-War Western world, but took time to get depicted in cultural products. The 1950s version begins with Speedy introducing the tablet as a significant factor that keeps the energetic life of USA, especially Washington DC intact. He starts singing the jingle about how Alka- Seltzer gives comfort to congressmen who are distracted from their work by headaches, and those fairy-like women in a fancy party who have the morning hangover. Apart from the visuals related to these two major ideas, it’s mainly Speedy who walks along throughout the commercial, followed by boxes of Alka-Seltzer, awhile singing the jingle in the all-too familiar voice of Dick Beals. The 2010 version is much more brief and swift. Speedy is given voice in the new commercials by Debi Derryberry. The stop-motion pupp etry effect of older times is recreated in the commercial by CGI effects. There’s an office secretary who is summoned by someone who says â€Å"clients are here†, soon after she sneezes into a paper napkin. She makes a gesture of tiredness, but is enlivened by Speedy who appears in a clearer, colour version and sings the jingle about Alka-Seltzer. Soon afterwards, the secretary is all ready to meet the clients. Before she leaves her cabin, she just pretends to punch Speedy, and he walks back and keeps smiling. Alka-Seltzer commercials focus more on creating a cult-effect than talking about the properties of the product. The appearance of Speedy in all the commercials is an effort to tap on the immense popularity that the earlier versions of their commercials had on people from all walks of life. There is even a pseudo-effect of a child’s presence in them, since Speedy is a midget figure with the voice of a child. The painstaking efforts to create his amicable ap pearance, even with the Alka-Seltzer tablets that form both his torso and hat, pay off well. The colour version of 2010 shows clearly that the hat carries the name Speedy and the torso is inscribed Alka-Seltzer. Moreover, there is more scope in the new commercial to make the features of speedy clearer. He has brown hair and eyebrows, large grey eyes and vivid expressions, complete with a baby smile. In the black and white commercials, the details were not so clear, and it were the captivating visuals, the voice of speedy and the animation effects that held them together. The drastic reduction of time in the new commercials call for a demand to stick to one major idea and present it in the best way possible. The drastic change in man-woman relationships in the public sphere is made clear while analyzing the two commercials. While the earlier versions showed clearly that men belonged to the tough outer world and women had a fairy-tale existence indoors. The recent version makes it cle ar that the woman has much more responsibilities than the household chores or appearing and acting good in parties. In continuation of the concept of a ‘super-mom’, the woman in the 2010 commercial manages to meet her responsibilities with a captivating smile. Speedy cures her of the brief period of inertia, by the magic tablet. Her worries fizzle out as the ‘plop, plop, fizz, fizz’ of the tablet in water. The 1950s commercial focuses more on the manliness of men and the femininity of

Individual report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Individual report - Essay Example With reference to specificity and relevance to the specific aims of the project, it is identified that the project would be more concise with fewer objectives to focus on as the topic. Too much objectives within a project run the risk of overseeing some of the objectives leading to inaccuracies and lack of substantial conclusions (Berman, McCombs, & Boruch, 1977). Given the chance to retake the project, I would down size the current project objectives to five at most to ensure that each deliverable is achieved by focusing on specific explicit sources. However, the fact that the current project objectives are too many, the project is capable of suffering from support or evidence insufficiency. Trying to meet more than ten objectives in one project creates the risk of overlooking some while concentrating on one more than the other. Additionally, directing all the objectives into focusing into the same project is hard to achieve under normal circumstances. The practicality of a project denies the accommodation of too many tasks as these result to added finances, risks of running into various levels of challenges that have the potential to delay or hike the cost of executing the project. With reference to page 34 of the current project document, it is evident that the compiler of the document at this certain point did not consider grammar or proofreading the document a priority. With regards to this particular page, 34, it is evident that the compiler of the document did not consider TENSE and SPELLING to be a priority when compiling the document. For example, the last sentence of page 34 state that â€Å"Staff are not allow to edit the template to their owe preference† which projects high levels of human errors in the compilation of the document. With this in mind, the project runs the risk of being irrelevant to the very target group that it aims to inform and present findings to. Given the

