Strategic Managment Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Strategic Managment - Case Study Example Arguably, Jamba juice has competitive advantages over its competitors since the clientele groups have been presenting their grievances on the issues that they feel important and deserving immediate redress from the organization. Similarly, the CEO witnessed the gradual increase in sales performances after repackaging the brand in new containers holding importance to the environment. Therefore, the company is certain that its recent setbacks emanated from the inclusion of polystyrene in the container linings. Such information serves for the benefit of the company since the management will eventually order the packaging and processing teams to find and use environmentally friendly materials before presenting the products to the market. The resolutions are ideal and are present in the company’s strategic decisions since the management has full knowledge that the consumer groups seek to consume products packed with the ethical considerations of the entire environment. Question 2: Description of the juice’s diversification and growth strategies Jamba’s growth and diversification strategies are ill addressed since the company failed to evaluate all the market needs prior to implementation of its product. Arguably, the management thought that the product would acquire successful outcomes after its introduction since the consumers would realize the benefits of the polystyrene cans in delivering the desired state of the juice. On the contrary, the company’s packaging failed to win the desired clientele since the society is currently embarking on the use of environmentally friendly goods while disowning those products, which deviate from the norm. Unfortunately, Jamba’s diversification strategies may not accrue any profound outcomes lest the company engages in the production of the ideal cans that the society would view as a reassurance to their health during and after consumption of the juices. For example, the company would achieve it s growth strategies through offering intensive support to the society’s health considerations, and the total disuse of any packaging materials that cause any form of alarm to the environment. The juice shall reach its edge of diversification and growth in market share if the company shall successfully deviate from the ill practices, a factor that would lead to increased clientele groups, and increased population of capital investors. Question 3 The social trend that is contributing to the entrepreneurial venture of Jamba Juice Company is how people trying to outdo environmental pollution hence ensuring that the environment is friendly. Although the company claimed to be a healthy lifestyle brand, it kept on using polystyrene foam, which was harmful to the environment due to its long life. Polystyrene foam was harmful to both wildlife and human being since it posed healthy risks. Jamba CEO realized that using polystyrene foam was illegal since it caused pollution to the enviro nment and thus it was inconsistent with the image the company wished to portray, as customers were concerned with environmental and health concerns. The consumers never wanted to benefit from using Jamba’s products and suffer from environmental pollution in the future. Additionally, most cities had already banned the use of polystyrene foam, thus Jamba Juice Compa

Archduke Ferdinand and Gavrilo Princip Essay Example for Free

Archduke Ferdinand and Gavrilo Princip Essay The connection between Archduke Ferdinand and that of Gavrilo Princip was that of an assassin and a victim. Though these two men had nothing in common at birth, their fates were intertwined by a series of events that led to their meeting on the fateful Sunday of June 28th, 1914. Archduke Francis Ferdinand was an Archduke of Austria-Este who was provisionally scheduled to inherit the Austro-Hungarian throne. At birth, there was no reason to think that he would be heir presumptive, but certain events happened that quickly changed this presumption. His cousin Crown Prince Rudolf committed suicide and his father relinquished his succession rights within days of the tragedy. From then on, he started being groomed for succession. He met and married Countess Sophie Chotek. Politically, the archduke advocated for sovereignty of all the ethnic groups in the empire. With Serbia, he approached it carefully believing that harsh treatment of Serbia would bring a disagreement between Austrian- Hungary and Russia . Gavrilo Princip on the other hand was an ethnic Serb born in Bosnia- Herzegovina in July, 1984. He left for Serbia in his teenage years to continue his education. While there, he joined the Black Hand secret society, a terrorist group that had mandated itself with the task of separating Bosnia-Herzegovina from the Austria-Hungarian Empire and unifying it with an independent Serbia . Senior members of Black Hand felt that Archduke Franz Ferdinand’s political plans would make attaining the independence of Serbia slow, if not impossible. It therefore followed that when they learned that the Archduke Franz Ferdinand was planning a trip to Sarajevo in June of 1914, they planned an assassination . On 28th June, 1914 Archduke Ferdinand and his wife Sophia arrived in Sarajevo. Gavrilo Princip was among the seven members of Black Hand mandated with the task of assassinating him. The seven members spaced out along the Appel Quay each having been given instructions to and kill the Archduke when his motorcade approached his position. The attempts of all seven of them failed with only one of them managing to throw a grenade that did not kill the archduke. Ferdinand and his wife proceeded to the town hall to attend their official reception. Later, as they were on their way to the hospital to see those that had been injured from the earlier incident, they came face to face with Gavrilo Princip. Princip took advantage of the situation and fired two bullets, one killing Duchess Sophia and the other one killing the Archduke. This assassination sparked a series of events that led to the First World War. References: Belfield, Richard (1966) The Assassination Business: A History of State-Sponsored Murder. Carroll Graf Publishers: New York Gilbert, Martin (1995). First World War. HarperCollins. pp. 11-12 Marshall, S. L. A. (2001). World War I. Mariner Books. p. 2-3 www. spartacus. schoolnet. co. uk/FWWprincip. htm. Accessed on 2nd April, 2009 www. imdb. com/name/nm1532728/bio. Accessed on 2nd April, 2009

The Great Gatsby :: essays research papers

How far a person will go to accomplish a dream has no limits. If it includes self-reinvention, illegal acts, and self-indulgence the dream may not be as a result significant. But that is the case, in The Great Gatsby, by F Scott Fitzgerald, as the narrator Nick tells the accomplishments and wasted acts of the man known as Gatsby. Nick chooses to tell us this story to illustrate the consequences of Gatsby a man who he in the end has a positive opinion of and respects for his courage at attempting to fulfill a futile dream.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nick, the narrator, tells Gatsby’s story to paint a picture of an American Dream and how it becomes so crucial to accomplish a certain part of the dream that one becomes careless; which leads into other outside ambitions that alter the dream and which is therefore never accomplished. Nick summarizes this by saying â€Å"So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past† (189). This quote is most significant because it sums up the book and how it can be applied to Gatsby’s life and the life of numerous others. It says â€Å"we† are like boats beating against the current meaning that people struggle to prosper for a dream but never truly achieve happiness. Although people to some extent do prosper they desire more and more that ultimately forget, dim or glorify the purpose of the dream and that leads t them into never attaining happiness. Gatsby’s life is an example of all of this because he reached hig h for Daisy’s love but in the end did not receive it because he was rather immoral in his journey in doing so. The end of Gatsby’s story is full of sad events and the reader must read between the lines. The reader must come to understand that Nick tells us Gatsby’s story as an example of what not to do, so that somehow readers can learn from the mistakes others commit and their own so that humanity can live more of a complete life. From the beginning Nick tells us how he controversially feels about Gatsby. Nick says â€Å"Gatsby who represented everything for which I have and unaffected scorn† (6) later goes on and says â€Å"Gatsby turned out all right at the end† (6). It is difficult for the reader to come to a conclusion as to what Nick’s opinion of Gatsby is.

A Study of Cotton Trade and Trade in Africa Essay -- Essays Papers

A Study of Cotton Trade and Trade in Africa History of Cotton The word cotton is derived from the Arabic word ‘qutun’ or ‘kutun’ which is used to describe any textile that is very fine. Cotton is one of the oldest known fibers in the world, which has been found by archeologists during the course of excavating ancient civilizations. Traces of cotton fiber were found to exist over 5000 years ago, when archeologists were excavating a cite in Mohenjo Daro, which lies in the Indus Valley in West Pakistan. Alexander the great and his army brought cotton goods and material to Europe around 300BC. However, the price of these cotton goods was so expensive that only the rich could afford it. The southern states of America started growing cotton in the early 17th century and also making cotton goods and materials out of it. The acquisition of colonies around the world by Great Britain, led to tremendous development of the cotton industry because most of Britain’s colonies were suitable for cotton growth. In the early 19th century the southern American states became the biggest single supplier of cotton to the now thriving English textile mills. In the early 1900s, United States was the producing more then 50% of the total world cotton. Growing conditions for cotton Cotton plants have a growth cycle of about 6 months from the time they germinate to the time they are picked. Cotton seeds are usually planted in spring or as soon as the soil temperature is warm enough to ensure satisfactory seed germination and crop establishment cotton plants grow well in areas that hot summers/dry spells with low humidity and long hours of sunshine. The plant usually requires about 150 days free from frost. Cotton plants also require higher ... ...cts/english.html Mali Economy http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ml.html#Econ Organization of African Union (O.A.U) and African Union (A.U) http://www.oau-creation.com/Part%20One.htm Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) http://www.ecowas.int/ The Objectives of the African Union http://www.africa-union.org/home/Welcome.htm The vision of the African Union http://www.africa-union.org/home/Welcome.htm Cotton facts http://www.icac.org/icac/cotton_info/publications/cotton_facts/english.html World Trade Organization (W.T.O) http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/19/26/34353004.pdf Cotton Plants http://www.britannica.com/ebi/article?tocId=199250 Cotton Industry http://www.cottonaustralia.com.au/LI_whatiscotton.html Brazil Triumphs Over U.S. in WTO Subsidies Dispute http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0304-01.htm

