The Structure Of The Current Scales, Scope And Diversity...

Dr Sam Hazra 28th April 2015 Titola Omonini Task A 1.1 In my analysis of the structure of the current scales, scope and diversity that surrounding hospitality industry, I believe that the hospitality is one of the largest and fastest growing industries in the world. Therefore, the current scales indicates that, in the UK alone there are about 45,000 guest houses and hotels, while the hotel business stays an important area of the economy, with nearly  £40 billion of an annual turnover (Kotler, et al., 2013). The current scales also indicates that the hospitality industry have around 127,000 properties and with staffs around 1.6 million people and diverse industry. I could say that the main role of the hotel industry is to give travelers cover, sustenance, refreshment, and comparable administrations and products, offering on business premise things that are usually outfitted inside of family units yet inaccessible to individuals on an adventure far from home. For example, the hotel industry caters and provides to the needs of the visitor, like meals and accommodation that provide considerably more than customized facilities etc., because many individuals are travelling not just for business but for recreation and relaxation also. In the literature review, I have noticed an upsurge in tourism that keeps on growing as political opportunities, social and financial correspondence spread over the whole world from national to global growth in the hotel industry. With theShow MoreRelatedThe Contemporary Hospitality Industry ( Unit 1 )3798 Words   |  16 Pagesin Hospitality Management The Contemporary Hospitality Industry (Unit 1) Dr Sam Hazra s.hazra@mrcollege.ac.uk 28th April 2015 Titola Omonini â€Æ' Task A 1.1 In my analysis of the structure of the current scales, scope and diversity that surrounding hospitality industry, I believe that the hospitality is one of the largest and fastest growing industries in the world. Therefore, the current scales indicates that about 46,000 hotels and guest houses are in the UK alone, while the hotel industry remainsRead MoreLabour Turnover8464 Words   |  34 Pagesfor this intense demand for constant improvement to their advantage. There are some who find a way to make these incessant demands for change trigger the developmental needs of the company. This is especially true in the case of the hospitality industry. In this industry, the focus is more on the service rendered to the public; hence there is a distinct possibility for it to be indistinguishable and interchangeable. Though the external environment has been regarded by numerous organisational studiesRead MoreStrategic Marketing Plan- Hpl, Four Seasons Hotel8242 Words   |  33 Pages1.0 Indu stry Background Singapore’s tourism board has optimistic expectations of high volume of tourist arrivals, with 15 million visitors to Singapore on average per year (Hotel Industry Background, 2010). 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Gap Analysis 14 6. Recommendations 22 7. Appendices 26 8. References 52 1. Introduction Since the parent company, the Kuok Group, is established in 1949 and untilRead MoreEssay about Restaurant Business Plan10168 Words   |  41 PagesThe Business Plan for Executive Summary Manly’s restaurant sector seems to lack a restaurant that will provide consumers with an authentic Brazilian dining experience. Currently, most restaurants in the area meet the expected industry standards but lacks in the supply of high quality food, beverage and service originated from South America. La Barata will target that gap and launch a Brazilian cultural experience in the Manly area specialising in dining, cooking classes and entertainmentRead MoreBed And Breakfast Of Indi Emerging Opportunities10452 Words   |  42 Pagesthere are a few rooms and as a result, personal contact is much greater than in hotel or motel. Guest rooms for a BB inn range from 4 to a maximum of 20 rooms. The arrival of the Internet has increased the opportunities to boost the accommodation industry. The BB owners are gradually becoming aware of the benefits that the internet can bring to their business. More and more BB owners are aware of the far reaching importance of the web. There are improved content management systems that enable uploadingRead MoreA Comprehensive Analysis of Hyatt Hotels Corporation and How It Relates to Competition Within the Hotel Industry27390 Words   |  110 PagesA COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS OF HYATT HOTELS CORPORATION AND HOW IT RELATES TO COMPETITION WITHIN THE HOTEL INDUSTRY Table of Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1 EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT ANALYSIS 3 General Environment 3 Demographic Segment 3 Technology Segment 7 Economic Segment 11 Political / Legal Segment 14 Socio-cultural Segment 16 Nature Segment 18 Global Segment 19 Industry Environment 21 Intensity of rivalry 21 Supplier power 22 Buyer Power 22 Threat of substitutes 22 Read MoreIndia s Promotion Of Wine Tourism4103 Words   |  17 PagesTOURISM IN INDIA Dr. Bharat Sharma Head of Department, Hospitality Business Australian Education Academy, Melbourne Australia Email: bharat4sai@gmail.com Abstract: ‘With world economy struggling in its way and looking for alternative options, India’s wine tourism is poised to achieve a great boost if right direction and promotion are given. Even though wine production has a long history in India, there has not been much of growth in this Industry for a long time until recently, where some results

PG Corparate - 10304 Words

BCO 321 Strategic Management School of Business Vincent Chee, 110144 Ricky Liew, 100517 Walter Chin, 100936 Table of Content Case Abstraction 3 Vision Statement (Actual) 4 Mission Statement (Actual) 4 Mission Statement (Proposed) 4 Vision Statement (Proposed) 5 Slogan (Proposed) 5 The CPM Matrix of Pamp;G Company 6 External Factor Evaluation (EFE) Matrix for Procter and Gamble (Pamp;G) 9 The I/E matrix for Procter and Gamble (Pamp;G) 14 Internal Factor Evaluation (IFE) Matrix for Procter and Gamble (Pamp;G) 16 A SWOT Matrix of Pamp;G Company 21 Strengths 23 Weaknesses 23 Opportunities 24 Threats 24 The FOUR strategies 25 The SPACE Matrix 26 Calculation 27 The SPACE Matrix chart 28 The†¦show more content†¦As time goes on, the whole company’s segments have replaced with three major Global Business Units. * The first GBU #1 is focusing on the beauty and grooming products. Which is again divided into the categories of â€Å"his† and â€Å"her†. The global brand such as Gillette, Pantene, Head, Shoulder shampoo and goods that are served in this industry are catego rize in GBU #1 * The health and well-being is the main focus in the Pamp;G’s GBU #2. Together they are encounter for approximately 35 percent of the global feminine care products business. The Vicks is one of the well-known brands in this business unit. * The last Global Business Unit, which is also the 3rd unit, is focusing on the household goods. The home care products are all classify in this business unit. Some of the famous brands are the Duracell battery, Downy, Gain and Tide, and many more. This Pamp;G’s products reached to 99% household in the States and Canada. In addition to that, these goods reached 4.6 billion populations in all around the world. By implementing these three global units, the Pamp;G Company tends to increase the productivity and has a clearer view of the picture, as a whole. On the other hand, the global business units can do a better calculation on the account of the company. The Pamp;G company is ranked on top as the â€Å"Global Top Companies for Leaders† and ranked 5th of the â€Å"World’s MostShow MoreRelatedExploring Corporate Strategy - Case164366 Words   |  658 Pageswhen the Sugababes got crowned the ‘Best Dance Act’ of 2003. At the end of 2002, Palumbo was obliged to close down his ï ¬â€šagship magazine, Ministry. The Ministry Ibid. Marketing, 4 December (1997), p. 3. 4 5 European Venture Capital Journal, September (2001), p. 1. Independent, 2 January (2004), p. 10. ECS8C_C01.qxd 22/10/2007 11:54 Page 607 MINISTRY OF SOUND 607 of Sound then worked with publishers Condà © Nast to launch a new style magazine, Trash, which would be able to

Difference Between Casual and Fine Dining free essay sample

This study examined the relationship among six restaurant attribute factors and three consumer characteristics/behaviors in fine-dining restaurant choice selections. The six factors are described as promotion, price/value, quality expectation, setting, dietary, and variety/innovative characteristics. Gender, age, and dining frequency were shown to impact the strength of the relationship with these six factors. The results of this study provide valuable information for practitioners and future research. Practitioners should consider key target market characteristics to ensure a fit between restaurant attributes and expectations of targeted customers. Fine dining would be a place for which you would dress nicely to go to, and it most likely would be a bit more expensive. Casual dining is a place that you just go normally dressed and have a normal meal. They might both serve the same but the characteristics and behaviors would be different because of the customer service and just service all together The real issue that separates a casual dining restaurant from a fine dining one is the service. We will write a custom essay sample on Difference Between Casual and Fine Dining or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Of course there are other issues; the items do tend to be more expensive, but instead of having people just hired and trained as cooks (as many casual dining establishment do) the majority of fine dining restaurant have certified chefs who have graduated from culinary school. The food should be very good, but it isn’t always just to die for. The reason fine dining restaurant tend to be more expensive is because you’re not only paying for food, but also for the level of service you’re receiving. Servers generally undergo more training in order to work at a fine dining restaurant. They’re taught the proper way to server dishes, such as serve from left pick up from the right, serve and pickup drinks from the right; serve all people at the same time and know where all dishes go, never yell dish names at a table to see who gets them, just pick up dishes at the same time. Just the more tiny details that make dining out a totally different experience. I have visited two restaurants within two days, one was casual restaurant named Shari’s and the other one that I visited was a fine restaurant named Canyon Crest. Dining out at these two restaurants made me realize how different they are from each other. Starting from service, friendly faces to professional dressing, table clothes and glasses for drinks that they provided. Both places had delicious food but just seeing how people dress and act in two different places showed the difference between the two restaurants.