Book review on Olaudah Equiano Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Book review on Olaudah Equiano - Research Paper Example One of Equiano’s masters and a captain in a British trade ship, Henry Pascal, changed Equiano’s name to Gustavus Vassa. This is a name he used his entire life, with an exception of the autobiography’s publishing. Equiano Olaudah travelled extensively during his service to Pascal and succeeding masters. For instance, he visited Holland, England, Gibraltar, Scotland, Nova Scotia, Caribbean, Georgia, South Carolina and the Pennsylvania. After his purchase from Pascal by a Quaker merchant, Robert King, Equiano’s life gradually took a turn. He worked as Mr. King’s clerk and also had the opportunity to explore his minor trades, which enabled him to save some money and later buy his freedom in the year 1766. In the subsequent year, Equiano Olaudah settled down in England where he attended school and worked for Dr. Charles Irving, a prominent scientist, as an assistant. In the year 1792, Equiano married a lady known as Susanna Cullen, with whom they had two daughters before his death in 1797. Equiano’s autobiography is rather intriguing owing to its narrative approach. He begins the book by describing the ordinary life he used to live with his family in Africa, prior to his kidnap. He indicates that he was the last son, hence his mother’s favourite child and irrespective of the large size of his family they had a home and sufficient food. Equiano’s greatest worry was his slight failure in warrior classes, a clear sign of the carefree life he had as a typical young African male. At the tender age of eleven, he heard of rumours that malicious people were kidnapping young children and selling them off as slaves. Equiano remembers climbing trees and looking around to see if these people would come to get him or his siblings. As fate would have it, Equiano, his brother and sister were taken away in the dark of night when his parents were not around. This marked the drastic and change in his life, especially after being separated from his brother and sister. The emotional upheaval caused by the situation is described by the author’s own words that â€Å"She was torn from me and immediately carried away, while I was left in a state of distraction not to be described. I cried and grieved continually, and for several days I did not eat anything but what they forced into my mouth† (54). On reaching a slave market, Equiano got sold and accompanied his new handler to a house where other people spoke his native language, a form of consolation, albeit little given the critical situation. Owing to his dedication to work, Equiano was considered to be the best slave in the house. However, his life changed soon after, when he was loaded into a ship with other slaves with no knowledge of what would happen next. He feigned fainting when being shoved into the ship with the hope of being left behind, to no avail. Equiano had to work as soon as he got into the Virginia bound ship and he remembers how bad the conditions were in the ship, to the extent of most slaves committing suicide by jumping overboard. Equiano spent some little amount of time in a Virginia farm but he was then taken back on the British slave ships and Trade Vessels serving the captains as a trusted slave. It was in the course of sailing, that he was given the name Gustavas Vassa, by Captain Pascal (Equiano 26). When still serving under Captain Pascal, Equiano travelled to many

High frequency trading Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

High frequency trading - Research Paper Example Another disadvantage that faces the average investor is the ability to withdraw and initiate thousands of trades at multiple pricing points within the same period. This makes it difficult to understand what is or is not legit (Petajisto 273). Further, the ability of these programs coming up with the upper buy range and lower sell range can create security for one individual and insecurity for the other. It becomes very difficult to have the average investor coming up with a substantial amount because the investors privy with HFT could sell below the limit forcing an individual to pay more compared to normal circumstances. The fact that they attain the information seconds earlier allows them to have an edge that disadvantages the investors, exposing them to risks (Aldridge 65; Kirilenko, Kyle, Samadi & Tuzun 25). Many will look at this from the angle of having more to do with one’s trading sessions, but the unleveled playing field makes it worse. The securities exchange should rein on such behaviors and provide the investors with a fair chance of meeting these ideals. Regulations are necessary in this sector. Investors need to operate within similar platforms as a way of encouraging them to make better use of the skills present. One thing that can be done is creating stronger controls that will create safety nets around the trading options (Aldridge 67). This will enable the government to provide the stock exchanges with the required platforms that will help reduce the market instability through the proper utility of the incentives provided. Markets will also benefit a lot if information was not disseminated before hand, allowing all traders to benefit from what they possess, rather than generate new platforms that do not define the market as a whole (Petajisto 274). Ideally, the traders will have to get clearing before some of the tools can be used, something the government needs to pay great attention to. By limiting the risks, it is very