The Lost Symbol Chapter 44-47

CHAPTER 44 New York editor Jonas Faukman was just turning off the lights in his Manhattan office when his phone rang. He had no intention of picking up at this hour–that is, until he glimpsed the caller- ID display. This ought to be good, he thought, reaching for the receiver. â€Å"Do we still publish you?† Faukman asked, half serious. â€Å"Jonas!† Robert Langdon's voice sounded anxious. â€Å"Thank God you're there. I need your help.† Faukman's spirits lifted. â€Å"You've got pages for me to edit, Robert?† Finally? â€Å"No, I need information. Last year, I connected you with a scientist named Katherine Solomon, the sister of Peter Solomon?† Faukman frowned. No pages. â€Å"She was looking for a publisher for a book on Noetic Science? Do you remember her?† Faukman rolled his eyes. â€Å"Sure. I remember. And thanks a million for that introduction. Not only did she refuse to let me read the results of her research, she didn't want to publish anything until some magical date in the future.† â€Å"Jonas, listen to me, I don't have time. I need Katherine's phone number. Right now. Do you have it?† â€Å"I've got to warn you . . . you're acting a little desperate. She's great looking, but you're not going to impress her by–â€Å" â€Å"This is no joke, Jonas, I need her number now.† â€Å"All right . . . hold on.† Faukman and Langdon had been close friends for enough years that Faukman knew when Langdon was serious. Jonas typed the name Katherine Solomon into a search window and began scanning the company's e-mail server. â€Å"I'm looking now,† Faukman said. â€Å"And for what it's worth, when you call her, you may not want to call from the Harvard Pool. It sounds like you're in an asylum.† â€Å"I'm not at the pool. I'm in a tunnel under the U.S. Capitol.† Faukman sensed from Langdon's voice that he was not joking. What is it with this guy? â€Å"Robert, why can't you just stay home and write?† His computer pinged. â€Å"Okay, hold on . . . I got it.† He moused through the old e-mail thread. â€Å"It looks like all I have is her cell.† â€Å"I'll take it.† Faukman gave him the number. â€Å"Thanks, Jonas,† Langdon said, sounding grateful. â€Å"I owe you one.† â€Å"You owe me a manuscript, Robert. Do you have any idea how long–â€Å" The line went dead. Faukman stared at the receiver and shook his head. Book publishing would be so much easier without the authors. CHAPTER 45 Katherine Solomon did a double take when she saw the name on her caller ID. She had imagined the incoming call was from Trish, checking in to explain why she and Christopher Abaddon were taking so long. But the caller was not Trish. Far from it. Katherine felt a blushing smile cross her lips. Could tonight get any stranger? She flipped open her phone. â€Å"Don't tell me,† she said playfully. â€Å"Bookish bachelor seeking single Noetic Scientist?† â€Å"Katherine!† The deep voice belonged to Robert Langdon. â€Å"Thank God you're okay.† â€Å"Of course I'm okay,† she replied, puzzled. â€Å"Other than the fact that you never called me after that party at Peter's house last summer.† â€Å"Something has happened tonight. Please listen.† His normally smooth voice sounded ragged. â€Å"I'm so sorry to have to tell you this . . . but Peter is in serious trouble.† Katherine's smile disappeared. â€Å"What are you talking about?† â€Å"Peter . . .† Langdon hesitated as if searching for words. â€Å"I don't know how to say it, but he's been . . . taken. I'm not sure how or by whom, but–â€Å" â€Å"Taken?† Katherine demanded. â€Å"Robert, you're scaring me. Taken . . . where?† â€Å"Taken captive.† Langdon's voice cracked as if he were overwhelmed. â€Å"It must have happened earlier today or maybe yesterday.† â€Å"This isn't funny,† she said angrily. â€Å"My brother is fine. I just spoke to him fifteen minutes ago!† â€Å"You did?!† Langdon sounded stunned. â€Å"Yes! He just texted me to say he was coming to the lab.† â€Å"He texted you . . .† Langdon thought out loud. â€Å"But you didn't actually hear his voice?† â€Å"No, but–â€Å" â€Å"Listen to me. The text you received was not from your brother. Someone has Peter's phone. He's dangerous. Whoever it is tricked me into coming to Washington tonight.† â€Å"Tricked you? You're not making any sense!† â€Å"I know, I'm so sorry.† Langdon seemed uncharacteristically disorientated. â€Å"Katherine, I think you could be in danger.† Katherine Solomon was sure that Langdon would never joke about something like this, and yet he sounded like he had lost his mind. â€Å"I'm fine,† she said. â€Å"I'm locked inside a secure building!† â€Å"Read me the message you got from Peter's phone. Please.† Bewildered, Katherine pulled up the text message and read it to Langdon, feeling a chill as she came to the final part referencing Dr. Abaddon. â€Å"`If available, have Dr. Abaddon join us inside. I trust him fully . . .' â€Å" â€Å"Oh God . . .† Langdon's voice was laced with fear. â€Å"Did you invite this man inside?† â€Å"Yes! My assistant just went out to the lobby to get him. I expect them back any–â€Å" â€Å"Katherine, get out!† Langdon yelled. â€Å"Now!† At the other side of the SMSC, inside the security room, a phone began ringing, drowning out the Redskins game. The guard reluctantly pulled out his earbuds one more time. â€Å"Lobby,† he answered. â€Å"This is Kyle.† â€Å"Kyle, it's Katherine Solomon!† Her voice sounded anxious, out of breath. â€Å"Ma'am, your brother has not yet–â€Å" â€Å"Where's Trish?!† she demanded. â€Å"Can you see her on the monitors?† The guard rolled his chair over to look at the screens. â€Å"She hasn't gotten back to the Cube yet?† â€Å"No!† Katherine shouted, sounding alarmed. The guard now realized that Katherine Solomon was out of breath, as if she were running. What's going on back there? The guard quickly worked the video joystick, skimming through frames of digital video at rapid speed. â€Å"Okay, hold on, scrolling through playback . . . I've got Trish with your guest leaving the lobby . . . they move down the Street . . . fast-forwarding . . . okay, they're going into Wet Pod . . . Trish uses her key card to unlock the door . . . both of them step into Wet Pod . . . fast- forwarding . . . okay, here they are coming out of Wet Pod just a minute ago . . . heading down . . .† He cocked his head, slowing the playback. â€Å"Wait a minute. That's odd.† â€Å"What?† â€Å"The gentleman came out of Wet Pod alone.† â€Å"Trish stayed inside?† â€Å"Yes, it looks that way. I'm watching your guest now . . . he's in the hall on his own.† â€Å"Where is Trish?† Katherine asked more frantically. â€Å"I don't see her on the video feed,† he replied, an edge of anxiety creeping into his voice. He looked back at the screen and noticed that the man's jacket sleeves appeared to be wet . . . all the way up to his elbows. What in the world did he do in Wet Pod? The guard watched as the man began to move purposefully down the main hallway toward Pod 5, clutching in his hand what looked like . . . a key card. The guard felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. â€Å"Ms. Solomon, we've got a serious problem.† Tonight was a night of firsts for Katherine Solomon. In two years, she had never used her cell phone inside the void. Nor had she ever crossed the void at a dead run. At the moment, however, Katherine had a cell phone pressed to her ear while she was dashing blindly along the endless length of carpet. Each time she felt a foot stray from the carpet, she corrected back to center, racing on through the sheer darkness. â€Å"Where is he now?† Katherine asked the guard, breathless. â€Å"Checking now,† the guard replied. â€Å"Fast-forwarding . . . okay, here he is walking down the hall . . . moving toward Pod Five . . .† Katherine ran harder, hoping to reach the exit before she got trapped back here. â€Å"How long until he gets to the Pod Five entrance?† The guard paused. â€Å"Ma'am, you don't understand. I'm still fast-forwarding. This is recorded playback. This already happened.† He paused. â€Å"Hold on, let me check the entry event monitor.† He paused and then said, â€Å"Ma'am, Ms. Dunne's key card shows a Pod Five entry event about a minute ago.† Katherine slammed on the brakes, sliding to a halt in the middle of the abyss. â€Å"He already unlocked Pod Five?† she whispered into the phone. The guard was typing frantically. â€Å"Yes, it looks like he entered . . . ninety seconds ago.† Katherine's body went rigid. She stopped breathing. The darkness felt suddenly alive all around her. He's in here with me. In an instant, Katherine realized that the only light in the entire space was coming from her cell phone, illuminating the side of her face. â€Å"Send help,† she whispered to the guard. â€Å"And get to Wet Pod to help Trish.† Then she quietly closed her phone, extinguishing the light. Absolute darkness settled around her. She stood stock-still and breathed as quietly as possible. After a few seconds, the pungent scent of ethanol wafted out of the darkness in front of her. The smell got stronger. She could sense a presence, only a few feet in front of her on the carpet. In the silence, the pounding of Katherine's heart seemed loud enough to give her away. Silently, she stepped out of her shoes and inched to her left, sidestepping off the carpet. The cement felt cold under her feet. She took one more step to clear the carpet. One of her toes cracked. It sounded like a gunshot in the stillness. Only a few yards away, a rustle of clothing suddenly came at her out of the darkness. Katherine bolted an instant too late and a powerful arm snagged her, groping in the darkness, hands violently attempting to gain purchase. She spun away as a viselike grip caught her lab coat, yanking her backward, reeling her in. Katherine threw her arms backward, slithering out of her lab coat and slipping free. Suddenly, with no idea anymore which way was out, Katherine Solomon found herself dashing, dead blind, across an endless black abyss. CHAPTER 46 Despite containing what many have called â€Å"the most beautiful room in the world,† the Library of Congress is known less for its breathtaking splendor than for its vast collections. With over five hundred miles of shelves–enough to stretch from Washington, D.C., to Boston–it easily claims the title of largest library on earth. And yet still it expands, at a rate of over ten thousand items per day. As an early repository for Thomas Jefferson's personal collection of books on science and philosophy, the library stood as a symbol of America's commitment to the dissemination of knowledge. One of the first buildings in Washington to have electric lights, it literally shone like a beacon in the darkness of the New World. As its name implies, the Library of Congress was established to serve Congress, whose venerated members worked across the street in the Capitol Building. This age-old bond between library and Capitol had been fortified recently by the construction of a physical connection–a long tunnel beneath Independence Avenue that linked the two buildings. Tonight, inside this dimly lit tunnel, Robert Langdon followed Warren Bellamy through a construction zone, trying to quell his own deepening concern for Katherine. This lunatic is at her lab?! Langdon didn't even want to imagine why. When he had called to warn her, Langdon had told Katherine exactly where to meet him before they hung up. How much longer is this damned tunnel? His head ached now, a roiling torrent of interconnected thoughts: Katherine, Peter, the Masons, Bellamy, pyramids, ancient prophecy . . . and a map. Langdon shook it all off and pressed on. Bellamy promised me answers. When the two men finally reached the end of the passage, Bellamy guided Langdon through a set of double doors that were still under construction. Finding no way to lock the unfinished doors behind them, Bellamy improvised, grabbing an aluminum ladder from the construction supplies and leaning it precariously against the outside of the door. Then he balanced a metal bucket on top. If anyone opened the door, the bucket would crash loudly to the floor. That's our alarm system? Langdon eyed the perched bucket, hoping Bellamy had a more comprehensive plan for their safety tonight. Everything had happened so fast, and Langdon was only now starting to process the repercussions of his fleeing with Bellamy. I'm a fugitive from the CIA. Bellamy led the way around a corner, where the two men began ascending a wide staircase that was cordoned off with orange pylons. Langdon's daybag weighed him down as he climbed. â€Å"The stone pyramid,† he said, â€Å"I still don't understand–â€Å" â€Å"Not here,† Bellamy interrupted. â€Å"We'll examine it in the light. I know a safe place.† Langdon doubted such a place existed for anyone who had just physically assaulted the director of the CIA's Office of Security. As the two men reached the top of the stairs, they entered a wide hallway of Italian marble, stucco, and gold leaf. The hall was lined with eight pairs of statues–all depicting the goddess Minerva. Bellamy pressed on, leading Langdon eastward, through a vaulted archway, into a far grander space. Even in the dim, after-hours lighting, the library's great hall shone with the classical grandeur of an opulent European palace. Seventy-five feet overhead, stained-glass skylights glistened between paneled beams adorned with rare â€Å"aluminum leaf†Ã¢â‚¬â€œa metal that was considered to be more precious than gold at one time. Beneath that, a stately course of paired pillars lined the second-floor balcony, accessible by two magnificent curling staircases whose newel posts supported giant bronze female figures raising torches of enlightenment. In a bizarre attempt to reflect this theme of modern enlightenment and yet stay within the decorative register of Renaissance architecture, the stairway banisters had been carved with cupidlike putti portrayed as modern scientists. An angelic electrician holding a telephone? A cherubic entomologist with a specimen box? Langdon wondered what Bernini would have thought. â€Å"We'll talk over here,† Bellamy said, leading Langdon past the bulletproof display cases that contained the library's two most valuable books–the Giant Bible of Mainz, handwritten in the 1450s, and America's copy of the Gutenberg Bible, one of only three perfect vellum copies in the world. Fittingly, the vaulted ceiling overhead bore John White Alexander's six-panel painting titled The Evolution of the Book. Bellamy strode directly to a pair of elegant double doors at the center rear of the east-corridor wall. Langdon knew what room lay beyond those doors, but it seemed a strange choice for a conversation. Notwithstanding the irony of talking in a space filled with â€Å"Silence Please† signs, this room hardly seemed like a â€Å"safe place.† Located dead center of the library's cruciform- shaped floor plan, this chamber served as the heart of the building. Hiding in here was like breaking into a cathedral and hiding on the altar. Nonetheless, Bellamy unlocked the doors, stepped into the darkness beyond, and groped for the lights. When he flipped the switch, one of America's great architectural masterpieces seemed to materialize out of thin air. The famous reading room was a feast for the senses. A voluminous octagon rose 160 feet at its center, its eight sides finished in chocolate-brown Tennessee marble, cream-colored Siena marble, and apple-red Algerian marble. Because it was lit from eight angles, no shadows fell anywhere, creating the effect that the room itself was glowing. â€Å"Some say it's the most striking room in Washington,† Bellamy said, ushering Langdon inside. Maybe in the whole world, Langdon thought as he stepped across the threshold. As always, his gaze first ascended straight up to the towering central collar, where rays of arabesque coffers curled down the dome to an upper balcony. Encircling the room, sixteen bronze â€Å"portrait† statues peered down from the balustrade. Beneath them, a stunning arcade of archways formed a lower balcony. Down at floor level, three concentric circles of burnished wood desks radiated out from the massive octagonal circulation desk. Langdon returned his focus to Bellamy, who was now propping the room's double doors wide open. â€Å"I thought we were hiding,† Langdon said, confused. â€Å"If anyone enters the building,† Bellamy said, â€Å"I want to hear them coming.