Violence In Sports Essays - Behavior, Human Behavior, Sports

Violence In Sports With the increase in society taking a stance against violence by many people, sports has become an area where some feel that the violent acts such as the hitting and fighting that occurs should be eliminated. You can not change something that has been around for so long because it would change the aspect of the game to something completely different. The elimination of violence should not be done in sport because the violence is a part of the game which would only hurt its popularity. The reasons that the violence is occurring in sport is due to six theories according to John Schneider. "The violence in sport mirrors the violence found in society, violence as the result of economic incentives, the influence of crowd behavior on player violence, genetic causation for player aggression, learning theory and player aggression, and psychological stress and player violence" (Lapchick 230). The theories of sport mirroring society, violence as a result of economic incentive, and the influence of the crowd behavior are the theories that I feel are responsible for the increasing violence in sports. Most people when involved in a highly stressful situation where violence is around would probably resort to a fight to resolve their differences. In sport, why should we expect any difference. In events such as hockey games, where people are expected to hit and make body contact, sooner or later a fight will break out and the fans will yell and scream for their favorite player involved. Like anything, if people around us are applauding us for a certain act we have done, we will try to do it over so that we will continue to be praised. In sports, there are some players whose only role on the team is to protect and enforce the unwritten rules of the game such as in hockey where it is not right to fight or hit a Wayne Gretezy or Mario Lemieux type of star player! . His economic incentive is to protect the team and if he does not, a new line of work might be in the future. All three of those theories relate closely to the role of the fighter in sport and why it is that he does commit the acts of violence. When leagues such as the National Football League (NFL) or the National Hockey League (NHL) are asked to try and remove the violence from their sport, they are hesitant because it is not what the fans want. "Bryant and Zillman report that television viewers enjoy NFL plays more when they are rough and violent" (McPherson 294). Why should these leagues remove the violence that is occurring if they are making money and keeping people employed. The fans of the games want to see these situations and eliminating the fighting aspect would hurt the support. When I watch a hockey game or any other sporting event with contact, there is nothing better than seeing a good fight take place. "One of the best-selling videos in parts of the Northeastern United States has been a collection of the best fights in the NHL" (McPherson 294). Even former NHL president Clarence Campbell felt that the violence taking place in his sport was called for and was reluctant to remove the fighting and the body contact because he knew that it is what the majority of hockey fans want. Fighting is a well-established safety valve for players. If violence ceases to exist, it will not be the same game. Insofar as fighting is part of the show, we certainly sell it. We do not promote it. We tolerate it and we bring it under disciplinary control which we believe satisfies the public (Snyder 201). Its better that the violence take place between two willing combatants such as in sports than in a situation involving spousal abuse where the majority of the times the female is being attacked against her consent. Allowing people not to be able vent their frustrations through sport in my mind would increase the violence that is happening away from the playing field. It is a known fact that sports does keep kids off the street and away from gangs which is why you see so many athletic and boxing clubs being run out of the inner city. It is allowing the youth to take that hostility out on a willing participant who is ready and consenting rather than against an innocent bystander. Some individuals have gone as far as saying that sport is creating a deviant subculture where

Free Essays on Packaging The Presidency

The book starts with the concept of â€Å"booming,† when presidential candidates enter towns with booming flags, bands, and loud cheers. According to the book, the allows the people to feel that they are effecting something. However, this was applied in the 18th century. Today, people could watch presidential campaigns at the comfort and privacy of their own living rooms. This is when candidates show off their best assets and project themselves to the public. This is now called â€Å"political advertising.† At the American election of 1828, modern political marketing blossomed. There were now handbills and sample ballots that were distributed. Candidates now had â€Å"aliases† to make themselves recognized and more popular. During that time, they also had to collect funds to support candidacy, lists of voters, and even biographies. Indeed, through the years, the tactics and strategies used in political advertising have changed. Political parties also play a major role in placing candidates in office. Theoretically, parties help voter identify the platform the candidates’ support. In reality, however, political parties just serve as a control mechanism to candidates. They just curb the power kick of the aspiring public officials. In the Philippines, political parties really do not have substantial platforms that they push through when elected in office. Parties are just means of putting yourself into office even if your party only has two members. It was also tackled in the book that the â€Å"cabins† used by aspiring presidents as their image corresponds today’s television commercials, which pays no heed to achievements and issues. Strong speeches and representative campaigns also emerged. With the birth of the radio communication, political marketing changed. It is no longer necessary to gather as a big group to listen to what a candidates has to say. It is now very convenient for the voters to listen in their own homes. Wit... Free Essays on Packaging The Presidency Free Essays on Packaging The Presidency The book starts with the concept of â€Å"booming,† when presidential candidates enter towns with booming flags, bands, and loud cheers. According to the book, the allows the people to feel that they are effecting something. However, this was applied in the 18th century. Today, people could watch presidential campaigns at the comfort and privacy of their own living rooms. This is when candidates show off their best assets and project themselves to the public. This is now called â€Å"political advertising.† At the American election of 1828, modern political marketing blossomed. There were now handbills and sample ballots that were distributed. Candidates now had â€Å"aliases† to make themselves recognized and more popular. During that time, they also had to collect funds to support candidacy, lists of voters, and even biographies. Indeed, through the years, the tactics and strategies used in political advertising have changed. Political parties also play a major role in placing candidates in office. Theoretically, parties help voter identify the platform the candidates’ support. In reality, however, political parties just serve as a control mechanism to candidates. They just curb the power kick of the aspiring public officials. In the Philippines, political parties really do not have substantial platforms that they push through when elected in office. Parties are just means of putting yourself into office even if your party only has two members. It was also tackled in the book that the â€Å"cabins† used by aspiring presidents as their image corresponds today’s television commercials, which pays no heed to achievements and issues. Strong speeches and representative campaigns also emerged. With the birth of the radio communication, political marketing changed. It is no longer necessary to gather as a big group to listen to what a candidates has to say. It is now very convenient for the voters to listen in their own homes. Wit...

Guide to Map Reading for Beginners

Guide to Map Reading for Beginners In an age when mapping apps are commonplace, you may think that learning how to read a paper map is an obsolete skill. But if you enjoy hiking, camping, exploring the wilderness, or other outdoor activities, a good road or  topographic map is your still best friend. Unlike cell phones and GPS devices, there are no signals to lose or batteries to change with a paper map, making them far more reliable. This guide will introduce you to the basic elements of a map. Legend Cartographers, who design maps, use symbols to represent the different elements used. The legend, sometimes called a key, tells you how to interpret a maps symbols.  For instance, a square with a flag on top usually represents a school, and a dashed line represents a border. Note, however, that map symbols used in the United States are often used for different things in other countries. The symbol for a secondary highway used on a United States Geological Survey topographic map represents a railroad on Swiss maps. Title A maps title will tell you at a glance what the map is depicting. If youre looking at a road map of Utah, for example, you would expect to see interstate and state highways, plus major local roadways across the state. A USGS geological map, on the other hand, will depict specific scientific data for a region, such as groundwater supplies for a city. Regardless of the type of map youre using, it will have a title. Orientation A map isnt very useful if you dont know where you are relative to your position on it. Most cartographers align their maps so that the top of the page represents north and use a small arrow-shaped icon with an N beneath it to point you in the right direction. Some maps, such as topographic maps, will point to true north (the North Pole) and to magnetic north (where your compass points, to northern Canada). More elaborate maps may include a compass rose, depicting all four cardinal directions (north, south, east, west). Scale A life-sized map would be impossibly large. Instead, cartographers use ratios to reduce a mapped region to a manageable size. The maps scale will tell you what ratio is being used or, more commonly, depict a given distance as the equivalent of a measurement, such as 1 inch representing 100 miles.  Ã‚   Other Elements Just as there are many types of color maps, there are also many different color schemes used by cartographers. The map user should look to the legend for an explanation of colors on a map.   Elevation, for example, is often represented as a sequence of dark greens (low elevation or even below sea level) to browns (hills) to white or gray (highest elevation). A neatline is the border of a map. It helps to define the edge of the map area and obviously keeps things looking organized. Cartographers may also use neatlines to define offsets, which are mini-maps of an expanded area of the map. Many road maps, for instance, contain offsets of major cities that show additional cartographic  detail like local roads and landmarks. If youre using a topographic map, which depicts changes of elevation in addition to roads and other landmarks, youll see wavy brown lines that meander around. These are called contour lines and represent a given elevation as it falls upon the contour of the landscape.

The Common Goal and the Overall Productivity of the Organization Research Paper

The Common Goal and the Overall Productivity of the Organization - Research Paper Example The above performance appraisal form has been prepared for the supervisors to estimate his/her performances on a regular basis. The rating scale consists of nine parameters ranging from Excellent to Low. The supervisor will be evaluated based on the performance within a certain stipulated time. Seven performance factors have been taken into account since they are the key skills that a supervisor needs to possess. These factors are administration, knowledge of work, communication, teamwork, decision making, leadership and scheduling. It is to state that greater weight has been provided to the decision making, teamwork, leadership, communication and knowledge of work because these are the most essential skills that the supervisor’s job demands. Communication relates to how efficiently a supervisor is listening to his subordinates. It also intends to identify whether the supervisor demonstrates his ideas orally and in writing or not. The other factor to consider is whether the su pervisor reports to the management regarding the co-workers on a regular basis. Conversely, comparatively less weight has been provided to scheduling and administration since they are comparatively less significant; however, are important skills that are required. After having assessed the performance of an employee, it is vital to provide feedback on the performance that needs improvement and thus plan the activities that the organization along with the supervisor needs to take to make advancement in the performance. The plan can be to provide training to the supervisors. The evaluator also needs to check the reason behind the unsatisfactory performance and thus plan their actions accordingly.

Honours Analysis Math Problem Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Honours Analysis - Math Problem Example Characterizing of the Cantor set in terms of ternary is done when a real number from the closed real interval [0, 1] belongs to Cantor set with a ternary expansion containing digits 0 and 2. To construct this expansion, one has to consider the points in closed real interval [0, 1] in terms of base 3 notation. When constructing the Cantor Middle Third set, we start with the interval [0, 1] removing the middle thirds , this leaves [0,1/3] [2/3,1].The next step is to also remove the middle thirds (1/9, 2/9) and (7/9, 8/9) from the remaining two intervals. This process is repeated continuously. From the results, we can note that all the endpoints remain, which are the Cantor set. The total length of the intervals removed in the construction of the Cantor set can be determined as follows. From interval [0, 1] we first remove a middle third interval 1/3 second step we remove two middle intervals of 1/9. We continue with the process so that at the nth stage we remove 2n-1 intervals with the length 3-n. The total sum of the removed intervals is It can be proven that the Cantor set is perfect and totally disconnected. In this case, x and y are two distinct points in the cantor set. Since x ≠  y therefore │x - y│>. As we can see there is a natural number N that exists in the interval. Next we identify that Cantor set ⠫‹ Ck for all k, such that x, y Ck. For each 2N disjoint closed interval from CN there is. Therefore, x and y are inside distinct closed intervals in CN. The two intervals should have an open interval between them, which is not part of the Cantor set otherwise this would be a single closed interval. The chosen point can be represented by z, therefore z Cantor set and it is between x and y. (Gordon, 1994, p. 301) If we put f in its inverse: If x Q, then also - x Q. therefore f o f (x) = f ( f (x)) = f ( - x) = - (-x) = x. If x ∉ Q then f o f (x) = f (f (x)) = f (x) = x. Thus for all x R, we have that f o f

