Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Entrepreneurial Strategy Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Entrepreneurial Strategy - Term Paper Example According to Amit, Brigham and Markman â€Å"entrepreneurial strategies let people to be innovative, creative and responsible for decisions they make† (Meyer & Heppard, 2000).As a result of pursuing entrepreneurial strategies, companies put themselves in a situation to frequently and systematically recognize and exploit entrepreneurial opportunities.Enterpreneurial strategy involves a persistent, managerially sanctioned pattern of innovation related activities and resource allocations that compose a component of the company’s inclusive corporate strategy (Russell, page 640). This thesis will dwell majorly on entrepreneurial strategy concerning its importance/significance, opportunity recognition; .Current theories on economic literature explain strategy adoption according to forces of the competitive environment. Importance of Entrepreneurial Strategies Designing of business plan An entrepreneurial company develops innovations slowly.Explotation tends to force out explo ration and the company hits a performance crisis. Small companies have to balance exploration and exploitation. At some point in small companies at the start of the lifecycle design and innovation capability gets relegated in order to bring in the profits from the idea on which the firm was founded. Successfully spotting change factors, assessing their significance, reacting and adapting creates long term values. This can only be achieved by having a entrepreneurial strategy. Innovation The global environment moves faster all the time, innovation and its partner change are requirements for survival and success. Innovation often the foundation of creations is vital for any company to compete effectively in the twenty first century. Building on the importance of entrepreneurial action, Smith and DiGregorio explain that the fundamental nature of entrepreneurialship is newness, new resources, new clients, new markets, new combination of existing resources and clients. They put forward t hat equilibrating actions are based on both existing and related resources that modify existing knowledge about markets. In dissimilarity disequilibrating consequences are based on both existing but unrelated resources that are incompatible with existing mental methods. Execution of corporate entrepreneurship strategies is important and can play a major role in the success of efforts to produce innovation in companies. The development of a new proposal requires the recombination of existing knowledge and its extensions (Bettis & Hitt, 1995). Creating new businesses requires new knowledge which is necessary because new businesses are based on technologies that differ from currently employed companies. These new businesses function in new markets, making it a necessity for the company to develop knowledge of how to use new technology and compete effectively in the new market. Their work explains the inertia that sometimes occurs with larger successful companies. Many companies are usi ng alliances and networks to acquire knowledge that is critical for innovation and implementation. Entrepreneurial Resources Entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial companies identify and exploit opportunities that competitors have not discovered or underexploited. An appropriate location of resources is needed to identify entrepreneurial opportunities with the utmost potential returns and to be used as a disciplined approach to exploit them (McGrath & MacMillan, 2000).The entrepreneurial s

Monday, October 28, 2019

Basketball Junkie by Chris Herren and Bill Reynolds Essay Example for Free

Basketball Junkie by Chris Herren and Bill Reynolds Essay The book â€Å"basketball Junkie† is a Fantastic book it really is. This book is about a hometown high school superstar named Chris Herron on his journey from Fall River Massachusetts all the way to the Boston garden. Chris lived the dream of every kid who has ever bounced a basketball in their drive way. His accomplishments I believe is what really dragged me into the story. Just the fact that he wasn’t just an ordinary junkie from the streets that wrote a memoir. He was a basketball player that made it to the pros. I feel that gave it the edge just being up there compared to the best players such as Allen Iverson Jermaine o Neil and Kobe Bryant. Basketball Junkie was truly was an interesting story. Chris put it all out there. Herren talks about his substance abuse in brutally honest detail. He describes how his drug addictions caused him his basketball career and almost his life. How his NBA trip was short live as he spent more time chasing his next drug buy then working on his jump shot. Chasing what started out as Alcohol then to coke then to oxy cotton then to heroin caused his NBA career to fizzle out. How I related to the story was basically the same the story was told expect from another view. I witnessed a great basketball not as big as Chris Herren but good enough to get his name out there and play college basketball. This kid was great just like Chris a good person with many thing ahead in his life. Toward the end of his senior year I don’t know what you would call it. But I would say going down the wrong hanging with wrong crowd. That when he made the same mistake Chris made when he started. One thing lead to another just like Chris said in the book trying it once opened doors to other drugs. Unfortunately neither this kid nor Chris was able to close these doors. This was upsetting to watch so I could just imagine for a big superstar like this one. What there brothers were going through and the people who watched and taught Chris how to play. His coaches and people that helped Chris build up to this must have been so heartbroken. This story was really deep because you can tell that he wasn’t very appreciative of his life and accomplishments. He tells his nightmare on no matter what was going on he would always have to put his addiction first because the drug made him feel as if he couldn’t function otherwise. He also talks about his all-time low but I will let you figure out what that is in the book. This really made me feel bad for him. He wanted to be better but he couldn’t. Chris herren were stuck in a decade long nightmare of addiction. That ruined him causing him to get seven felonies and to overdose four times in his life time. One time his addiction actually leaving him dead for thirty seconds long. Overall I really enjoyed â€Å"Basketball Junkie†. I felt like in really brought me inside the life of a junkie addicted to drugs. He really put it out there. He gave his inside thoughts and feeling and how he needs drugs to function. Chris Herren saying this meant a lot even he was this big time basketball player in rolling stone, sport illustrator and all that. He still manages to get caught up in this lifestyle. â€Å"Basketball Junkie† inspired me to never take any chances for granted and to never let bad influences to get in between my future.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Homelessness and Children Essay -- essays research papers

Around the world millions of children are found homeless, sleeping in the streets, under bridges, or on deserted properties. Their days are spent hustling by prostitution or petty crimes. They prey on each other as well as people passing by that they manage to steal from. Yet still this is home to these children, where they are deprived of the most basic human needs, housing, food, and clothing. Since they have no family or relatives and no hope for the future, they have been tagged â€Å"Nobody’s Children† or â€Å"Throw away Kids†, living each day as if it were the last, causing them to become outlaws, which as a result is a threat to the security of the community we live in. There are various reasons that children are found homeless, ranging from their own desire to leave home to become independ...

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Stevie Nicks: an Inspirational Artist

Another band Nicks Joined in high school was the Frizz Robbery Memorial Band. Frizz was given the opportunity to open for celebrity musician, Janis Joplin. Nicks recalls, muff couldn't have pried me away with a million dollar check†¦ L was absolutely glued to her. It was there that learned a lot of what I do onstage†¦ L said, ‘If ever I am a performer of any value, I want to be able to create the same kind of feeling that is going on between her and her audience† (Steve Nicks Biography). Sure enough, Nicks did accomplish what she set out to do and much more.Steve Nicks' educational career continued when she decided to enroll at San Jose State University as a speech communication major. Steve planned on becoming an English teacher but the enrollment was short-lived and she eventually dropped out of San Jose to pursue her musical aspirations In Los Angels. Steve moved to L. A. With her musical partner, Lindsey Bucking, who eventually became her romantic partner as well. Together they signed a record deal with Polygon Records and created the Bucking Nicks album. Unfortunately, the public did not respond and the duo was unable to produce a significant profit from the album. Nicks decided she would to let this setback end her musical career. Little did she know, she was about to the land the opportunity of a lifetime, My favorite part of Settee's career, her Journey with Flatfooted Mac, could not have come at a better time In Steve Nick's life. She was struggling financially and desperate to have a career breakthrough. I believe â€Å"The Chain†, by Flatfooted Mac, is without a doubt the front-runner of all the songs Steve has participated in writing.Her collaboration on this song with Lindsey Bucking, Mimic Flatfooted, Christine Mimic, and John Emcee showed Steve has the ability to work well with others. The Chain† Includes Settee's preferred Instrument, the tambourine, as well as another percussion Instrument, the drums, and a st ring instrument, the guitar. One similarity this song has with most of Settee's other songs is that it falls in the rock music genre. The upbeat and dramatic tone of this song captivates the audience from the beginning and holds their attention until the end, leaving the listener with a desire to hear more.Another one of my favorites performed by Flatfooted Mac Is the song â€Å"Ruination†, a song Steve states was written In only ten minutes, This musical creation Is about a haystack woman won Tints It very Nora to De tale down (Keller) . Settle wanted t song to be uplifting. I believe the song does have a mystical quality about it, however, not much of an uplifting one. In â€Å"Ruination†, Steve Nicks crosses over from her traditional musical genre, rock, to a separate musical genre, pop.Once again, you can clearly hear the drums, played by Mimic Flatfooted, and two guitars, one played by Lindsey Bucking and the other by John Mimic. There is another instrument that i s introduced in this song and that is the keyboard, which is played by Christine Mimic (Pillar). The combination of these musical instruments sounds beautiful, and Nicks did a remarkable Job putting this piece together. I also enjoy the song â€Å"Dreams,† which Steve Nicks wrote concerning love affairs and relationships ending. It was very personal to Steve, as she was going through this experience herself.After an eight year relationship, Steve Nicks and Lindsey Bucking had decided to go their separate ways. Although â€Å"Dreams† addresses a more difficult topic than â€Å"Ruination,† I think it has a more positive energy and uplifting beat. Steve says she likes to offer hope in her songs (Killer). Nicks chose to incorporate percussion, strings, and a keyboard instrument by using the drums, an acoustic guitar, a base guitar, and the keyboard itself. â€Å"Dreams† is yet another song in Steve Nicks' career that climbed the charts when it was released in 1977 and is still popular more than thirty years later.All the songs discussed previously have excellent music and vocals, but there is one song in which the music overshadows Settee's voice and that song is â€Å"Gypsy. † Without watching one of Flatfooted Mac's live performances, the instrument that I thought stood out was the piano. However, it is actually a guitar. This song is similar to â€Å"Ruination† in that it reflects Nicks' mystical side. The music in â€Å"Gypsy' is refreshing and relaxing. This is the type of song I would want in the background when I had friends over.It sets up a pleasant atmosphere and is delightfully entertaining. The last song I like, written by Steve Nicks that comes out before her solo career, is â€Å"Landslide†. This song is filled with overwhelming emotion and intrigue. It is about Nicks' decision to continue in her musical career when she was standing up against all odds. The guitar is the predominant instrument in this piece, and it is all the song rule needs. Steve repeats the same theme over and over again through the course of this piece. The music in â€Å"Landslide† is surprisingly simple yet very powerful.Throughout Steve Nicks solo career, I would have to say that her most popular composition was â€Å"Edge of Seventeen. † I still hear it on the radio today. Nicks wrote this song after John Lenin and an uncle she was very close to passed away. There is irony in this because â€Å"Edge of Seventeen† strikes me as particularly happy song. The cymbals are an instrument unique to this musical piece. In addition, there are three efferent types of drums being played: the snare drum and the bass drum, which are played with sticks, as well as a hand drum, which is obviously played with the hands.The piano Joins these other instruments as the song develops. â€Å"Edge of Seventeen† is a gripping and enchanting song which, not surprisingly, comes from Settee's album Encha nted. Another catchy song from Nicks' album Enchanted is â€Å"Blue Lamp. † Like many of her other pieces of work, â€Å"Blue Lamp† has a musical introduction that highlights the melody of the song. Steve Nicks stands on the genre border between rock and pop tin tons one-or-a-Kink place. In near own words, seen says tons song symbolizes â€Å"ten light that shines through the night† (Killer).Typical of Settee's character, she uses the drums and the guitar as the musical foundation for the song. If I had to choose one song that I did not like from Nicks' output, it would be â€Å"Rock a Little. † This song does not draw me in the way her others do. The tone color of the instruments sounds dull and the music is relatively boring. This is only my personal opinion, and over the course of Steve Nicks' extraordinary career, I found this piece of work to be simply ordinary. Although Steve Nicks' career began with a commercial failure, her successes as a musical artist are what she is known for.Steve Nicks has influenced a wide variety and record number of singers and songwriters including Kelly Clarion, Collie Cyclical, Madonna, the Dixie Chicks, and Vanessa Carlton. She has collaborated with many well-known artists including Tom Petty, and mentored others, such as Sherry Crow (Dunn). Her 2001 solo album, Trouble in Shanghai-La, included fellow musicians Mac Gray, Sarah McClellan, Sherry Crow, and Dixie Chick Natalie Amines. Nicks has toured all over the world from Sydney, Australia, to SST. Petersburg, Russia, and from Dublin, Ireland, to Dallas, Texas.I cannot say that one country likes her more than the other, given the fact that all the reviews describe her sold out concerts and devoted fans (Kinney). In an article from an Australian newspaper, music editor Kathy McCabe reports, â€Å"The veteran band [Flatfooted Mac] who ushered in the west-coast sound has lost none of its fire but gained the self-awareness afforded by survival in th e music business, using their legendary tensions, relationship breakdowns and drug problems to introduce so many great songs from Rumors and beyond† (McCabe).Sean Flynn, writer for the Irish Times, says, â€Å"This time around, there is no new album to plug and no new songs to roll out. Yesterdays gone, but those golden sun-drenched songs roll on forever† (Flynn). I could not have said it better myself. Steve Nicks is a legend. Her music has thrived for decades and she will go down in history as an exceptionally talented songwriter and performer. In addition to the musical imprint Steve Nicks has left on society, her humanitarian efforts have also impacted the world. She has performed at benefits for the Arizona

