Capital budgeting, Risk, Return, CAPM Assignment

Capital budgeting, Risk, Return, CAPM - Assignment Example Because lease the amount will be 8 billion * 10 years which is 80 billion which is a huge amount of cash than when he would purchase the Death star through the loan. Leasing in this case adds no profit to the buyer leading to huge losses that will let the project down. A) $780,000 + $15,000 + $75,000 are equal to $870,000 + $90000 which totals to $960,000. It is the total amount of cash used before settling the equipment fully. This should be taken seriously so as not to go for huge losses that let the project down. C) 38% of $120,000 which totals to $45600 which is the reduced those results to deduction in taxable income. This is a very important business valuation aspect. This gives the business the propelling power that will take it to higher levels nationally that will help it to maneuver through the huge world of competition (Smith, 2008). e) If the three stock portfolios are incorporated in one stock they can do better than when they are of different and distinct parts. They will increase the economy and improve the market share of the three portfolios g) The beta is the correlation in terms of market share between the three stocks. (21.6 + 7 +13.3) / 3 = 13.78 is the beta of the market portfolio. This helps in the increase of the market share of the three

Planning Process Paper Essay Example for Free

Planning Process Paper Essay I will compare the planning process to my current workplace. Followed by what I believe would be more crucial and why I think that. Also, I will briefly go over why I do not believe organizations can over-plan during this process. The Basic: Planning Process Step #1: Situational Analysis—This step is where you would typically answer the question, â€Å"Where are we now? † (Amicaall). In my current workplace, the main focus in this step is to be sure that the customer is aware of the customer survey that lucky few may receive. Now, the goal is to be sure the ones who may receive this survey are honest when filling it out with the most accurate information. All survey’s are read and sent to the dealership the vehicle was serviced, or purchased. Therefore, any concern from the customer will highly be considered. We assure that ever individual that has an opportunity of receiving one of these important surveys is aware when delivering the vehicle after any services. So that if there is an issue with the service, that they please notify us before filling out the survey this way we are sure the customer is happy with all services. Also, so that the consumer will know how honesty we stand by our word of correcting and listening to their suggestions by making them happy right away. â€Å"Planners should gather, interpret, and summarize all information relevant to the planning issue in question. A through situational analysis studies past events, examines current conditions, and attempts to forecast future trends† (Bateman Snell, 2007). By us being sure that are customers are aware of the survey ahead of time, we are more than likely to get a better knowledge of where we may need to focus more on improving or attempting the consumer’s ideas. By doing so, we are more like to achieve reaching our goals. Step #2: Alternative Goals and Plans—â€Å"based on the situational analysis, the planning process should generate alternative goals that may be pursued in the future and the alternative plans that may be used to achieve those goals† (Bateman Snell, 2007). A lot of our goals set at work are not just to be sure that all customers are happy but also that they know if there’s something that has not instantly been put into effect that we are still in the process of doing so. It may be something that takes a little more financial effort as well as time. For example, a lot of customer have mentioned the would like if their vehicle was washed and vacuumed after every service. We state the following to the customer when this is brought to our attention, â€Å"As of now we are relocating to another facility, fortunately we will be in a bigger building that will also have a car wash available. But for now we have washed your windows and vacuumed the vehicle. We look forward to being able to serve you better. Step #3: Goal and Plan Evaluation—â€Å"next, managers will evaluate the advantages, disadvantages, and potential effects of each alternative goal and plan† (Bateman Snell, 2007). This is pretty simple; the goal and plan evaluation is discussed every morning within our manager meetings. Some of the ideas in plans they’ve discussed in meetings are the following: complimentary snacks, drinks, opening a Starbucks coffee station and mail ing/emailing great coupons, specials off of services, even possibly a parking garage. The managers gather together to see what is best benefiting the customers and if there are any new ideas that may be brought to their attention. One, manager even stated he over heard a customer state to another customer, â€Å"that it wouldn’t be a bad idea if they had wireless internet so that I could continue to work while my vehicle is being serviced, you would think they would be caught up with the technology no days. † If so what they plan on doing to implant them, are they realistic and attainable? While in the meeting they’ll discuss several ideas and examples of how to keep all eyes and ears open for any future goals and plans. Step #4: Goal and Plan Selection—â€Å"once managers have assessed the various goals and plans, they will select the one that’s most appropriate and feasible† (Bateman Snell, 2007). After everyone discussing and gathering information from consistent consumers the dealership has decided to select the following as plans for the future; parking garage, complimentary drinks, a Starbucks station that consists of snacks, breakfast and lunch sandwiches up for purchase. Until the Starbucks station has built their customers, we have coupon vouchers so that the customer may have their first Starbuck’s Drinks for free. As all these ideas come out the next step would be to be sure the news letter gets mailed and emailed out to all of our customers and consumers. The newsletters will state all goals and plans that have been selected for our future facility. Step #5: Implementation—â€Å"once managers have selected the goals and plans, they must implement the plans designed to achieve the goals† (Bateman Snell, 2007). Well, as of now the dealership has implemented a lot of the planned goals. By this I mean, we now have a Starbucks station filled with snacks and many different beverages. We also have put a refrigerator full of all types of sodas and water all complimentary for all customers and purchaser of Toyota Sales and Service. As for the Parking Garage and Car Wash they are both in the works, we have blue prints showing where the next facility will be built. Step #6: Monitor and Control—â€Å"although it is sometimes ignore, this step in the formal planning process is essential. Planning works in a cycle; it is an ongoing, repetitive process. (Bateman Snell, 2007). Now, the way the company monitors and tracks all the works in cycle is by asking all customers that look like they have purchased or used the vouchers if they enjoy having Starbucks. All mentioned it’s a great change and they all thanked the company for taking the time to listen to their ideas. The managers noticed that all surveys they were receiving had plenty comments about how the changes really benefit them. A lot commented on the wireless internet how covenant it was to have service performed on their vehicle and it didn’t even seem that they weren’t at work because they could still use their computer and complete work assignments. To management it seemed that they were on the right track, by listening to the customers they could make most of them happy and keep their business. By doing so it seems that they’re helping to provide a better workplace as well as a great setting for people to achieve personal as well as career goals. In conclusion, an organization can not be very successful if they do not stay within the basic planning process. As I’ve explained above every step is very important, though one I believe is most crucial and that is Step #! Situational Analysis. The reason why I feel this is most important is because if you analyze a situation incorrectly then you may be headed in the wrong direction as far as improving. The situation may not need any correction or improvement at the time, therefore the situation that needs most improvement may be overlooked. I don’t believe that any organization may over plan because the more effort put into planning the more correction or ideas m ay be created. This will prepare the organization for several different scenarios.

Learning Styles and the Brain Essay -- Biology Essays Research Papers

How Did You Know That?!Learning Styles and the Brain Although most commonly framed in academic contexts, learning style lies at the foundation of individual identity and development. Learning, "the process of acquiring knowledge about the world" (1) and learning style, "...the sum of the patterns of how individuals develop habitual ways of responding to experience" (2) reflect an array of attitudes, emotional responses, preferences and habits. It is the basis of how we interact with, process and are subsequently affected by inputs from our environment. In addition to providing a general overview of learning styles, this paper makes the claim that distinctions resulting from these models support the existence of the I-function. A preliminary understanding of learning styles requires some knowledge of brain functioning. Currently, specific cerebral locations are associated with particular functions. The left and right hemispheres of the brain employ different strategies that classify individuals as either analytic (left) or global (right) learners. "A successive processor (left) prefers to learn in a step-by-step sequential format, beginning with details leading to a conceptual understanding of a skill. A simultaneous processor (right) prefers to learn beginning with the general concept and then going on to specifics." (2) Constructing learning style along these lines has dictated classroom methods for decades. Traditional pedagogy has long favored the left-sided student, emphasizing accurate, rational and sequential thought. Right-sided learners, with a proclivity towards a spontaneous, random, and visual style, possess a mode that is undervalued and often stifled. Current theories of human learning contend that learni... ...ciously change these things, or appreciate how much of who we are is already rooted in the nervous system awaiting the opportunity for expression. Learning models enable students and educators to assess individual learning styles and to tailor strategies and experiences accordingly. Understanding the neuro-biological aspects of learning could provide critical insight for issues such as learning disabilities. Culture affects what particular style is fostered and preferred. Insight into this aspect of learning style might contribute towards understanding inequalities in the educational system that result, for example, in higher dropout rates for minority students, and make educational reform a more attainable goal. Internet Sources: http://www.brains.org/path.htm http://cogsci.ucsd.edu/~stjohn/bbs.abstract.html http://io.uwinnipeg.ca/~epritch1/impnexp.htm Learning Styles and the Brain Essay -- Biology Essays Research Papers How Did You Know That?!Learning Styles and the Brain Although most commonly framed in academic contexts, learning style lies at the foundation of individual identity and development. Learning, "the process of acquiring knowledge about the world" (1) and learning style, "...the sum of the patterns of how individuals develop habitual ways of responding to experience" (2) reflect an array of attitudes, emotional responses, preferences and habits. It is the basis of how we interact with, process and are subsequently affected by inputs from our environment. In addition to providing a general overview of learning styles, this paper makes the claim that distinctions resulting from these models support the existence of the I-function. A preliminary understanding of learning styles requires some knowledge of brain functioning. Currently, specific cerebral locations are associated with particular functions. The left and right hemispheres of the brain employ different strategies that classify individuals as either analytic (left) or global (right) learners. "A successive processor (left) prefers to learn in a step-by-step sequential format, beginning with details leading to a conceptual understanding of a skill. A simultaneous processor (right) prefers to learn beginning with the general concept and then going on to specifics." (2) Constructing learning style along these lines has dictated classroom methods for decades. Traditional pedagogy has long favored the left-sided student, emphasizing accurate, rational and sequential thought. Right-sided learners, with a proclivity towards a spontaneous, random, and visual style, possess a mode that is undervalued and often stifled. Current theories of human learning contend that learni... ...ciously change these things, or appreciate how much of who we are is already rooted in the nervous system awaiting the opportunity for expression. Learning models enable students and educators to assess individual learning styles and to tailor strategies and experiences accordingly. Understanding the neuro-biological aspects of learning could provide critical insight for issues such as learning disabilities. Culture affects what particular style is fostered and preferred. Insight into this aspect of learning style might contribute towards understanding inequalities in the educational system that result, for example, in higher dropout rates for minority students, and make educational reform a more attainable goal. Internet Sources: http://www.brains.org/path.htm http://cogsci.ucsd.edu/~stjohn/bbs.abstract.html http://io.uwinnipeg.ca/~epritch1/impnexp.htm