kingdom of matthias Essay Example for Free

kingdom of matthias Essay Starting in the early 1600’s English settlers began migrating to the Americas in search for liberty and the right to govern themselves in what they deemed a Christian manner. Thomas Morton, was one of the first to write about the Indians of New England. He condemned their religious beliefs claiming it was similar to devil like worship. (VOF,4) The Native Americans were seen to be living a much happier life even without religion, law and a king. This daunted Christian and they did not understand how this could be. It’s written that they claim their prosperity was full of evil and they would lead a happier life once bought to Christianity.(VOF,6) I feel this is the last America sees of true religious freedom. In reality, religious liberty existed in very few parts of the Atlantic world in during this time period. Most nations outlawed religious groups that rulers deems dangerous or disruptive. Among all the colonies, one that demonstrated religious freedom in a higher sense would be Maryland. Cecilius Calvert was a Catholic who wished to demonstrate that Protestants and Catholics could live in peace, something that was not seen in Europe. In 1649 Maryland established an Act Concerning Religion, which introduced religious tolerance, saying that anyone who troubled a Christian due to their religion would be punished.(VOF,27) I feel this allowed others to safely demonstrate â€Å"religious freedom†, but this is just one state among the colonies. During this time it was rare to have this type of true freedom. Like many settlers, the puritans came to American in search of liberty, and to govern themselves in what they deemed a Christian manner.(VOF,29) This is where Religious freedom loses the sense of freedom, because the puritans created their own definition of the word freedom. John Winthrop explains that freedom to them meant obedience to God’s laws and the law of rulers such as himself.(VOF,29-30) Basically you can see that they are imposing their moral stan dards on society as a whole, denying anyone other than themselves of true religious freedom. Unlike what Maryland was trying to implement, this colony believed in follow their religion, or be punished, much like a wide array of colonies. A prime example of this would be the trial of Anne Hutchison in 1637. Hutchison was accused of expressing opinions that did not match up to those in authority.(VOF,33) The trial gives examples of how if you stray against what the government deems Gods word, then you would be punished. Hutchison argues that she is reciting what she believes God told  her is his word, and Governor John Winthrop, one of her accusers, argues that this is another religion and its punishable. (VOF,35-39) Because Hutchison followed her own beliefs she is banished from their society, clearly being stripped of her natural right of religious freedom. Based on examples like this, what religious freedom really meant was, â€Å"do as I say or be punished†. You can see this start to shift as time goes on, you can see people start to realize the damage this is putting on society and settlers, such as Roger Williams, begin to branch out and start new movement. Williams founded Providence, Rhode Island, and then came to publish a letter claiming that no one should be forced to follow any particular religious belief, but they should still obey the government in charge of civil matters. (VOF,40) This is what religious freedom should have been from the beginning.

Teachers Shape Lives Through Words and Actions Essay -- Philosophy of

Teachers Shape Lives Through Words and Actions There was a teacher who paddled so hard that a child was bruised, a teacher who yelled so much that a child was broken, and a teacher who criticized so much that a child was hopeless. But, there was a teacher who loved so truthfully that a child smiled, and learned, and dreamed, and grew. Teachers shape lives. And the way a teacher understands, instructs, and treats a student determines the shape of that life. This is a great responsibility that must be entered into with patience and love. This educational philosophy can be described through a discussion of the nature of students, the nature of knowledge, the purpose of public education, methodology, and curriculum. There is much to be considered because the life of a child is priceless. First, let us look at the nature of students. Students are human beings, just like the rest of the world, searching for guidance, care, and acceptance. They may be born innocent as Rousseau believes, but by the time they come to school, they’ve been home with parents/guardians for years. Therefore, students are coming to school with many different characteristics and behaviors learned from home. Children are good imitators and their nature can be changed by the influences of the teacher and environment, as Rousseau demonstrated. Since a common denominator here is the fact that we are all humans, teachers need only to look inside themselves to understand the basic nature of the student and how that individual can be reached. Since humans are unique in many ways, the nature of knowledge is relative. Some people are born with more intelligence than others, and some have been encourag... ...o science, social studies, history, art, and music. Health and physical wellness should also begin at an early age in order to establish healthy choices for life. The subjects should be interrelated and compelling to the students by applying them to their everyday lives and interests, as pointed out by Pragmatist, George Herbert Meade. Teachers shape lives through words and actions. It is a great responsibility to show guidance, care, and acceptance to all children and to inspire them to become the best that they can be. This philosophy has been discussed in the areas of the nature of students, the nature of knowledge, the purpose of public education, methodology, and curriculum. In order to help a child, I must teach, and be teachable. I must speak and listen. I must look into their eyes and understand. They must look into mine and know truth.

Chuck Taylors All Stars Essay

A.) Marketing Channel Converse uses a distribution channel when marketing the Chuck Taylor All Stars basketball shoes; they have two distribution centers in Ontario, California that uses an automation system to get the shoes into their reserved racks and shipped out to their destinations. These distribution centers handle both Converse and Hurley products as a multi-channel distribution in retail, wholesale, and e-commerce processing. Through this the company has increased the speed of their production by taking two days off the retail order processing timeline and reducing the CPU of apparel by 20 percent. They follow the APCD format which stands for Act, Plan, Check, and Do. The company â€Å"acts† by deciding on the changes needed to improve processing, â€Å"plan† by designing or revising business process components to improve results, â€Å"check† by assessing the measurements and reporting the results to decision makers, and â€Å"do† by implementing the plan and measurin g its performance (Webstoryteller, 2012). B.) Type of Distribution Converse is an intensive distributor because their products and footwear are aimed at maximum market coverage; they try to have the shoes available in every outlet where potential consumers are willing to buy them. The strategy is to sell a large percentage of their products to wholesalers and retailers that are trying to stock their own products. (Lamb, Hair, McDaniel, 2012) C.) Maintaining Channel Cooperation For the most part, Converse has no problem maintaining their distribution channel since they follow the APCD guidelines. The distribution centers’ warehouse management and control systems manages the daily order requirements due to the coordination of their employees, processes, and systems all working together. The company operates a 2 shift/5 day schedule that allows them to receive over 20,000 cases per day, stored over 9 million units of footwear, replenish their orders within 48 hours, and perform dynamic routing (Webstoryteller, 2012). D.) Physical Distribution In footwear, Converse has 12 automated value add and 5 case sealing stations that print of RDIF tickets that are required by client contract services. The shoes are packaged and then shipped off to retailing stores like Target, Kohls, Journeys, Journeys Kids, Macys, Nordstrom, Foot Locker, Champs, Finish Line, JC Penny, Lord & Taylor, Converse Outlet, Nordstrom Rack, Famous Footwear, Foot Action, Amazon, eBay, Sears, Sports Authority, Dicks Sporting Goods, and Zappos (Webstoryteller, 2012).