† â€Å"But won't they find us instantly in here?† â€Å"No matter where we hide, they'll find us. But if anyone corners us in this building, you'll be very glad I chose this room.† Langdon had no idea why, but Bellamy apparently wasn't looking to discuss it. He was already on the move toward the center of the room, where he selected one of the available reading desks, pulled up two chairs, and flipped on the reading light. Then he motioned to Langdon's bag. â€Å"Okay, Professor, let's have a closer look.† Not wanting to risk scratching its polished surface with a rough piece of granite, Langdon hoisted his entire bag onto the desk and unzipped it, folding the sides all the way down to reveal the pyramid inside. Warren Bellamy adjusted the reading lamp and studied the pyramid carefully. He ran his fingers over the unusual engraving. â€Å"I assume you recognize this language?† Bellamy asked. â€Å"Of course,† Langdon replied, eyeing the sixteen symbols. Known as the Freemason's Cipher, this encoded language had been used for private communication among early Masonic brothers. The encryption method had been abandoned long ago for one simple reason–it was much too easy to break. Most of the students in Langdon's senior symbology seminar could break this code in about five minutes. Langdon, with a pencil and paper, could do it in under sixty seconds. The notorious breakability of this centuries-old encryption scheme now presented a couple of paradoxes. First, the claim that Langdon was the only person on earth who could break it was absurd. Second, for Sato to suggest that a Masonic cipher was an issue of national security was like her suggesting our nuclear launch codes were encrypted with a Cracker Jack decoder ring. Langdon was still struggling to believe any of it. This pyramid is a map? Pointing to the lost wisdom of the ages? â€Å"Robert,† Bellamy said, his tone grave. â€Å"Did Director Sato tell you why she is so interested in this?† Langdon shook his head. â€Å"Not specifically. She just kept saying it was an issue of national security. I assume she's lying.† â€Å"Perhaps,† Bellamy said, rubbing the back of his neck. He seemed to be struggling with something. â€Å"But there is a far more troubling possibility.† He turned to look Langdon in the eye. â€Å"It's possible that Director Sato has discovered this pyramid's true potential.† CHAPTER 47 The blackness engulfing Katherine Solomon felt absolute. Having fled the familiar safety of the carpet, she was now groping blindly forward, her outstretched hands touching only empty space as she staggered deeper into the desolate void. Beneath her stockinged feet, the endless expanse of cold cement felt like a frozen lake . . . a hostile environment from which she now needed to escape. No longer smelling ethanol, she stopped and waited in darkness. Standing dead still, she listened, willing her heart to stop pounding so loudly. The heavy footsteps behind her seemed to have stopped. Did I lose him? Katherine closed her eyes and tried to imagine where she was. Which direction did I run? Where is the door? It was no use. She was so turned around now that the exit could be anywhere. Fear, Katherine had once heard, acted as a stimulant, sharpening the mind's ability to think. Right now, however, her fear had turned her mind into a tumbling torrent of panic and confusion. Even if I find the exit, I can't get out. Her key card had been lost when she'd shed her lab coat. Her only hope seemed to be that she was now a needle in a haystack–a single point on a thirty- thousand-square-foot grid. Despite the overwhelming urge to flee, Katherine's analytical mind told her instead to make the only logical move–no move at all. Stay still. Don't make a sound. The security guard was on his way, and for some unknown reason, her attacker smelled strongly of ethanol. If he gets too close, I'll know it. As Katherine stood in silence, her mind raced over what Langdon had said. Your brother . . . he's been taken. She felt a bead of cold sweat materialize on her arm and trickle down, toward the cell phone still clenched in her right hand. It was a danger she had forgotten to consider. If the phone rang, it would give away her position, and she could not turn it off without opening it and illuminating the display. Set down the phone . . . and move away from it. But it was too late. The smell of ethanol approached on her right. And now it grew stronger. Katherine struggled to stay calm, forcing herself to override the instinct to run. Carefully, slowly, she took one step to her left. The faint rustle of her clothing was apparently all her attacker needed. She heard him lunge, and the smell of ethanol washed over her as a powerful hand grabbed at her shoulder. She twisted away, raw terror gripping her. Mathematical probability went out the window, and Katherine broke into a blind sprint. She veered hard to the left, changing course, dashing blindly now into the void. The wall materialized out of nowhere. Katherine hit it hard, knocking the wind from her lungs. Pain blossomed in her arm and shoulder, but she managed to stay on her feet. The oblique angle at which she had collided with the wall had spared her the full force of the blow, but it was little comfort now. The sound had echoed everywhere. He knows where I am. Doubled over in pain, she turned her head and stared out into the blackness of the pod and sensed him staring back at her. Change your location. Now! Still struggling to catch her breath, she began moving down the wall, touching her left hand quietly to each exposed steel stud as she passed. Stay along the wall. Slip past him before he corners you. In her right hand, Katherine still clutched her cell phone, ready to hurl it as a projectile if need be. Katherine was in no way prepared for the sound she heard next–the clear rustle of clothing directly in front of her . . . against the wall. She froze, stock-still, and stopped breathing. How could he be on the wall already? She felt a faint puff of air, laced with the stench of ethanol. He's moving down the wall toward me! Katherine backed up several steps. Then, turning silently 180 degrees, she began moving quickly in the opposite direction down the wall. She moved twenty feet or so when the impossible happened. Once again, directly in front of her, along the wall, she heard the rustling sound of clothing. Then came the same puff of air and the smell of ethanol. Katherine Solomon froze in place. My God, he's everywhere! Bare-chested, Mal'akh stared into the darkness. The smell of ethanol on his sleeves had proven a liability, and so he had transformed it into an asset, stripping off his shirt and jacket and using them to help corner his prey. Throwing his jacket against the wall to the right, he had heard Katherine stop short and change direction. Now, having thrown his shirt ahead to the left, Mal'akh had heard her stop again. He had effectively corralled Katherine against the wall by establishing points beyond which she dared not pass. Now he waited, ears straining in the silence. She has only one direction she can move–directly toward me. Even so, Mal'akh heard nothing. Either Katherine was paralyzed with fear, or she had decided to stand still and wait for help to enter Pod 5. Either way she loses. Nobody would be entering Pod 5 anytime soon; Mal'akh had disabled the outer keypad with a very crude, yet very effective, technique. After using Trish's key card, he had rammed a single dime deep into the key-card slot to prevent any other key-card use without first dismantling the entire mechanism. You and I are alone, Katherine . . . for as long as this takes. Mal'akh inched silently forward, listening for any movement. Katherine Solomon would die tonight in the darkness of her brother's museum. A poetic end. Mal'akh looked forward to sharing the news of Katherine's death with her brother. The old man's anguish would be long- awaited revenge. Suddenly in the darkness, to Mal'akh's great surprise, he saw a tiny glow in the distance and realized Katherine had just made a deadly error in judgment. She's phoning for help?! The electronic display that had just flickered to life was hovering waist high, about twenty yards ahead, like a shining beacon on a vast ocean of black. Mal'akh had been prepared to wait Katherine out, but now he wouldn't have to. Mal'akh sprang into motion, racing toward the hovering light, knowing he had to reach her before she could complete her call for help. He was there in a matter of seconds, and he lunged, arms outstretched on either side of her glowing cell phone, preparing to engulf her. Mal'akh's fingers jammed into a solid wall, bending backward and almost breaking. His head collided next, crashing into a steel beam. He cried out in pain as he crumpled beside the wall. Cursing, he clambered back to his feet, pulling himself up by the waist-high, horizontal strut on which Katherine Solomon had cleverly placed her open cell phone. Katherine was running again, this time with no concern for the noise her hand was making as it bounced rhythmically off the evenly spaced metal studs of Pod 5. Run! If she followed the wall all the way around the pod, she knew that sooner or later she would feel the exit door. Where the hell is the guard? The even spacing of the studs continued as she ran with her left hand on the sidewall and her right out in front of her for protection. When will I reach the corner? The sidewall seemed to go on and on, but suddenly the rhythm of the studs was broken. Her left hand hit empty space for several long strides, and then the studs began again. Katherine slammed on the brakes and backed up, feeling her way across the smooth metal panel. Why are there no studs here? She could hear her attacker lumbering loudly after her now, groping his way down the wall in her direction. Even so, it was a different sound that scared Katherine even more–the distant rhythmic banging of a security guard pounding his flashlight against the Pod 5 door. The guard can't get in? While the thought was terrifying, the location of his banging–diagonally to her right–instantly oriented Katherine. She could now picture where in Pod 5 she was located. The visual flash brought with it an unexpected realization. She now knew what this flat panel on the wall was. Every pod was equipped with a specimen bay–a giant movable wall that could be retracted for transporting oversize specimens in and out of the pods. Like those of an airplane hangar, this door was mammoth, and Katherine in her wildest dreams had never imagined needing to open it. At the moment, though, it seemed like her only hope. Is it even operable? Katherine fumbled blindly in the blackness, searching the bay door until she found the large metal handle. Grasping it, she threw her weight backward, trying to slide open the door. Nothing. She tried again. It didn't budge. She could hear her attacker closing faster now, homing in on the sounds of her efforts. The bay door is locked! Wild with panic, she slid her hands all over the door, feeling the surface for any latch or lever. She suddenly hit what felt like a vertical pole. She followed it down to the floor, crouching, and could feel it was inserted into a hole in the cement. A security rod! She stood up, grabbed the pole, and, lifting with her legs, slid the rod up and out of the hole. He's almost here! Katherine groped now for the handle, found it again, and heaved back on it with all her might. The massive panel seemed barely to move, and yet a sliver of moonlight now sliced into Pod 5. Katherine pulled again. The shaft of light from outside the building grew wider. A little more! She pulled one last time, sensing her attacker was now only a few feet away. Leaping toward the light, Katherine wriggled her slender body sideways into the opening. A hand materialized in the darkness, clawing at her, trying to pull her back inside. She heaved herself through the opening, pursued by a massive bare arm that was covered with tattooed scales. The terrifying arm writhed like an angry snake trying to seize her. Katherine spun and fled down the long, pale outer wall of Pod 5. The bed of loose stones that surrounded the entire perimeter of the SMSC cut into her stockinged feet as she ran, but she pressed on, heading for the main entrance. The night was dark, but with her eyes fully dilated from the utter blackness of Pod 5, she could see perfectly–almost as if it were daylight. Behind her, the heavy bay door ground open, and she heard heavy footsteps accelerating in pursuit down the side of the building. The footsteps seemed impossibly fast. I'll never outrun him to the main entrance. She knew her Volvo was closer, but even that would be too far. I'm not going to make it. Then Katherine realized she had one final card to play. As she neared the corner of Pod 5, she could hear his footsteps quickly overtaking her in the darkness. Now or never. Instead of rounding the corner, Katherine suddenly cut hard to her left, away from the building, out onto the grass. As she did so, she closed her eyes tightly, placed both hands over her face, and began running totally blind across the lawn. The motion-activated security lighting that blazed to life around Pod 5 transformed night into day instantly. Katherine heard a scream of pain behind her as the brilliant floodlights seared into her assailant's hyper dilated pupils with over twenty-five-million candlepower of light. She could hear him stumbling on the loose stones. Katherine kept her eyes tightly closed, trusting herself on the open lawn. When she sensed she was far enough away from the building and the lights, she opened her eyes, corrected her course, and ran like hell through the dark. Her Volvo's keys were exactly where she always left them, in the center console. Breathless, she seized the keys in her trembling hands and found the ignition. The engine roared to life, and her headlights flipped on, illuminating a terrifying sight. A hideous form raced toward her. Katherine froze for an instant. The creature caught in her headlights was a bald and bare-chested animal, its skin covered with tattooed scales, symbols, and text. He bellowed as he ran into the glare, raising his hands before his eyes like a cave-dwelling beast seeing sunlight for the first time. She reached for the gearshift but suddenly he was there, hurling his elbow through her side window, sending a shower of safety glass into her lap. A massive scale-covered arm burst through her window, groping half blind, finding her neck. She threw the car in reverse, but her attacker had latched on to her throat, squeezing with unimaginable force. She turned her head in an attempt to escape his grasp, and suddenly she was staring at his face. Three dark stripes, like fingernail scratches, had torn through his face makeup to reveal the tattoos beneath. His eyes were wild and ruthless. â€Å"I should have killed you ten years ago,† he growled. â€Å"The night I killed your mother.† As his words registered, Katherine was seized by a horrifying memory: that feral look in his eyes–she had seen it before. It's him. She would have screamed had it not been for the viselike grip around her neck. She smashed her foot onto the accelerator, and the car lurched backward, almost snapping her neck as he was dragged beside her car. The Volvo careened up an inclined median, and Katherine could feel her neck about to give way beneath his weight. Suddenly tree branches were scraping the side of her car, slapping through the side windows, and the weight was gone. The car burst through the evergreens and out into the upper parking lot, where Katherine slammed on the brakes. Below her, the half-naked man clambered to his feet, staring into her headlights. With a terrifying calm, he raised a menacing scale-covered arm and pointed directly at her. Katherine's blood coursed with raw fear and hatred as she spun the wheel and hit the gas. Seconds later, she was fishtailing out onto Silver Hill Road.