The Japanese Culture

The Japanese culture in unlike any other in the world. It has long been known for its excellence in education and its strong background of family and religion.The Japanese culture dates back to 10,000 BC with many fascinating periods and events. They span from the days of the samurai and shogun, to 1945 when the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. Although a bomb would be a devastating blow for any country, rapid industrialization and aid from the United States brought Japan to the forefront of world affairs. Japan is roughly the size of California with a population of 120 million Japanese, 670,000 Koreans and 130,000 of other nationalities. The capital of Japan is Tokyo and the government is a parliamentary democracy, made up of elected representatives. Chinese culture has about five thousand years history which is an extremely long period of time. The Chinese civilization was growing with these periods of time and it will continues greater than ever and it one of the oldest continuous civilizations in history and dominant cultural center of East Asia is China. Chinese Kung Fu, also known as Chinese martial arts, is an important part of traditional Chinese culture. It is probably one of the earliest and longest lasting sports, which utilizes both brawn and brain3Japan's economic freedom score is 72.3, making its economy the 30th freest in the 2018 Index. Its overall score has increased by 2.7 points, with dramatic deficit reduction improving the score for fiscal health and far outpacing a decline in government integrity. Japan is ranked 8th among 43 countries in the Asia–Pacific region, and its overall score is above the regional and world averages.The economy of Japan is a highly developed and market-oriented economy. It is the third-largest in the world by nominal GDP and the fourth-largest by purchasing power parity (PPP), and is the world's second largest developed economy.Japan is a member of the G7. According to the International Monetary Fund, the country's per capita GDP (PPP) was at $37,519, the 28th highest in 2014, down from the 22nd position in 2012. Due to a volatile currency exchange rate, Japan's GDP as measured in dollars fluctuates widely. Accounting for these fluctuations through use of the Atlas method, Japan is estimated to have a GDP per capita of around $38,490.China's economic liberty score is 57.8, making its economy the 110th freest in the 2018 Index. Its overall score has increased by 0.4 point, with developed scores for government honesty and legal effectiveness more than balancing declines in fiscal health, labor freedom, and property rights. China is graded 24th between 43 countries in the Asia–Pacific region, and its overall score is below the regional and world averages.4The low standard of living permits companies in China to pay their workers less than American workers. That makes products cheaper, which lures overseas producers to outsource jobs to China.

Bullying and Marsh Et Al Essay

Everyday thousand of teens wake up terrified of attending school. About one in seven schools, a child is either a bully or a victim of bullying. Bullying is simply defined as a type of aggressive behavior that involves intent to cause harm and a power imbalance (Olweus, 1999). Bullying can range anywhere from psychological, physical (involving kicking and punching), verbal or cyber abuse. Bullying among children can be considered as a form of abuse’ (0-). It has been put forward that bullying is a division of aggressive behavior and has been further characterized as repetitive and ‘an inability on behalf of the victim to defend him or herself’ (Farrington, 1993, cited it Sapouna, 2008). We learn from Sapouna (2008) that bullying can take the form of ‘verbal (name calling), physical (hitting, kicking) or relational (deliberate exclusion from a group, spreading of malicious rumors). After extensive research in Scandinavia, Olweus(1993, cited in Kumpulainen et al.,1998) proposed that bullying can be carried out by one or more adolescents and usually occurs on repeated occasions, and to some extent, it occurs in all schools. Recently bullying amongst young people has gain notoriety in the press due to the extreme results it has had on certain young individuals. An example of this is Sian Yates, a 13 year old girl who committed suicide after repeated bullying (Daily Mail, 2007). Despite the press attention given to these cases, the extreme consequence of suicide does not occur in the majority of cases. Victims can suffer from a range of harmful effects such as humiliation, anxiety, depression, difficulty with interpersonal relationships, and emotional instability. This lead to the finding of Kumpulainen et al., (1998) that ‘bullying is a common phenomenon among children who are psychologically disturbed.’ The writer went on to say that there are ‘higher rates of psychological distress among both bullies and victims’ than those not involve. However, the literature is consistent in noting that the ‘bullied victims are the most troubled of the bully, victim, bully –vict im triad’ (Juvonen et al., 2003; Ma, 2001; Pellegrini, 2002; Pellegrini et al., 1999;Salmivalli & Nieminen, 2002, cited in Cunningham, 2007). Should these lead agencies to focus more on protecting the victim? Some schools have decided that the way forward is to have zero tolerance policies. This may include all students who bully. However, if certain researcher’s numbers are correct it could mean excluding from school, forty percent of the school aged population. Given the widespread nature of the problem can zero tolerance really mean, â€Å"Zero tolerance†? We learn from the NHS ‘website teens for health’ (2008) that ‘anyone can be singled out by bullies.’ The NSPCC found that 31 per cent of children had been bullied at some point (Teens for health, 2008). This being the case, can anyone be bullied? Black and Jackson (2007) have put forward that there lies and ‘an imbalance of power’ between the parties involved in bullying. ‘The bully is stronger through social status, physical prowess, age, cognitive abilities or skill.’ Is this imbalance of power the sa me across the genders? There is an extensive body of literature that suggests that boys are more likely than girls to be bullies as well as victims (Nansel et al.2001; Boulton & Smith, 1994; Boulton & Underwood, 1992, cited in Marsh, Parada, Craven, &Finger, 2004). This doesn’t mean girls cannot be bullies. Stephenson and Smith (1989, cited in Kumpulainen et al., 1998) found that girls as well as boys fitted into the ‘five main groups of people involved in bullying’. These are: ‘dominating bullies, anxious bullies, bully-victims, classical victims, and provocative victims.’ These traits were also found by Sourander,Helstelà ¤, Helenius and Piha (2000) to have clinical implications. Sourander et al., (2000) noted that ‘Bullying is especially associated with aggressive and antisocial behavior while victimization is associated with internalizing problems.’ Whitney and Smith, (1989, cited in Kumpulainen et al., 1998) found ‘bullies to be more prone to have criminal convictions later in life, and more likely to be involved in serious, recidivist crime’. Are criminal convections later in life a fair punishment for their actions? Or should something be done to help the bully? This leads to the question as what is the nature of these young people that make them prone to being a victim or a bully. In the search for a personality construct, many researchers have come to the agreement that ‘bullies are deficient in social information processing or may be intellectually disadvantaged’ (Besag, 1989, cited in Marsh et al., 2004). The work of Crick and Dodge (1994, cited in Marsh et al., 2004) explained that bullies responses to social situations are being met with a filtration process. This ‘cognitive filter’ is based on an aggressive individual interpreting neutral or ambiguous cues as hostile and therefore, making them more likely to engage in aggressive behaviors’ (Marsh et al., 2004). This was also seen to be the case in Bosworth, Espelage, and Simon (1999, cited in Marsh et al., 2004) when ‘a sample of adolescent high school students showed that misconduct, anger, and beliefs supportive of violence were significantly related to bullying behaviors’. Although bullying is an aggressive act, this does not imply that bullies and aggressive or conduct-disordered individuals are a homogenous group. Sutton et al (1999, cited in Marsh, 2004) put forward that bullies were part of a complex environment where they are require to ‘negotiate and attribute mental states to themselves and others to explain or predict their behavior.’ This idea contravenes the notion that ‘bullies are cognitively inept or simple in their inte ractions with peers’ (Sutton et al 1999, cited in Marsh, 2004). References â€Å"Bullying†. Violence Prevention. 1 Dec. 2012 http://www.violencepreventionworks.org/public/olweus_history.page Dawkins, J. L. (1996). Bullying, physical disability and the pediatric patient. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 38 603-612. Espelage, D. L., Holt M. K., & Henkel, R. R. (2003). Examination of peer group contextuals effects on aggressive behavior during early adolescence. Child development, 74, 205-220. Pelligrini, A. D. (2002) Bullying and victimization in schools: A Dominance relations perspective . Educational Psychologist, 37, 151-163.