Land Pollution in Ibadan

A TOWN PAPER ON LAND POLLUTION IN IBADAN, THE CAUSES, EFFECTS, REMEDIAL MEASURES AND HOW EFFECTIVE THEY ARE. COMPILED BY ONIFADE SADIAT T MATRIC NO. 073862 TO BE SUBMITTED TO THE DEARTMENT OF URBAN AND REGIONAL PLANNING FACULTY OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES LADOKE AKINTOLA UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, OGBOMOSHO. COURSE CODE: URP 305 COURSE TITLE: PLANNING STUDIO III LECTURERS IN CHARGE: TPL A. O AKINDELE TPL E. A TOYOBO MARCH, 2010 CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION LAND POLLUTION Land Pollution is the degradation of earth's land surfaces. Land can be polluted through soil or water. Human activities are the main factor and their misuse of land resources. Urbanization and industrialization are major causes of land pollution. Indiscriminate disposal of domestic (solid and liquid) and industrial wastes, exploitation of minerals, and improper use of soil by inadequate agricultural practices are a few factors. Taking Ibadan as a case study, we are going to discuss the causes of land pollution in Ibadan, the effects, the remedial measures and how effective they are. BACKGROUND OF STUDY Ibadan was historically an Egba town. The Egba occupants were forced to leave the town and moved to present-day Abeokuta under the leadership of Sodeke when the surge of Oyo refugees flocked into the towns as an aftermath of the fall of Oyo Kingdom. Ibadan grew into an impressive and sprawling urban center so much that by the end of 1829, Ibadan dominated the Yoruba region militarily, politically and economically. The military sanctuary expanded even further when refugees began arriving in large numbers from northern Oyo following raids by Fulani warriors. After losing the northern portion of their region to the marauding Fulanis, many Oyo indigenes retreated deeper into the Ibadan environs. The Fulani Caliphate attempted to expand further into the southern region of modern-day Nigeria, but was decisively defeated by the armies of Ibadan in 1840. The Ibadan area became a British Protectorate in 1893 and by then the population had swelled to 120,000. The British developed the new colony to facilitate their commercial activities in the area, and Ibadan shortly grew into the major trading center that it is today. At independence, Ibadan was the largest and the most populous city in Nigeria and the third in Africa after Cairo and Johannesburg. It is located in south-western, 128 km inland northeast of Lagos and 345 km southwest of , the federal capital and is a prominent point between the region and the areas to the north. The population of Ibadan was 2,550,593 according to 2006 census results, including 11local government areas. The principal inhabitants of the city are the Yorubas. OBJECTIVES The objectives of this study are; To identify the major sources of waste in Ibadan To identify the factors leading to land pollution To identify the effects of land pollution CHAPTER TWO WASTE GENERATION Waste which is one of the sources and causes of environmental pollution has been defined under Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) (2000) as any solid, semisolid liquid or contained gaseous materials discarded from industrial, commercial, mining or agricultural operations and from community activities. Waste also includes garbage, construction debris, commercial refuse, sludge from water, control facilities and other discarded materials. Most of the solid wastes, like paper, plastic containers, bottles, cans, and even used cars and electronic goods are not bio-degradable, which means they do not get broken down through inorganic or organic processes. Thus, when they accumulate they pose a health threat to people. Decaying wastes also attract household pests and result in urban areas becoming unhealthy, dirty, and unsightly places to reside in. Moreover, it also causes damage to terrestrial organisms, while also reducing the uses of the land for other, more useful purposes. Some of the sources of solid, liquid and gaseous waste that cause land pollution are: *Wastes from Agriculture: This comprises of waste matter produced by crop, animal manure, and farm residues. *Wastes from Mining: Piles of coal refuse and heaps of slag. *Wastes from Industries: Industrial waste matter that can cause land pollution can include paints, chemicals, and so on. *Solids from Sewage Treatment: Wastes that are left over after sewage has been treated, biomass sludge, and settled solids. *Ashes: The residual matter that remains after solid fuels are burned. Garbage: This comprises of waste matter from food that are decomposable and other waste matter that are not decomposable such as glass, metal, cloth, plastic, wood, paper, and so on. WASTE GENERATION IN IBADAN Solid waste Although it is generally agreed that enormous quantities of solid waste are generated in Ibadan daily, the exact figures have not been determined, probably owing to the use of diverse methods of calculati on. Maclaren International Ltd (1970) found that the average per capita quantity of solid waste generated was 0. 37–0. 5 kg/day for the traditional areas of the city and 0. 53 kg/day for the newer areas. According to Egunjobi (1986), 38 million kg of solid waste was collected in the suburbs of Ibadan in 1986. The suburbs constitute about 21% of the city. On this basis, it can be estimated that 181 million kg of solid waste was generated in the city as a whole in 1986. This gives a per capita waste-generation rate of 0. 31 kg/day, using the 1986 estimated population of 1. 6 million for the city. In 1982, PAI Associates recorded the volume and weight of solid waste generated per household per day in Ibadan. The study revealed that waste generation varied according to land use, with residential land use taking the bulk of the hare. The generation rates were 3. 4 kg/household per day in the traditional areas, 3. 2 kg/household per day in the newer areas, and 3. 3 kg/household per day in the whole city (altogether giving a per capita generation rate of 0. 33 kg/day). Several researchers have studied the volume of refuse generated in the city. For example, Maclaren International Ltd (1970) estimated this volume at 182 900 t. The latest study, conducted by Haskoning and Konsadem Associates (1994), estimated the per capita rate at 0. 6 kg/day, with a density of 300 kg/m3. The projections are based on an annual growth rate of population per year The solid-waste composition in Ibadan comprises leaves, paper, food waste, tins, glass, and rags (Maclaren International Ltd 1970). This is because Ibadan is located in the heart of a rich agricultural land and has a large old and unplanned section. PAI Associates (1983) made a comparative analysis of the composition of solid waste from two acres of Ibadan in 1970, which showed that residential land use accounted for 70. 1% of the waste generated, followed by commercial land use (18. 8%) and industrial land use (9. 7%). Institutional and other land use accounted for 0. % each. The mean percentage composition of solid waste in Ibadan in 1982 for different parts of the city is summarized in the table below. Mean % composition by weight GRABodijaMokola & SangoOke AdoAguguOjaba leaves7. 54. 333. 223. 532. 626. 5 Food remnants35. 519. 29. 13. 65. 46. 9 paper15. 126. 210. 719. 415. 216. 6 Cartons . 31. 54. 86. 84. 51 0. 9 Plastic & polythene4. 18. 93. 711. 54. 85. 1 Tins & metals20. 811. 415. 416. 47. 712. 8 Bones, ash dust & stones5. 916. 719. 118. 128. 821. 0 miscellaneous0. 811. 83. 00. 51. 02. 2 Liquid waste The Ibadan metropolis has a lot of problems with the management of its liquid waste. PAI Associates (1983) estimated the magnitude of liquid waste within Ibadan at 22 650 million L (an average of 6. 2 L per household), and Akintola and Agbola (1989) projected the amounts of liquid waste for 1990 and 1995 at 113. 7 million and 126. 5 million L, respectively. Liquid waste in Ibadan also contains tins, sticks, excreta, oil, pieces of iron scrap, and refuse. Outside of large institutions, such as the University of Ibadan’s Teaching Hospital and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Ibadan has no sewerage system. The city’s human waste is disposed of largely by means of septic tanks, pit latrines, and buckets. The uncontrolled disposal of liquid waste into open gutters, open spaces, along roads, etc. , poses serious health hazards. Bodies of stagnant water produce bad odours, breed mosquitoes, and sometimes obstruct the movement of people and goods. For instance, the 1983 study by PAI Associates revealed that 50% of the stagnant pools emitted bad odour, 70% bred mosquitoes, 24% obstructed the movement of people, and 12% bred worms and other germ-breeding pests. Poor practices for liquid-waste disposal are responsible for waterborne diseases that are common in the city, particularly in its inner core. The unwholesome environment forces the populace to spend appreciable portions of their low income and time on improving their personal health, with adverse consequences for general economic well-being. Industrial waste The industries in Ibadan generate a lot of waste, particularly chemical and toxic waste, explosives, and ash, but the exact quantities have not been measured. The industries make private arrangements for disposal of their waste, with little or no monitoring. Groundwater pollution is a possibility, as companies do not take precautions at disposal sites to supervise and ensure proper sanitary conditions. CAUSES OF LAND POLLUTION Some of the causes of land pollution according to Ukpong are; *Improper resources management *Destructive logging of the forest *Overgrazing and overcropping of animals *Flooding and wind erosion menace *Destruction of wetlands and marshes for development *Strip mining He also identified other indirect causes of land pollution to include population growth and population influx, lack of control of enforcement measures and jurisdictional overlap which are due to unclear authority and the use of inappropriate technology for farming and even for producing manufactured goods. This above listed causes persisted for the past decades (since independence) and will continue to be so in Ibadan because of the following factors: (i) High rate of illiteracy (ii) Ignorance (iii) Uncivil culture of indiscriminate waste littering (i. e. throwing of wastes on bare ground) (iv) People inability to maintain a sanitarily clean environment (v) Reluctance of people to cooperate with the authority by disposing solid waste in illegal dumps, rather than using the means provided by the Government; Other factors that militate against decent environment in Ibadan include i. Uncontrolled population creating slum condition; i. Poor planning; and iii. Violation of town planning regulations. EFFECTS OF LAND POLLUTION The increasing amount of solid waste and its disposal have become a serious environmental problem, leading to visual pollution, public health hazards, and water and air pollution. With the growth of the population and the wider use of ‘throw-away' bottles and cans , the problem of litter and waste spoils the beauty of our environment . In addition, the discarded solid waste , if untreated, will decay, producing bad smells polluting the air and water. EFFECTS OF LAND POLLUTION IN IBADAN Unarguably, one of the main problems facing. Ibadan City and which has become an intractable nuisance is open and indiscriminate dumping of refuse, human and animal faeces on land. Piles of decaying garbage which are substantially domestic in nature dominate strategic locations in the heart of the city including the Ibadan Lagos express way. The risks that may be anticipated include bad odour, aesthetic nuisance, fire out break, water pollution, proliferation of insects, flies, cockroaches, rats and other small and dangerous insects which can endanger public health through breeding of ailments such as dysentery, cholera, diarrhea, yellow fever, plague and filariasis. There is also reduction in the property value of land close to a dump site. Regrettably, this condition characterizes environmental culture in Ibadan. It is important to note that endangered public health situation can exert excessive pressure on the health budget, curtails productivity and worsens urban condition of health. CHAPTER THREE REMEDIAL MEASURES TAKEN BY THE GOVERNMENT The government established three institutions charged with the responsibility of overseeing the environment of Ibadan city. They are; (i) Ibadan Solid Waste Board. (ii) The Local Government Councils, and (iii)Ministry of Environment. Prior to the enactment of edict No 8 of 1997, Ibadan city and its environs were constitutionally broken into (11) eleven Local Government Councils which now shoulder the collection and disposal of solid wastes in Ibadan. With the commencement of the edict, the functions of the Local Government councils in the Ibadan urban area under the 1979 Nigerian Constitution, and the instrument establishing them to collect, transfer and dispose solid waste were delegated to the new Authority. The functions of the Authority are: (a) Collection, transfer, and disposal of solid wastes for the Ibadan urban area directly or indirectly; (b) Collection and registration of private refuse contractors in the city. Each refuse collection firm will need to pay specified amounts to the authority annually; (c) To hire or lease out and sell its equipment to refuse contractors at profitable rates (d) To enforce all regulations concerning refuse collection, disposal and any other sanitation laws as obtained and as may be promulgated in the city of Ibadan; (e) To make effective use of Sanitary Inspectors from the Local Government Service and to impose sanctions on any refuse contractor or citizen in form of fines for the contravention of any of the law in accordance with provision under Offences and Related Matters; (f) To maintain land fill sites around Ibadan and to charge economic rates; (g) Holding meetings concerning planning and strategy to be adopted for the success of its operations; (h) Approving the budget estimates based on the planning and strategy; (i) Ensuring proper use of governmental budget allocated for solid waste collection; (j) Improving the management and operations continuously in such a way that the best service is given against the lowest possible cost; (k) Maintenance and proper use of vehicle and buildings from the State Government entrusted to the Board; (l) Preparation of management information on sanitation and environment; PROBLEMS FACED BY THE ADMINISTRATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION IN IBADAN The problems facing administration of environmental pollution in Ibadan are multi-faceted. There are four main factors responsible for the problems faced by the Administration of Environmental Pollution in Ibadan. They are (i) Poor funding (ii) Culture of the people (iii) Limited technology (iv) Human resources (i) Poor Funding: Essentially, refuse collection and disposal in Ibadan city have become such complex, capital intensive and expensive project such that it is a futile effort to expect a single institution of local government or state ministry, talk less of a parastratal to finance it from its own limited source. (ii) Culture of the People: One of the factors that pose a great challenge to the management of environmental pollution in Ibadan has to do with the culture of the people. The city is not well organized and planned. The city has for long been a commercial centre for marketers of maize, yam and other food stuff that generate heaps of refuse which are unmanageable. The illiterate culture of the people seems not to respect human dignity and decency. Many houses are without toilet facilities especially in the core of the city. People defecate indiscriminately in any available plots of land which are uncleared or along the streams. Even when toilets are built by the Local government Councils, they are carelessly used and within a short period they get spoilt. Added to this, is the poor maintenance culture of our public facilities. The provision of water to service these facilities is, to the least epileptic, if it runs at all. Finally, the socio-cultural attitude, lack of awareness and traditional syndrome of dumping refuse very close to their houses constitute a serious health hazard. (iii) Limited Technology: A visit to the garage of the Ibadan Waste Disposal Management Authority revealed that most of its operational vehicles are grounded because of minor technical problem. Even at the dumping site at Aba Eku, the scavengers are self-employed with all the health risk. The compactors relatively new are grounded with just minor complaints and little expenditure to repair them. Again this condition affirms the underfunding of the Authority earlier mentioned. Still on technology, the land fill designed to be operated sanitarily are operated as open dump due to limited technology. Furthermore, it was observed that medical refuse are deposited at the dumping site which technically ought to have been sorted out. There is also the problem of plastic and polythene products which are not bio-degradable. CONCLUSION RECOMMENDATION Ibadan being the largest and most densely populated West African city should be a state on its own. Fund allocated to the state will be used in managing Ibadan only and this will therefore reduce the pressure on the fund allocated to the present day Oyo State. There should be an intensive teaching of heath education in primary and secondary schools hoping that the children would be able to influence their illiterate parents in complying with simple environmental habits and laws. Compact incinerator method should be introduced to neighbourhoods because this burns not only the waste but also the smoke and dust arising from leaves and a very small quantity of ashes i. e. about 10% of the original weight of wastes is left back in the incinerator. CONCLUSION This town paper concluded that the management of environment of Ibadan city is a function of the concerted efforts of the three agencies charged with the environmental sanitation being a capital intensive project coupled with adequate manpower and the government should regard the care of the environment as a social service by enlightening and educating the citizens on proper waste disposal methods, otherwise Ibadan city will continue to remain as the city of refuse.