Perfromance Matrix of Pantene

Perfromance Matrix of Pantene Free Online Research Papers Strengths Good brand Strong profit Loyal customer base Dominant in hair care market Wide distribution Has many product collections The sales of shampoo also help to increase the sales of other Pantene products Weaknesses Use different package around the world Confused consumers by offering too much collections Messy product line Spend a lot of money on the new packaging strategies Opportunities The concern about beauty and health increases People are willing to pay more for â€Å"green† products or natural products Launch the new product line called â€Å"Natural Fusion† Wining The Australian Beauty Award 2009 Threats Many competitors in the hair care market The fast growth of beauty salons and salon’s product Susan Anord, president of global business units of PG, left after 28 years serving for the company. STRENGTH Pantene Pro-V is the leading brand in hair care market and is one of the top brands of PG, the world largest consumer-products company. Pantene is also the planet’s best-selling shampoo with the sales of more than $3 billion dollar annually1. It’s really easy to find a Pantene product in any supermarkets, pharmacies, and convenient stores; from city to countryside and from countries to countries. With that wide distribution, more than 1.5 million Pantene products are sold everyday around the world2. The brand has the loyal customer base because people tend to stick to the cosmetic products that they get used to. Beside that, these customers also buy the other products from Pantene, according to a survey, 85% of Pantene shampoo consumers buy Pantene conditioner, 17% buy hair spay and 16% buy other styling products3. With 19 different collections such as Anti-Fizz, Beautiful Length, Smooth, Classic Care etc, Pantene can serve various market segments. WEAKNESS Having too much product lines doesn’t mean that it is always good and the products lines seem to become messy. Many Pantene’s consumers said that sometime it’s confused them from choosing the right collection for their hair. However, Pantene already responded to this problem by offering the quiz, designed by hair expects, on their website www.pantene.com to help consumers find the right one for their needs. The company also tried to make the distinction between different collections from promotion and packaging. Packaging, PG spent more than $100 million to refresh the brand by changing its packaging. Unfortunately, The new packaging strategies fail to deliver any real value innovation to the market, and thus can only be regarded as a fad because bright and glitzy packages will eventually lose their eye-catching quality as more products try to do the same.4 OPPORTUNITY As the standard living increases in many countries, the concern about beauty and health also increases. That is an opportunity for Pantene because people are willing to pay more for the beauty care products or hair care products. According to a study published last month by The Boston Consulting Group, consumers worldwide expressed an interest in buying â€Å"green† products with natural ingredients despite the slumping economy. This trend can be seen as a threat for Pantene because it is still weak compared to some salon-level products like Nexxus and Tresemme of Alberto Culver and Everpure Shampoo of L’oreal in this market segment. In fact, these products experienced a strong growth recently. Don’t yield the market share to these products, Pantene launched a new product line called â€Å"Natural Fusion† to compete with them. An advertisement of Natural Fusion tries to send a message to consumers that they can get a salon’s result by using Pantene Natural Fusion. Pantene Pro-V also won The Australian Award 2009, this is an opportunity for it to increase sales the following years. THREAT Although Pantene Pro-V is the leading brand in hair care market but it often lose its market share because there are a lot of players in this market. It’s a challenge for Pantene to make consumers choose its products over more than 100 kinds of shampoo from various brands on the shelf. Another threat for the company is the rise of beauty salons and salon’s products. Susan Arnold, the President of Global Business Units for Procter Gamble Co, helped PG from having one billion-brand, Pantene in 1999 to have eight billion-brands today: Pantene, Olay, Head Shoulders, Wella, Mach3, Gillette, Fusion and Braun when she resident of the Companys personal beauty care business ten years ago5. Her leaving after 28 years serving might be a disadvantage for PG. Research Papers on Perfromance Matrix of PanteneMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductDefinition of Export QuotasRiordan Manufacturing Production PlanAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfOpen Architechture a white paperGenetic EngineeringIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalTwilight of the UAWInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married Males