Book review on Olaudah Equiano Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Book review on Olaudah Equiano - Research Paper Example One of Equiano’s masters and a captain in a British trade ship, Henry Pascal, changed Equiano’s name to Gustavus Vassa. This is a name he used his entire life, with an exception of the autobiography’s publishing. Equiano Olaudah travelled extensively during his service to Pascal and succeeding masters. For instance, he visited Holland, England, Gibraltar, Scotland, Nova Scotia, Caribbean, Georgia, South Carolina and the Pennsylvania. After his purchase from Pascal by a Quaker merchant, Robert King, Equiano’s life gradually took a turn. He worked as Mr. King’s clerk and also had the opportunity to explore his minor trades, which enabled him to save some money and later buy his freedom in the year 1766. In the subsequent year, Equiano Olaudah settled down in England where he attended school and worked for Dr. Charles Irving, a prominent scientist, as an assistant. In the year 1792, Equiano married a lady known as Susanna Cullen, with whom they had two daughters before his death in 1797. Equiano’s autobiography is rather intriguing owing to its narrative approach. He begins the book by describing the ordinary life he used to live with his family in Africa, prior to his kidnap. He indicates that he was the last son, hence his mother’s favourite child and irrespective of the large size of his family they had a home and sufficient food. Equiano’s greatest worry was his slight failure in warrior classes, a clear sign of the carefree life he had as a typical young African male. At the tender age of eleven, he heard of rumours that malicious people were kidnapping young children and selling them off as slaves. Equiano remembers climbing trees and looking around to see if these people would come to get him or his siblings. As fate would have it, Equiano, his brother and sister were taken away in the dark of night when his parents were not around. This marked the drastic and change in his life, especially after being separated from his brother and sister. The emotional upheaval caused by the situation is described by the author’s own words that â€Å"She was torn from me and immediately carried away, while I was left in a state of distraction not to be described. I cried and grieved continually, and for several days I did not eat anything but what they forced into my mouth† (54). On reaching a slave market, Equiano got sold and accompanied his new handler to a house where other people spoke his native language, a form of consolation, albeit little given the critical situation. Owing to his dedication to work, Equiano was considered to be the best slave in the house. However, his life changed soon after, when he was loaded into a ship with other slaves with no knowledge of what would happen next. He feigned fainting when being shoved into the ship with the hope of being left behind, to no avail. Equiano had to work as soon as he got into the Virginia bound ship and he remembers how bad the conditions were in the ship, to the extent of most slaves committing suicide by jumping overboard. Equiano spent some little amount of time in a Virginia farm but he was then taken back on the British slave ships and Trade Vessels serving the captains as a trusted slave. It was in the course of sailing, that he was given the name Gustavas Vassa, by Captain Pascal (Equiano 26). When still serving under Captain Pascal, Equiano travelled to many

Week 6 DQ 1 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Week 6 DQ 1 - Assignment Example In individual communication, the initial sender of the message is most commonly a singular entity, with the recipients being either in plural or in a limited number. Communicating with an individual is rather direct since the use of non-verbal communication cues are evident, where the individual’s shift in position can easily be noted (Baack 64). Such responses are easy to monitor in the case that the communication is directed to an individual. This is even better enhanced when it comes to feedback and its analysis. On the other hand, group communication is limited in quality by the number of singular individuals involved since they are limited in terms of response analysis and real-time reaction to such feedback from the recipients of the message. Group communication is additionally limited by the group state of mind that is imposed on the group by the environment, and thus the message and feedback cannot be handled as efficiently as on an individual