Midterm Quiz Essays

Midterm Quiz Essays Midterm Quiz Essay Midterm Quiz Essay This midterm exam consist of 32 multiple choice questions and covers the material In Chapters 1 through 8. There are four questions from each chapter. 1). The flat-screen plasma TVs are selling extremely well. The originators of this technology are earning higher profits. What theory of profit best reflects the performance of the plasma screen makers? 2). To reduce Agency Problems, executive compensation should be designed to: 3). Economic profit Is defined as the deference between revenue and . ). Which of the following will Increase (VII the shareholder wealth minimization model of the firm: 5). A change In the level of an economic actively Is desirable and should be undertaken as long as the marginal benefits exceed the 6). The closest example of a risk-free security is 7). The primary difference(s) between the standard deviation and the coefficient of variation as measures of risk are: 8). The is the ratio of to the 9). If demand were inelastic, then we should Immediately: 10). P roducers goods are: 11). Marginal revenue (MR.) is hen total revenue is maximized. 12). Suppose we estimate that the demand elasticity for fine leather jackets is -. 7 at their current prices. Then we know that: 13). The method which can give some information in estimating demand of a product that hasnt yet come to market is: 14). The standard deviation of the error terms in an estimated regression equation is known as: 15). All of the following are reasons why an association relationship may not Imply a causal relationship except: 16). Demand functions In the multiplicative form are most moon for all of the following reasons except: 17). The variation in an economic time-series which is caused by major expansions or contractions usually of greater than a year in duration is known as: 18). The forecasting technique which attempts to forecast short-run changes and makes use of economic indicators known as leading, coincident or lagging indicators Is known as: 19). The type of economic Indicator that can best be used for business forecasting Is the: 20). An example of a time series data set Is one for which the: 21). The optimal currency area Involves a trade-off of reducing transaction costs but the inability to use changes in exchange rates to help ailing regions. If the US, Canada, and Mexico had one single currency (the Peso- Dollar) we would tend to see all of the following EXCEPT: 22). Trading partners should specialize in producing goods In accordance with comparative advantage, then trade and diversify In consumption because 23). In an open economy with few capital restrictions and substantial Import-export trade, a rise In Interest rates and a decline n the producer price index of inflation will 24). Sing demand and supply curves for the Japanese yen based on the $/V price for yen, an increase in US INFLATION RATES would 25). The following is a Cob-Douglas production function: Q = 1. KOOK. LO. 5. What is correct here? 26). Which of the following is never negative? 27). If the marginal product of labor is 100 and the price of labor Is 10, while the marginal product of capital Is 200 and t he price of capital Is $30, then what should relative to the fixed input is being used to produce the desired output. This statement is true for: 29). What method of inventory valuation should be used for economic decision-making problems? 30). Are defined as costs which are incurred regardless of the alternative action chosen in a decision-making problem. 31). If ETC = 321 + Q Q, then average total cost at Q = 10 is: 32).

Pakistani Martyr Iqbal Masih

Pakistani Martyr Iqbal Masih The historical figure of importance, Iqbal Masih was a young Pakistani boy who was forced into bonded labor at age four. After being freed at age ten, Iqbal became an activist against bonded child labor. He became a martyr for his cause when he was murdered at age 12. Overview of Iqbal Masih Iqbal Masih was born in Muridke, a small, rural village outside of Lahore in Pakistan. Shortly after Iqbals birth, his father, Saif Masih, abandoned the family. Iqbals mother, Inayat, worked as a housecleaner but found it difficult to make enough money to feed all her children from her small income. Iqbal, too young to understand his familys problems, spent his time playing in the fields near his two-room house. While his mom was away at work, his older sisters took care of him. His life changed drastically when he was just four years old. In 1986, Iqbals older brother was to be married and the family needed money to pay for a celebration. For a very poor family in Pakistan, the only way to borrow money is to ask a local employer. These employers specialize in this kind of barter, where the employer loans a family money in exchange for the bonded labor of a small child. To pay for the wedding, Iqbals family borrowed 600 rupees (about $12) from a man who owned a carpet-weaving business. In return, Iqbal was required to work as a carpet weaver until the debt was paid off. Without being asked or consulted, Iqbal was sold into bondage by his family. Workers Fighting for Survival This system of peshgi (loans) is inherently inequitable; the employer has all the power. Iqbal was required to work an entire year without wages in order to learn the skills of a carpet weaver. During and after his apprenticeship, the cost of the food he ate and the tools he used were all added to the original loan. When and if he made mistakes, he was often fined, which also added to the loan. In addition to these costs, the loan grew ever larger because the employer added interest. Over the years, Iqbals family borrowed even more money from the employer, which was added to the amount of money Iqbal had to work off. The employer kept track of the loan total. It was not unusual for employers to pad the total, keeping the children in bondage for life. By the time Iqbal was ten years old, the loan had grown to 13,000 rupees (about $260). The conditions in which Iqbal worked were horrendous. Iqbal and the other bonded children were required to squat on a wooden bench and bend forward to tie millions of knots into carpets. The children were required to follow a specific pattern, choosing each thread and tying each knot carefully. The children were not allowed to speak to each other. If the children started to daydream, a guard might hit them or they might cut their own hands with the sharp tools they used to cut the thread. Iqbal worked six days a week, at least 14 hours a day. The room in which he worked was stifling hot because the windows could not be opened in order to protect the quality of the wool. Only two light bulbs dangled above the young children. If the children talked back, ran away, were homesick, or were physically sick, they were punished. Punishment included severe beatings, being chained to their loom, extended periods of isolation in a dark closet, and being hung upside down. Iqbal often did these things and received numerous punishments. For all this, Iqbal was paid 60 rupees (about 20 cents) a day after his apprenticeship had ended. The Bonded Labor Liberation Front   After working six years as a carpet weaver, Iqbal one day heard about a meeting of the Bonded Labor Liberation Front (BLLF) which was working to help children like Iqbal. After work, Iqbal snuck away to attend the meeting. At the meeting, Iqbal learned that the Pakistani government had outlawed peshgi in 1992. In addition, the government cancelled all outstanding loans to these employers. Shocked, Iqbal knew he wanted to be free. He talked to Eshan Ullah Khan, president of the BLLF, who helped him get the paperwork he needed to show his employer that he should be free. Not content to just be free himself, Iqbal worked to also get his fellow workers free. Once free, Iqbal was sent to a BLLF school in Lahore. Iqbal studied very hard, finishing four years of work in just two. At the school, Iqbals natural leadership skills became increasingly apparent and he became involved in demonstrations and meetings that fought against bonded child labor. He once pretended to be one of a factorys workers so that he could question the children about their work conditions. This was a very dangerous expedition, but the information he gathered helped close down the factory and free hundreds of children. Iqbal began speaking at BLLF meetings and then to international activists and journalists. He spoke about his own experiences as a  bonded child  laborer. He was not intimidated by crowds and spoke with such conviction that many took notice of him. Iqbals six years as a bonded child had affected him physically as well as mentally. The most noticeable thing about Iqbal was that he was an extremely small child, about half the size he should have been at his age. At age ten, he was less than four feet tall and weighed a mere 60 pounds. His body had stopped growing, which one doctor described as psychological dwarfism. Iqbal also suffered from kidney problems, a curved spine, bronchial infections, and arthritis. Many say that he shuffled his feet when he walked because of pain. In many ways, Iqbal was made into an adult when he was sent to work as a carpet weaver. But he was not really an adult. He lost his childhood, but not his youth. When he went to the U.S. to receive the Reebok Human Rights Award, Iqbal loved watching cartoons, especially Bugs Bunny. Once in a while, he also had a chance to play some computer games while in the U.S. A Life Cut Short Iqbals growing popularity and influence caused him to receive numerous death threats. Focused on helping other children become free, Iqbal ignored the letters. On Sunday, April 16, 1995, Iqbal spent the day visiting his family for Easter. After spending some time with his mother and siblings, he headed over to visit his uncle. Meeting up with two of his cousins, the three boys rode a bike to his uncles field to bring his uncle some dinner. On the way, the boys stumbled upon someone who shot at them with a shotgun. Iqbal died immediately. One of his cousins was shot in the arm; the other wasnt hit. How and why Iqbal was killed remains a mystery. The original story was that the boys stumbled upon a local farmer who was in a compromising position with a neighbors donkey. Frightened and perhaps high on drugs, the man shot at the boys, not intending to specifically kill Iqbal. Most people do not believe this story. Rather, they believe that leaders of the carpet industry disliked the influence Iqbal was having and ordered him murdered. As of yet, there is no proof that this was the case. On April 17, 1995, Iqbal was buried. There were approximately 800 mourners in attendance. *The problem of bonded child labor continues today. Millions of children, especially in Pakistan and India, work in factories to make carpets, mud bricks, beedis (cigarettes), jewelry, and clothing- all with similar horrific conditions as Iqbal experienced.

Marketing case Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Marketing case - Essay Example But staying in good relation with the wholesale distributors became difficult because they thought that their customer base would be encroached by the potential new retailers. There can be many possible ways in which the manager can respond to this situation. Several companies have to handle channel conflicts when they are dealing in a hybrid or multi channel distribution system. Crafton is experiencing â€Å"external channel conflict† in the given scenario. It can be handled in various ways. Firstly, Crafton can arrange some business planning meeting in which the company can clarify it to them that they are an important part of their distribution channel and cannot be neglected in any way. The company can also use motivation strategies to instil a sense of responsibility towards the company (Linton, n.d.), as the wholesalers have been in business relation with Crafton for a very long period of time and they cannot just quit. Aligning pricing strategy is another solution for this channel conflict. This can guarantee the wholesalers that their share of the profit is not siphoned to the retailers. The wholesalers would have a clear idea of what proportions of the profit margins are theirs and what is going to the retailers. Crafton has to make clever decisions in this strategy because the company cannot afford to lose any of its own profits or any of the distribution channels’. Crafton can do this by formulating a consistent pricing and discount strategy. The prices must be reflective of service, availability of the product and the costs. Prices should only be set by the supplier. Creating monthly, quarterly and annual business plans would enable the wholesalers and the retailer to fulfil certain criteria on these entire bases. This would allow the company to give retailers and wholesalers some targets to be achieved till a certain point in time, for