Women in American Politics at Ghost Writing Essays Essays

Women in American Politics at Ghost Writing Essays Essays Women in American Politics at Ghost Writing Essays Essay Women in American Politics at Ghost Writing Essays Essay American women in general have struggled in gaining people’s acceptance in both society and politicsghost (Sanbonmatsu, p. 368). More specifically, America has never had a woman president since the time of the Founding Fathers to the present time for several reasons. One is that American women have only recently experienced the liberty to go beyond the household tasks usually attributed to their gender roles. As a consequence, it is only recently that America has given ample room for women to excel in what has been the largely patriarchal structure of American politics, although the extent of participation given to American women are not yet completely realized.Two is that few American women have turned to politics and only few of these female politicians have actually taken the challenge to reshape the perception of male-dominance in the American presidency. And three is that even the current setting of American politics, which by and large is predomin antly occupied by men, contributes to the presence of the limitations faced by aspiring female politicians, which include either the low recognition of women candidates or the higher regard for male political aspirants within the political system itself (Thompson, p. 340).It is only in the late nineteenth century when women have gradually gained their liberty to participate in the affairs in the society and in the government with less restraint as compared to the earlier years. One thing that can be said from this is that there has been an awakening on the part of American women, knowing only quite recently the capabilities that they have in shaping the nation’s politics and using that knowledge to further expand their social recognition. However, even if women can now freely participate in the American political system, such freedom does not necessarily translate into having the large probability of, say, winning the local or national elections.It can also be said that the i nability to transform that freedom into the power to occupy important political positions rests on the earlier influence of men on the political system. Long before women were given the political capability to engage into politics, male Americans were already shaping the course of the American political system (Traube, p. 129). The very fact that we call the founders of the Constitution the Founding Fathers already hints at the patriarchal setting of the earlier days of the government. During those early years, the primary tasks of women were confined within households. They served as the ‘ornaments’ of men during social gatherings, so to speak.Given the unwelcoming history of how women had to endure the status of being ineffective members of the political society as far as the setup of the early political system is concerned, it can be said that it did not encourage American women to turn to politics immediately after they were given the chance to participate in politi cs. More importantly, even though we now see American women wielding political power in some areas of the United States, with Hillary Clinton bidding for a shot at the presidency although failing to do so in the end, the presence of these women barely match the presence of males in the American political system. The male dominance in that system is overwhelming that it sizes up any identifiable presence of females even in local political areas.The overwhelming dominance of males in American politics also contributes to the realization of the full participation of women in local politics to Congress, and even to the national government. The very existence of the higher regard for male politicians as a result of the long history of the patriarchal American politics continues to this day which, apparently, casts a long shadow from any attempts of American women to break political barriers and suffuse female perspectives into a largely male domain.As long as there is a lack of support f rom the status quo to further empower women to taking the political course with less hindrance and with more encouragement, it will remain difficult for American women to establish a substantial political presence with reputation (Yuval-Davis, p. 11). Even if we assume that there are thousands, if not millions, of women across the many States of the country seeking to occupy political positions in the national government, the absence of a groundswell of support both from the numerous localities and from the national government will only water down these efforts into a state of ineffectiveness.The recent turn of events in the recently concluded democratic nominations between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton tells us that Clinton will not be having a shot at the presidential race this November 2008. Moreover, such turn of events only implies that even in these modern time were men and women are said to be equals before the eyes of the society female presidential nominees still have a lot to do in order to stand at par with their male counterparts. The confidence of the public remains an important issue that should be addressed by aspiring female politicians in the national government.However, it can also be said that the participation of Hillary Clinton in the presidential nominations is one big step in making the public aware that it is no longer impossible for American women to rise above the challenge of changing the public perception that women cannot go higher in the political hierarchy. The fact alone that Clinton was able to earn thousands and thousands of popular votes and many delegates in the democratic presidential nominations sheds light on the question of whether America has already begun to accept the possibility of having a woman as president. The question now is no longer about the possibility of electing a woman as president of the nation for that question has been answered by the example of Hillary Clinton. The more relevant question in todayâ €™s American society is whether or not more women will follow the lead of Clinton.Apparently, in order for more women to actively participate in American politics, several conditions should be met. These include but are not limited to: a substantial amount of local public support to begin with, a suitable financial backing from these supporters, and a support from the current political setting as well just to name a few. If these conditions are met, there are more chances for aspiring female politicians to successfully enter the political realm, both from the local and national levels of the government.Comparing and contrasting the political situations between the past and the present times, it can be observed that there have been substantial changes in the balance of gender participation. That is, instead of having just an obscure number of female politicians and political candidates, Americans now have the liberty to elect women candidates and that these women candidates now h ave the liberty to actively participate in elections as potential candidates. In the past, women were not even allowed to vote in the elections; today, women can not only vote, they can also enlist themselves as candidates for people to freely choose.Perhaps some time in the future, the United States will elect a female candidate as president, thereby setting a precedent for future generations to learn from and to follow. When that time comes, it can fully be said that gender is no longer an issue in national politics as it will simply become a thing of the past made irrelevant and obscured by the tides of history. And when that time comes, women in America will have certainly achieved one huge leap forward for themselves and for the nation. Sanbonmatsu, Kira. Gender-Related Political Knowledge and the Descriptive Representation of Women. Political Behavior 25.4 (2003): 368.Thompson, Becky. Multiracial Feminism: Recasting the Chronology of Second Wave Feminism. Feminist Studies 28.2 (2002): 340.Traube, Elizabeth G. The Popular In American Culture. Annual Review of Anthropology 25 (1996): 129.Yuval-Davis, Nira. Women, Citizenship and Difference. Feminist Review.57 (1997): 11.

Cause and Effect Paper About Aliens Research Paper Example

Cause and Effect Paper About Aliens Research Paper Example Cause and Effect Paper About Aliens Paper Cause and Effect Paper About Aliens Paper Essay Topic: Cause and Effect Cause and Effect Paper Ashamed of Human Society Today With all the technical advances ( computers cell phones) and the medical evolution you would think that we would be proud of our society, but when asked to write an essay about if aliens came to visit our planet from a higher developed civilization would we be proud or ashamed of the state of human race today, taking a deeper look into our race I can only conclude that they would be disappointed. Would they want to breath in our polluted air, see the disrespect that humans often give one another based on a race or culture, agree with our disregard for other living things, agree with our decisions to get abortions because we can’t live up to our mistakes, or would they be aggravated with the lazy people who just live life on the government’s welfare. The first thing that I feel would disappoint these highly advanced creatures would be our neglect to the plant. Global warming is an ongoing issue. Although we know the cause for this epidemic we continue to drive our cars to and from work or school carrying on with our everyday lives. As the winters in some places seem to get warmer, people knowing the cause just ignore it. But, it’s not just the cars we drive and the pollution that we put in the air, it’s the neglectful student or classmate that see the garbage and yet, the garbage is still laying to the floor. In addition to the disrespect of the environment, when I think of what we humans are doing to our other fellow humans, I would have to say that I am ashamed. People tend to judge other people simply by their race or culture and not for the person that they really are, or the things that they have accomplished in their lives. Racism is a big part of everyday life and it’s just not right. It can be as little as calling someone a hurtful name because of their color or religious beliefs or as extreme as murder. If these aliens from another civilization came here to visit I would be embarrassed of the way people treat other people. Also, not only do humans show disrespect to other humans but what about everything else that gets destroyed, how many species of plants and animals that get killed, how many countless billions of life forms are destroyed that we didnt hear about, that we didnt care about, that no longer exist because of us. Everything on this planet deserves the right to life. But most people only care about themselves now a days, they don’t have any regard to the other living things around us. Not only does this attitude and behavior affect humans, but it also affects the other life forms on the planet as well. All living species are interconnected and play a role in the environment. If one species becomes endangered or extinct, it has a huge impact on the rest of the species as well. For example, even though humans view bees as pests and try very hard each year to make sure these insects do not invade their yards, bees are a very essential part of nature. Bees are necessary in pollinating flowers so that they are able to reproduce. Without bees, this process would be impeded. This is an example of how humans take their environment for granted. In attempting to make life better for ourselves, we often mistreat the little things that help our planet and harm other species. Furthermore not only do we as humans have disregard for other living things, but a lot of people don’t even have respect for babies that don’t even have the chance to be born or live. Just because these babies are not out of the womb yet does not make them any less human, they still have a heartbeat. I believe that if you are old enough to have sex and get pregnant in the first place, then you are old enough to face up to your actions and be a parent. That’s why we as humans invented things like condoms and birth control, its your own fault if you decide not to protect yourself if you are not ready to have children. These creatures from a place or planet that is way more developed would most likely pack their bags and leave if they saw the insolent way in which we as humans behave in today’s society. Lastly, I am mortified of all the lazy people that live off the government. There are many people that have multiple kids just to get more money, sit on their couches all day and do nothing all day. A lot of these people drive better cars, live better and have better housing than the people that go to work everyday to make an honest living. I think that these aliens would be disgusted with these people that are totally capable of working that would rather hang around and do nothing and rely on the government to support them and their multiple children. I don’t think its right to the people that are working hard and have to pay taxes that go to these government fundings for others to abuse these funds and not work even though they are capable. In conclusion, even with the inventions we have created or the medial advances and cures for diseases we have come up with there are still many reasons I would feel embarrassed or ashamed of our society and how we live today if these friendly aliens from a higher developed civilization decided to visit our planet. Not only because of the way we treat our environment but the way we treat other people and other living things. But I guess all you can do is take the good with the bad, you live and you learn.