Harley Davidson: Supply Chain Management

Harley Davidson: Supply Chain Management Introduction: In the business market there are many different organizations, but those who have good quality, design, and manufacturing process with low cost and meet market requirement they wins like Harley-Davidson. The main objective of Harley- Davidson was to focus on Just In Time manufacturing, Supply Chain Management and Total Quality Management in order to compete with other organizations. In this case study the emphasis is on how they developed the Supply Chain Management, Supplier Relationship, timed delivery and Quality. How sharing of information help them to implement just in time at supplier end ,its brief history ,problems it had faced in mid 70s, the remedies, the steps followed to overcome the downfall, with emphasis on Supply Chain Management, and lastly it concludes with the findings and learnings from the overall case study Brief History Harley Davidson is an American manufacturing motor cycle company which was built in 1903 by William Harley and author Davidson. In year 1970 the decision taking power was in the hand of cooperate parent company American machine and foundry at that time Harley Davidson was sole surviving company who were making heavy weight motor cycle in united states.AMF wanted to take the advantage of the market so decide to increase the production neglecting the importance of supply chain which made the quality go out of control. In 1981 new management was appointed by Harley Davidson to get out of this issue .Better operations towards better Bikes was their goal. Problems faced by Harley Davidson In the mid 1970s H-D had tough times, the market share was decreasing due to the poor quality of the product. After a detailed analysing it became evident that overproduction has resulted in a defocus from the Supply Chain Management. The quality of the H-D product which was the basis for their success did no longer exist. The low number of the Inventory Turns led to a high level of Stocks. With the demand decreasing and the high stocks the company was cash ridden. The recession also had its impact on low returns of the company. Another problem was they had no control over the suppliers and supplier quality was unpredictable which added to customer dissatisfaction. Remedial Measures Taken In 1980 Harley Davidson really had bad time so the management decided to take action by organizing there company with new start, management launched production schedule which increased inventory turns.Inventory Turns is define as the ratio of cost of goods and average inventory. The inventory dropped to 4 million Dollars, with high level of productions. Inventory turns increased from 16 to 28 million per year. Supplier base was reduced from 320 to 120 it leads to focus on supplier and better relationship with supplier. Set up times were reduced drastically, it made smaller lifesize feasible which increased the production. Harley Davidson introduced SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMET and JUST IN TIME MANAGEMENT which help to achieve continuous improvement in quality and delivery services,so there was drop in warranty cost also helped to eliminate inventory. Shift of production focus from PUSH (anticipating demand) to PULL (responding to orders). Supplier involvement program was evolved to improve the product development efficiencies and effectiveness which lead to development cost and reduction of developed time and reduce the cost and increase product value. Suppliers must install JIT, Statistical Operator Control, and should work for continuous improvements. Supplier development must increase the performance and capability to meet the long term supply need. Rewards and Outcome The main achievement of Harley Davidson is Quality and Delivery, it had established its base in the market.Introduction of just in time management helped them to work according to customer needs which led to customer satisfaction. Continuous improvement and bench marking the supplier helped them to improve the quality of the product. Analysis Supply chain management:-It is an activity which is defined as planning of operations, implementing the operations and controlling the operation of the supply chain to satisfy customer requirement as efficiently as possible. It includes production scheduling; Order processing, inventory management and customer services. Just in Time or Man: Just in time helped Harley Davidson by eliminating waste by using quality of raw material, producing right quality of product in right place at right time. It also improves the product quality, increase the productivity and decrease the cost. Harley Davidson called just in time as man (material as needed).just in time help Harley Davidson to develop trust between suppliers, it also helped to increase inventory turns which generate the cash flow. Principles and Technique of just in time used by Harley Davidson Total quality