Plan to study an oranization (what is reason for development of the Essay

Plan to study an oranization (what is reason for development of the origination, how the organization fulfill its Mission and organization infrastructure.) - Essay Example Several issues cause the increase chronic disease in aging group as follows: It is pertinent to note that chronic disease do force a patient to engage in advanced medication this is planed and will be followed in the study of the Bloomington Meals on Wheels organization (Oatman, 2008. p. 86). Thus, the injection of medicine into blood stream can overpower the human response. The study of new technology at The Bloomington Meals on Wheels organization will include how technology facilitates the smooth running of the organization and the effect it has to the patient. For instance, new technology can misinterpret the old prescription procedures, which will result in increasing rate of chronic disease in aging individual (Roemer, 2008.p.58). According to the experts in The Bloomington Meals on Wheels organization it is that advance in prescription of drugs will affect aging people in certain ways. It is expected that a physician should administer medications in a slow manner to the elderly. In such situation, good foods and perfect nutrition will make a sound treatment (Roemer, 2007.p. 89). In addition, many baby boomers are in retirement age and that they need extra medical care. As a result, a good nutrition’s will be a booster to their health, since the elderly do need more of healthy care than any other individuals do. Further, there is several hindrances for instance insurance fact. It follows that the there are increase in the number of individuals who are not insured and so are not legible for Medicaid or Medicare. it is worth noting that there are is increase in the out-of pocket payment for about 29%.the above makes sick individuals to be unable to afford nursing home facilities. In addition, in recent trends shift from institutionalized for instance nursing home to non-institutional seize care at home (Stein, & Baum 2011. p.79). It is important to understand that informal caregivers at home for instance wife

Market Segmentation and Product Positioning Article

Market Segmentation and Product Positioning - Article Example Market segmentation by Epson the tech company manufacturing these glasses has been clearly been highlighted by the article because it touches on the glasses offering more comfort to a workplace or office setting as opposed to just entertainment as mentioned by the author of the article that one cannot walk in them comfortably down the street. The market segment being targeted here appears to be the average career individual with PowerPoint presentations, visual reports summations and whatnot. The glasses appear to be made to appeal to the group made of career enthusiasts who want to look more professional by using the smart glass mover BT-200 achieve that desired effect while in the working environment. The Working class consists of the middle class and high class envisioning the target market segment. â€Å"Samsung readies phone for your wrist† is an article by Min-Jeong Lee and Yun-Hee Kim captured on Wall Street Journal that talks about the tech giant Samsung planning to unveil a smartwatch that does not need to be tethered to a phone referred to as the wrist communicator which has developed as an innovation of the initial smartwatch concept (Lee & Kim). The article elaborates the product positioning concept because of the fact that Samsung is introducing the concept and benefit of their smart wrist watch that is yet to be launched into the world market. The company boasts of already having the leading role in smartwatch presence already in the market as opposed to its competitors like Apple Inc. that are yet to make a debut in the same tech sector. The article builds on the fact that the watch will give a different experience to the intended market because it has new exciting features than its predecessors like Galaxy Gear. The mere fact that the watch will be able to ha ve a SIM card is enough to juggle the public minds to want to associate with the product before it is launched into the market and if possible make pre-orders.  Ã‚  

Essential Anatomy and Physiology Components

Essential Anatomy and Physiology Components Mahbubul Alam Task 1 Most of the nutrients in the feed are large molecules that can not be directly absorbed in the gut due to their size or hydrophobicity. The digestive system is responsible for the reduction in the size of these molecules directly absorbable smaller units and the conversion of hydrophilic molecules with hydrophobic complexes. Proper operation of absorption and transport mechanisms is essential for the delivery of products of digestion in human body cells . An abnormality of one of these systems can cause malnutrition even in the presence of adequate nutrition . Functions of Digestive System The task of the digestive system is the physical and chemical breakdown of food. In addition, energy needed by the body , as well as raw materials for growth and repair of body structures come from the food and drink that ingerimos. In the digestion process are the following functions: Test food through the senses of smell and taste, food crushing , dissolution in water, food transport crushed decomposition of food into simple substances with the aid of digestive enzymes, absorption simple substances, and elimination of indigestible residues. Regulation of digestive functions Digestive functions traction and secretion are controlled by two main types of regulation: the nervous regulation and hormonal regulation . Neural Mechanisms Nervous regulation of motor and secretory phenomena uses two types of neural networks : a local system , the enteric nervous system and the autonomic nervous system (ANS ). Nerve receptors are sensitive to various stimuli : the chemical composition of the chime (acidity) , stretching (feeling of fullness ) , etc. . They send impulses to the muscle and secretory cells of the digestive tract via the enteric nervous system consists of the myenteric plexus and submucosal . Neurotransmission is nervous or chemical type ( enkephalins , somatostatin , serotonin, bombesin , neurotensin , etc. . ) .The ANS consists of two contingents of fibers : sympathetic fibers that run along blood vessels, and the parasympathetic fibers of the vagus nerve. These two contingents have antagonistic actions: roughly, sympathetic fibers are inhibitory while the parasympathetic fibers are excitatory . Structure Core Structures : Mouth, pharynx , esophagus , stomach thin intestine , Ano Associated structures : salivary glands ( three pairs ) , Pancreas , Liver, Gall Bladder ( with their associated ducts) , and Appendix. Process The substances that the body needs are absorbed from food , it passes through the digestive system. When chewing food, it is moistened by saliva. As food is sufficiently fragmented and wet mouth are pushed by the tongue into the pharynx and swallowed. The muscles in the walls of the esophagus contract and relax to cause movement in waves, known as peristalsis, which lowers food into the stomach. In this , mixed with acidic juices produced by the wall of the organ. These juices facilitate the fragmentation of food in even smaller particles , the muscles of the stomach wall also contract , and facilitating the greater fragmentation. Thereafter , they pass into the small intestine where certain products contained in the digestive juices , known enzymes continue the degradation of food in nutritional components which are absorbed by the blood through the walls of the small intestine. Leftover food particles , which are not digested in the small intestine pass into the large intestine where water is absorbed. The remaining food is a partially solid waste is gradually propelled along the large intestine and takes the form of feces reach the rectum. The depositions are stored in the terminal portion of the digestive tract and are then expelled through the anus. Anatomy The esophagus is a tube or membranous muscle that extends from the pharynx to the stomach. Incisors to cardia ( portion continues where the esophagus and stomach) there are about 40 cm. Esophagus begins at the neck, chest and traverses into the abdomen through the esophageal orifice diaphragm . Usually it is a virtual cavity ( ie that its walls are joined and only open when the bolus passes ) . Measure reaches the esophagus 25 cm and has a structure consisting of two layers of muscles which allow contraction and relaxation of the esophagus downward . These waves are called peristalsis and is causing the progress of food into the stomach. Its just a passage of the bolus , and is the union of different holes , oral , nasal , ear and larynx. Stomach: The stomach is an organ so that varies depending on the state of repletion (amount of nutritional content present in the gastric cavity) that is usually shaped J. It consists of several parts that are: fundus, body, antrum and pylorus. Its less extensive edge is called the lesser curvature and a larger curvature. The cardia is the boundary between the esophagus and stomach and pylorus is the boundary between the stomach and duodenum. In an individual measures approximately 25cm cardia to the pylorus and the transverse diameter is 12cm. To see what is inside the stomach click here. Small intestine: The small intestine begins at the pylorus and ends at the ileoceal valve, which is attached to the first part of the large intestine. Its length is variable and its size gradually decreases from its origin to the ileocecal valve. The duodenum, which is part of the small intestine, is about 25 to 30 cm in length, the small intestine consists of a proximal portion and a distal jejunum or the ileum, the boundary between the two portions is not very apparent. The duodenum joins the jejunum after 30cm from the pylorus. The jejunum-ileum is part of the small intestine that is characterized by relatively fixed ends: The first originates in the duodenum and the second is limited to the ileocecal valve and first portion of the blind. Its size decreases slowly but progressively towards the large intestine. The boundary between the jejunum and ileum is not noticeable. The small intestine villi has numerous surface increasing