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Municpal solid waste

An open dump is defined as abandoned piles of household garbage, bags of yard waste, appliances, old barrels, used tires, and demolition debris such as lumber, shingles, pipes and asbestos can threaten the health of humans, wildlife, and the environment. (Epa. State. IL. Us, 2014) Open dumps pose the following health, safety, and environmental threats: Fire and explosion Inhalation of toxic gases Injury to children playing on or around the dump site Disease carried by mosquitoes, flies, and rodents Contamination of streams, rivers and lakes Contamination of soil and groundwaterContamination of drinking water Damage to plant and wildlife habitats Decrease In the quality of elite to nearby residents and the local community Open dumps create a public nuisance, divert land from more productive uses, and depress the value of surrounding land. (Epa. State. IL. Us, 2014) Early landfills were made in were made in wetlands, which were thought to be wasteland back then. Early landfills leaked into rivers and lakes and built up gases, like methane. Garbage dumps used to catch fire and even explode, because as garbage rots, it gives off methane, a flammable gas. Experimentation. Rag, 2014) Early landfills have significant problems with the Lactate organization because it was an unconstrained contaminant release, the methane organization did not exist, and incomplete decomposition as well as settle was so high because 8% of waste was secondhand. Modern landfills are carefully designed to contain waste and protect the environmental integrity of the surrounding area – including the air, water and soil. Our landfill incorporates advanced design features, including multi-layer liner construction, gas extraction and lactate removal systems. Multidimensional. M. Com, 2014) This is completely different from early landfill because there was no way to contain the waste. Modern landfills include engineered protective liners, lactate group systems, groundwater nursing and much more. Alton Landfill and Resource Recovery Facility in Livermore, CA has implemented a special program to protect the endangered San Joaquin Kit Fox. The protection program Includes many projects to protect the San Joaquin Kit Fox. Exclusion zones are placed around dens. Limited disturbance of areas adjacent to construction and storage areas must be maintained.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

This essay analyzes Voltaires ideas on reform through his novel Candide. He is for reform and this essay shows examples of why.

This essay analyzes Voltaires ideas on reform through his novel Candide. He is for reform and this essay shows examples of why. Voltaire uses satire to point out the follies in society during his time in order to help the community reshape their behavior and attitudes. He brings to view sin, selfishness, and religious intolerance that are created by the upper class citizens and religious leaders. Voltaire has an ideal society and government in mind, but he knows that it is impossible to achieve. In order to avoid misery, one should live life happily through hard work and honesty. Voltaire's idea of reform in his novel can be characterized as positive. He suggests the need for reform by revealing the evils in society, such as hypocrisy, especially in the name of religion and the arrogance of wealthy people.Throughout the novel, Voltaire attacks hypocrisy, most prevalent in religion, and displays the cruel actions of the priests, monks, and other religious leaders. When Cunegonde and Candide are reunited for the first time, Cunegonde tells him the most unfortunate story.This engraving is from Voltaire's Candide : it depi...First she was raped by a Bulgarian and was then held as a prisoner of war (Voltaire, 40). Later the Bulgar captain sold her, as though she was a commodity, to a Jewish man by the name of Don Issachar, who had to share her with the Grand Inquisitor (Voltaire, 41-42). Soon after, the readers find out that the old woman was also sold again and again. Voltaire is showing the immorality of every class and religion. This was seen twice in the novel to highlight the lack of human values. The old woman was also raped by the Moroccan pirates when she and her mother went on a holiday (Voltaire, 51). They were then taken to Morocco, where the Emperor's sons fought to win the old woman and some other ladies (Voltaire, 52). Voltaire tells us that during the bloodshed and rape, the...

Monday, October 21, 2019

Unfolding as he Should essays

Unfolding as he Should essays Andrew is a, finally, content six year old. His introduction to school, junior kindergarten, wasnt an enjoyable or enriching experiencing and senior kindergarten wasnt much better. Andrew is a socialite who loves to talk and laugh and because of this was labeled a trouble maker throughout kindergarten and treated with indifference by his teacher. Getting him to school each day was a struggle for his single mother, as he feared another day of being singled out and scolded by his teacher. Finally, in Grade 1, he is happy. He has an understanding teacher, nice friends and is excelling at the new challenges Grade 1 has to offer. Andrews parents separated when he was just two years old. He doesnt remember that they ever lived together, but often expresses a wish that they would, so that he could be with them both all the time. This does at times cause a struggle when he has to leave one parent to visit with the other. He lives with his mother full time and visits his dad every other weekend. However, this arrangement is very open and if his father wants to spend more time with him or have him two weekends in a row, this is ok. His parents are now good friends; it took a few years to establish this but is a definite advantage for him. His mother and father, along with his fathers new girlfriend, often have dinner together and recently spent Thanksgiving together. His parents have also worked at establishing and maintaining a standard of discipline throughout both households, enforcing similar punishments and requiring the same level of behavior. For instance, he is expected to keep his room clean, put his toy s away at the end of each day and treat everyone in the family with respect this means listening and responding when asked to do something. Andrew doesnt get into trouble very often, but when he needs to be punished, he loses a toy and gets a talking to about what he did that was wrong and...