Matisse, Kandinsy, Dix, Duchamp, Dali Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Matisse, Kandinsy, Dix, Duchamp, Dali - Essay Example Composition VII is a complex painting on a grand scale. The abstract name suggests how the painter is attempting to draw parallels to musical symphonies. Kandinsy’s close friendship with music composer Schoenberg further bears out this hypothesis. Just as Schoenberg’s music is typified by its atonality, Kandinsy’s work creates a similar mood. This affective mood is achieved through the use of dissonant colors, shapes and object orientations. This very abstract work raises suggestions of chaos and doom. Produced before the break of the First World War, it could be taken as a harbinger of events to unfold. But the underlying message seems to be that destruction is followed by renewal. Invoking Christian symbolism, Kandinsy is perhaps implying the great hope that lies beyond impending apocalypse. In sum, the painting is intriguing and intellectually satisfying. No other painter captured the horrors of war as Otto Dix had done. Based on his first hand experiences dur ing the First World War, Dix produced some of the most vivid, graphic and provocative war sceneries ever. Where it suits him, Dix abstracts the idea of destruction into various manifestations. Though his images belong to what he saw during the Great War, it could equally apply to any war ever fought. This is so because human suffering is a constant across wars of various epochs. As one of the paintings sadly conveys, it is worms which are the real winners in any war. Dix also captured the cultural atmosphere during the inter-war years.

The Impact of Social Networking on e-Business Assignment

The Impact of Social Networking on e-Business - Assignment Example Additionally, these types of issues can arise in case of the system where there is the risk to individuals having some negative aims. In addition, there is another concern to be reflected on in web-based networks is information credibility. Since, in a business social network the information credibility is vital because, in case of less effective credibility, business or users can suffer. Another factor in e-business based social network is the integrity of the content design and user interface design that require being measured during the development of an effective web-based e-business social network. Additionally, social network users satisfactions through handling and network self-efficacy are as well significant to successfully maintain business clients in virtual communities (Neumann et al., 2005; Ibrahim et al., 2008; Sedycias, 2009).   The arrival of electronic business or e-business age has brought many transformations in the approaches of traditional businesses. Additionally, in a number of businesses, completely new business models have emerged or developed that are presenting substantial scope for reforming the business operations, sales, management, administration, supply chains. Additionally, this also has a great influence on changing the traditional ways of working on value chains and information flows. Since these all-new transformations have offered a lot of facilities in a scenario of production and management. Thus, in order to contribute entirely in the modern and up-to-date web-based business environment, corporations carry on to make important economic investments, not merely in information and communication technologies (ICTs) however as well in the procedures and people essential to function them. In this scenario, social networking is a new emerging term and trend for the effective establishment a nd presentation of business on the web.  

Public Policy Analysis - SARBANE OXLEY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Public Policy Analysis - SARBANE OXLEY - Essay Example Oxley. Over the years, the act has managed to establish a myriad of deadlines for its compliance. This act was adopted mainly to uplift the standards in corporate governance, analysis of securities and performance of audit work. According to Cohen, Dey & Lys (2007), before the introduction of this policy there were numerous Securities and Exchange Commission violations, gross lack of corporate quality control and ethical behavior in companies resulting in many corporate scandals and filing of criminal actions against corporations, shareholders, company directors, and finally company officers. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act came into effect in the wake of some of the nations enormous financial scandals. The Act is believed to initiate most of the dramatic changes to the federal laws since 1930s. It further prescribes punishment for violators of the Act ranging from prison sentences to multimillion-dollar penalties. The main idea that the editors of this act had in mind was to protect investor s by improving the accuracy and reliability of corporate disclosures made pursuant to the securities laws. Over the years, the government of the United States of America has adopted this policy and many security policies have been drafted in reference to this act. SOX applies to all public companies in the United States not excluding international companies that have registered equity or debt securities with the Securities and Exchange Commission and the accounting firms that provide auditing services to them. According to Bartlett and Richard the Sarbanes-Oxley Act has created new standards for corporate accountability and also new penalties for acts of incompliance. It has changed how corporate boards, executives and corporate auditors interact with each other. In addition, it also removes the common excuse of claiming that one was not aware of a mistake when he or she made it on matters pertaining to finances. This mainly involves the CEOs and CFOs, as it holds them accountable f or the accuracy and errors of financial statements (DMPL). The Act specifies new financial reporting responsibilities and these include adhering to new internal controls and procedures formulated to ensure that financial records are valid. The Act makes it a federal crime to for a company to force or manipulate an auditor into signing off incorrect financial statements thus preventing company directors and officers from obtaining personal benefits from dubious financial statements. Moreover, the Act stipulates that the board of directors in almost all public companies should have an audit committee. The committee is tasked to appoint, regulate, inspect and exercise control over the company’s auditing firm. As result the auditors are to directly report to the audit committee. Rationale for public policy-Market failure This highlights how the concept of market failure applies to ethical corporate governance to give an insight in corporate ethics’ authenticity in the mode rn corporation and the probability of the Sarbanes-Oxley achieving its desired results. When large companies like Enron, WorldCom and Tyco just to name a few were struck with enormous cases of corporate fraud, the necessity to find for an amicable solution was very vital. This is because millions of dollars were embezzled by the CEOs and CFOs through customized balance sheets. Companies incurred considerable loss of profits

Resource Based Analysis of Marks & Spencer Plc Essay

Resource Based Analysis of Marks & Spencer Plc - Essay Example The present research has identified that clothing stores of Marks & Spencer are the leading retailers in the UK market and specialize in providing women’s wears, lingerie, and menswear. Their food stores are also leading in the UK market due providing fresh foods which are of high quality. The marketing and distribution of their products into the various markets and stores is done by utilizing the service of huge wholesalers, online stores and through a telephone. The company’s stocks are registered in the London stocks exchange. This paper will first assess the importance of capabilities and how they contribute to the competitive advantage of the organization. Then, analyze Marks & Spencer plc resources and capabilities using ratio analysis, value chain and VRIN. Resource-based view (RBV) is a business model which holds that business can attain a massive competitive advantage over the rival businesses by utilizing their resources and capabilities properly in alignment with the environment of the business. This implies that the business should possess resources and capabilities which are superior to those of their rivals in order to attain the competitive advantage over them. This will prevent the rival businesses from replicating the resources and capabilities of the company thus declining their competitive advantage. Capabilities are used in resource-based view to indicate the ability of a firm to apply its resources effectively and efficiently with the sole aim of gaining the competitive advantage over the market. Strategies of a company are formulated to address the future productivity of the company. Strategies of a company are formulated to address the future productivity of the company. Strategies are formulated to address any occurrences and incidences in the market and how to respond to changes in the market due to pressures or influences which appear from time to time in the market. The first strategy utilized by M&S was the brand name.

Current Pop Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Current Pop Culture - Essay Example The current pop culture exercises its control over the thought of the people by generating the aspect of â€Å"opinion† through mass media. That is to say it becomes an artistic expression of the people, thus creating solidarity, as Kidd (2007) explains (Fedorak 3). To enhance the role played by pop culture in the lives of the people, I would undertake the examples from television and film fraternity. The television series The Sex and the City and the film The Hunger Games, both adapted from the book series, not only explain the blatant influence created by the pop culture, but also cover the wide genre of pop culture, namely literature and technology, in order to generate a striking effect on the mass consumption. The Sex and the City (1988-2004) is generally applauded for showing the prevalent theme of individualism and the society that rules our lives. It features single women as strong, honest, independent and happy, who are striving to find their individual identity in th e facets of societal foundations. The show is regarded as a post feminist exploration of single women living in New York City. It is a show about women and their friendships, their sex lives and their experiences. It is perhaps because of the issues like identity, the relation between an individual and society, and the underlying theme of sexual sovereignty that The Sex and the City can be used as the foremost example in explaining the workings of the pop culture. The protagonist Carrie Bradshaw is a sex columnist for the fictional paper The New York Star; it is through the lens of her columns that each episode is shaped. This characterization is quite important for the consumer. He meets an individual who is not only a strong, independent woman with a critical point of view, but also a sex columnist discussing sex lives of women, thus claiming sexual sovereignty. Her honesty and imperfection highlight the general thought of the public that make them identify with her. Other female characters, Miranda, a cynical attorney, asserts her independence as a woman reconciling with her motherhood and her marriage; Charlotte, a hopeless romantic lives in a world of fairy tales but eventually realizes the stark distinction between fantasy and reality; and Samantha, the self-proclaimed sex- loving, hyper sexualized old woman dealing with her state of menopause, different yet embodiment of feminism, gives a glimpse of different shades of a modern woman. They are reflection of an era where women were exercising control over their lives without the male interference. They highlight the concept of choice where an independent woman is free from the bounds of motherhood and marriage, where parents are never seen and the family mentioned is of female friendship, thus highlighting the notion of pop culture as an indicator of shared value. The Hunger Games (2012) is the most recent example of human identity being shaped by the interplay of media and individual choice in construct ing personality. It showcases the tenuous division between reality and fabrication through a violent competition in which children and teens are