control:- The purpose of total quality management is to focus on customer satisfaction by improving process, high quality of product and services. Total quality can be achieved by Employee involvement program and stastical operator control. Reducing batch size production:- small batch size production helps to reduce inventory, reduce handling cost, smooth production flow and improves quality of the product. Reduce set up time:- Reduction of set up time helps to make smaller and larger size doable. It also increases the productivity and quality. Reduces inventory, space and time. Pull system (kanban):- pull system is a method in which we can control the flow production based on customer demand. In this system production is done in small batches in case if there is any problem at any point of operation the whole production line will quickly come to stop. Implementation of pull system can help you to eliminate waste in handling, optimize the shop floor space usage and improves on time delivery to customer. Supplier development:- supplier development is long term relationship between customer and supplier that intent to benefit both. Supplier should not be treated as external source but part of supply chain management. Supplier development is actually developing supplier in same way the employer are developed, providing scheduling information about product and involving supplier in design stage can improve the quality of product. Darren docemsolo lean supply chain mgnt Total employee involvement:- Each and every employee should be committed and dedicated to their work.employeer should be involved in quality circle with in the organization in order to discuss and develop management issue. Quality circle to encourage employee to take responsibility of their work which helps to improve quality and elimination of waste. Supplier selection: The best decision taken by the management of a Harley Davidson was proper selection of supplier .In the past there were lot of suppliers so quality of the product was unpredictable single sourcing helped them to check the defect .selection was done by better interviewing the supplier and understanding supplier capability. Supplier relationship: Another important step taken by Harley Davidson was improvement of supplier relationship .Their past relationship with suppliers was not that good which lead to quality and delivery problem ,weak relation with supplier can affect the organization and entire supply chain. Sharing information and conducting problem solving programs like statically operation control and employee involvement program helped Harley Davidson to improve the long term relationship. Working together with the supplier in various forms improves effectiveness and efficiency of operations in a company. Good use of relationship with the supplier can enhance the resource and capability of the company and hence it can improve market effectiveness. Harley Davidson would conduct meeting twice a year and looked for continuous improvement process. Continuous improvement continuous improvement is a management policy that sees quality improvement as an on-going process, and increasing improvement rather than once and for all improvement efforts. It helps to improve the supply chain as a whole. Future Trends Harley Davidson has diversified futuristic plans. Apart from being a leader in the Motorcycle manufacturing, they are into Branding of their logos. Supplier trainings, which includes a detailed study of their past strategies, problems and the way they have approached the solutions. The innovative Supply Chain Management systems which they inculcated in the organization. Also their aims are: Being world class customer Make worlds profitable motor cycle To have best supplier in the world To be recognised by customer for quality, value of product, services Key point Key points that we could learn from this layout are Quality cost Delivery and demand Development Management Quality is the main objective of each and every organization but is should also be cost effective. The efficient logistics must ensure that the delivery is on time, which in turn increases the demand. Continual improvement of the product is achieved by development of research, training and supplier relationship. Management must be actively involved in strategically controlling the operations of Supply chain. Conclusion From the above study we can conclude that how Harley Davidson regained their reputation in the market by applying Supply Chain Management, just in time program and also good relation with the supplier helped them to improve their quality and standard of the product. Supplier quality was unpredictable in past, sharing information, good scheduling and teaching their supplier to adapt just in time program improved Harley Davidsons quality, delivery and sevices.Thus applying supply chain management organization can improve their product range and make a better way for their future.