Sunday, October 20, 2019

The History of the English Language

The History of the English Language The story of English- from its start in a jumble of West Germanic dialects to its role today as a global language- is both fascinating and complex. This timeline offers a glimpse at some of the key events that helped to shape the English language over the past 1,500 years. To learn more about the ways that English evolved in Britain and then spread around the world, check out The History of English in 10 Minutes, an amusing video produced by the Open University. The Prehistory of English The ultimate origins of English lie in Indo-European, a family of languages consisting of most of the languages of Europe as well as those of Iran, the Indian subcontinent, and other parts of Asia. Because little is known about ancient Indo-European (which may have been spoken as long ago as 3,000 B.C.), well begin our survey in Britain in the first century A.D. 43- The Romans invade Britain, beginning 400 years of control over much of the island.410- The Goths (speakers of a now extinct East Germanic language) sack Rome. The first Germanic tribes arrive in Britain.Early 5th century- With the collapse of the empire, Romans withdraw from Britain. Britons are attacked by the Picts and by Scots from Ireland. Angles, Saxons, and other German settlers arrive in Britain to assist the Britons and claim territory.5th-6th centuries- Germanic peoples (Angles, Saxons, Jutes, Frisians) speaking West Germanic dialects settle most of Britain. Celts retreat to distant areas of Britain: Ireland, Scotland, Wales. 500-1100: The Old English (or Anglo-Saxon) Period The conquest of the Celtic population in Britain by speakers of West Germanic dialects (primarily Angles, Saxons, and Jutes) eventually determined many of the essential characteristics of the English language. (The Celtic influence on English survives for the most part only in place names- London, Dover, Avon, York.) Over time the dialects of the various invaders merged, giving rise to what we now call Old English. Late 6th century- Ethelbert, the King of Kent, is baptized. He is the first English king to convert to Christianity.7th century- Rise of the Saxon kingdom of Wessex; the Saxon kingdoms of Essex and Middlesex; the Angle kingdoms of Mercia, East Anglia, and Northumbria. St. Augustine and Irish missionaries convert Anglo-Saxons to Christianity, introducing new religious words borrowed from Latin and Greek. Latin speakers begin referring to the country as Anglia and later as Englaland.673- Birth of the Venerable Bede, the monk who composed (in Latin) The Ecclesiastical History of the English People (c. 731), a key source of information about Anglo Saxon settlement.700- Approximate date of the earliest manuscript records of Old English.Late 8th century- Scandinavians begin to settle in Britain and Ireland; Danes settle in parts of Ireland.Early 9th century- Egbert of Wessex incorporates Cornwall into his kingdom and is recognized as overlord of the seven kingdoms of the Angles and Saxons (the Heptarchy): England begins to emerge. Mid 9th century- Danes raid England, occupy Northumbria, and establish a kingdom at York. Danish begins to influence English.Late 9th century- King Alfred of Wessex (Alfred the Great) leads the Anglo-Saxons to victory over the Vikings, translates Latin works into English and establishes the writing of prose in English. He uses the English language to foster a sense of national identity. England is divided into a kingdom ruled by the Anglo-Saxons (under Alfred) and another ruled by the Scandinavians.10th century- English and Danes mix fairly peacefully, and many Scandinavian (or Old Norse) loanwords enter the language, including such common words as sister, wish, skin, and die.1000- Approximate date of the only surviving manuscript of the Old English epic poem Beowulf, composed by an anonymous poet between the 8th century and the early 11th century.Early 11th century- Danes attack England, and the English king (Ethelred the Unready) escapes to Normandy. The Battle of Maldon becomes th e subject of one of the few surviving poems in Old English. The Danish king (Canute) rules over England and encourages the growth of Anglo-Saxon culture and literature. Mid 11th century- Edward the Confessor, King of England who was raised in Normandy, names William, Duke of Normandy, as his heir.1066- The Norman Invasion: King Harold is killed at the Battle of Hastings, and William of Normandy is crowned King of England. Over succeeding decades, Norman French becomes the language of the courts and of the upper classes; English remains the language of the majority. Latin is used in churches and schools. For the next century, English, for all practical purposes, is no longer a written language. 1100-1500: The Middle English Period The Middle English period saw the breakdown of the inflectional system of Old English and the expansion of vocabulary with many borrowings from French and Latin. 1150- Approximate date of the earliest surviving texts in Middle English.1171- Henry II declares himself overlord of Ireland, introducing Norman French and English to the country. About this time the University of Oxford is founded.1204- King John loses control of the Duchy of Normandy and other French lands; England is now the only home of the Norman French/English.1209- The University of Cambridge is formed by scholars from Oxford.1215- King John signs the Magna Carta (Great Charter), a critical document in the long historical process leading to the rule of constitutional law in the English-speaking world.1258- King Henry III is forced to accept the Provisions of Oxford, which establish a Privy Council to oversee the administration of the government. These documents, though annulled a few years later, are generally regarded as Englands first written constitution.Late 13th century- Under Edward I, royal authority is consolidated in England and Wales. English becomes the dominant lan guage of all classes. Mid to late 14th century- The Hundred Years War between England and France leads to the loss of almost all of Englands French possessions. The Black Death kills roughly one-third of Englands population. Geoffrey Chaucer composes The Canterbury Tales in Middle English. English becomes the official language of the law courts and replaces Latin as the medium of instruction at most schools. John Wycliffes English translation of the Latin Bible is published. The Great Vowel Shift begins, marking the loss of the so-called pure vowel sounds (which are still found in many continental languages) and the loss of the phonetic pairings of most long and short vowel sounds.1362- The Statute of Pleading makes English the official language in England. Parliament is opened with its first speech delivered in English.1399 At his coronation, King Henry IV becomes the first English monarch to deliver a speech in English.Late 15th century- William Caxton brings to Westminster (from the Rhineland) the firs t printing press and publishes Chaucers The Canterbury Tales. Literacy rates increase significantly, and printers begin to standardize English spelling. The monk Galfridus Grammaticus (also known as Geoffrey the Grammarian) publishes Thesaurus Linguae Romanae et Britannicae, the first English-to-Latin wordbook. 1500 to the Present: The  Modern English  Period Distinctions are commonly drawn between the Early Modern Period (1500-1800) and Late Modern English (1800 to the present). During the period of Modern English, British exploration, colonization, and overseas trade hastened the acquisition of  loanwords  from countless other languages and fostered the development of new varieties of English (World English), each with its own nuances of  vocabulary,  grammar, and  pronunciation. Since the middle of the 20th century, the expansion of North American business and media around the world has led to the emergence of  Global English  as a  lingua franca. Early 16th century- The first English settlements are made in North America. William Tyndales English translation of the Bible is published. Many Greek and Latin  borrowings  enter English.1542- In his  Fyrst Boke of the Introduction of Knowledge, Andrew Boorde illustrates regional  dialects.1549- The first version of the Book of Common Prayer of the Church of England is published.1553- Thomas Wilson publishes  The Art of Rhetorique, one of the first works on  logic  and  rhetoric  in English.1577- Henry Peacham publishes  The Garden of Eloquence, a treatise on rhetoric.1586- The first  grammar  of English- William Bullokars  Pamphlet for Grammar- is published.1588- Elizabeth I begins her 45-year reign as queen of England. The British defeat the Spanish Armada, boosting national pride and enhancing the legend of Queen Elizabeth.1589- The Art of English Poesie  (attributed to George Puttenham) is published.1590-1611- William Shakespeare writes his  Sonnet s  and the majority of his plays.1600- The East India Company is chartered to promote trade with Asia, eventually leading to the establishment of the British Raj in India. 1603- Queen Elizabeth dies and James I (James VI of Scotland) accedes to the throne.1604- Robert Cawdreys  Table Alphabeticall, the first English  dictionary, is published.  1607- The first permanent English settlement in America is established at Jamestown, Virginia.1611- The Authorized Version of the English Bible (the King James Bible) is published, greatly influencing the development of the written language.1619- The first African slaves in North America arrive in Virginia.1622- Weekly News, the first English newspaper, is published in London.1623- The First Folio edition of Shakespeares plays is published.1642- Civil War breaks out in England after King Charles I attempts to arrest his parliamentary critics. The war leads to the execution of Charles I, the dissolution of parliament, and the replacement of the English monarchy with a Protectorate (1653–59) under Oliver Cromwells rule.1660- The monarchy is restored; Charles II is proclaimed king.1662- The Royal Societ y of London appoints a committee to consider ways of improving English as a language of science. 1666- The Great Fire of London destroys most of the City of London inside the old Roman City Wall.1667- John Milton publishes his epic poem  Paradise Lost.1670- The Hudsons Bay Company is chartered for promoting trade and settlement in Canada.1688- Aphra Behn, the first woman novelist in England, publishes  Oroonoko, or the History of the Royal Slave.1697- In his  Essay Upon Projects,  Daniel Defoe  calls for the creation of an Academy of 36 gentlemen to dictate English  usage.1702- The Daily Courant, the first regular daily newspaper in English, is published in London.1707- The Act of Union unites the Parliaments of England and  Scotland, creating the United Kingdom of Great Britain.1709- The first Copyright Act is enacted in England.1712- Anglo-Irish satirist and cleric  Jonathan Swift  proposes the creation of an English Academy to regulate English  usage  and ascertain the language.1719- Daniel Defoe publishes  Robinson Crusoe, considered by some to be the first modern English novel.1721- Nathaniel Bailey publishes his  Universal Etymological Dictionary of the English Language, a pioneer study in English  lexicography: the first to feature current  usage,  etymology,  syllabification, clarifying  quotations, illustrations, and indications of  pronunciation. 1715- Elisabeth Elstob publishes the first grammar of Old English.1755- Samuel Johnson  publishes his two-volume  Dictionary of the English Language.1760-1795- This period marks the rise of the English grammarians (Joseph Priestly, Robert Lowth, James Buchanan, John Ash, Thomas Sheridan, George Campbell, William Ward, and Lindley Murray), whose rule books, primarily based on  prescriptive  notions of grammar, become increasingly popular.  1762- Robert Lowth publishes his  Short Introduction to English Grammar.1776- The  Declaration of Independence  is signed, and the American War of Independence begins, leading to the creation of the United States of America, the first country outside the British Isles with English as its principal language.1776- George Campbell publishes  The Philosophy of Rhetoric.1783- Noah Webster  publishes his  American Spelling Book.1785- The Daily Universal Register  (renamed  The Times  in 1788) begins publication in London.1788- The English first settle in  Australia, near present-day Sydney. 1789- Noah Webster publishes  Dissertations on the English Language, which advocates an  American standard of usage.1791- The Observer, the oldest national Sunday newspaper in Britain, begins publication.Early 19th century- Grimms Law  (discovered by Friedrich von Schlegel and Rasmus Rask, later elaborated by Jacob Grimm) identifies relationships between certain  consonants  in Germanic languages (including English) and their originals in Indo-European. The formulation of Grimms Law marks a major advance in the development of  linguistics  as a scholarly field of study.1803- The Act of Union incorporates Ireland into Britain, creating the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.1806- The British occupy Cape Colony in South Africa.1810- William Hazlitt  publishes  A New and Improved Grammar of the English Language.​1816- John Pickering compiles the first dictionary of  Americanisms.1828- Noah Webster publishes his  American Dictionary of the English La nguage. Richard Whateley publishes  Elements of Rhetoric. 1840- The native Maori in  New Zealand  cede sovereignty to the British.1842- The London Philological Society is founded.1844- The telegraph is invented by Samuel Morse, inaugurating the development of rapid communication, a major influence on the growth and spread of English.Mid 19th century- A  standard variety of American English  develops. English is established in  Australia,  South Africa,  India, and other British colonial outposts.1852- The first edition of  Rogets Thesaurus  is published.1866- James Russell Lowell champions the use of American  regionalisms, helping to end deference to the  Received British Standard. Alexander Bain publishes  English Composition and Rhetoric. The transatlantic telegraph cable is completed.1876- Alexander Graham Bell invents the telephone, thus modernizing private communication.1879- James A.H. Murray begins editing the Philological Societys  New English Dictionary on Historical Principles  (later renamed the  Ox ford English Dictionary).1884/1885- Mark Twains  novel  The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn  introduces a  colloquial  prose  style  that significantly influences the writing of fiction in the U.S. 1901- The Commonwealth of Australia is established as a dominion of the British Empire.1906- Henry and Francis Fowler publish the first edition of  The Kings English.1907- New Zealand is established as a dominion of the British Empire.1919- H.L. Mencken  publishes the first edition of  The American Language, a pioneer study in the history of a major national version of English.1920- The first American commercial radio station begins operating in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.1921- Ireland  achieves Home Rule, and Gaelic is made an official language in addition to English.1922- The British Broadcasting Company (later renamed the British Broadcasting Corporation, or  BBC) is established.1925- The New Yorker  magazine is founded by  Harold Ross  and Jane Grant.1925- George P. Krapp publishes his two-volume  The English Language in America, the first comprehensive and scholarly treatment of the subject.1926- Henry Fowler publishes the first edition of his  Dictionary of Mo dern English Usage.1927- The first speaking motion picture,  The Jazz Singer, is released. 1928- The Oxford English Dictionary  is published.1930- British linguist C.K. Ogden introduces  Basic English.1936- The first television service is established by the BBC.1939- World War II begins.1945- World War II ends. The Allied victory contributes to the growth of English as a  lingua franca.1946- The Philippines  gains its independence from the U.S.1947- India is freed from British control and divided into Pakistan and India. The  constitution  provides that English remain the official language for 15 years. New Zealand gains its independence from the U.K. and joins the Commonwealth.1949- Hans Kurath publishes  A Word Geography of the Eastern United States, a landmark in the scientific study of American  regionalisms.1950- Kenneth Burke  publishes  A Rhetoric of Motives.1950s- The number of speakers using  English as a second language  exceeds the number of  native speakers.1957- Noam Chomsky  publishes  Syntactic Structures, a key document in the study of  generative  and  transformational grammar.1961- Websters Third New International Dictionary  is published. 1967- The Welsh Language Act gives the Welsh language equal validity with  English in Wales, and Wales is no longer considered a part of England. Henry Kucera and Nelson Francis publish  Computational Analysis of Present-Day American English, a landmark in modern  corpus linguistics.1969- Canada  officially becomes bilingual (French and English). The first major English dictionary to use corpus linguistics- The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language- is published.1972- A Grammar of Contemporary English  (by Randolph Quirk, Sidney Greenbaum, Geoffrey Leech, and Jan Svartvik) is published. The first call on a personal cell phone is made. The first  email  is sent.1978- The Linguistic Atlas of England  is published.1981- The first issue of the journal  World Englishes  is published.1985- A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language  is published by Longman. The first edition of M.A.K. Hallidays  An Introduction to Functional Grammar  is publish ed.1988- The Internet (under development for more than 20 years) is opened to commercial interests. 1989- The second edition of  The Oxford English Dictionary  is published.1993- Mosaic, the web browser credited with popularizing the World Wide Web, is released. (Netscape Navigator becomes available in 1994, Yahoo! in 1995, and Google in 1998.)1994- Text messaging  is introduced, and the first modern blogs go online.1995- David Crystal publishes  The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language.1997- The first social networking site (SixDegrees.com) is launched. (Friendster is introduced in 2002, and both MySpace and Facebook begin operating in 2004.)2000- The Oxford English Dictionary Online (OED Online) is made available to subscribers.2002- Rodney Huddleston and Geoffrey K. Pullum publish  The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language. Tom McArthur publishes  The Oxford Guide to World English.2006- Twitter, a social networking and microblogging service, is created by Jack Dorsey.2009- The two-volume  Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary  is pub lished by Oxford University Press.2012- The fifth volume (SI-Z) of the  Dictionary of American Regional English  (DARE  ) is published by Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. Resources and Further Reading Algeo, John.  The Origins and Development of the English Language, 6th edition. Wadsworth, 2009.Baugh, Albert C., and Thomas Cable.  A History of the English Language, 5th edition. Prentice Hall, 2001.Bragg, Melvyn.  The Adventure of English: The Biography of a Language. Hodder Stoughton, 2003.Crystal, David.  The English Language. Penguin, 2002.Gooden, Philip.  The Story of English: How the English Language Conquered the World. Quercus, 2009.Hogg, Richard M., and David Dennison, editors.  A History of the English Language. Cambridge University Press, 2006.Horobin, Simon.  How English Became English: A Short History of a Global Language. Oxford University Press, 2016.Lerer, Seth.  Inventing English: A Portable History of the Language. Columbia University Press, 2007.McArthur, Tom.  The Oxford Companion to the English Language. Oxford University Press, 1992.McWhorter, John.  Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue: The Untold Story of English. Gotham, 2008.Millward, C.M., and Mary Hayes.  A Biography of the English Language, 3rd  ed. Wadsworth, 2011. Mugglestone, Linda.  The Oxford History of English. Oxford University Press, 2006.Nist, John.  A Structural History of English. St. Martins Press, 1966.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