Free Essays on Education In Brazil

EDUCATION IN BRAZIL SCHOOLS and TEACHERS in BRAZIL Until 1971 4 years of primary schooling (mandatory) 4 years of middle level school 3 years of Normal, Classical or Scientific studies After 1971 Pre-primary, 2-3 years 1st to 8th grade (mandatory) Collegial (High School), 3-4 years Vestibular (College entrance exam preparation) University, 4 to 5 years TEACHERS Most teachers are women Low salaries, minimal wages Frequent strikes SALARIES Elementary Schools: Usually 4-5 Minimum Wages for government schools $1,000 per month at private schools Maternity leave: 4 months Sick leave: as needed Vacation: January, february, July and half of December Universities: High salary: $1,500 per month Average salary; $500-700 per month TWO REALITIES PUBLIC SCHOOLS PRIVATE SCHOOLS Some of the best teachers (selected Good teachers (the bad ones are fired) by proficiency exam), but also some of the worst in rural or poor areas. 2-3 hours of class per day 5-6 hours of class per day Teachers often absent from school Teachers do not miss school Frequent strikes No strikes Free education to all Costs $50 to 400 per month per student Free meals No free meals Free materials No free materials Students use uniforms Students usually use uniforms Poor curriculum and planning Strong curriculum and planning Bad organization Good organization Very little discipline Strong discipline Students from poor population Students from rich and middle class Poor buildings and installations Usually good installations CURRENT SITUATION Everybody agrees there is a CRISIS in education in Brazil What to do about it? Brizola, Governor of the State of Rio de Janeiro, has tried to do something: o Building new, large integrated schools o All day classes, from 8 AM until 5 PM o Schools provide FOOD and Medical Assistance A recent conference of 600 school administrators gave following report: o Of 100 students that start the 1... Free Essays on Education In Brazil Free Essays on Education In Brazil EDUCATION IN BRAZIL SCHOOLS and TEACHERS in BRAZIL Until 1971 4 years of primary schooling (mandatory) 4 years of middle level school 3 years of Normal, Classical or Scientific studies After 1971 Pre-primary, 2-3 years 1st to 8th grade (mandatory) Collegial (High School), 3-4 years Vestibular (College entrance exam preparation) University, 4 to 5 years TEACHERS Most teachers are women Low salaries, minimal wages Frequent strikes SALARIES Elementary Schools: Usually 4-5 Minimum Wages for government schools $1,000 per month at private schools Maternity leave: 4 months Sick leave: as needed Vacation: January, february, July and half of December Universities: High salary: $1,500 per month Average salary; $500-700 per month TWO REALITIES PUBLIC SCHOOLS PRIVATE SCHOOLS Some of the best teachers (selected Good teachers (the bad ones are fired) by proficiency exam), but also some of the worst in rural or poor areas. 2-3 hours of class per day 5-6 hours of class per day Teachers often absent from school Teachers do not miss school Frequent strikes No strikes Free education to all Costs $50 to 400 per month per student Free meals No free meals Free materials No free materials Students use uniforms Students usually use uniforms Poor curriculum and planning Strong curriculum and planning Bad organization Good organization Very little discipline Strong discipline Students from poor population Students from rich and middle class Poor buildings and installations Usually good installations CURRENT SITUATION Everybody agrees there is a CRISIS in education in Brazil What to do about it? Brizola, Governor of the State of Rio de Janeiro, has tried to do something: o Building new, large integrated schools o All day classes, from 8 AM until 5 PM o Schools provide FOOD and Medical Assistance A recent conference of 600 school administrators gave following report: o Of 100 students that start the 1...

DBQ essays

DBQ essays By 1860 the Union had grown to over 36 states. Much of the population had moved its center from farmland to large cities. With the invention of the cotton gin the South ushered in a whole new era of profitable slave labor. In Virginia in 1831 and 1832, the legislation defeated numerous gradual emancipation proposals. After this the state and those surrounding it tightened slave codes and strengthened runaway slave laws. In the North the abolitionist voice was growing stronger through men like Frederick Douglas (a former slave) and William Lloyd Garrison as was the voice for women and human rights. Recent religious and cultural revivals changed brought to stage injustices and cruelty towards other human beings. Though these two sections were a union, protected and defined by the constitution, disagreements over this document had begun to create sectional discord and tension. Ultimately this tension and discord led to the failure of the union it had created. The Compromise of 1850 sparked much controversy in the North and the South. With the admittance of California as a free state, the South was no longer equal in the senate. The territories that were taken from Mexico, New Mexico and Utah, were set to have slavery decided through popular sovereignty (see map Document A). Though they were Southerly territories, it was unlikely that they would decide slave for the sole reason that it was not profitable without much fertile land. In the District of Columbia, slave trade was abolished (but not slavery). The only part of the Compromise that benefited the South at all was the Fugitive slave law (Document C). This allowed Southern slave owners to cross state lines to regain their slaves. It also stated that Slaves could not testify against themselves in court or be on trial by a jury. Both of the parts of the law were constitutional but that is where the problem begins. The constitution does not strictly forbid slavery nor does it recogniz. ..

Euphoria

Euphoria Euphoria Euphoria By Maeve Maddox This word from the Greek referred originally to the ease and comfort felt by people who enjoy good health. The Greek elements are eu (well) and pherein (to bear/carry). Etymologically, euphoria is a feeling of well-being. The earliest use of euphoria in English (1684) is as a medical term. The right medicine could produce a feeling of euphoria in a sick person (i.e., make a sick person feel well). The adjective, introduced in 1888, is euphoric: euphoric: characterized by a feeling of well-being, cheerful; also, producing or causing cheerfulness. In modern usage, euphoria refers to a heightened feeling of well-being, such as the phenomenon referred to as â€Å"runner’s high†: runners high   (noun): a feeling of well-being or euphoria resulting from physical exercise, especially running. M-W Online defines euphoria as: â€Å"a feeling of well-being or elation; especially one that is groundless, disproportionate to its cause, or inappropriate to one’s life situation.† Here are some examples of usage from the Web: The few truly euphoric moments Ive experienced as a Steelers  fan The [prayer-induced] experience lasted probably only a second or two, but after it left my body I was left with this euphoria. Almost feeling like I was floating. At 2:49 p.m. on Monday, city native George Lobaton experienced the euphoria of crossing the finish line of the 26.2-mile Boston Marathon. What is it like to finish a novel? The first time you do it, you feel utter euphoria, and you should.   For [Ebola] survivors, the euphoria of having beaten the disease is soon followed by the battle to live with the stigma. [Volunteers helping the homeless] experience the euphoria that comes from doing something good for someone who can’t help you in return. Euphoria doesn’t last. The verbs commonly used to indicate its passing or dissolution are dissipate, evaporate, wear off, die down, and fade: Now that the euphoria has  worn off the cold hard facts remain. But now the euphoria has  subsided and the market [has undergone] a painful correction.   But now the euphoria has  faded - partly no doubt because Spain is settling down to normal democratic apathy   Now the euphoria has died down, its back to business as usual. Unfortunately, that euphoria typically dissipates when companies realize that the cloud technology they’ve invested in isn’t as easy or reliable as they thought it would be. But little remains of the euphoria from those winter days when the beginning of a new era seemed to be dawning in Ukraine. That euphoria, however, has evaporated. Here are some other nouns to name feelings of happiness and well-being: elation happiness joy delight glee excitement exhilaration jubilation exultation ecstasy bliss rapture Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Idioms About Talking50 Types of Propaganda40 Idioms with First