Comparing and Contrasting Epic of Gilgamesh and the Bibles Noahs Ark

Comparing and Contrasting Epic of Gilgamesh and Noah's Ark Many cultures have stories of a great flood, and probably the best known story is of Noah's Ark. The next most notable is the Sumerian story of Ut-Napishtim found in the Epic of Gilgamesh. In the ancient Babylonian depiction of the flood story, the god Enlil creates a flood to destroy a noisy mankind that is disturbing his sleep. Gilgamesh is told by another god, Ea, to build an ark (Monack 1). The Epic of Gilgamesh has broadly the same structure and plot as Noah's Ark, suggesting the possibility that the Biblical account has drawn influence from the archaeologically older Sumerian depiction. University professor Alexander Heidel concludes that these accounts are undeniably related (Fowler 1). According to theological considerations, the Epic and the Biblical versions can be contrasted as well. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, the gods are depicted as lacking any moral or ethical purpose in their pronouncement of judgment (Fowler 2). In contrast, the Biblical record describes only one God who is just and moral. The archite...

Be Careful When You Sell an Existing eBusiness :: Sell Websites Buy Web Sites

Be Careful When You Sell an Existing eBusiness Reprinted with permission of VotanWeb.com You should never provide a potential buyer with sketchy or incomplete information – after that you’ll play catch up the entire time and the buyer will most likely lose trust in you. Once trust is lost, it is seldom regained. It is not wise to assume you will sell your website fast, for all cash and for full price. Plan on being flexible somewhere and also plan on negotiating with any serious buyer. Don’t believe your own hype – a serious buyer certainly will not. Don’t waste your breath telling a buyer a website could be worth millions in a short period of time. Most serious website buyers will not pay for promise – unless their analysis indicates promise. It is self-defeating to believe that every piece of information you have is priceless and can’t be shared. If you will not share information then you will not sell your website. Of course, you should not share any information that truly is valuable until you have a serious buyer that can buy, has signed an NDA, and is moving forward with the purchase. Never waste your time with buyers that waste yours. For larger transactions, it is unwise to assume you will be able to handle all facets of the sale by yourself. The money you spend on attorneys and accountants could save you much more. Never turn over control to the buyer until you have signed contracts and the money in your account. You will need to use an escrow service to hold the website along with the buyer’s money while the transaction is in process. Don’t attempt to sell multiple copies of the same website under different domain names. You will find that all the money you earn will be spent on legal fees defending yourself from unhappy buyers.

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Problems at Perrier Perrier may well be the iconic brand in the world of mineral waters. However, regardless of the profile of the brand, the company that produces the bottled sparkling mineral water is having a tough time. It is the focus of what one commentator describes as â€Å"a vicious struggle underway for the soul of the business. The origins of the Perrier company can be traced to 1898 when a local doctor, Louis-Eugene Perrier, bought the mineral water source near Vergeze, France.The company grew steadily but demand really escalated in the late 1980s when it became highly fashionable and championed by a range of admirers including Wall Street yuppies. At its peak (1989), Perrier sold 1. 2 billion bottles (830 million in 2003), almost half to consumers in the United States. The boom years were good for the Perrier workers. Buoyant profits were associated with regular pay rises, social benefits, and extra holidays. However, in 1990, the finding of a minute trace of benzene in a bottle led to the collapse of U. S. sales.By 1992, annual output had halved and the company was close to bankruptcy. At this point it was bought for $2. 7 billion by Nestle, the world’s largest food company. Attracted by the combination of bottled water as a fast-growing business and the world’s best known mineral water brand, Nestle identified Perrier as an attractive takeover target. However, Perrier struggles to turn a profit. In 2003 its pretax profit margin on $300 million sales was only 0. 6% compared with 10. 4% for the Nestle Waters division overall. In 2004 it again recorded a loss.The Perrier factory is on a 234-acre site on the Mediterranean coastal plain near Nimes. The factory itself is rather nondescript, so much so that â€Å"from a distance it could be mistaken for a power station or auto plant. † Perrier employees work a 35-hour week and earn an average annual salary of $32,000 which is good for this part of France and relatively high for thi s industry. However, the average Perrier worker produces only 600,000 bottles a year, compared with 1. 1 million bottles at Nestle’s two other international French mineral-water brands (Vittel and Contrex).Relations between management and workers are not good. Almost all (93 percent) of Perrier’s 1,650 workers belong to the CGT, a union that is viewed by the management as consistently resisting Nestle’s attempts to improve Perrier’s financial performance. According to Nestle CEO Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, â€Å"We have come to the point where the development of the Perrier brand is endangered by the stubbornness of the CGT. † Jean-Paul Franc, head of the CGT at Perrier, sees the situation differently. In regard to the company’s plan to cut 15 percent of its workforce he protests, â€Å"Nestle can’t do whatever it likes. He says, â€Å"There are men and women who work here†¦ Morally speaking the water and the gas stored below this ground belong to the whole region. † When, in 2004, Danone launched a new product (Badoit Rouge) that was designed to directly compete with Perrier’s new super-bubbly brand, Eau de Perrier, Perrier’s management put bottles of Badoit Rouge in the factory cafeteria. This had been done to emphasize the point to Perrier employees that they were involved in a head-to-head battle for that niche in the market.However, this act was not well received. â€Å"It was a provocation,† recalls one Perrier truck driver. â€Å"We took the bottles and dumped them in front of the factory director’s door, so he couldn’t get into his office. † QUESTIONS 1. Identify the key elements of the resistance to change described in this situation. 2. Construct a change management strategy for dealing with this situation. In so doing, identify what approach(es) to managing resistance you recommend and provide a clear justification for your choice.