European Financial Crisis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

European Financial Crisis - Essay Example Over and above individual member perpetration to the crisis, the European region as a whole triggered the crisis. Exacerbated credit growth, low risk premia prevalence, liquidity abundance, and real estate bubbles are some of the major causes of the European financial crisis (European Commission 4). Other causes relate to the primary currency of the region; the Euro. Deteriorated euro value resulted in economic poor performance in key sectors of the European economy. As a result, recession scenario was looming, characterized by fluctuating business cycle. On the same note, the rush by financial institutions to safeguard their interests amid the economic downturn exacerbated the occurrence of the European financial crisis. Parties responsible for the crisis spread across different sectors of the economy. These sectors and their relevant parties perpetrated the crisis in different ways. In the financial sector, financial institutions were primarily responsible. Commercial banks rushed to make windfall profits at a time when the euro was performing poorly in the money market. On the same note, these institutions sought to safeguard their business portfolio by being slow to adjust their operations in such a way that would ease pressure in the economy. The bid to secure business interests at the time when the economy was starting to decline in terms of performance plunged the region into a financial crisis. In the government sector, central banks are primarily responsible. Central banks’ monetary and government spending decisions influenced interest rates negatively. Surging interest rates were realized even before the crisis exploded. Another aspect of responsibility in the government sector emanates from the fact that some European governments have defaulted debts (European Commission 9). Doing so has subsequently affected investments in the region to a point where financial crisis has been realized. The implication is that investors have to share in

Friday, October 18, 2019

Management Control Systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Management Control Systems - Essay Example Management control systems refer to the ways a company collects information to manage and control the activities regarding accomplishment of organizational goals and objectives in an effective manner. It is a fact that without proper management, no goal can be achieved in a timely manner as various difficulties can arise in this process which need a proper resolution. A management control system helps management and employees perform their assigned activities in a proper manner using the information stored in it. Management control systems refer to the way a company collects information to use it to accomplish organizational goals and objectives in an effective manner. A management control system helps employees and management in performing their assigned activities in a proper manner using the information and guidelines stored in the system. Management control systems deal with every system of a company, which may include accounting methods, employee benefit programs, performance ap praisal, and performance improvement systems. However, companies need to use management control systems as packages to make the most efficient use of these systems. ... s, activities, tasks, goals and objectives, and guidelines regarding every particular department and business process which managers and employees can use to perform their respective activities. For example, when the top management of a company has to hire new employees for any particular department of the company, they refer to the guidelines stored in the management control system which help them perform candidates’ selection and evaluation in a defined manner. It also helps managers assign relevant tasks and duties to new employees. Moreover, they assist top management in performing performance and productivity analyses, as well as in developing employee benefit programs. Today, the business world is changing rapidly because of the changes in technology, nature of competition, and consumer behaviors. Companies need to change their management control systems accordingly to benefit from the ongoing changes instead of leaving behind in the race of competition. Companies need t o demonstrate their knowledge regarding change to react positively to the changes in the external environment to maintain the key performance indicators, as well as the levels of productivity and profitability. Managers of companies need to link operational control and strategic planning by using the guidelines of management control systems. As Asel (2009, p. 4) states, â€Å"the focus of MCS is not only on one form of control like performance measures but on multiple control systems working together. They can use management control systems to direct all administrative matters, as well as to manage the issues of employees. 3. Management Control Systems as Packages As Sandelin (2008, p. 324) states, â€Å"the functionality of a control package depends on internal consistency, specifically on the

MoD 3 FIN501 Risk and Returns Protfoli Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

MoD 3 FIN501 Risk and Returns Protfoli - Essay Example We can use the following models to determine a company's required rate of return: 1) Dividend Discount Model: The dividend discount model is an example of a present value model of stock valuation in which dividends are used as stream of cash flows and the present value of the stream of dividends is defined as the value of the stock. The basic assumption of this model is that an investor who buys a share receives return only in the form of dividends. This assumption strictly holds for dividend paying stocks and for companies that are stable and pay a constant amount of dividend to its share holders. Companies that are categorized as high growth companies do not pay out dividends to their share holders since the excess funds are invested elsewhere in the business to exploit the existing growth opportunities (Madura, 2008). Hence DDM is not a suitable model to use for high growth companies that do not pay out dividends to its shareholders. Another assumption of the model is that there a re no taxes and transaction costs. This is a false assumption since dividends earned are taxed in most of the countries. DDM is one of the oldest and easiest model to calculate a company's required rate of return. ... The required rate of return is very sensitive to the inputs used in the DDM constant growth formula and hence the value of required rate of return is as good as the assumptions used by an analyst. DDM also assumes that the prices are efficient and the intrinsic value of a stock is equal to the market price of a stock. This assumption does not hold in equity market indices of developing markets. In conclusion, DDM is appropriate for valuing a company's required rate of return when its key assumption of steady future dividends hold. Most of the Equity market indices of developed markets satisfy this assumption. Lastly, an analyst should be aware of the fact that the output of the model is very sensitive to the inputs used and the model's accuracy largely depends on the assumptions used by an analyst. 2) Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM): CAPM is an equation that can be used to calculate the required rate of return of a stock. CAPM is one of the widest used models in finance to calcula te the required rate of return because of its comparatively objective procedure of calculating a company's required rate of return (Jaffe, Westerfield, & Ross, 2005). Following equation can be used to calculate the required rate of return in CAPM: One of the assumptions of CAPM is that the shareholders are risk averse and they make the decision to invest in a stock based on the mean return and variance of returns of their total portfolio . This assumption does not hold in developing markets where investors are not very knowledgeable about the concepts of portfolio management. Another assumption of CAPM is that there are many investors in the market and all of those investors are price takers. This assumption does not hold true if the financial markets are not

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Economics - Essay Example This way corn serves a two-way purpose and that will definitely increase its demand. Corn and soybean are considered as substitutes and according to economic theory if demand for a product raises then the demand for its substitute will obviously decline. Following this principle the price of the soybean will decline. Again corn and soybean shares the same habitat for production, especially the prime raw material for any agricultural production the land. Now an increased demand for corn will also lead to a higher price for the same, since price and demand are directly correlated. A product that is offering higher price will definitely translate into higher profit for the producer and an immediate shift from production of soybean to that of corn. Higher percentage of land and effort will now be directed towards corn production than that of soybean (Pearce, 2006). The above discussion seems economically sound, however a careful investigation might reveal that this holds for short run. O nce the producer starts to devote more land and other raw materials to the production of corn, corn production will rise and production of soybean will fall. Hence in long run owing to higher supply of corn its price will come down and that of soybean will go up as it is scarce now. These points to the fact that in long run an eventual equilibrium will be reached where both will be produced at an optimum level for the economy. Last but not the least since, energy has an ever increasing demand, hence if corn can project itself as a viable source of alternative energy in long run that have enough potential to replace fossil fuels then the trend for substituting soybean production land and raw material in favor of the corn might show a sustained trend, with soybean production looking for an alternative way as itself is a nutritious and valuable food source along with a rich source for food oil. It is obvious that since there is high need of alternative form of energy and that especiall y of bio fuel; corn oil as an important source of bio fuel will enjoy this boom in demand and price for this product will go up. The magnitude of this rise in price is subject to much debate. First of all if demand for a product is matched by its supply then the rise in price is minimal or zero. However if this is not the scenario that is there is excess demand then the price will go up. Interestingly it is worth noting that in case of excess supply the price might also go down even courting a rise in demand for the concerned product. The excess supply often follows a rise in demand owing to the behavioural pattern of the producer who might over estimate the rise in demand and increase his supply of corn in tune of his expectations. Apart from this demand-supply interaction, many other factors do operate while determining the fate of the corn oil. If people are well aware of the potential that corn oil holds as a fuel and alternative source of energy that will definitely translate i nto higher demand. Again this has to be also undertaken into the realm of analysis that whether any other form of substitutes to corn oil does exist, that might be cheaper, easily available in plenty and better source of energy. As a viable source of alternative energy in the long run corn oil will face quite a competition with Jatropha and Pongamia pinnata (Bridgewater, Halford and Karp, 2010, p. 236) and that outcome will

Employee Relations Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Employee Relations - Case Study Example On May 15, he assured Monica that everything would be taken care of as planned. Carl pulled out the paperwork needed for the orientation plans after Memorial Day, which would place this time frame around the beginning of June. His goal at this point in time was to get everything finalized for the orientation that would be coming up in approximately two weeks. What he found was a big mess. Some of the applications were incomplete. Some of the new hires did not have the required transcripts on file. Not a single one of them had gone to have a drug screen, and those were mandatory. Furthermore, he could only find three orientation manuals and all of them had pages missing. The frustration did not end there. When he went to check on the room that would be used to train the new hires during the actual orientation, he found out that it was not even going to be available for use on that day. In fact, it had already been booked for the entire month of June for other company business. All of this turmoil left Carl very frustrated and having no idea where to turn next. Although each of these individual problems is significant, the real issue boils down to a couple of deeper problems: miscommunication and poor preparation. Most of this falls on the shoulders of Carl since he agreed to take responsibility for the orientation, but it could have possibly been prevented had other individuals in the company, such as Monica or Carl's supervisor, checked in on his progress and found that he was putting off some vital actions until it was virtually too late to correct them, at least in a quick and efficient manner. According to Anonymous Employee (2008, pg. 1), "Poor communication leads to inadequate workplaces. As in any relationship, communication is key to a strong business relationship. This can be the relationship between business and customer, or, equally as important, the internal relationships among different employees within the company. Communication can be improved in virtually every workplace, no matter the industry or size. After all, it is the only way for information to effectively spread throughout the business so that everybody can be informed to the degree that they required to properly achieve their goals." In addition, Anonymous Employee (2008, pg. 1) claims that, "Among the most trying elements of poor communication in today's workplace is a lack of information for the proper accomplishment of the tasks necessary within the business. Even in today's information overload society, employees often lack the information they need to do their jobs. They may have the data that they require