International management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

International management - Essay Example This will call for development, implementation and control of marketing strategies needed to attain and sustain firm’s competitive advantage through analysis and evaluation of contemporary issues in the marketing practice and development of a strategic marketing plan. The purpose of competitive strategy is to achieve sustainable competitive advantage to enhance business financial performance and recognizing relationships between elements of marketing mix and assessment of the competitive aspects of the market and industry structure. Firms competing in foreign markets may choose to adapt their products to fit local market needs or to standardize their offer so as to keep costs low, and to understand principles and behaviors underlying appropriate methods and effective performance I project based teams. Introduction Hewlett-Packard Company is a multinational information and technology corporation that provides hard ware, software, and technological services to final end consumer s, small and medium enterprises and large enterprises including governments, health and education sectors. It has a significant global market share specializing in developing and manufacturing networking hardware, computing networks and software, data storage and delivery of innovation and technological services to its clients. The firm sells its products and services directly to the consumers via online distribution, retail outlets such as consumer electronics and office supply, partnership production and consulting with major technology vendors. With a wide range of products in its line the company boasts diversification in enterprise security services such as network security, information security and information assurance compliancy, wireless access points, mobile applications, analytics and portfolio management software (HP.com). Whenever firms go international, major marketing decision to be made is what marketing program is to be devised; choice between development of a globa l product and creation of adapted product that satisfies foreign market’s consumer needs while meeting the global efficiency goals and responsiveness (Qian & N.B.E.R, 2012, 4). This paper will seek to evaluate the international marketing strategy by Hewlett-Packard Company [HP] and evaluate the effectiveness for its products and the impacts of the strategy in its global standards and market share. International Marketing Strategy As an international corporation HP Company has applied several international marketing strategies in a bid to acquire significant market share and coupled by the industry it is in, its innovative strategies of production gives it market sustainability. The logic behind this is formulation of competitive marketing strategies such as relationship marketing which serve as a moderator for sustenance of positional advantages (Peterson, 2007, 2) coupled with the production competitive advantage gives the firm positive impacts of competition and market cond itions on the formulation of other marketing strategies. Literature Review Standardization is selling of the same products in all markets regardless of the economic, socio- cultural and economic backgrounds; a driving force of globalization trends in the market due to higher convergence of consumer needs, tastes and preferences, more technological uniformity and

The ethics and leadership conference pertained to the selection of the Essay

The ethics and leadership conference pertained to the selection of the speakers overview - Essay Example At the initial stage, professor Plump introduced the guest speakers to the audience by delving into their brief history, accomplishments and hallmarks of success. The first speaker was Marcus Allen, the CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters at Southeastern. He was soon followed by by the Claims Regional Vice President at AIG, Brian Bornstein. The third speaker was Edward Capobianco, the General Counsel of Swarovski. The final speaker was, Tom Wingert, the founder and director of Inkster Cares at Inkster. He also recently graduated from LaSalle University six months ago, There were quite a numbers of question raised and discussions on significant issues related to the business environment in the course of the conference. However, there were two pertinent issues that caught my attention. The first point pertained to how and when an employee was expected to reveal any work related challenges or problems. The second issue pertained to understanding that being mistaken in taking an irrational decision is not a problem but ignoring it and not attempting to fix it, may cause real problem and place and individual in a precarious situation. Moreover, it was insightful to learn that nonprofit organizations are reliant on disclosure data. This maybe either internal in nature such as that between board members and other employees; or external in nature such with a government agency, beneficiary or donator.

Professionalism and the accounting profession Essay

Professionalism and the accounting profession - Essay Example The last section provides a personal interpretation of accountancy as a profession. Accountancy as a Profession The rise of professionalism in the United Kingdom is an issue that has gained much emphasis in the literature. The discourse comprises basic issues like what makes up a profession and how professionalism is attained (Lal, 1988). The discourse about how professions have reached their current status has evolved significantly over time, somewhat demonstrating different ideological or theoretical perspectives. Until the 1960s, the dominant theoretical perspective among social scientists exploring the professions was structural-functionalism or functionalism (Jones, 1995). They, largely inspired by the works of Emile Durkheim, look at the role of certain phenomena in cultural and social processes. Structural-functionalism assumes that the development of institutions and, for that matter, professions, usually was a normal outcome of the fact that they played functional or purpose ful roles in society (Roslender, 1992). This explanation, when used in the discourse of the professions, involved examining the array of functions carried out by professionals, and resulted in a complementary and imperceptive traits-based model of the professions. The trait-based paradigm comprises a set of theoretically distinct characteristics or qualities, like responsibility and broad knowledge, which are believed to embody the core attributes of a profession. The trait model is characterised by a particular disagreement amongst its advocates as regards the exact arrangement of components distinctive to professions (Larson, 2012). This is a problem which the ahistorical functionalist model of the professions has successfully avoided. Functionalists believe that the core elements of a profession are commonly restricted to those believed to be of practical or purposeful importance for the client-professional relationship or the society in general (Roslender, 1992). The manner in w hich accountancy has attained its professional status is also the emphasis of contemporary literature and debate. Most of the established histories of accountancy are classified under functionalism (Cherreson, 2003). Several scholars have argued that the histories of major professional accountancy organisations, like the Society of Incorporated Accountants and Auditors (ICWA) and the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), â€Å"tend to assume not only that accountants are supremely necessary to society but also that the major factor enabling their current success has been their form of professional association† (Matthews, Anderson, & Edwards, 1998, p. 4). Furthermore, according to Matthews and colleagues (1998), several British scholars view accountancy as evidently an essential instrument for guaranteeing the most favourable yield or best productivity in any economy. According to trait-based perspective, the emergence of professional organisations w as a natural, and smooth, development intended to furnish professionals with the training or education needed to help them carry out vital functions in society. Because the title ‘profession’ was mostly confined to law, medicine, and the Church until the early 19th century, professions were eventually characterised as altruistic, functional, institutions (Brown,

The Dramatic Endings in The Playboy of Seville and Don Juan Tenorio Essay

The Dramatic Endings in The Playboy of Seville and Don Juan Tenorio - Essay Example Despite that fact that both plays are constructed on a similar foundation of themes, there are still many major differences between them which can be due to the fact that both were written in very different times. Social conventions and cultural norms became quite different in the 19th century than how they were in the 17th century. Years of difference not only transformed societal structures around the world, but they also significantly influenced the shape of literature. Following discussion will explore how the ending scenes in both plays are different from each other and how those differences at the end of the plays reflect different attitudes of the two societies towards the character of DJ. In the early 17th century at the time when the Playboy of Seville by Tirso de Molina came into existence in the world of literature, the way DJ is explored in the story is intended to reflect on the Spanish Golden Age which was the early modern Spanish society. The play is set in this time period and abides by the popular social, religious, and cultural conventions of that time. This is why in contrast to the 19th century version of Zorrilla, Tirso de Molina’s play is staunchly Catholic. It is the staggering difference between the nature of these two eras that there is such difference to be seen in the plays also particularly in context of their ending scenes. The early 17th century version focuses on the relationship between actions and their consequences, while the modern version appears to question the Christian philosophy related to actions and their effects. The later version has a different ending from that in the original play because writers of that time stopped feeli ng the need to remain strictly loyal to the Catholic philosophy. Religion was beginning to become abstract at that point as more and more people began to question its validity in certain matters in life. In old times like in the early 17th century strictly

Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 162

Assignment Example The second article is about the ways school counselors can help victims of child abuse and neglect. Dr. Glenn Lambie provides the definitions of abuse and neglect from the American School Counselor Association and gives statistics on deaths and incidents of child abuse and neglect. (2005) Symptoms to look out for, the pertinent statutes in North Carolina, the guidelines for reporting cases of suspected abuse and possible interventions to prevent such issues are also included. This article is interesting for people who would like to be professional counselors because they may have to help victims in the future since child abuse and neglect is a big part of American society. This article is scholarly because of the peer-review process. McDermott, R. C. & Lopez, F. G. (2013). College men’s intimate partner violence attitudes: Contributions of adult attachment and gender role stress. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 60 (1), 127-136. The third article is about a study conducted to determine if adult attachment and gender- role stress contribute to intimate partner violence in men. Authors McDermott and Lopez invited 497 heterosexual men in college to participate in an anonymous web survey (2013). Results revealed that gender role stress had a significant influence in intimate partner violence. This article is significant to professional counselors because they can usually have patients who are victims of violence. This article is scholarly because it has gone through the peer-review

Are Teachers Obliged to Supervise Students in the Cafeteria Essay - 7

Are Teachers Obliged to Supervise Students in the Cafeteria - Essay Example The teachers filed the grievances for these new assignments. According to the employers, there was standard management rights’ clause in the parties’ collective bargaining agreement which they had invoked in the present case to contain rowdy behaviour of the students, during the lunch break. The union, on the other hand, asserted that cafeteria supervision was mentioned in the agreement for the secondary teachers only and due to lack of any past practice, assigning these duties to the elementary teachers was against the contract. Yes, Union’s claim is right. There is a contractual basis, expressed in language because the contract mentions the supervision duties for the secondary teachers and not the elementary school teachers. No, there is no past evidence of elementary school teachers burdened with the added responsibilities of supervising cafeteria during the lunch break. There was also no inclusion of such in their job description as against the fact that cafeteria supervision was included in the agreement for secondary teachers. The union also claimed that the lunchtime was used by the teachers for various other educational activities like meeting parents, remediation, preparing and planning students’ performance enhancing activities etc. that were designed for the overall development of the students. Cafeteria supervision would restrict these extra activities that are an essential part of teaching aids and measures. Hence, extra duties are legally and ethically wrong. As an arbitrator, I would ensure that the elementary teachers were not burdened with the extra duty of cafeteria supervision because children in the elementary school require more educational aids and teachers-parental interaction for improved results. The roles and responsibilities of a teacher are multidimensional.   The teachers often serve as role models for their students so they need to be very meticulous and at the same time, he/she should be extremely knowledgeable so as to command respect from their students.  

Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 162

Assignment Example The second article is about the ways school counselors can help victims of child abuse and neglect. Dr. Glenn Lambie provides the definitions of abuse and neglect from the American School Counselor Association and gives statistics on deaths and incidents of child abuse and neglect. (2005) Symptoms to look out for, the pertinent statutes in North Carolina, the guidelines for reporting cases of suspected abuse and possible interventions to prevent such issues are also included. This article is interesting for people who would like to be professional counselors because they may have to help victims in the future since child abuse and neglect is a big part of American society. This article is scholarly because of the peer-review process. McDermott, R. C. & Lopez, F. G. (2013). College men’s intimate partner violence attitudes: Contributions of adult attachment and gender role stress. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 60 (1), 127-136. The third article is about a study conducted to determine if adult attachment and gender- role stress contribute to intimate partner violence in men. Authors McDermott and Lopez invited 497 heterosexual men in college to participate in an anonymous web survey (2013). Results revealed that gender role stress had a significant influence in intimate partner violence. This article is significant to professional counselors because they can usually have patients who are victims of violence. This article is scholarly because it has gone through the peer-review

Answering the question Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Answering the question - Essay Example Zrich zum Beispiel ist 2000 Jahre alt. Die Berner Altstadt ist im UNESCO-Verzeichnis der Weltkulturgter. Es gibt noch viele Jahrhunderte alte, relativ intakte, kompakte Kleinstdte. Die dominanten Bauten in den Stdten (vorwiegend Regierungsgebude, Banken oder groe Hotels) errichtete man zum grten Teil im 19. Jahrhundert. Please mark or fill in the correct answer clearly. There is only ONE correct answer to each question or statement. TASK 1 Wie viel verstehen Sie Write your answers in ENGLISH (unless otherwise indicated) in the space provided. /2 1. Why do most of the Swiss people rent apartments or houses List two reasons. (2 pts.) a: There is little land for building, which makes houses and flats expensive. Many people can not afford purchasing ones. b: The rules for building are very strict. /1 2. If you made 3,000 CHF (Swiss Francs) per month, how much rent would you most likely pay per month (1 pt.) a. 650 CHF. b. 550 CHF. c. 500 CHF. /1 3. Most Swiss households consisted of how many people in 1990 (1 pt.) 1 or 2. /1 4. Why can't you easily change a building to have it look the way you want it (Explain the reason for the strict rules.) (1 pt.) The Swiss try to preserve their initial architecture style as many of their buildings are centuries old and considered significant part of the world culture. /3 5. Which three areas in villages are affected by building bylaws (3 pts.) a. The area for houses b. The area for industry c. The area for agriculture /1 6. Why is stability important for construction (1 pt.)It makes the constructions durable. /1 7. Where do most people live-in cities or in the countryside (1 pt.) About 1/3 of the population lives in the five biggest cities of Switzerland, however there...Das bedaeutet, dass man selbst ohne Erlaubniss nichts veraendern kann. Building in Switzerland is restricted by law, and there are several reasons for it. First of all, there is little land, so before building one has to make an accurate plan taking to account all the little details. Another important thing is to protect beautiful old architecture of Switzerland. This means that nobody can change anything without permission. So, there are very strict rules for building in Switzerland, which, on the one hand, makes houses and flats expensive, on the other hand, it guarantees the high quality of building works and the protection of the old architecture style.

Virtual reality environments for geographic visualisation Essay Example for Free

Virtual reality environments for geographic visualisation Essay Today a wide variety of virtual worlds, cities and gaming environments exist and become part of life of their human inhabitants (Borner et al 2005). Navigation is playing an increasingly important role in virtual environments (VE). Today virtual worlds are very large and present challenging navigation tasks. According to MacEachren et al (1999), virtual environment (VE) technologies have considerable potential to extend the power of information visualization methods, and those of scientific visualization more broadly. Ruddle (1996) assertion of â€Å"one in three people get lost in virtual environment† is true due to lack of knowledge but is possible to roam and explore these geographic environments. Previous work have been done to develop tools that generate visualisations of user and environment interaction for social navigation, monitor, study, and research virtual worlds and their evolving landscapes. Visualization and navigation in virtual environments The geovisualization of virtual environments use of 3D display and thus has the potential to depict the three geographic dimensions of real spaces with each dimension of the display space depicting a geographic dimension (MacEachren et al, 1999). There is progress and developments in research and applications in this field. A lot has been developed, for example, Lahav and Mioduser (2003) developed and researched a multisensory virtual environment simulating spaces in real-life. Chen and Stanney (1999) came up with theoretical models of wayfinding, used to guide the design of navigational aiding in virtual environments. Galyean (2006) immersed VR experience with the advantages of narrative structure to allow smooth and continuous interaction and presentation with the structural and temporal qualities. Ruddle et al (1997). Tsai-Yen Li et al (2008) also developed a real-time camera control module for navigation in virtual environments. The wayfinding process has embraced cognitive mapping, wayfinding plan development, and physical movement or navigation through a virtual environment. Virtual environment navigation has evolved drastically from archaic to post-modern tools. There have been developments in virtual simulation of urban and rural environments using both traditional cartographic methods and modern geo-information technologies such as Google earth and fly-through movies. The recent developments in the use of satellite imagery, Digital Elevation Models and Aerial Photographs have led to new lead large scale movies and virtual reality navigation processes. The coming of these 3D geographic information systems (GIS) is fundamental for synoptic vie and virtual terrain recognition. Augmented reality as part of emerging concept allows live direct view of a physical real-world environment whose elements are augmented by virtual. It is related to a more general concept called mediated reality in which a view of reality is modified and its augmentation is conventionally in semantic context with environmental elements. A Virtual Geographic Environment (VGE) is a multi-user shared, intelligent, virtual environment representing the real geographic environment to conduct geospatial analysis, carry our geovisualization, to support collaborative work, planning and decision making. According to Hui and Zhu (2004), virtual geographic environments consist of five types of space, namely; geographic data spaces, network spaces, multidimensional presentation spaces, social spaces and sensory/perceptual spaces. These virtual spaces make VGE different from the traditional virtual reality space associated with unrealistic expectations. VGE is equated with reality by making the spaces continuous and coextensive. Nguyen et al (2009) carried out various experiments to investigate effects of scale changes on distance perception in virtual environments. The rural and natural environments basically involved use of existing natural linear features and landmarks such as roads, cliffs and rivers to navigate. The new paradigm shifts (Joseph et al 2001), have tremendously tacked the issue of scale especially on global views. The traditional experiences were profound and thus these new innovations have proved successful. For example, Vinson (1999) designed guidelines to ease navigation in large-scale virtual environments. The guidelines focus on the design and placement of landmarks in virtual environments. The distinct features and landmarks represented various areas like buildings, petrol stations and corners to direct the navigation process along a designated navigation route. This limits the audience’s movement through the space to interesting and compelling paths. According to Ruddle (1996), examples of interface fidelity include the lack of physical movement that is required to travel around VEs and the impoverished field of view. Important factors of environment fidelity and precision include the amount of visual detail and the omission of non-visual sensory information. The virtual reality world has become interested in large scale spatial cognitive simulation. This takes a role of an environments physical form and how the design of a setting shapes the spatial behavior and cognition of its users. It largely puts into consideration numerous forms of spatial information: real-world environments, virtual environments, maps, route directions, gestures, and both written and spoken descriptions (Mekni and Moulin Mekni (2008). Sensor Webs are deployed in large scale geographic environments for in-situ sensing and data acquisition purposes, a perfect example of a dramatic solution to large scale simulation and virtual reality representation. Conclusion Advances in human-computer interaction have created completely new paradigms shifts for exploring and presentation spatial information in a virtual environment, with flexible user control. Hence, more intuitive and efficient interactive visualization environments become increasingly significant for the visual exploration of large amounts of extensive spatio-temporal information both at small scale and large scale. There is special focus on new geographic and cartographic applications which involve experts and users in the context of data visualization in real virtual environments. They are mainly developed to aid visualization in a natural extension of communication and functions in the visual thinking domain. References Bishop, I. D. , and C. Karadaglis. 1994. Use of interactive immersive visualization techniques for natural resources management. SPIE 2656:128-139. Borner, K. , Penumarthy, S. , DeVarco, B. J. , and Kerney, C. 2005. Visualizing Social Patterns in Virtual Environments on a Local and Global Scale. In Lecture Notes in Computer Science. Springer Berlin / Heidelberg. Volume 3081. ISBN 978-3-540-25331-0 Fisher, P. 1994. Randomization and sound for the visualization of uncertain spatial information, in Visualization in Geographic Information Systems. Edited by D. Unwin and H. Hearnshaw, pp. 181-185. London: John Wiley Sons. Chen, J. L, and Stanney, K. M. 1999. A Theoretical Model of Wayfinding in Virtual Environments: Proposed Strategies for Navigational Aiding. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Vol. 8, No. 6, Pages 671-685 Galyean T. A. , 2006. Guided Navigation of Virtual Environments. MIT Media Lab. Cambridge, MA. 02139 Hui L and Zhu Q. , 2004. Data Visualization: Virtual Geographic Environments combining AEC and GIS. Extracted from http://www. directionsmag. com/article. php? Joseph J. LaViola Jr. Daniel Acevedo Feliz Daniel F. Keefe Robert C. Zeleznik(2001) Hands-Free Multi-Scale Navigation in Virtual Environments. Brown University. Department of Computer Science, Box 1910. Providence, RI 02912 Lahav, O. and Mioduser, D. 2003. 6A blind persons cognitive mapping of new spaces using a haptic virtual environment. Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs. Volume 3. Issue 3, Pages 172 177 MacEachren, A. M. , Edsall, R. , Haug, D. , and Ryan B. , 1999. Virtual Environments for Geographic Visualization: Potential and Challenges. Proceedings of the ACM Workshop on New Paradigms for Information Visualization and Manipulation, Kansas City, Nov. 6, 1999. MacEachren, A. M. , D. Haug, L. Quian, G. Otto, R. Edsall, and M. Harrower. 1998b. Geographic visualization in immersive environments. GeoVISTA Center, Penn State University, www. geovista. psu. edu/publications/i2. pdf. Mekni, M. and Moulin, B. 2008. A Multi-agent Geosimulation Approach for Sensor Web Management. Proceedings in Sensor Technologies and Applications, 2008. SENSORCOMM 08. Second International Conference on Sensor Web Management. Dept. of Comput. Sci. Software Eng. , Laval Univ. Quebec, Quebec City, QC ISBN: 978-0-7695-3330-8 Nguyen, T. D. , Ziemer, C. J. , Plumert, J. M. , Cremer, J. F. , and Kearney, J. K. 2009. Effects of scale change on distance perception in virtual environments. Proceedings of the 6th Symposium on Applied Perception in Graphics and Visualization. ACM New York, NY, USA. Pages: 27-34. ISBN:978-1-60558-743-1 Rhyne, T. -M. , and T. Fowler. 1996. Examining dynamically linked geographic visualization. Computing in Environmental Resource Management, Research Triangle Park, NC, Dec. 2-4, 1996, pp. 571-573. Ruddle, R. A. 1996. Navigation: Am I really lost or virtually there? In D. Harris (Ed. ) Engineering psychology and cognitive ergonomics. Vol. 6, 135-142. Burlington, VT: Ashgate. Ruddle, R. A. , Payne, S. J. Jones, D. M. 1997. ‘Navigating buildings in â€Å"desk-top† virtual environments: Experimental investigations using extended navigational experience’. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Vol. 3, pp. 143-159. Tsai-Yen Li and Chung-Chiang Cheng 2008. Real-Time Camera Planning for Navigation in Virtual Environments. In Lecture Notes in Computer Science. Springer Berlin. Vol 5166. Pages118-129. ISBN978-3-540-85410-4 Vinson, N. G. 1999. Design Guidelines for Landmarks to Support Navigation in Virtual Environments. Proceedings of CHI ‘99, Pittsburgh, PA. May 1999† Institute for Information Technology. National Research Council, Canada. Ottawa, ON K1A 0R6