Resource Based Analysis of Marks & Spencer Plc Essay

Resource Based Analysis of Marks & Spencer Plc - Essay Example The present research has identified that clothing stores of Marks & Spencer are the leading retailers in the UK market and specialize in providing women’s wears, lingerie, and menswear. Their food stores are also leading in the UK market due providing fresh foods which are of high quality. The marketing and distribution of their products into the various markets and stores is done by utilizing the service of huge wholesalers, online stores and through a telephone. The company’s stocks are registered in the London stocks exchange. This paper will first assess the importance of capabilities and how they contribute to the competitive advantage of the organization. Then, analyze Marks & Spencer plc resources and capabilities using ratio analysis, value chain and VRIN. Resource-based view (RBV) is a business model which holds that business can attain a massive competitive advantage over the rival businesses by utilizing their resources and capabilities properly in alignment with the environment of the business. This implies that the business should possess resources and capabilities which are superior to those of their rivals in order to attain the competitive advantage over them. This will prevent the rival businesses from replicating the resources and capabilities of the company thus declining their competitive advantage. Capabilities are used in resource-based view to indicate the ability of a firm to apply its resources effectively and efficiently with the sole aim of gaining the competitive advantage over the market. Strategies of a company are formulated to address the future productivity of the company. Strategies of a company are formulated to address the future productivity of the company. Strategies are formulated to address any occurrences and incidences in the market and how to respond to changes in the market due to pressures or influences which appear from time to time in the market. The first strategy utilized by M&S was the brand name.

Case study in ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Case study in ethics - Essay Example Thus, the popular appeal of a certain depiction that is rendered in an advertisement creates a condition of biased, shallow perception. This kind of perception is highly reductive. In this case study, I shall focus on the issue of the image of Obama in an advertisement that has a certain pedigree of racism and political labeling. This discourse shall be explained and engaged further in the succeeding parts of the paper. At the same time, aside from the construction of the image, the impression derived thereof shall be put into account by looking into the formal elements that make up the image. At the same time, there is also a need to clearly assess why the image creates an impression through certain sensibilities, which are political, cultural and sociological in nature and must be discussed in conjunction with the signs that parts of images create for the spectator to gaze. Looking at the elements of the image, Obama’s image is presented with sickle and hammer, which are embodiments of communism (â€Å"Image†). Another crucial thing to look at the image is the use of the terms â€Å"somewhere in Kenya a village is missing its idiot Obama† (â€Å"Empty Suit†). Together with the image comes the face of Obama, smiling and wearing formal attire that befits the campaigning needed for the elections. The advertisement has these elements that evoke a totally different level of problematic propositions and discourses of representation. To understand the points to be raised in this paper, there is a need to understand that the context of presidential elections must be duly considered since this defines how the image works and creates a certain standard for judgment. The first thing that must be understood is that the image is highly offensive, given that the signs and symbols that have been incorporated in the advertisement are tantamount to

First Gsc Cinema in Miri, Sarawak Essay Example for Free

First Gsc Cinema in Miri, Sarawak Essay Leading cinema operator, Golden Screen Cinemas (GSC) extends its reach to East Malaysia with the opening of its first cinema in Sarawak with the opening of GSC Bintang Megamall, Miri under the â€Å"GSC Lite† branding today. â€Å"The 8-screen GSC Bintang Megamall, Miri is the first GSC cinema to open with all- digital halls in the GSC chain, the first all-digital hall cinema in East Malaysia and will also offer the first digital 3D hall in Miri†, said Ms Koh Mei Lee, GSC Chief Executive Officer. â€Å"GSC plans to convert its existing halls to digital halls by 2014†, she added. Also present at the launch was Dato’ Professor (Dr) Lau Siu Wai (Executive Chairman, Miri Housing Group of Companies) and Mr Irving Chee (General Manager, GSC). For those who may not be so familiar, GSC Lite offers GSC’s cinema entertainment magic in a lighter, modest and more accessible manner to cater for markets like Miri, without sacrificing the effects of big screens and digital sound like those offered in GSC cinemas nationwide. The GSC Lite cinema concept was first introduced in Mentakab Star Mall (March 2012) followed by GSC Amanjaya Mall, Sg Petani (Nov 2012). Built at a cost of RM17.5 million, GSC Bintang Megamall Miri will be equipped with three (3) Digital 3D halls and will have a total seating capacity of 1,010 seats to cater to the Miri community and beyond. GSC also plans to open its second cinema in Sarawak a 10-screen GSC City One Mall, Kuching before the end of first quarter 2013, followed by a 10-screen GSC Palm Mall, Seremban (Quarter 2) and 11-screen GSC Nu Sentral, KL before year end. In 2014, GSC has already signed for GSC IOI City Mall, Putrajaya and GSC Aman Central, Kedah. GSC Bintang Megamall also provides online ticketing facility (GSC e-payment) for both internet and mobile purchases (Mobile app iPhone and Android) and offers the convenience to movie goers .This includes the SelfPrint service and auto-gate features to ensure that GSC’s valued customers will enjoy every bit of great cinema going experience GSC has to offer. In conjunction with the new cinema opening, GSC Bintang Megamall customers will also enjoy a complimentary â€Å"Wizard of Oz† multi-purpose pouch with each purchase of GSC Combo 3 (while stocks last). GSC patrons here will be further rewarded with 1,000 â€Å"Buy 2 Free 1† vouchers with every two tickets purchased at GSC Bintang Megamall ticketing counter. For the opening weekend, there will be special movie character and clown appearances, balloon giveaway, movie themed block puzzle games and electronic games. With GSC Bintang Megamall, GSC currently (as at Feb 7, 2013) has a total of 27 cinemas, 228 screens out of which 93 are digital screens, total 41,456 seating capacity nationwide (including wheelchair spaces). GSC will go fully digital by 2014.