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Economics - Essay Example This way corn serves a two-way purpose and that will definitely increase its demand. Corn and soybean are considered as substitutes and according to economic theory if demand for a product raises then the demand for its substitute will obviously decline. Following this principle the price of the soybean will decline. Again corn and soybean shares the same habitat for production, especially the prime raw material for any agricultural production the land. Now an increased demand for corn will also lead to a higher price for the same, since price and demand are directly correlated. A product that is offering higher price will definitely translate into higher profit for the producer and an immediate shift from production of soybean to that of corn. Higher percentage of land and effort will now be directed towards corn production than that of soybean (Pearce, 2006). The above discussion seems economically sound, however a careful investigation might reveal that this holds for short run. O nce the producer starts to devote more land and other raw materials to the production of corn, corn production will rise and production of soybean will fall. Hence in long run owing to higher supply of corn its price will come down and that of soybean will go up as it is scarce now. These points to the fact that in long run an eventual equilibrium will be reached where both will be produced at an optimum level for the economy. Last but not the least since, energy has an ever increasing demand, hence if corn can project itself as a viable source of alternative energy in long run that have enough potential to replace fossil fuels then the trend for substituting soybean production land and raw material in favor of the corn might show a sustained trend, with soybean production looking for an alternative way as itself is a nutritious and valuable food source along with a rich source for food oil. It is obvious that since there is high need of alternative form of energy and that especiall y of bio fuel; corn oil as an important source of bio fuel will enjoy this boom in demand and price for this product will go up. The magnitude of this rise in price is subject to much debate. First of all if demand for a product is matched by its supply then the rise in price is minimal or zero. However if this is not the scenario that is there is excess demand then the price will go up. Interestingly it is worth noting that in case of excess supply the price might also go down even courting a rise in demand for the concerned product. The excess supply often follows a rise in demand owing to the behavioural pattern of the producer who might over estimate the rise in demand and increase his supply of corn in tune of his expectations. Apart from this demand-supply interaction, many other factors do operate while determining the fate of the corn oil. If people are well aware of the potential that corn oil holds as a fuel and alternative source of energy that will definitely translate i nto higher demand. Again this has to be also undertaken into the realm of analysis that whether any other form of substitutes to corn oil does exist, that might be cheaper, easily available in plenty and better source of energy. As a viable source of alternative energy in the long run corn oil will face quite a competition with Jatropha and Pongamia pinnata (Bridgewater, Halford and Karp, 2010, p. 236) and that outcome will

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Should Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) be considered in the Research Paper

Should Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) be considered in the rating of Wall Street companies - Research Paper Example This poses the question whether CSR should be considered in rating of Wall Street companies. In this paper, CSR is discussed in cases for and against inclusion in Wall Street company ratings. Approaches to CSR, research and trends are also examined. The author argues that CSR is important and should be considered side by side the companies’ ratings so that stakeholders get a clearer picture about the companies’ operations in the society they work with. The author proposes a simple, qualitative rating scale as a starting point for something as universal as CSR for inclusion in rating Wall Street Companies. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is an ethical belief and practice that companies, just like individuals, are responsibilities as good stewards of the society in which they do business with (Wood, 1991). Corporations have an obligation to act in ways that will benefit or sustain society and that their responsibility is not lim ited to their profit. In the last decade, we have seen movements gather momentum requesting for more corporate social responsibilities in ethical practices, for the environment, the working conditions of employees, for the local communities, and towards all stakeholders from suppliers to post-consumption of products. CSR is soon to be integrated with the human resources, business development, operations, and relations (Barnea and Rubin, 2010). This paper will examine the two companies rated by Wall Street: Goldman Sachs and British Petroleum (BP), which very recently have been involved in practices that did not do well to the society in which they do business with. An attempt will be made to see if CSR should be considered in their ratings. In the year 2010, each of the three major credit rating agencies - Moody’s Investor Services, Standard & Poor's and Fitch Ratings - rated both of these companies mainly on their credit worthiness. In the same year, Fortune Magazine also na med them as two of the world’s most admired companies. The question then is whether these companies should be rated solely on scales that show their credit-worthiness or should these ratings also include a dimension that will show how well a company performing in the society in general. British Petroleum (BP) In April 2010, an explosion occurred on BP's oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. The Coast Guard reported that 11 people were killed, 17 other others injured and about 4.9 million barrels of oil released to the Gulf of Mexico affecting Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi and Florida. The oil spill caused extensive environmental damage to the sea and wildlife creatures in the Gulf of Mexico. It also damaged the fishing and tourism industries. The US Government held BP accountable for the damages. BP officials committed to shoulder all cleanup costs and other damages. In addition, the company is also being investigated for alleged unsafe practices which caused the occurrence on the rig leading to the explosion. An internal probe made BP admit to mistakes that led to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. In 2010, Moody’s rated BP’s senior unsecured ratings as an Aa2 from Aa1. Fitch Ratings rated BP’s long-term issuer default rating and senior unsecured rating as an AA from AA+. Reuters also reported in June 2010 that Standard and

Monday, October 14, 2019

Support Children At Meal Time Essay Example for Free

Support Children At Meal Time Essay 1.1 Outline the nutritional requirements of a healthy diet for children and young people. Energy enables children to concentrate, learn and play at school. Starchy carbohydrates should provide the main source of energy in the diet. Sources of carbohydrates are Breads of all types, rice, pasta, noodles, potatoes, yam, oats, cassava, couscous, breakfast cereals, wheat grains like bulgar wheat, lentils, red kidney beans and black eyed beans. Good practice Whole grain varieties of bread and cereal are best as they are good sources of fibre. Non-milk extrinsic (NME) sugars Diets low in NME sugars will help to prevent tooth decay. Sources are Table sugar, jam, honey, sweetened drinks, cakes, pastries, ice cream, sweets, biscuits, confectionary and chocolate. Good practice Use less sugar in recipes, serve fruit-based or dairy-based desserts instead of cakes and biscuits which often contain lots of added sugar. Restrict access to sugar to be added to hot drinks. When choosing prepared products, check the label and choose those products lower in sugar. 4 Fat Lower fat intake can prevent weight gain. Sources of high fat are Butter, lard, margarine, fat spreads, oils or dressings such as mayonnaise. Chips and other deep fried food, potato waffles, garlic bread, pastries, cakes, biscuits, creamy puddings, meat or meat products such as pastries. Good practice Grill and bake food instead of frying. When making sandwiches, try not using any butter or spread if the filling is moist enough, if using fat spread, choose a reduced fat variety and spread thinly. When choosing prepared products, check the label and choose those products lower in fat. Saturated fat A diet low in saturated fat can prevent high cholesterol and decrease the risk of coronary heart disease, diabetes and some cancers. Sources of saturated fats are Butter, lard, cream, coconut oil or cream, palm oil, mayonnaise, salad cream and some margarines. Meat products such as pie’s, burgers and sausages. Also hard cheese’s such as cheddar. Cakes and biscuit’ s. Good practice Choose lower fat dairy products- Skimmed or semi skimmed milk, low fat yoghurt and reduced fat cheese. Choose lean cuts of red meat and remove the skin from chicken. For cooking use an unsaturated vegetable oil such as rapeseed oil or olive oil. Avoid adding butter or oil to food (e.g. vegetables) after cooking. When choosing prepared products check the label and choose those lower in saturated fat: FSA guidance on labelling states that 5g or more saturated fat per 100g is  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœhigh’ and 1.5g or less 100g is ‘low’. Protein is important for growth and repair of body tissues and muscles. Pupils are growing fast so protein is particularly important to them. Sources of protein include Meat, fish, milk, cheese, eggs, yoghurt, nuts and seeds, kidney beans, lentils, meat alternatives (e.g. tofu, chickpeas and cereals) These food items can be incorporated into dishes such as chicken and vegetable jambalaya, chickpea and cauliflower curry, salmon sandwiches, cauliflower cheese, nut roast, chicken casserole, omelette with ham and cheese. Good practice Including plant protein as well as animal protein on your menu will ensure that pupils are eating protein from a variety of sources. Vegetarian pupils should have adequate protein intake if they eat cereals, beans and lentils, soya products, eggs, milk and dairy products. For vegan or lactose intolerant pupils, soya, oat or rice drinks provide an alternative to milk. Be aware of nut allergies. Fibre assists bowel function and prevents problems like constipation. Sources of fibre are Brown rice, oats, wholegrain cereals, muesli, potatoes with skins, wholemeal bread, buglar wheat, lentils, chickpeas, red kidney beans, fruit and vegetables. These food items can be incorporated into dishes, such as vegetable and lentil bake, chilli con carne served with brown rice, jacket potato with beans and fruit salad. Good practice Choose wholegrain, wholemeal or brown varieties where possible. If children reject wholemeal varieties, use combinations of wholemeal and white varieties to encourage consumption. Leave skins on potatoes and add pulses and vegetables to stews and pies to add fibre. Sodium is a component of salt. Salt is needed to maintain fluid balance in the body and for nerve and muscle function. Most salt consumed is contained within processed food. Low salt can decrease the onset of high blood pressure, which may lead to conditions such as stroke, heart disease and kidney problems. Sources of sodium are Ready-made soups, sauces, gravy, processed food, some breakfast cereals, salty snacks (crisps and salted nuts), bacon, ham, sausages, pizza, cheese and condiments. Good practice Limit the amount of salt added during cooking and instead flavour with herbs and spices. Cook meals from raw ingredients rather than using manufactured products high in salt. When choosing prepared products, check the label and choose those lower in salt. FSA guidance on labelling states that 1.5g or more salt (0.6g sodium) per 100g is ‘high’ and 0.3g or less of salt (0.1g sodium) per 100g is ‘low’.  Vitamin A is important for growth and tissue repair, good eyesight and immune system. Sources of vitamin A are as follows oily fish, eggs, liver, cheese, butter, milk, yellow, red and orange coloured fruits and vegetables. Such as carrots, peppers, apricots, oranges, papaya, mango, butternut squash, sweet potato, tomatoes and dark green leafy vegetables. Good practice Serve a variety of fruit and vegetables. These food items can be incorporated into dishes like salmon fishcakes, baked sweet potato wedges, red pepper and tomato omelette, carrot and coriander soup and fruit salad. Yellow, orange and red coloured fruits and vegetables contain the most vitamin A. Vitamin C is an antioxidant which may help to protect the body from infections and illnesses. Vitamin C is needed for wound healing and the structure of blood vessels and skin vitamin c enhances iron absorption. Fruits contain vitamin c, especially citrus fruits such as oranges, limes, grapefruit, berries, kiwi fruits. Vegetables (including frozen) , especially broccoli, green and red peppers, sweet potatoes and potatoes. These food items can be incorporated into dishes, like jacket potato with salad, lemon chicken, berry smoothies, fruit salad, mixed vegetable hot pot and casserole. Good practice Raw fruit and vegetables contain the most vitamin c. Vitamin c may be lost during preparation and cooking, so prepare and cook food as close to lunch time as possible. Steam vegetables to minimise vitamin losses or cook them in a minimum volume of water. Folate is essential for blood cells and the nervous system, and prevents anaemia. Sources are liver, yeast and orange juice, green leafy vegetables, such as spinach, green beans, beetroot, chickpeas, black-eye beans, broccoli and pe as. Breakfast cereals are often fortified with folate. These can be made into dishes like pea and ham soup or spinach and potato curry. Good practice Folate may be lost during the cooking process so prepare and cook foods as close to lunch time as possible, steam vegetables to minimise loss of vitamins. Calcium Is essential for strong teeth and bones, and for muscle and nerve function as well as blood clotting. A diet containing enough calcium will decrease the risk of developing osteoporosis or brittle bones later in life. Sources are milk, cheese, yogurt and canned fish with bones (salmon, pilchards and tuna), broccoli, cabbage, dried fruits, tofu, red kidney beans, chick peas and soya beans. White and brown breads are fortified with calcium. Dishes can be made such as cheese, potato and salmon  quiche, rice pudding and custard made with milk. Good practice for people who do not drink milk, choose soya, oat, or rice drinks enriched with calcium. Use lower fat dairy products; they contain as much calcium as their full fat equivalents. Iron is needed for production of red blood cells, which carry oxygen around the body. Iron also plays an important role in maintaining a healthy immune system. Iron is especially important for teenage girls. Iron deficiency in pupils may be linked to slower intellectual development and poor behaviour in the longer term. Sources are red meat, offal (especially liver and kidney), canned fish, eggs, dark green leafy vegetables, peas, wholegrain (e.g. brown rice), nuts, seeds, red kidney beans, black-eye beans, lentils, chickpeas, dried apricots and raisins. These foods can be incorporated into dishes, for example lamb casserole, houmous, spaghetti bolognaise, Sheppard’s pie, mixed bean wrap and dried fruit compote. Breakfast cereals are often fortified with iron. Good practice Iron from animal sources is more easily absorbed by the body than plant sources, but plant sources are more important because they provide most of the iron in the diet. Consuming food high in vitamin c at the same time as food containing iron enhances iron absorption. Vegetarian dishes should regularly include a variety of lentils and peas, eggs, dark green and leafy vegetables. Zinc is used by the body for growth and tissue repair, wound healing and the immune system. Sources include red meat, offal (especially liver and kidney), eggs, fish, milk and other dairy products, cereals, red kidney beans, soya products, lentils and chickpeas. These food items can be incorporated into dishes such as cottage pie, roast pork or beef, lentil bake, brown rice and vegetarian bolognaise using soya mince. Good practice vegetarian dishes should regularly include whole grain cereals, kidney beans, eggs and milk,