intestinal absorption of nutrients. Intestine: The large intestine . starts from the ileocecal valve in a blind pouch called from where the vermiform appendix and ends at the rectum . From the cecum to the rectum describes a series of curves , forming a frame in the center of the handles are yeyunoà ­leon . Its length is variable between 120 and 160 cm , and its size gradually reduces , being narrower in the region where it joins portion rectum or rectosigmoid junction, where the diameter is usually not exceed 3 cm , while the blind is 6 or 7 cm. After the blind , the second portion of the large intestine is called as ascending colon, with a length of 15cm , to give rise to the third portion which is the transverse colon with an average length of 50 cm , resulting in a fourth portion which is the descending colon 10cm in length. Finally differs sigmoid , colon rectum and anus . The rectum is the last part of the digestive tract. It is the continuation of the sigmoid colon and ends up opening up to the outside through the anal opening . Pancreas: Gland is intimately related to the duodenum, the excretory duct of the pancreas, which ends meet with the bile through the ampulla of Vater, their secretions areimportant in the digestion of food . Liver: The liver is the largest internal organ of the body weighs 1500 grams. It consists of two lobes. The bile ducts are the excretory ducts of the liver , bile for them is driven into the duodenum . normally get two channels: left and right , that converge together to form a single duct . the hepatic duct receives a finer duct, cystic duct coming from the gallbladder housed in the visceral side of liver. Meeting of the cystic duct and the hepatic bile duct , descending duodenum , into which together with the excretory duct of the pancreas is formed. The gallbladder is a reservoir musculomembranous shunted on the main bile duct. It contains about 50-60 cm3 of bile. Is oval or slightly pear-shaped , and its major diameter is about 8 to 10 cm . Spleen: The spleen , for its main functions should be considered an organ of the circulatory system. Its size depends on the amount of blood contained therein. Digestive Physiology The gastrointestinal tract is responsible for the digestion of the ingested food , so that they can be used by the body . The process of digestion begins in the mouth where food is covered by saliva , crushed and divided by the action of chewing and once formed the bolus swallowed . The stomach is not an essential organ for life, for though his removal in man and animals cause certain digestive disorders, not fundamentally affect health. In humans , the essential function of the stomach to reduce food to a semi-fluid mass of uniform consistency called chyme , which then passes into the duodenum . The stomach also acts as a temporary reservoir for the acid foods and their secretions , has some antibacterial action. The chyme passes the pylorus and enters the duodenum intervals where it is transformed by the secretions of the pancreas , small intestine and liver was continued digestion and absorption. Chyme is progressing through the small intestine until it reaches the large intestine. The ileocecal valve too fast hinders the emptying of the small intestine and prevents reflux of the contents of the large intestine to the small intestine. The main function of the large intestine is the formation , transport and disposal of feces. A very important function is to absorb water. In the cecum and ascending colon faeces are almost liquid and that is where the greatest amount of water and some dissolved substances are absorbed, but also in more distal regions ( rectum and sigmoid colon) liquids are absorbed. Digestion and absorption Digestion of food is effected by hydrolysis using digestive enzymes and cofactors such as hydrochloric acid or bile . Cofactors are also involved in the mechanisms of absorption. Enzymes are of 2 types: exoenzymes and endoenzymes. Digestive enzymes are exoenzymes mainly synthesized by specialized cells of the mouth, stomach , pancreas or small intestine and that are released in the digestive light to catalyze the hydrolysis of the food to the outside of the cell .The enzymes are endoenzymes localized on the membrane lipoproteins digestive mucosal cells . The connection to their substrate therefore when those latter penetrate into the cell. Ingested food are absorbed about 95%. The water , inorganic salts , monosaccharides , vitamins and alcohol are absorbed without change. As against , disaccharides , polysaccharides , lipids and proteins are to be transformed by hydrolysis into simpler components before being absorbed. Factors influencing the digestion Psychological factors: The appearance, smell and taste of food served modifies the emotional climate during the meal which influences the digestion of ingested food. Indeed , salivary secretions , gastric , etc. . and alter motility of the digestive tract . Emotions such as fear , anxiety or anxiety act via the hypothalamus and the autonomic nervous system affect digestion by reducing secretions , inhibition of peristalsis and increased sphincter tone . Bacterial action . The intestinal flora is a complex community with over 100 different species. At birth, the gastrointestinal tract is sterile, but many species rapidly colonize the digestive tract. Lactobacillus is the main bacteria flora until the child gets a varied diet . Then Escherichia coli dominant in the terminal ileum , and the anaerobic flora in the colon appears . However, the number of lactobacilli persist in subjects taking a normal diet. In the stomach , hydrochloric acid (HCl ) has a bactericidal action , which destroys most bacteria in the gastric acid chyme . In hyposà ©crà ©tion gastric cases, bacterial overgrowth can be responsible for gastritis resulting in inflammation of the mucosa. In the colon , bacterial action is more intense. It leads to the formation of gas (H2 , CO2 , CH4 , O2, NH3 , etc . ) , Acids ( lactic , acetic , etc . ) , And many other substances ( indoles , phenols , etc. . ) . The smell of feces is related to many of these components. The meal ingestion alters the fecal flora in very different ways depending on the individual . The ingestion of carbohydrate fermentation tends to increase while the increase of protein putrefaction . Effects of food preparation and meal composition . Cooking makes them more easily digestible : cooking meat relaxes connective tissue, facilitates chewing making it more accessible to digestive juices tissues. A heat load and composition equal meals low volume and more can be better digested than lavish meals . The chemical reactions during cooking alter food digestion . Acrolein produced by frying foods at elevated temperature, delays gastric emptying . Instead, meat extract ( bouillon ) stimulate digestion . Finally, there is a wide variation within and between individual sensitivity to food, their physical properties (temperature , acidity, etc. . ) That is frequently associated with the state of repletion of the digestive tract . Task 2 The Endocrine System and Its Working The endocrine system is a term for all the organs and tissues that produce hormones. They are distributed throughout the body and can show effects over long distances on: Growth Development Functions of many organs Coordination of metabolic processes The endocrine glands are organs, but who have no ducts, because they distribute their products directly into the blood or an autocrine or paracrine effect, however. Therefore, there is at this tissue with a dense network of blood capillaries with windowed endothelium. Exocrine gland secretions free to oppose it with their inner or outer surfaces: on the skin, on the wall of the stomach or in the pancreatic ducts. The hormone-producing tissue can be divided into three groups: Purely endocrine glands, used exclusively for the production of hormones; Exo-endocrine glands, in addition to the hormones produced other exocrine secretions; Certain non-glandular tissue such as the autonomic nerves, which also secrete hormone-like substances =neuro secretion Location and Function of 3 Endocrine Glands Thyroid Developmentally, the thyroid gland goes out of the intestinal epithelium of the pharynx bottom out on the tongue base. This gland stands at the beginning of the development through the ducts thyroglossus still with the floor of the mouth in combination and is located in front of the trachea after a descent. Anatomically, the thyroid gland is composed of two lobes, which are on an isthmus that is sometimes formed as a real pyramidal lobe, in conjunction. Without thyroid hormones cannot live. The thyroid hormonetriiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxin (T4) are iodized. They work in almost all body cells and stimulate there on the energy metabolism. The thyroid itself is in terms of a control system by the hypothalamic hormone TRH (TSH-releasing hormone), and originating from the pituitary TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone) in their function regulated (Hiller-Sturmhofel, 1998). Endocrine Pancreas The pancreas is an exo-endocrine organ by both digestive juices into the duodenum and releases hormones into the bloodstream. The endocrine portion, the islets of Langerhans are localized mainly in the pancreatic and stand out due to their brighter appearance. They secrete their secretions directly into the bloodstream. A distinction is to effect different types of cells: B cells: 60-80%, are used to produce insulin A cells: approximately 20%, and are therefore intended to antagonist to insulin D cells: about 2% serve to have an inhibitory effect on the A-and B-cells as well as on the exocrine pancreas. PP cells (pancreatic polypeptide): ~1-2% and inhibit pancreatic exocrine These islands consist of a net-like organization of several thousand epithelial cells arranged in groups and are crossed by numerous capillaries with windowed endothelium (Carter, n.d.) Pituitary The pituitary gland is located at the underside of the brain and is composed of three parts. In contrast, the anterior pituitary produces own hormones. The activity of its cells is determined by complex humeral and neural mechanisms regulated (= control hormones). It is above all the hypothalamic releasing and release-inhibiting hormones that play an important role (Drake, 2010)