Durga Puja Essay

Durga Puja Essay Kolkata, the city of joy, as it is known, has been celebrating the Durga Puja since ages. Durga Puja, the biggest festival of the Bengalis, is the worship of Shakti or the Divine Power. As most of the religious celebrations around the world, the Durga Puja also has a legend of the struggle between the good and the evil. The dark forces eventually succumbed to the divine. I can still remember I used to love the Durga Puja as a small child as it was an occasion to get a month long vacation in school. One of my oldest memories of the Durga Puja is that of the construction of the huge pandals on the way back from my school. My friends and I used to play hide and seek in those pandals until some angry uncle would guide us out citing some lame reasons. Another memory is that of playing with friends from the neighbourhood throughout the day. In fact, the days of the pujas were the only four days of the year when I could stay out till evening and yet nobody would scold me. According to Hindu mythology, Durga Puja was initially performed in the month of Basanta or spring time. This was known as Basanti Puja. Rama first did the worship of Devi Durga in the month of Ashwin, an unusual time for this Puja and hence it is known as Akalbodhan, meaning an uncustomary time of commencement. It is said that hundred blue lotuses are required for this Puja to be a success. He could find only 99 and hence offered one of his eyes as a substitute of the hundredth rose. His devotion pleased Devi Durga who blessed him and he finally won over Ravana, killing him in the process. The battle was started on Saptami, generally accepted as the starting day of the Durga Puja, and ended on the period between Astami and Navami, called the Sandikhan, or the time in between. Ravanas body was cremated on Dashami, celebrated throughout India as Dussera, signifying the victory of the good over the evil. Durga Puja dates back to the 16th century, during the Mughal era. Legend has it that the first Durga Puja was organised by king Kangshanarayan of Teherpur in the Nadia district of West Bengal. King Jagatnarayan of Bhaduria soon followed after. Gradually Durga Puja became the great annual festival that brought together family, friends, and neighbours, infusing life into the mundane life of the village communities. By the mid eighteenth century, this festival of the Bengalis had become the chief occasion of the filthy rich landlords, known as babus in Bengali, to flaunt their wealth. They invited the Europeans during every evening of the five-day long event to grace the occasion with their presence and join in their feasting. The presence and participation of the British notables became a matter of pride and prestige for their hosts. As per the Calcutta Chronicle there were other notable locals who began to host the British at their Durga Puja. Though there is much confusion about the inception of Durga Puja in Kolkata, some believe that the family of Saborno Chowdhury held the oldest Puja in the city, dating back to 1610 near Sakher Bazar in Behala. Other old Pujas include that started by Govindaram Mitra of Kumartuli and the one at the palace at Sovabazar, known as Sovabazar Rajbari, started by King Nabakrishna Deb of North Kolkata. Where individual initiatives declined, collective enterprise came to the rescue even in the early years. Around 1790, 12 Brahmin friends in Guptipara in the Hoogly district of West Bengal, decided to start a community Puja. Subscriptions were raised from the neighbours for the Pujas. This is said to be the start of the outdoor Pujas in West Bengal, popularly known as Baro-yari puja(meaning twelve friends), which gained popularity in leaps and bounds. The Sarvojanin Durgostav, literally meaning everybodys Puja, as we know it today started off much later in Kolkata in the 1920s.The oldest Sarvojanin Durgostav is that of Bazbazar Sarvojanin, near the bank of the holy Ganges, at Bazbagar. Though the celebrations around Durga Puja lasts over four days, mainly from Saptami to Dashami, the mood of the Durga Puja sets in much earlier in the life of the people of Bengal. It starts with the idol making at the famous Kumartuli, a place famous for its beautiful clay idols of Gods and Goddesses and pottery. The entire process of creation of the idols or murti, as it is commonly known as; from the collection of clay to the ornamentation is a holy process, supervised by rites and other rituals. On the Hindu date of Akshaya Tritiya when the Ratha Yatra is held, clay for the idols is collected from the banks of a river, preferably the Ganges. After the required rites, the clay is transported from which the idols are fashioned. An important event is Chakkhu Daan, literally donation of the eyes. Starting with Devi Durga, the eyes of the idols are painted on Mahalaya or the first day of the Pujas. Before painting on the eyes, the artisans fast for a day and eat only vegetarian food. Kumartuli is a place which is very close to my grand parents residence. My grandfather used to take me to this place and showed me how idols were made from bamboo, clay and hay. The Sharatkal or the autumn season brings with it the ever known strands of white clouds and light cool breeze which reminds every Bengali of the nearness of the Durga Puja. The Kashful, a flower traditionally associated with autumn and the biggest festival of autumn, the Durga Puja is another symbol that reminds every Bengali of the auspicious occasion. Then the time comes for Mahalaya. My father used to wake us up at 4 in the morning to listen to the All India Radio where the evergreen voice of Birendra Kishore Bhadra and Pankaj Kumar Mullick still rings in my ears. Earlier it was conducted live but now a recorded version is broadcasted exactly on the same time and still it creates the same effect to the listeners. When I was in my junior school, I was a member of the Rama Krishna Mission drama and play team. On the day of Mahalaya we used to enact a play on goddess Durga. I still remember the month long practices before the event. After school I used to go to Rama Krishna Mission for rehearsals of the acts. The sense of achievement after successful enacting of the play was really a memory to cherish. And the ice cream treat from my mother made it all the more memorable. The idol of Goddess Durga has 10 hands which hold 10 different weapons used to fight the evil, Asura. It is believed that Goddess Durga got the 10 weapons from 10 different Gods who gave their weapons to Goddess Durga to combine all their strength to fight the evil, as Asura was unbeatable by any other God. The conch shell in Durga`s hand symbolizes the Pranava or the mystic word Om The bow and arrows represent energy. The thunderbolt signifies firmness. The lotus in Durga`s hand is not in fully bloomed, it symbolizing certainty of success but not finality. The Sudarshan-Chakra signifies that the entire world is subservient to the will of Durga. The sword that Durga holds in one of her hands symbolizes knowledge. Durga`s trident or trishul is a symbol of three qualities Satwa (inactivity), Rajas (activity) and Tamas (non-activity). Devi Durga chose the lion as her vehicle or Vahana, which signifies the taming of the wildernesses. As a child I used to be a little afraid of the huge lion. My mother used to always say that Goddess Durga would send her lion to punish me if I did some mischief. But gradually as I grew up, I started liking the Vahana of Goddess Durga. In my school, I was even selected as one of the judges for best lion contest conducted by my school. Lighting, in and around the Puja pandals, also form an integral part of this elaborate decorations. Chandannagar is the destination where most of the big community pujas look to get their lightings done from. Traditionally light bulbs of different colours were used to decorate various pandals but nowadays mostly light emitting diodes of various colours are used to save electricity as well as carry out the different intricate collections much easily using microprocessor chips. As a child I was a great fan of one of the Pujas held at College Square. It was famous for its lighting arrangements. As it is one of the most popular pujas which attracts a huge crowd, my father used to take me to visit this puja pandal in early hours when the light would be still on and the crowd also would be less. Ritual drummers or dhakis, as they are commonly known as, also add to the ambience of the Durga Puja. The dhunuchi nach and the beat of the drums is something which goes hand in hand. Many local competitions are held to find out the best dhunuchi dancer and it is really a matter of pride for the Bengali male to have won such a competition. Many Bengali films and music albums are published to coincide with the Puja. Many magazines, like the Anandamela and Shuktara, among others, come up with a special Puja Special issue just for this occasion. As a child I was great fan of Shuktara and gradually I shifted from the Anandamela to Desh. In Kolkata alone, more than two thousand pandals are set up, all clamouring for the admiration and praise of the populace. The city is adorned with lights. Traffic comes to a standstill, and indeed, most people abandon their vehicles to travel by foot after a point. A special task force is deployed to control law and order. Durga Puja in Kolkata is often referred to as the Rio Carnival of the Eastern Hemisphere. In my college, I was more interested in pandal-hopping than being a part of my neighbourhood Puja. My friends and I used to go pandal-hopping throughout the day and sometimes even throughout the night. At that time the number of pandals covered used to be a great matter of pride and all my friends tried to compete with each other to visit the highest number of pandals. At the end of four days, the idol is taken for immersion in a procession amid loud chants of Bolo Durga mai-ki jai (glory be to Mother Durga) and aashchhe bochhor abar hobe, meaning it will happen again next year and drumbeats to the river or other water body. This is a happy occasion for some who celebrate by offering sweets to guests and relatives while a sad one for some like me to whom it means a wait of another long year to relive and enjoy the festivities of the Durga Puja. Environmental hazards from the materials used to make and colour the idols pollute local water sources, as the idols are brought directly into the river at the end of festivities. Efforts are underway to introduce eco-friendly materials to the artisans who make the idols. West Bengal has been credited by its own environmental agency as being possibly the first Indian State to successfully curb the use of hazardous paints. However, by their own account, only two-thirds of the idols made are currently coloured with eco-friendly paints. During the Puja season emotions are high with thoughts of homecoming, happy reunions with parents and daughters married to distance places, between brothers separated across the oceans; the beat of drums thud across the twilit skyline releasing a fresh boost of life amidst the locality numbed by its numerous problems. Everyone tries to forget at least for the four days the hard-pressing reality and utmost practicality of everyday life as they take the welcome break from routine life and lose their work-a-day identity in the swirl of festivity. Thus Durga Puja indeed plays an integral part in every Bengalis life, which every Bengali however far from his motherland, feels at the bottom of his heart.

Peter Pistol Maravich Essay -- Essays Papers

Peter Pistol Maravich Peter Press Maravich is arguably one of the best basketball players ever to play the game. Born June 22, 1947 in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania where he learned to love basketball from his father, Press Maravich, who spent many hours teaching him the game’s most important fundamentals. Maravich broke numerous records throughout his career. While in high school he scored 47 points, more than any other player, in the North Carolina High School All-Star Game. He holds nearly every National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) scoring record at Louisiana State University (LSU) and was named a three-time All American in only three years in the NCAA. After a legendary college career at LSU, he played ten great seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), earning five trips to the NBA All-Star Game and one league scoring title. After his death, he was named to the NBA’s Top 50 Greatest Players of All Time and was inducted to the Hall of Fame. I feel, as a player, for anyone to accomplish so much in such a short period of time is remarkable. During Maravich’s career the three-point line was not yet a part of professional basketball, so he accomplished all this without the three point line. Maravich is without question one of the greatest offensive basketball players ever to play the game. Maravich got his nickname â€Å"Pistol Pete† from his father. Once referring to his style of shooting during his childhood and as a high school player, Pistol quickly developed into an offensive machine with great shooting, passing, and dribbling skills. He was said to be an offensive genius. According to Mike Flynn former rival of Pistols’ who played for the University of Kentucky and the Indiana Pacers, Pistol was one of the greatest offensive players I’ve ever seen. I wouldn’t say he was a pure shooter, as much as I would say he was a great scorer. I loved playing against him because he didn’t like playing defense so I knew I was going to get my points, even though he would always score more than me†¦. Pistol was an individual player, he was out there to put on a show and that’s what he did.(Personal Interview) I agree with Mike Flynn, because this quote comes from a player that has played against him, so he knows what type of player Pistol was. Pistol was a great player, even though he was an individual player, because no one ... ...ever lived, and probably one of the most unique. He died on January 5, 1988 at the age of forty while playing in a three-on-three pick-up game in California. The news of his sudden death shocked everyone and brought back memories to his admirers. Few have inspired me as he did. Maravich had a commitment to excellence, even though he did not play much defense. Him being able to average, as many points as he did is unbelievable. Although the one thing that inspired me the most was that he was a born again Christian. Before his death, he told his former coach, Richie Guerin, that his desire was to be remembered as a good Christian, a good husband, and a good father. He spoke before 35,000 people at the Billy Graham Crusade in Columbia, South Carolina just a few months before his death. Maravich stated â€Å"Next week I’ll be inducted into the Hall of Fame†¦. I wouldn’t trade my position in Christ for a thousand NBA championships, for a thousand Hall of Fame rings, or for a hundred billion dollars.† I really admired Peter Press Maravich, I feel his place in the history of the sport of basketball is secure. He will always be remembered as the greatest offensive scorer of all time.

Allys Wisdom :: College Admissions Essays

Ally's Wisdom I have baby-sat Ally, a little girl who has mild autism, for the past several years. She used to only speak a few words and sit still only five minutes at a time. Now she is a child who can talk up a storm and sit with me for hours while we enjoy a video. She is cute, funny, bright, and very caring. Like the rest of us, Ally has her ups and downs. There are moments when she is confident and moments when she is feeling a bit confused. She can be serious or delightfully silly. One thing that distinguishes Ally is the tendency to think in very concrete terms. When she was young, we often played the "What is it?" game. I choose an object; she identified it. The light switch was "light on-off," and the doorknob was "door open-close." At first I thought, "That's not what it's called." Then I realized how arbitrary our conventional labels are. Ally identified things for their purpose and function. Even now when I talk to her on the phone and ask, "What are you doing?", she answers "I'm talking to you." I have realized that if I wanted to know what she was doing before she came to the phone, that's what I should have asked. Sometimes we think we are communicating clearly, when what we say can actually be confusing for others. Ally helped me the most when my grandmother died. She knew that I was upset because she could see that I had been crying. When she asked me what was the matter, I told her I was sad because I missed my grandmother. She looked at me and said, "Why don't you try smiling?" At first I thought that her suggestion was foolish, but I have realized the