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Emotion Equally Moral

Emotion Equally Moral ARE REASON AND EMOTION EQUALLY NECESSARY IN JUSTIFYING MORAL DECISIONS? Since the birth of human onto this earth, reasons and emotions are frequently used by us to justify any decisions made. However, to what extent that both of them play an important role in making decisions? This raises some arguable questions concerning reason and emotion; are they really equally necessary? Equally important means both factors must be present and without any of the factors which are reason and emotion, the decision cannot be justified. With that, I would say that reason and emotion have the same significant important role in justifying moral decision. Both of them work together to drive us in our daily life so the decisions made will be the best for the sake of human being. Thus, this essay will consider the equal role of reason and emotion in justifying moral decisions. First of all, how this two ways of knowing works together. Reason is the ability to think logically regarded as a basis for knowledge, while emotion is a strong feeling towards what you believed in and influencing behaviors. Reason and emotion are equally necessary in ethic as in justifying decisions emotion will be the catalyst for the next process which is reasoning. Rachel Carlson in his quote says, â€Å"If facts are the seeds that later produce knowledge and wisdom, then the emotions and the impressions of the senses are the fertile soil in which the seeds must grow†. As example, the news of natural disaster of Cyclone Sidr in the southern part of Bangladesh because of the global warming effect, the picture of 273,000 houses were destroyed and 650,000 damaged and more than 3,000 people dead will emotionally affect the reader. Then, the emotions will tell us the sympathy to the victims of the disaster. It would stimulate the reason to the morality of the countries that let their factories released the gases that caused the global warming disaster. Here, the emotion is the catalyst for the reason to take place. However, without the reasoning, the information from the news cannot be organized and to sort out the news in the rational way. The emotion make the reader of the news felt sympathy to the victims of the cyclone and the reason makes sense of the emotion part and end up with the moral decisions of the news. As Joseph Cook aptly commented, â€Å"Conscience is our magnetic compass; reason our chart†. Even reason and emotion equally necessary in justifying moral decisions, somehow reason play more important role as it can explain certain things that cannot be explained by emotion. In justifying a decision, it must be reasonable and acceptable. Emotion can distract what is wrong and what is right because it depends solely on what a person sees and feel. Thus, reason must present in the process to justify and correct what emotion think of. As example, if a pregnant women wanted to have an abortion. On the emotion level, she might think that having a baby is a burden for her. She just wants fun from the sex but she refuses the baby. She wants to get rid of the baby so that she does not have to take care of the baby and continue with her previous life. Her immediate response is the option to abort the baby. At that particular time, it may be right for her to abort the baby. But then, the feeling of a mother declines her to do the abortion and the reasoning process began. She started to consider the debate, ‘it is killing, and the baby deserve a live. Perhaps she might consider that it was not the babys fault, so why should the baby take it. Or maybe she poss ibly will consider her religion not allow abortion. So, the reasoning process continues until the women can justify her decision to do the abortion or not. Here we can see both are equally significant. Reasoning comes from the emotion process but the emotion itself cannot justify the decision that going to make. Thus, one cannot take place without the other. However, in this so-called civilization era where the cost of living is increasing, the option to abort the baby will be the most suitable choice for most of the people. Their reasoning brought them to that kind of decision because they claim having a baby will cost them a lot and they cant afford it. Even though they will feel it is a cruel action through their emotion, but it does not prevent the mother to abort that baby. In view of the fact that emotion is a feeling that is given form by a thought, it is usually bounded from the past experience that would influence the emotion that is created. If the past experience of the person is good, the person will have the good side of emotion or otherwise, the experience will end up with the bad emotion toward something. As a case in point, a person witnesses a horrible accident happened in front of his eyes. He can see the victims of the accident screaming for help. Very luckily, the person has some knowledge about the medical knowledge especially in emergency situation. However, because of the past experience where he failed to save a few lives after he gave the medical treatment, the person felt guilty and had the trauma. His emotion tells him not to help the victims as they would die because of him by justifying the action from his past experience. But then, he tries to reason his emotion; does it an appropriate action to let the victims that are really i n need for some help as he was able to help them? Does it worth him just to see them helplessly facing the end of their life? After a battle between his emotion and reason, in the end he might decide to help the victims. Even though in this example it is seen like reason is overpower emotion but actually they are equal. Someone may argue that reason is the cause that makes him to help the person. But in reality if his emotion is not stable enough or he did not have the confidence to help them but his reason push him to help, the probability that the victims would survive is low because he does not has the mental strength or something to inspire him to help them. This is just like what Winston Churchill has said, â€Å"Before you can inspire with emotion, you must be swamped with it yourself. Before you can move their tears, your own must flow. To convince them, you must yourself believe†. After his reason corrects his emotion or change the perception made by his emotion to inspire him, then he was able to help them. By looking at this example, it is clearly seen that reason has been plays the role the change the emotion of the person and the emotion has justified the decision that he going to make. Here, at first emotion stimulate the reason to work and in the later stage reason corrected and stimulates the emotion. Both of the factors play such equal role in justifying the decision as one might get it wrong without another one or perhaps the decision cannot be justified. There are some limitations where sometimes reason and emotion do not equal in making an ethical issue. This is frequently happen in the religious belief, field of works, and the level of knowledge of the person. In the religion such as Islam and Christian, bigamy (polygamy, adultery) is prohibited in those religions. Although a person wants to have more wives or having a little experience of sex before marriage which comes from his emotion, he cannot do that because of his religion. His reasoning will prevent him to do it as it is against the belief of him to his religion. In the field of work such as judge, emotion must be put aside to justify the verdict that going to make. A judge must only depends to the reason from the facts either the accused person is guilty or not. This is the situation where reason and emotion do not play equally necessary in justifying moral decisions. In conclusions, reason and emotion equally necessary in justifying moral decision, because emotion can change according to situation but reason will justify the emotion with logic and hence will drive us to the correct interpretation of the ethical issue. But, reason can only exist and be significant if and only if emotion exists. Emotion will be the catalyst for reason to work. In most of our life, we cannot deny the role of emotion and reason. However, other ways of knowing such as perception and language also can be important in justifying moral decisions but reason and emotion exist in the equal way to justify any moral decision that we make in our life. Therefore, reason and emotion are equally necessary in justifying moral decisions.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Fallacious Arguments In the Declaration of Independence Essay -- essay

Fallacious Arguments in the Declaration of Independence The Declaration of Independence is among the most profoundly interpreted and fiercely discussed documents in modern history. Most likely because of its rhetorical style and numerous fallacious arguments that are found. The colonists’ use of persuasion to influence by using repetition to achieve their means. The Declaration of Independence is what 56 colonists saw as a logical course of action. What you must ask yourself is: What was considered logical in 1776? The rhetorical style uses persuasive ideals in the use of language. For example, in the first sentence of the second paragraph, the parallel structure and repetition of the word â€Å"that† enable the writers to articulate with excessive clarity their fundamental beliefs. The second paragraph is similar to the concluding paragraph because it also relies on parallel structure and repetition of â€Å"that† when declaring the colonies free and independent states. Also,the repetition of "He is,"which is the only phrase other than "He has" in the list of â€Å"complaints† shows present tense. In this case present tense leads to urgency to the need for a revolution. Which tells the audience that the only other option is, desolation, and tyranny. There is also negative diction about the actions of the British king(George III) that carry to the emotional appeal. Finally,the prime of the last line effectiv...

Friday, October 11, 2019

Author/Mother Relationships Essay

It is very important to have a good relationship with at least one of your parents. You need to be able to share memories of your childhood with the people who raised you. I believe that sharing childhood stories with your parents gives you a connection to a relationship based on trust, emotion and sincerity. In Tony Ardizzone’s short story â€Å"My Mother’s Stories,† Tony tells the reader of his relationship with his mother while she is very sick in the hospital. Throughout the story Tony talks about childhood memories with his mother and he also describes the stories that she is telling to him. I think that through his memories and their stories together the reader is able to imagine and relate to the relationship between Tony and his mother, Mary. We first begin to see the feelings between the author and his mother at the end of the fourth paragraph of the story. Talking about his mother’s stories, he says â€Å"For now the sounds and pictures are my sounds and pictures. Her memory, my memory.† (Ardizzone, 117) You can tell from these sentences that Tony feels very connected to the memories that he shares with his mother. Throughout the story, his mother tells Tony stories about her wedding day, the births of all her children, and other stories from when they were younger. Tony also recalls several memories he has with his family and his mother. It seems like these are events that he remembers often but seems to recall more clearly now that it is nearing the end of his mother’s life. I think it means a lot that his mother felt like she should share these things with her children. It shows that Tony and his mother are very comfortable with each other. Towards the end of the story Tony describes a time from when he was younger. Mary protects her children from seeing a very sick dog get put down by a police officer. Tony says â€Å"We try to look out the windows too, but she pushes the five of us away. No, she says. I don’t want any of you to see this.† (Ardizzone, 125) She tries to protect Tony and his siblings from having to witness death: something terribly awful but of course, inevitable. I think that it is ironic that this is the last story that Tony imagines while his mother is in the hospital. It is ironic because in the story his mother is trying to shield him from seeing something die and sometime very soon Tony might have to see death take over his mother. He is not entirely sure how he would deal with this real fact. I think that this last story shows the reader that his mother really cared about her family and is protective. Since we get this feeling from â€Å"My Mother’s Stories† it shows us that Tony and his mother portrayed their relationship from their stories and memories. Tony and his mother share a relationship that is full of trust and emotions. The connection between the author and his mother is revealed to the reader or listener through the memorable events in their lives. These stories get brought to the surface of Tony’s memories at this point in his life because his mother is now very sick and is in the hospital. Recalling these precious memories can show people the type of relationship he shared with his mother and remind the audiences of the connections within their own families.