Free Siddhartha Essays: Wisdom is Difficult :: Hesse Siddhartha Essays

As human beings, we sometimes can not synchronize our minds and souls. When we are at our success of knowledge or intellect, we blind our mind with our ambition which comes along in reaching the knowledge or intellect. As a young brahmin, Siddhartha, has been taught that Brahmin is the soul of "Atman" or the 'Only One' (Chapter 1, page 5). It means that Brahmin is the highest position beside the Creator. This intellect alienates Siddhartha's 'Self'. He does not think that his superior's 'Self' will give him salvation. Siddhartha thinks his 'Self' conquers himself. He wants his 'Self" to die to find wisdom and spiritual knowledge. Rather than searching for his soul, Siddhartha attemps to destroy his 'Self' through suffering of Samanic asceticism. He sees that Samana's knowledge might lead him to his salvation. In page 11 chapter 2, we read: "...had one single goal--to become empty, to become empty of thirst, desire, dreams, pleasure and sorrow--to let the Self die. No longer to be Self, to experience the peace of an emptied heart, to experience pure thought..." Although Siddhartha does the scourge, he does not find his salvation. He quests his torment which is only escaped from the 'Self' for temporarily. Again, Siddhartha rejects and leaves the Samana ascetic knowledge. Siddhartha ends his knowledge quests: Brahminism, Samanic asceticism, and Buddhism. He turns to the use of his senses in finding his goal. His main goal is to be his 'Self'. His sense of 'being' is isolated by his knowledge. He realizes that he does not know his 'Self' which he has spent his life avoiding. He vows him self to explore the 'Self'. The second step of Siddhartha's journey is realizing that although he has knowledge, knowledge is not enough without experience. Experience can be gained through practicing knowledge. Also he realizes that thought and sense must be used together to find the way. He meets with Kamala whose beauty and intellegence overwhelms him. Kamala's observation and sensitiveness help Siddhartha to develop his sense of love. To paid for her lectur, he has his "think, wait, and fast"(chapter 5, page 46). With Kamala's help in another lecture, he gains the combination of the simplicity and intelegence. As he grows older, he makes a friend with Vasudeva, the river's man. Their life is near to the end of the harmonization of the universe.

Defining the Autobiography :: Expository Definition Essays

Defining the Autobiography       In a lecture on autobiography, Diane Howard states, "The focus of autobiographical writing and performing is on subjective questions, struggles, and representations" (Howard 1).† â€Å"Autobiography is a broad term that lends itself to a variety of meanings and intentions.† There are many differences between autobiographies, especially along gender lines.† Women tend to write about different subjects than men do. Despite subjectivity and differences, there are similarities that make autobiography an autobiography.† The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines autobiography as "the biography of a person narrated by himself".† This is a vague definition that does not delve into the common similarities found among many autobiographies that separates them from other forms of writing.    Author of The Forms of Autobiography, William C. Spengemann writes "an autobiography had to offer an at least ostensibly factual account of the writerà ­s own life" (Spengemann 1).† The inclusion of fact in autobiography is what makes the writing valid.† In her introduction to Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl, Eleanor Roosevelt writes, "the young are not afraid of telling the truth;" the entire diary offers an honest account of her persona, family life as well as details of WWII. (Frank xiii).† Autobiography needs to be truthful in its intention, and therefore a diary can be a good source of truth.† Facts are a fairly important aspect of the success of autobiography.    Despite the importance of factual truth, emotional truth also makes autobiographical writing credible.† The very last line of Anne Frankà ­s Diary says "Will the reader take into consideration that when this story was written the writer had not cooled down from her fury!" (Frank 94).† This statement suggests that the events she just narrated are not factually correct, however, they are emotionally honest.† In her autobiographical essay, "How It Feels To Be Colored Me", Zora Neale Hurston speaks of Jazz in emotional terms as "Music. The great blobs of purple and red emotion" (Hurston 387).† In the midst of her Jazz frenzy, Hurston is "in the jungle and living in the jungle way.† My face is painted red and yellow and my body is painted blue.† My pules is throbbing like a war drum" (Hurston 387).† Hurstonà ­s blobs of color are not necessarily factual, but they are an attempt to convey honest emotion. Defining the Autobiography :: Expository Definition Essays Defining the Autobiography       In a lecture on autobiography, Diane Howard states, "The focus of autobiographical writing and performing is on subjective questions, struggles, and representations" (Howard 1).† â€Å"Autobiography is a broad term that lends itself to a variety of meanings and intentions.† There are many differences between autobiographies, especially along gender lines.† Women tend to write about different subjects than men do. Despite subjectivity and differences, there are similarities that make autobiography an autobiography.† The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines autobiography as "the biography of a person narrated by himself".† This is a vague definition that does not delve into the common similarities found among many autobiographies that separates them from other forms of writing.    Author of The Forms of Autobiography, William C. Spengemann writes "an autobiography had to offer an at least ostensibly factual account of the writerà ­s own life" (Spengemann 1).† The inclusion of fact in autobiography is what makes the writing valid.† In her introduction to Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl, Eleanor Roosevelt writes, "the young are not afraid of telling the truth;" the entire diary offers an honest account of her persona, family life as well as details of WWII. (Frank xiii).† Autobiography needs to be truthful in its intention, and therefore a diary can be a good source of truth.† Facts are a fairly important aspect of the success of autobiography.    Despite the importance of factual truth, emotional truth also makes autobiographical writing credible.† The very last line of Anne Frankà ­s Diary says "Will the reader take into consideration that when this story was written the writer had not cooled down from her fury!" (Frank 94).† This statement suggests that the events she just narrated are not factually correct, however, they are emotionally honest.† In her autobiographical essay, "How It Feels To Be Colored Me", Zora Neale Hurston speaks of Jazz in emotional terms as "Music. The great blobs of purple and red emotion" (Hurston 387).† In the midst of her Jazz frenzy, Hurston is "in the jungle and living in the jungle way.† My face is painted red and yellow and my body is painted blue.† My pules is throbbing like a war drum" (Hurston 387).† Hurstonà ­s blobs of color are not necessarily factual, but they are an attempt to convey honest emotion.