My Life Essay -- Personal narrative, descriptive Essays

Road trips make for great writing, especially if you are driving alone. All you have is the road and your thoughts. Even the radio is turned off eventually, as silence takes precedent. This was my experience a few weeks ago, driving home from a pseudo-family reunion. My first thoughts were basic; what I had to do the following week, how great it had been to see all my friends, and how good Jordan had looked that weekend. Yet, as my drive progressed, my thoughts began to wander. I began thinking about my life; what I had already accomplished and what was still waiting for me. I realized that there are so many things that I want to do before I die. I quickly sorted through them in my mind and this is what I discovered. I want to visit the 7 Wonders of the World; walking along the banks of Victoria Falls and standing beneath the shadow of the Sphinx. These are some of the most amazing structures in the world, and I need to experience them for myself, instead of through books and photographs. I want to use my time to help others. There is an amazing organization called Sa...

Fool Chapter 3

THREE OUR DARKER PURPOSE[15] â€Å"Well this is a downy lot of goose toss if I've ever read it,† said I. I sat on the bastard's back, cross-legged, reading the letter he'd written to his father. â€Å"‘And my lord must understand how unjust it is that I, the issue of true passion, is shorn of respect and position while deference is given my half brother, who is the product of a bed made of duty and drudgery.'† â€Å"It's true,† said the bastard. â€Å"Am I not as true of shape, as sharp of mind, a – â€Å" â€Å"You're a whiny little wanker,[16] is what you are,† said I, my brashness perhaps spurred by the weight of Drool, who was sitting on the bastard's legs. â€Å"What did you think you would possibly gain by giving this letter to your father?† â€Å"That he might relent and give me half my brother's title and inheritance.† â€Å"Because your mother was a better boff than Edgar's? You're a bastard and an idiot.† â€Å"You could not know, little man.† It was tempting then, to clout the knave across the head with Jones, or better, slit his throat with his own sword, but as much as the king might favor me, he favors the order of his power more. The murder of Gloucester's son, no matter how deserved, would not go unpunished. But I was fast on my way to fool's funeral anyway if I let the bastard up before his anger cooled. I'd sent Shanker Mary away in hope that any wrath that fell might pass her by. I needed a threat to stay Edmund's hand, but I had none. I am the least powerful of all about the court. My only influence is raising others' ire. â€Å"I do know what it is to be deprived by the accident of birth, Edmund.† â€Å"We are not the same. You are as common as field dirt. I am not.† â€Å"I could not know then, Edmund, what it is to have my title cast as an insult? If I call you bastard, and you call me fool, can we answer as men?† â€Å"No riddles, fool. I can't feel my feet.† â€Å"Why would you want to feel your feet? Is that more of the debauchery of the ruling class I hear so much about? So blessed are you with access to the flesh's pleasures that you have to devise ingenious perversions to get your withered, inbred plumbing to come to attention – need to feel your feet and whip the stable boy with a dead rabbit to scratch your scurvy, libidinous itch, is it?† â€Å"What are you on about, fool? I can't feel my feet because there's a great oaf sitting on my legs.† â€Å"Oh. Quite right, sorry. Drool, lift off a bit, but don't let him up.† I climbed from the bastard's back and walked to the laundry doorway where he could see me. â€Å"What you want is property and title. Do you imagine that you will get it by begging?† â€Å"The letter's not begging.† â€Å"You want your brother's fortune. How much better would a letter from him convince your father of your worth?† â€Å"He would never write such a letter, and besides, he does not play for favor, it is his already.† â€Å"Then perhaps the problem is moving favor from Edgar to you. The right letter from him would do it. A letter wherein he confesses his impatience with waiting for his inheritance, and asks for your help in usurping your father.† â€Å"You're mad, fool. Edgar would never write such a letter.† â€Å"I didn't say he would. Do you have anything written in his hand?† â€Å"I do, a letter of credit he was to grant to a wool merchant in Barking Upminster.† â€Å"Do you, sweet bastard, know what a scriptorium is?† â€Å"Aye, it's a place in the monastery where they copy documents – bibles and such.† â€Å"And so my accident of birth is the remedy of yours, for because I hadn't even one parent to lay claim to me, I was brought up in a nunnery that had just such a scriptorium, where, yes, they taught a boy to copy documents, but for our darker purpose, they taught him to copy it in exactly the hand that he found on the page, and the one before that, and the one before that. Letter to letter, stroke for stroke, the same hand as a man long gone to the grave.† â€Å"So you are a skilled forger? If you were raised in a nunnery how is it you are a fool and not a monk or a priest?† â€Å"How is it that you, the son of an earl, must plead mercy from under the arse of an enormous nitwit? We're all Fate's bastards. Shall we compose a letter, Edmund?† I'm sure I would have become a monk, but for the anchoress. The closest to court I would have come would have been praying for the forgiveness of some noble's war crimes. Was I not reared for the monastic life from the moment Mother Basil found me squirming on the steps of the abbey at Dog Snogging[17] on the Ouze? I never knew my parents, but Mother Basil told me once that she thought my mother might have been a madwoman from the local village who had drowned in the river Ouze shortly after I appeared on the doorstep. If that were so, the abbess told me, then my mother had been touched by God (like the Natural) and so I was given to the abbey as God's special child. The nuns, most of whom were of noble birth, second and third daughters who could not find a noble husband, doted on me like a new puppy. So tiny was I that the abbess would carry me with her in her apron pocket, and thus I was given the name of Pocket. Little Pocket of Dog Snogging Abbey. I was much the novelty, the only male in that all-female world, and the nuns competed to see who might carry me in their apron pocket, although I do not remember it. Later, after I learned to walk, they would stand me on the table at mealtime and have me parade up and down waving my winky at them, a unique appendage in those feminine environs. I was seven before I realized that you could eat breakfast with your pants on. Still, I always felt separate from the rest of them, a different creature, isolated. I was allowed to sleep on the floor in the abbess's chambers, as she had a woven rug given her by the bishop. On cold nights I was permitted to sleep under her covers to keep her feet warm, unless one of the other nuns had joined her for that purpose. Mother Basil and I were constant companions, even after I grew out of her marsupial affection. I attended the masses and prayers with her every day from as long as I could remember. How I loved watching her shave every morning after sunup, stropping her razor on a leather strap and carefully scraping the blue-black whiskers from her face. She would show me how to shave the little spot under your nose, and how she pulled aside the skin on her neck, so as not to nick her Adam's apple. But she was a stern mistress, and I had to pray every three hours like all the other nuns, as well as carry water for her bath, chop wood, scrub floors, work in the garden, as well as take lessons in maths, catechism, Latin and Greek, and calligraphy. By the time I was nine I could read and write three languages and recite The Lives of the Saints from memory. I lived to serve God and the nuns of Dog Snogging, hoping that one day I might be ordained as a priest myself. And I might have, but then one day workmen came to the abbey, stonecutters and masons, and in a matter of days they had built a cell off of one of the abandoned passages in the rectory. We were going to have our very own anchorite, or in our case, anchoress. An acolyte so devoted to God that she would be walled up in a cell with only a small opening through which she would be passed food and water, and there she would spend the rest of her life, literally part of the church, praying and dispensing wisdom to the people of the village through her window until she was taken into the bosom of the Lord. Next to being martyred, it was the most holy act of devotion a person could perform. Daily I crept out of Mother Basil's quarters to check on the progress of the cell, hoping to somehow bask in the glory that would be bestowed upon the anchoress. But as the walls rose, I saw there was no window left to the outside, no place for the villagers to receive blessings, as was the custom. â€Å"Our anchoress will be very special,† Mother Basil explained in her steady baritone voice. â€Å"So devout is she that she will only lay eyes on those who bring her food. She will not be distracted from her prayers for the king's salvation.† â€Å"She is the charge of the king?† â€Å"No other,† said Mother Basil. The rest of us were bound by payment to pray for the forgiveness of the Earl of Sussex, who had slaughtered thousands of innocents in the last war with the Belgians and was bound to toast on the coals of Hell unless we could fulfill his penance, which had been pronounced by the Pope himself to be seven million Hail Marys per peasant. (Even with a dispensation and a half-price coupon purchased at Lourdes, the earl was getting no more than a thousand Hail Marys to the penny, so Dog Snogging was becoming a very rich monastery on his sins.) But our anchoress would answer for the sins of the king himself. He was said to have perpetrated some jolly-good wickedness, so her prayers must be very potent indeed. â€Å"Please, Mother, please let me take food to the anchoress.† â€Å"No one is to see or speak to her.† â€Å"But someone has to take her food. Let me do it. I promise not to look.† â€Å"I shall consult the Lord.† I never saw the anchoress arrive. The rumor simply passed that she was in the abbey and the workmen had set the stones around her. Week's went by with me begging the abbess to allow me the holy duty of feeding the anchoress, but it was not until one evening when Mother Basil needed to spend the night alone with young sister Mandy, praying in private for the forgiveness of what the abbess called a â€Å"Smashing Horny Weekender,† that I was allowed to attend to the anchoress. â€Å"In fact,† said the Reverend Mother, â€Å"you stay there, outside her cell until morning, and see if you can learn some piety. Don't come back until morning. Late morning. And bring tea and a couple of scones with you when you come back. And some jam.† I thought I would burst, I was so excited when I first made my way down that long, dark hallway – carrying a plate of cheese and bread, and a flagon of ale. I half expected to see the glory of God shining through the window, but when I got there, it wasn't a window at all, but an arrow loop, like in a castle wall, cut in the shape of a cross, the edges tapered so that the broad stone came to a point at the opening. It was as if the masons only knew one window they could put in a thick wall. (Funny that arrow loops and sword hilts, mechanisms of death, form the sign of the cross – a symbol of mercy – but on second thought, I guess it was a mechanism of death in itself.) The opening was barely wide enough to pass the flagon through; the plate would just fit through at the cross. I waited. No light came from inside the cell. A single candle on the wall across from the opening was the only illumination. I was terrified. I listened, to see if I could hear the anchoress reciting novenas. There wasn't even the sound of breathing. Was she sleeping? What kind of sin was it to interrupt the prayers of someone so holy? I put the plate and ale on the floor and tried to peer into the darkness of the cell, perhaps see her glow. Then I saw it. The dim sparkle of the candle reflecting in an eye. She was sitting there, not two feet from the opening. I jumped back against the far wall, knocking over the ale on the way. â€Å"Did I frighten you?† came a woman's voice. â€Å"No. No, I was just, I am – forgive me. I am awed by your piety.† Then she laughed. It was sad laughter, as if it had been held a long time and then let out in almost a sob, but she was laughing and I was confused. â€Å"I'm sorry, mistress – â€Å" â€Å"No, no, no, don't be sorry. Don't you dare be sorry, boy.† â€Å"I'm not. I won't be.† â€Å"What is your name?† â€Å"Pocket, mum.† â€Å"Pocket,† she repeated, and she laughed some more. â€Å"You've spilled my ale, Pocket.† â€Å"Aye, mum. Shall I fetch you some more?† â€Å"If you don't want the glory of my bloody godliness burning us both down, you better had, hadn't you, friend Pocket? And when you come back, I want you to tell me a story that will make me laugh.† â€Å"Yes, mum,† And that was the day that my world changed. â€Å"Remind me, why is it we're not just murdering my brother?† asked Edmund. From whimpering scribblings to conspiracy to murder in the course of an hour, Edmund was a quick study when it came to villainy. I sat, quill in hand, at the table in my small apartment above the great gatehouse in the outer wall of the castle. I have my own fireplace, a table, two stools, a bed, a cupboard for my things, a hook for my coxcomb and clothes, and in the middle of my room a large cauldron for heating and pouring boiling oil upon a siege force through gutters in the floor. But for the clanking of the massive chains when the drawbridge is raised or lowered, it is a cozy den in which to pursue slumber or other horizontal sport. Best of all, it is private, with a thumping big bolt on the door. Even among the nobles, privacy is rare, as conspiracy thrives there. â€Å"While that is an attractive course, unless Edgar is disgraced, disinherited, and his properties willfully given to you, the lands and title could pass to some legitimate cousin, or worse, your father might set about trying to sire a new legitimate heir.† I shuddered a bit then – along with, I'm sure, a dozen maidens about the kingdom – at the mental vision of Gloucester's withered flanks, bared and about the business of making an heir upon their nubile nobility. They would be clawing at the nunnery door to escape the honor. â€Å"I hadn't thought of that,† said Edmund. â€Å"Really, you, not think? How shocking. Although a simple poisoning does seem cleaner, the letter is the sharper sword.† If I gave the scoundrel proper rope, perhaps he could hang for both our purposes. â€Å"I can craft such a letter, subtle, yet condemning. You'll be the Earl of Gloucester before you can get dirt shoveled on your father's still twitching body. But the letter may not do all.† â€Å"Speak your mind, fool. As much as I'd love to silence your yammering, speak.† â€Å"The king favors your father and your brother, which is why they were called here. If Edgar becomes betrothed to Cordelia, which could happen before the morrow – well, with the princess's dowry in hand, there'll be no cause for him to resort to the treachery we are about to craft around him. You'll be left with your fangs showing, noble Edmund, and the legitimate son will be all the richer.† â€Å"I'll see he is not betrothed to Cordelia.† â€Å"How? Will you tell him horrid things? I have it on good authority that her feet are like ferryboats. They strap them up under her gown to keep them from flapping when she walks.† â€Å"I will see to it that there is no marriage, little man, don't you worry. But you must see to this letter. Tomorrow Edgar goes on to Barking to deliver the letters of credit and I'll return to Gloucester with my father. I'll let the letter slip to him then, so his anger has time to fester in Edgar's absence.† â€Å"Quick, before I waste parchment, promise you'll not let Edgar marry Cordelia.† â€Å"Fine, fool, promise you'll not tell anyone that you ever penned this letter, and I will.† â€Å"I promise,† said I. â€Å"By the balls of Venus.† â€Å"Then, so do I,† said the bastard. â€Å"All right, then,† said I, dipping my quill in ink, â€Å"although murder would be a simpler plan.† I've never cared for the bastard's brother Edgar, either. Earnest and open-faced is he. I don't trust anyone who appears so trustworthy. They must be up to something. Of course, Edmund hanging black-tongued for his brother's murder would make for a festive chandelier as well. A fool does enjoy a party. In a half-hour I had crafted a letter so wily and peppered with treachery that any father might strangle his son at the sight of it and, if childless, bastinade his own bollocks with a war hammer to discourage conspirators yet to be born. It was a masterpiece of both forgery and manipulation. I blotted it well and held it up for Edmund to see. â€Å"I'll need your dagger, sir,† said I. Edmund reached for the letter and I danced away from him. â€Å"First the knife, good bastard.† Edmund laughed. â€Å"Take my dagger, fool. You're no safer, I still have my sword.† â€Å"Aye, which I handed you myself. I need your dagger to razor the seal off that letter of credit so I may affix it to this missive of ours. You'll need to break it only in your father's presence, as if you yourself are only then discovering your brother's black nature.† â€Å"Oh,† said Edmund. He gave me the knife. I performed the deed with sealing wax and candle and handed the blade back with the letter. (Could I have used one of my own knives for the task? Of course, but it was not time for Edmund to know of them.) The letter was barely in his pocket before Edmund had drawn his sword and had it leveled at my throat. â€Å"I think I can assure your silence better than a promise.† I didn't move. â€Å"So, you lament being born out of favor, what favor will you court by killing the king's fool? A dozen guards saw you come in here.† â€Å"I'll take my chances.† Just then the great chains that ran through my room began to shake, rattling as if a hundred suffering prisoners were shackled to them rather than a slab of oak and iron. Edmund looked around and I scampered to the far side of the room. Wind rushed through the arrow loops that served as my windows and extinguished the candle I had used for the sealing wax. The bastard spun to face the arrow loops and the room went dark, as if a cape had been thrown over the day. The golden form of a woman shimmered in the air at the dark wall. The ghost said, â€Å"A thousand years of torture rule, The knave who dares to harm a fool.† I could only see Edmund by the glow of the spirit, but he was moving crablike toward the door that led out onto the west wall, reaching frantically for the latch. Then he threw the bolt and was through the door in an instant. Light filled my little apartment and I could again view the Thames through the slits in the stone. â€Å"Well rhymed, wisp,† said I to the empty air. â€Å"Well rhymed.†