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Critical Responce Essay Essay

A Sound of Thunder and Nethergrave were two both amazing Stories. I loved them both, but there was one story that stood out above the other. This one particular story was Nethergrave. Nethergrave was an amazing lit up story it literally caught my attention immediately, it was so interesting and good it caught my eye at the very beginning. A Sound of Thunder was also an amazing story but I loved Nethergrave a bit more because it was more of one of those stories that just grabbed my attention. The main thought in my head while I was reading A sound of Thunder was why is the story called A sound of thunder that thought just kept running thru my mind but when I got to finish it I understood it and It was a great story. Nethergrave was basically about a boy who Felt All Alone and just wanted somebody to talk to make jokes with and play around with and that is why he lied to his friends on the internet probably because he wanted them to think he was cool and not some skinny kid who had no friends at all. This story was a good learning experience for me because It can teach someone don’t be afraid to tell the truth even if someone cant except you for who you are that’s their loss because you are probably a great person. Jeremy knew that that other kids didn’t want to be his friends so he met some online friends and they were nice to him because they did not know about the real him and he didn’t know about the real them. Basically what the story is saying is be yourself and don’t lie to be accepted. This was an amazing story and I loved it.

Succubus Revealed Chapter 5

I'd been bracing myself for â€Å"Cleveland† or â€Å"Guam.† I was too much of a pessimist to think I might be offered something even moderately appealing. If I was already going through the trauma of leaving Seattle, then surely it would be for somewhere terrible. â€Å"Did you say Las Vegas?† I asked, sinking down onto my couch. Immediately, I guessed the catch. â€Å"Ah. It's not Las Vegas, Nevada, right? It's a different Las Vegas. New Mexico ? Or some other continent?† â€Å"Sorry to disappoint you and your martyr fantasies, Georgie.† Jerome lit a cigarette and inhaled deeply. â€Å"It's Las Vegas, Nevada. I think you even know the archdemon there – Luis. Isn't he a friend of yours?† I blinked. â€Å"Luis? Yeah. I mean, in as much as an archdemon can be.† That got a small smile from Jerome, though I only barely noticed. I had worked for Luis a long time ago, and if I had to be honest, he was probably my favorite boss of all time. That wasn't to say Jerome was a terrible one, but Luis – while strict – still had an easy way about him that could sometimes make you forget you were damned for all eternity. â€Å"So . . . my orders are to go to Las Vegas and work for Luis.† â€Å"Yes,† said Jerome. I looked back at him from where I'd been staring vacantly out the window. â€Å"Is there any way to change that? To stop it? Isn't there anything I can do to just stay here? And are you sure it's not a mistake – what with the delivery mix-up?† Jerome's dark eyebrows rose. It was one of those rare moments when he'd been caught off-guard enough to display surprise. â€Å"You don't want to go? I mean, I'm flattered you'd want to stay under my rule, but I'd think you would be pleased with this situation. Las Vegas is perfect for a half-ass succubus like you.† I ignored the jab – though he had a point. Las Vegas was such a breeding ground for sin and salvation that it was nearly packed to bursting with servants of both Heaven and Hell. It probably had one of the highest concentrations of succubi in the world, meaning it was easy to slide by with quotas. Here, I was the only succubus, so my number of corrupted souls was scrutinized heavily. In Las Vegas, there'd be plenty of go-getter succubi to cover for slackers like me. â€Å"It's not about you,† I said slowly. â€Å"It's about . . . Seth.† Jerome sighed loudly and stamped out his cigarette on my coffee table. I supposed I should be glad it wasn't my couch or carpet. â€Å"Of course it is. Because in the grand scheme of the universe, your boyfriend is important enough to make Hell's HR change their minds about a re-org. Come on, Georgie. How naive are you? How many transfers have you had over the years? Or perhaps I should ask, how many transfers do you know of that were cancelled because someone ‘didn't feel like it'?† â€Å"None,† I admitted. At most, Hell would take unhappy employees into account and move them out of places they weren't being productive. I had requested transfers before and gotten a couple of them. But once HR made up its mind? That was it. The cold truth of this, that it wasn't a mistake and that I couldn't stop it, was beginning to wrap around me. I tried to make sense of it another way. â€Å"But why? Why did they decide to this? I've been a good employee. . . .† Yet, even as I spoke, I grew uncertain. Jerome looked at me knowingly. â€Å"Have you?† â€Å"I haven't been a bad employee,† I amended. â€Å"Not exactly.† â€Å"This isn't a game. We don't want mediocre employees who can keep the status quo. We want souls. We want to win. And you've spent most of your time here being mediocre. Don't glare at me like that. You know I'm right. You've had fits and starts of productivity, the most notable being when you were under duress. Even that's been inconsistent.† I'd made a bargain with Jerome a year ago, in which I'd behaved like a model succubus for a while. After I'd helped rescue him from summoning, there'd been an unspoken acceptance of me slacking off once again without getting any grief from him. â€Å"If you'd thrived here and turned over large amounts of souls, I doubt you'd be leaving. So, if you're looking for someone to blame, look in the mirror.† â€Å"You sure sound smug about this,† I pointed out petulantly. â€Å"Like you're happy about it.† â€Å"Happy? Happy about the gamble of getting a new employee – or of inheriting Tawny permanently? Hardly. But unlike you, I accept that my happiness means nothing to my superiors. The only thing that matters is me following their orders.† His tone and expression clearly said that the same was true for me. I almost never held back from sparring with Jerome, but today I did. Why? Because there was nothing I could say, no bargain I could make with him. I'd negotiated a number of favors and allowances in my years with him, things specifically pertaining to my existence here within Seattle. That was his domain. But the rest of the world? That was out of his control. There was nothing he could do to change this reassignment, even if he wanted to. There was nothing I could do either. You just couldn't fight against some things. Hell was one of them. When I'd signed my soul away, I'd signed away control of my eternity to them as well. â€Å"It's not fair.† Guessing Jerome's snappy retort, I quickly added, â€Å"I know, you don't have to say it. Life isn't fair. I get it. But it's just . . . it's just cruel. Seth and I finally managed a working relationship. And now I have to leave him.† Jerome shook his head, and I could tell by his restless stance that he was ready to go. His patience with this conversation was running thin. â€Å"You know, I might miss some of your witticisms when you're gone, but one thing I won't miss? Your overwhelming sense of melodrama and despair. It's too much even for me.† The sorrow and self-pity within me transformed to anger. â€Å"I'm sorry, but this is serious to me! How can I not be upset? I love Seth. I don't want to leave him.† â€Å"So don't. Take him with you. Or date long distance. I honestly don't give a fuck, so long as you stop your whining. How can you not see solutions here? You've apparently decided that you being immortal isn't a deterrent to your great love . . . but a two-hour plane ride is?† I felt kind of cowed. Normally, I resented Jerome for mocking me when I was upset because I blamed it on his lack of empathy. But now, I had to admit that maybe he was onto something about me being overly melodramatic. Why couldn't I take Seth with me? If Seth really loved me, a move shouldn't be a problem. And of all the jobs in the world, he had one of the best suited for a change of venue. Unfortunately, it was a bit more complicated than that. I sighed. â€Å"I don't know if he would. His family's here, and his sister-in-law's sick. He can't leave them anytime soon. . . .† Jerome shrugged. â€Å"We're back to the part where I don't give a fuck. I do, however, care that you go there to visit sooner rather than later. Luis asked if I'd send you down in advance to scope out the area for a couple of days. Seeing as bowling practice doesn't start until Monday, I can't help but think this weekend would be an excellent time to get that out of the way. I'm happy to oblige him – but not at the cost of interfering with my team.† â€Å"Really?† I scoffed. â€Å"You expect me to care about bowling in light of all this?† He gave me a thin-lipped smile. â€Å"Seeing as you're still my employee for the next four weeks, yes. I expect you to care about it immensely.† He glanced over at Roman, who had observed all of this silently. â€Å"And I expect you to come up with an excellent training regimen for them. I'll see you both then.† Jerome vanished in a poof of smoke, further verifying how self-satisfied he felt about all of this. Losing me might be inconvenient for him, but I think his demon nature still took some delight in seeing the torment of others. I covered my eyes and rolled over to lie flat on the couch. â€Å"Oh God. What am I going to do? This can't be happening.† Breaking up with Seth last year had torn my heart apart. I had wanted to die. Being reunited with him had felt like being born anew. I'd loved life, even my damned one. Now I was starting to feel that terrible, aching desperation again. It wasn't possible that someone could go through so many extreme ups and downs in so short a time span. Welcome to being in love, I thought. I felt Roman sit down by my feet. A moment later, both cats joined us. I uncovered my eyes and found his sea green ones staring down at me. â€Å"He wasn't exactly tactful, but I have to admit he had a point. Why wouldn't Seth just move with you?† â€Å"Under normal circumstances . . .† I had to pause in order to not start laughing. Our circumstances were never normal. â€Å"Under normal circumstances, he would. But like I was saying, with Andrea, I don't even think he can. And honestly, I wouldn't want him to.† I didn't realize that was true until I spoke the words. If Seth dropped everything to run off with me, he would be hurting both himself and his family for my sake. I could never allow that. My heart sank. â€Å"I can't believe this. How could this have come about so quickly? I was so happy.† Roman scratched Aubrey's head and leaned back. â€Å"That's an excellent question. This was all kind of sudden. Is that how it normally is?† â€Å"Well, I mean, we never get much warning of transfers. Sometimes you know a re-org is coming. Sometimes you get one after requesting a transfer. Usually, though, someone has a meeting, plans your fate, and you find out about it later. The only weird thing here was Jerome apparently having less notice than me.† Roman had been staring at the ceiling and then snapped his head back to look at me. I flinched under the intensity of his gaze. â€Å"Explain that again. What happened and what was unusual.† I started to tell him I'd just explained it but instead swallowed off any sharp retort, knowing he wasn't the true source of my irritation. â€Å"Normally, your archdemon meets with you to tell you the details, and then the letter with the transfer date follows. This happened so fast that I got the letter before Jerome had a chance to talk to me.† â€Å"Hell doesn't do things without a reason.† He reconsidered. â€Å"Well, impromptu bowling competitions aside. But they like their bureaucracy, their paperwork, and all their details in order. Even if they quickly decided to do a transfer, they'd still follow all their inane procedures. For the letter to have jumped ahead of Jerome getting his instructions, things must have been seriously expedited. The question: why? Why such a rush to get you out of Seattle?† I couldn't help a smile. â€Å"You're looking for a conspiracy here. I mean, don't get me wrong, I think this sucks. It's terrible. But I don't think there's anything more to it than what Jerome said about me skimping at my job. Which . . . well, which is my fault.† â€Å"Yes, but Hell deals with bad employees all the time. They go through reams of procedure to figure out the best way to deal with those people. Pop might be right that Hell can't tolerate mediocre workers, but it's not to the extent that they have to deal with it right that second. What's so special about you that someone would suddenly decide to initiate a hasty transfer?† I appreciated that Roman was trying to help me, but I didn't want to get caught up in what could easily become an obsessive quest for him. Nephilim had serious grudges with Heaven and Hell and were always looking for ways to challenge and thwart them. Roman himself had once gone on a killing spree of higher immortals. There was something in his nature that wanted there to be more than bad luck here, but I just wasn't sure I believed there was. Carter's words echoed in my head, no matter how much I tried to shrug them off: If there's a reason, it's because you've been doing something Hell doesn't want you to do. â€Å"You should talk to Carter,† I muttered. â€Å"He's certain there's a reason too.