Plato’s Theory of Forms Essay

Explain and define Plato’s theory of Forms with your personal Criticism. Plato was born in Athens on 428 BC. He was a Greek philosopher who laid foundations of western philosophy. He raised basic questions and problems of western thought, goodness and virtue, truth and knowledge, body and soul, ideal political state, and use of Literature and Arts were some of the pre dominant topics of interest to Plato. Plato devoted himself completely to philosophy. He was a student of Socrates. He was a great admirer of Socrates and he initially joined Socrates school of thought to learn philosophy. Later after the death of Socrates, he found an academy where geometry was most prominent in the curriculum along with mathematics and philosophy. He was also influenced from pre-Socratic thinkers like Heraclitus and Parmenides; who rejected physical world and said that inner is more important than believed apparent world. He was also influenced by mathematical concepts derived from Pythagoras. He learned dialectical method of following truth in order to derive a philosophy, ideas and opinions. According to Encyclopedia Britannica literally word Form means, â€Å"The external shape, appearance or configuration of an object in contradistinction to the matter of which it is composed. In Aristotelian Metaphysics, the active, determining principle of a thing as distinguished from matter, the potential principle. † (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2012) In Stanford Encyclopedia it is stated that, Plato’s term ‘eidos’ by which he identified the permanent reality that makes a thing what it is in contrast to the particulars that are finite and subject to change. The Platonic concept of form was itself derived from the Pythagorean theory that intelligible structures and not material elements, gave objects their distinctive characters. Theory of Forms states about what is real and what is not. The real is thought to be perfect whereas things which are not real are changing. Plato advocates that the world of forms is different from world of appearances. World of Forms can only be understood by philosophers and those who seek the truth. The dialogues in this theory portray knowledge as the process of leaving dark caves for going into sunlight. People who live in dark caves find their reality in shadows. These shadows are actually the symbol of the apparent world and it is just a shadow of what is real. Plato says that this world is not real; it is only the ‘world of forms’ which is real and never changes. It can be explained by many examples; for example we all try to seek knowledge but in reality what we learn is an opinion only. Likewise one thing is beautiful for someone but it can be ugly for someone else. People who have an urge to know and understand the true knowledge in the world can only touch the ‘intelligible world’. This world of objects is not independent because it depends on another real world of ‘pure forms or ideas’. Objects in this world have got their qualities from the ideal world. An object is beautiful because it takes that beauty from the ‘higher realm’. This concept of ideal Forms and forms of the world can be explained by geometry. Any square or triangle that we draw or construct is imperfect because it is ‘merely approximate the ideal triangle’. This ideal triangle has no connection with senses or reason because it is not concrete but a concept or an idea in the real world. Plato says that, the world of forms can be characterized as ‘changeless’ , ‘eternal’ and ‘real’ whereas physical world undergoes many changes and decay. The criticism on Plato’s theory of forms is that, he could not be able to draw a logical connection between ‘the realm of forms’ and ‘physical world’. According to Aristotle, this theory does not explain that how permanence and order can be attained in this world and how we can have objective knowledge of this physical world. Plato separated two worlds so distinctly that it failed to explain a former two points. The objectivity and permanence of real world does not explain this physical world hence establishes no strong connection between the two worlds. In my opinion Plato puts an argument that intellectual truth is truer than physical truth. This universe is created by God who is pure and the ultimate reality. He has no physical being but he has created a physical universe. This physical world is a copy of the real universe which only exists in the mind of creator. Similarly all horses are copies of one horse which exists at some higher land of truth. Likewise all beds are only copies of an ideal bed which lies in heaven probably. These examples are given by Plato to prove that world of forms is different from world of reality. It concludes that forms are relative and they are mere imitation of the real. The basic function of theory of forms is unification. It serves to unify ‘groups of objects or concepts’ by connecting them to a pure essence of the real world.

Aqualisa Quartz Essay

What is the quartz value proposition to the plumbers? To consumers? The value propositions to the plumbers are †¢Due to Quartz easy installation plumber’s work is reduced to 25% of original time. †¢Plumbers find the installation is straightforward and hence they are ready to send their young apprentices †¢Plumbers said it’s just â€Å"Push-fit-connect’’ and it’s not in the wall and it’s very easy to use †¢On an average plumbers can do more jobs thereby increasing their profit The Value propositions to the consumers are †¢One of the major issues for the customer is to get conistent water pressure which is solved in Quartz †¢Customers can have their required temperature by Thermostatic control rather than checking it for the required temperature †¢Before quartz the survey says that 44% of shower needs replacement. By using Quartz there is less chance of breakdown and hence maintenance is much easy for the customer †¢The product had aesthetic look and elegant design †¢It’s good for the home with the children †¢Suitable for all types of water systems †¢One touch control system and ability to control remotely Aqualisa launched the most significant shower innovation in recent British history: the Quartz shower. The shower provides significant improvements in terms of quality, cost, and ease of installation. In product testing, the Quartz shower received rave reviews. However, early sales of the Quartz have been disappointing. The company is faced with some key issues about whether to change the channel strategy, promotional strategy, and the overall positioning of the product (niche or a mainstream product) in the context of their existing product line. This case shows that despite the fact Aqualisa had a great product it doesn’t necessarily mean that this is going to manifest in great sales of the product. Innovation needs managing in an integrated way; it is not enough  just to manage abilities in a technological superior product. Aqualisa had the generation of a technological innovation but lacked the ability to relate this to end users. The challenge for Aqualisa is in effectively communicating to its customers and making them aware of the fact that they have developed such a product, before their competitors catch up. In order, for Aqualisa to succeed they need to synergise the components of their marketing mix through an effective communication, positioning, and distribution strategies. In the case in states that only about 60% of U.K homes, consumers are only probably going to buy at most two showers in their lifetime and because key influencers in the decision making process like plumbers where apprehensive of adopting the new technology it also led to the company’s low sales because the majority of the UK shower market is made of replacement showers and plumbers tend to remain loyal to their selected brand as it is the most comfortable for them in using when installing because of their previous experiences. Quartz Value Proposition – Plumbers What Plumbers wanted †¢ Ease of installation †¢ Quality product with minimal breakdowns †¢ Service free (minimal service requirement) Product Benefits †¢ Flexible location of the controller unit requires minimal remodeling of the bathroom making shower installation simple, cutting the installation time to half a day Value Proposition Quick and easy installation requiring only basic skills (more installations per plumber per day resulting in higher income) Quartz Value Proposition – Customers What Customers wanted †¢ Aesthetic design (great looks) †¢ Good water pressure without temperature fluctuations †¢ Ease of use †¢ Quality product with minimal breakdowns Product Benefits †¢ Controller unit can be concealed in the ceiling or closet; leading to a sleeker look in the shower stall †¢ In-built pump provides more than adequate water pressure †¢ Electronic thermostat allows for easy controls and steady temperatures †¢ One touch control Value Proposition Clean and sleek looking shower which is easy to use and provides efficient and reliable water pressure and temperature Why is Quartz not selling? Sales Plumber’s Influence †¢Plumbers distrust electronic controls / new technical innovations †¢ Plumbers influence over 50% of shower purchases; In 25% of the cases the purchasing decision is at his sole discretion Limited Distribution Channel Product Price †¢ Priced at a premium and hence unappealing to D-I-Y buyers as well as developers which are both price sensitive segments †¢ Trade Shops account for 80% of mixer showers sales †¢ Staff in trade shops not high on product knowledge, driven by market demand †¢ Showrooms have be the best sales potential but Aqualisa is available in only 25% of all showrooms