† Seeing Roman's expectant look, I halfheartedly tried to humor him. â€Å"I don't know what it could be. Maybe because I got captured by Oneroi? Maybe they're worried I'm unstable or something. Or that this isn't a safe place for me.† Roman nodded along with my words. â€Å"That does make you special. However, if I was worried about an employee losing it, I'd want to keep them in a place where I knew they felt stable. I'm sure Hell knows you're happy here, and if anything, they might think that experience bound you to Jerome more closely. They'd want to encourage that loyalty.† â€Å"Hell doesn't need to encourage loyalty,† I told him. â€Å"All they care about is that I signed my soul over to them. That's bigger than loyalty.† A startled look crossed his face. â€Å"That is all they care about. Georgina, when did this happen? Exactly when did this happen?† â€Å"Er, the letter?† There was a fanatic look in his eyes. No question. He was getting obsessed. â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"This morning. It showed up at Seth's. I sensed the courier and woke up to it.† â€Å"You were at Seth's. What were you doing at the time? What were you doing just before then?† He'd stopped petting Aubrey, and she slithered toward me in a huff, seeking a more attentive audience. â€Å"Walk me backward from that point.† â€Å"Well, like I said, I was sleeping. Before that . . .† I winced, remembering getting into bed with Ian. â€Å"I met Seth's mom and younger brother. Before that, I was at Peter's fondue party. Before that, I was at the mall – â€Å" â€Å"Peter's. Tell me about Peter's. Did anything weird happen to you there?† I cut him a look. â€Å"It was a fondue party at a vampire's. Everything about that is weird.† â€Å"I'm trying to help you!† There was a strained, agitated quality to his voice as he leaned toward me. â€Å"Just hold off on the jokes, okay? Think. What happened – to you specifically? What did you talk about? What did they say to you?† I was growing increasingly uncomfortable at his intensity. â€Å"They were teasing me about my job,† I said. â€Å"Jerome too?† â€Å"Of course. He said me being an elf was an embarrassment and that I should do something else.† A shocking thought hit me. â€Å"Roman . . . you don't think Jerome requested the transfer, did you? Could he really be that upset with me? That embarrassed?† â€Å"I don't know,† admitted Roman. He absentmindedly ran a hand through his curling dark hair. â€Å"It's possible. Some of the weirdness might be explained away if Jerome was trying to hide that he initiated all this. But then, it's not like any of your other friends are exactly normal. If something was going to embarrass Jerome enough to get rid of an employee, I kind of feel like there would have been a lot of other opportunities before you. Anything else come up?† â€Å"I asked them about – † I hesitated. The topic was still sensitive for me. It was hard to mention to Roman, and I could hardly believe I'd had the guts to bring it up to the gang that night. Roman caught my uncertainty and pounced. â€Å"What? What else? What did you ask them about?† I waited a few more moments and then decided to tell him. It couldn't hurt, and besides, for all I knew, Roman had mentioned my name to Seth. â€Å"About a month ago, when we were in bed, Seth called me Letha when he was half-asleep. When I asked him how he knew that name, he couldn't remember. He couldn't even remember calling me that. So, I asked the group that night if any of them had told my name to Seth.† â€Å"And?† â€Å"And they all said no. Cody didn't even know my name. I got berated for being melodramatic again, and the general consensus was that Seth had just overheard it from me or someone else and forgotten.† Roman was silent, which was almost more unnerving than him grilling me. I straightened up and nudged him. â€Å"Hey, you didn't tell Seth, did you?† â€Å"Huh? No.† He frowned, caught up in his own thoughts. â€Å"What did Jerome think? Did he concur with that theory?† â€Å"Yes. He thought me bringing it up was a total waste of time and didn't hesitate to tell me. He was so bored by it that he started talking about bowling instead.† â€Å"That's when he told you about the bowling team? The bowling team that came out of nowhere?† â€Å"Yeah. . . .† Now I was frowning. It was clear that Roman's thoughts were running off to a place I wasn't at or able to follow. â€Å"Why? What are you thinking? Is this related somehow?† â€Å"I don't know,† he said at last. He stood up and paced the living room a couple of times. â€Å"I need to think about this. I need to ask some questions. What are you going to do now?† I rose as well and stretched, suddenly feeling weary. â€Å"I need to talk to Seth. I have to tell him what happened. And I suppose . . .† I made a face. â€Å"If I do have to go to Las Vegas, this weekend is the time to do it.† â€Å"So you don't miss bowling practice?† teased Roman. â€Å"That, and I have it off from work. Seth's pretty tied up with his family in town, which makes it another good time to go. Although . . . it'd kind of be nice if he went with me. I mean, if he was going to think about moving, he could check it out too.† Yet, again, that worry returned to me: how could I ask Seth to abandon Terry and Andrea? â€Å"Actually,† said Roman, humor vanishing, â€Å"I think it's best he doesn't go.† â€Å"Why not?† â€Å"Because whatever the reasons, something's just not right about this. I don't know what's waiting for you in Las Vegas. Maybe nothing. But I just feel like there's a larger hand in all of this, guiding it, and that it's safest for Seth if you don't drag him into immortal drama.† Roman's face softened. â€Å"I'm actually not thrilled about you facing it alone, but I'm not sure me walking into a hotbed of immortal activity is so smart either.† â€Å"I'll be fine,† I said, trying to not be put off by his ominous words. â€Å"No matter how terrible a transfer is, I have to admit, I got kind of lucky with this one. I mean, I'm not saying I trust any demons, but if I had to, it would be Luis. He's really great, and Vegas is, well, Vegas. Like I said. I got lucky.† Roman grew thoughtful again. â€Å"Yes. Yes, you did.† The next day, I found Seth later at his brother's house. Andrea had had another treatment that day and was sleeping it off. Seth and Margaret were helping take care of the household as best they could, cooking a late dinner and watching the girls. I arrived at about the same time as Terry got home from work, and our double entrance was greeted with shouts and hugs. I scooped Kayla up in my arms and kissed her while Terry asked what I had been wondering. â€Å"Where's Ian?† Seth and Margaret exchanged looks. â€Å"Ian had some things to do,† she said neutrally. â€Å"Yeah,† agreed Seth. â€Å"In the form of scoping out ironic parts of Seattle.† So much for Ian stepping up to help the family. No doubt he'd found new hipster friends at a coffee shop and was now hanging out with them somewhere, drinking PBR and regaling them with stories of all the obscure bands he knew. Terry smiled good-naturedly. â€Å"Well, that's his loss because dinner smells great. More for us.† He swung Kendall around and kissed his other daughters before going upstairs to check on Andrea. I felt a lump form in my throat as I watched him go. He put on such a good face for the kids, but I knew this had to be tearing his heart apart. My own petty concerns seemed exactly that: petty. Small. Inconsequential. Nonetheless, news of the transfer weighed on my mind throughout dinner. I'd wanted to wait until Seth and I were alone at his place, but my face must have betrayed my feelings. â€Å"Hey,† he said gently, slipping an arm around me. The family was gathered in the living room, starting a movie, while Seth and I stood in the doorway to the kitchen. â€Å"Everything okay?† I hesitated, unsure about bringing it up here. Sensing that, he pulled me into the privacy of the kitchen. â€Å"Thetis, talk to me.† â€Å"I got some bad news today,† I began. I tried to think of a clever or funny way to lead into it, but nothing came. So, I just blurted it all out, explaining the inarguable nature of transfers and the details of mine. â€Å"Las Vegas,† he said flatly. He looked as though he'd been slapped. â€Å"You're moving to Las Vegas.† â€Å"Not for a month,† I said, clasping his hands. â€Å"And believe me, I don't want to. God, Seth. I still can't believe it. I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry.† â€Å"Hey, don't apologize. Not for this.† He drew me near, the kindness and compassion on his face nearly making me cry. â€Å"This isn't your fault. You have nothing to be sorry about.† I shook my head. â€Å"I know, but . . . it's just so crazy. I thought this was it. Our chance to be together. And now I don't know what to do. I can't ask you to . . .† â€Å"Ask me to what?† I leaned my head against his chest. â€Å"Come with me.† He was quiet for a few moments. â€Å"Would they let me? I always thought . . . I mean, whenever you've talked about your past, it always sounded like you reinvented yourself. New name, new appearance. I thought you had to leave your past life behind.† â€Å"I have, but that was always just my choice. For you . . . I mean, of course I wouldn't do that. I'd stay Georgina Kincaid, just as you know her. But you can't leave them.† I gestured to the living room. â€Å"It's not worth it.† Seth moved his hands to my head, tilting my face up so I could look him in the eye. â€Å"Georgina,† he said softly. â€Å"I love you. You're worth it. You're everything to me. I'd follow you to the ends of the earth. And beyond.† â€Å"That doesn't make sense.† I smiled sadly. â€Å"And I'm not everything. You love them too. And you'd hate yourself for running off with me while they need you so much.† â€Å"So, what? You've made my choice for me?† he asked. There was a playful note to his voice, despite the deadly seriousness of the topic. â€Å"Are we breaking up?† â€Å"No! Of course not. I just . . . I just want you to know that I don't expect you to come with me. Do I want to be with you? Yes, of course. But I love your family, Seth. I love all of them. My happiness . . .† It was strange, speaking those words. My happiness. For so long, I'd been miserable. Happiness wasn't even a concept I'd imagined for myself in ages. â€Å"My happiness isn't worth theirs.† He leaned down and brushed his lips against mine. â€Å"What about mine?† I stared in astonishment. â€Å"Are you saying you'd abandon them and run off to Las Vegas?† â€Å"No,† he said firmly. â€Å"I would never abandon them. But there must be some middle ground here. Some way that doesn't involve sacrificing us or them. We just have to figure it out. What we have is too important. Don't give up on us yet, okay?† I hugged him, losing myself in the sweetness of his warmth and scent. My heart had lightened a little at his words, but I still didn't want to get my hopes up. There was too much at stake, still too much that could go wrong. â€Å"I love you,† I told him. â€Å"I love you too.† He squeezed me tight and then kissed me again before pulling apart. â€Å"Now. Let's go watch that movie and pretend to be social so that we can leave early.† â€Å"Why?† â€Å"Because if you're going to Vegas this weekend, then I want to get you home and get some quality time in tonight.† I grinned and put my arm around him. â€Å"Does ‘quality time' mean what I think it does?† â€Å"Yes,† he said, as we walked back to the living room. â€Å"Yes, it does.† â€Å"Well, then, you know that's against the rules.† â€Å"Rules that you made up,† he pointed out. â€Å"Rules that are for your own good,† I corrected. â€Å"It's not time yet. Remember, we have to ration ourselves.† It was part of the conditions of us getting back together. Keeping strictly platonic before had strained us, so this time, I'd agreed that some sex was okay . . . even though I cringed at the thought of how each act, no matter how small, would take away some of his life. Seth had told me he didn't care, that he'd take any risk to be with me. I was still cautious, and he'd yielded to me to set the schedule for our rationed sex life. I still wasn't entirely sure what constituted proper rationing in this situation, but something in my head said we should have sex only every few months. I hadn't told Seth that, though. It had been one month since the last – and only – time we'd had sex since getting back together as a mortal and a succubus, and I knew he was getting restless. It was especially difficult for him because although he respected me, he also didn't think such caution was needed when he was the one who faced the dangers – dangers he swore he didn't mind. â€Å"Not tonight,† I continued. â€Å"It's practically a special occasion, though,† he told me. â€Å"A big send-off.† â€Å"Hey, I didn't say we couldn't do anything,† I replied. â€Å"Just not as much as you'd like to do.† One thing we'd inherited from our chaste days was a set of several creative workarounds, mostly involving doing unto ourselves what we couldn't do unto each other. â€Å"The question is, is there going to be a problem with your houseguests?† â€Å"Not if we're quiet,† Seth said. After a moment, he shrugged. â€Å"Scratch that. I don't care. Let them hear.† I scoffed. â€Å"Oh, yeah. So that your mom can come break down your door with her baseball bat.† â€Å"Don't worry,† he said, kissing my cheek. â€Å"She's no match for you and that dictionary.†