You Suck: A Love Story Chapter 14~15

Chapter Fourteen Powers for Good The Emperor was sitting on a black marble bench just around the corner from the great opera house, feeling small and ashamed, when he saw the striking redhead in jeans coming toward him. Bummer lapsed into a barking fit and the Emperor snatched the Boston terrier up by the scruff of the neck and stuffed him into the oversized pocket of his coat to quiet him. â€Å"Brave Bummer,† said the old man. â€Å"Would that I could still hold that kind of passion, even if it were fear. But my fear is weak and damp, I've barely the spine for a dignified surrender.† He'd felt like this since he'd seen Jody outside the secondhand store, where she'd warned him away from the owner. Yes, now he knew her to be one of the undead, a bloodsucking fiend – but then, not so much a fiend. She had been a friend, a good one, even after he had betrayed Tommy Iff to the Animals. He could feel the City's eye on him, could feel her disappointment in him. What does a man have, if not character? What is character, if not a man's measure of himself against his friends and enemies? The great city of San Francisco shook her head at him, ashamed. Her bridges slumped in the fog with disappointment. He remembered a house somewhere and that same look on the face of a dark-haired woman, but mercifully, in an instant that memory was a ghost, and Jody was bending to scratch behind the ears of the steadfast Lazarus, who had never been agitated by her like his bug-eyed brother, who even now squirmed furiously in the woolen pocket. â€Å"Your Majesty,† Jody said. â€Å"How are you?† â€Å"Worthless and weak,† said the Emperor. She really was a lovely girl. He'd never known her to hurt a soul. What a cad he was. â€Å"I'm sorry to hear that. You have plenty to eat? Staying warm?† â€Å"The men and I have this very hour vanquished a corned beef on a sourdough roll the size of a healthy infant, thank you.† â€Å"Tommy's Joynt?† Jody said with a smile. â€Å"Indeed. We are not worthy, yet my people provide.† â€Å"Don't be silly, you're worthy. Look, Emperor, have you seen William?† â€Å"William of the huge and recently shaven cat?† â€Å"That's the one.† â€Å"Why yes, we crossed his path not long ago. He was at the liquor store at Geary and Taylor. He seemed very enthusiastic about purchasing some scotch. More energetic than I've seen him in many years.† â€Å"That was how long ago?† She stopped petting Lazarus and stood. â€Å"Little more than an hour ago.† â€Å"Thank you, Your Majesty. You don't know where he was going?† â€Å"I should think to find a safe place to drink his dinner. Although I can't claim to know him well, I don't think William passes the evening in the Tenderloin often.† Jody patted the Emperor's shoulder, and he took her hand. â€Å"I'm so sorry, dear.† â€Å"Sorry? About what?† â€Å"When I saw you and Thomas the other night, I noticed. It's true, isn't it? Thomas has changed.† â€Å"No, he's still a doofus.† â€Å"I mean he is one of your kind now?† â€Å"Yes.† She looked up the street. â€Å"I was alone,† she said. The Emperor knew exactly how she felt. â€Å"I told one of his crew from the Safeway, Jody. I'm sorry, I was frightened.† â€Å"You told the Animals?† â€Å"The born-again one, yes.† â€Å"And how did he react?† â€Å"He was worried for Thomas's soul.† â€Å"Yeah, that would be Clint's reaction. You don't know if he told the other Animals?† â€Å"I would guess yes, by now.† â€Å"Okay, don't worry, then, Your Highness. It's okay. Just don't tell anyone else. Tommy and I are leaving the City just like we promised those police detectives. We just have to get things in order.† â€Å"And the other – the old vampire?† â€Å"Yes. Him, too.† She turned and strode away, heading into the Tenderloin, her boot heels clacking on the sidewalk as she kept her pace just below a run. The Emperor shook his head and rubbed Lazarus behind the ears. â€Å"I should have told her about the detectives. I know that, old friend.† There was only so much weakness he could confess to at one time – that, too, a fault. The Emperor resolved to sleep somewhere cold and damp tonight, perhaps in the park by the Maritime Museum, as penance for his weakness. There was no way she was going to remember his new mobile number. It was five in the morning before Tommy had finished moving all of the furniture, books, and clothes. Now the new loft looked almost exactly like the old loft had looked, except that it didn't have a working phone line. So Tommy sat on the counter of the old loft, looking at the three bronze statues and waiting for Jody to call. Just the three statues left to move: Jody, the old vampire, and the turtle. The old vampire looked fairly natural. He'd been unconscious when he'd been bronzed, but Tommy had the biker sculptors downstairs pose him as if he was in midstep, out for a stroll. Jody was posed with her hand on her hip, her head thrown back as if she'd just tossed her long hair over her shoulder, smiling. Tommy turned his head to the side, getting perspective. She didn't look skanky. What made Abby say the statue was skanky? Sexy, well yes. Jody had been wearing some very low-cut jeans and a crop top when he'd posed her for the electroplating, and the bikers had insisted upon exposing more of her cleavage than was probably decorous, but what could you expect from a couple of guys who specialized in making high-end garden gnomes acting out the Kama Sutra? Okay, she looked a little skanky, but he didn't see how that was a bad thing. He had actually been delighted when she came streaming out of the ear holes to materialize, stark naked, in front of him. If she hadn't killed him, it would have been the fulfillment of a sexual fantasy he'd nurtured for a long time. (There had been this old TV show he'd watched as a kid, about a beautiful genie who lived in a bottle – well, Tommy had done some serious bottle polishing over that one.) So the Jody statue stayed. But the old vampire, Elijah, that was a different story. There was a real creature in there. A real scary creature. Whatever bizarre events had brought them to this spot had been set off by Elijah Ben Sapir. He was a reminder that neither he – Tommy – nor Jody had chosen to be vampires. Neither had chosen to live out the rest of their days in the night. Elijah had taken their choices away from them, and replaced them with a whole new set of scarier, bigger choices. The first of which was how the hell do you deal with the fact that you have imprisoned a sentient, feeling being in a shell of bronze, even if he is an evil dick-weed from the Dark Ages? But they couldn't let him out. He'd kill them for sure if they did. Really kill them, too, a complete death, the kind with no nooky. Suddenly Tommy was angry. He'd had a future. He might have been a writer, a Nobel Prize winner, an adventurer, a spy. Now he was just a foul dead thing, and the furthest his ambition would reach was his next victim. Okay, that wasn't really true, but still, he was pissed off. So what if Elijah was trapped in bronze shell forever. He'd trapped them in these monstrous bodies. Maybe it was time to do something monstrous. Tommy picked up Jody's statue and threw it over his shoulder and, despite his great vampire strength, followed it over backward as it clanged against the floor. Okay, it had taken the two bikers and a refrigerator dolly to get the statues up here, maybe a little planning was in order. It turned out he could move the statue pretty efficiently if he slung it over his back and let one of her feet drag, and so he did, down the steps, half a block down the sidewalk, and back up the steps of the new loft. Bronze Jody looked happy in the new place, he thought. The turtle took half as long. She, too, looked pleased with the surroundings. As for Elijah, Tommy figured what was the point of being in a city on a peninsula if you didn't take advantage of the water now and then. And Elijah evidently liked the ocean, since he'd come to the City on his yacht, which Tommy and the Animals had managed to blow to smithereens. The vampire statue was even heavier that Jody's, but Tommy felt energized by the idea of getting rid of it. Just a short twelve blocks to the sea and that would be that. â€Å"From the sea ye came, and to the sea ye shall return,† Tommy said, thinking that he might be quoting Coleridge, or maybe a Godzilla movie. As Tommy dragged the bronzed vampire down Mission Street, he considered his future. What would he do? He had a lot of time to fill, and after a while, figuring out new ways to jump Jody would only fill up a part of his nights. He was going to have to find a purpose. They had money – cash the vampire had given Jody when he turned her – and what was left of the money from the sale of Elijah's art, but eventually that would run out. Maybe he should get a job. Or become a crime fighter. That's it, he would use his powers for good. Maybe get an outfit. After a few blocks Tommy noticed that Elijah's toe, the one that was dragging on the sidewalk, was starting to wear away. The bikers had warned Tommy that the bronze shell was pretty thin. It wouldn't do to unleash a claustrophobic and hungry ancient vampire when you were the guy who had imprisoned him, so Tommy stood the vampire on the corner for a minute while he dug through a trash bin until he found some heavy-duty plastic Big Gulp cups, which he fitted on the vampire's dragging foot as skid protection. â€Å"Ha!† Tommy said. â€Å"Thought you had me.† A couple of guys in hip-hop wear walked by as Tommy was fitting the cups on the vampire's feet. Tommy made the mistake of making eye contact and they paused. â€Å"Stole it from a building on Fourth,† Tommy said. The two nodded, as if they were saying, Of course, we were just wondering, and proceeded to move down the sidewalk. They must sense my superior strength and speed, Tommy thought, so they wouldn't dare mess with me. In fact, the two had confirmed that the white boy in the ghost makeup was crazy – and what would they do with a four-hundred-pound statue anyway? Tommy figured he'd drag the statue to the Embarcadero and toss it off the pier by the Ferry Building. If there was anyone around, he'd just stand at the rail like he was there with his gay lover, then shove the statue in when no one was looking. He felt enormously sophisticated about the plan. No one would ever think a guy from Indiana was pretending to be gay. That kind of thing just wasn't done. Tommy had known a kid once in high school who had gone up to Chicago to see the musical Rent and was never heard from again. Tommy reckoned he'd been disappeared by the local Kiwanis Club. When he got to the Embarcadero, which ran all along the waterfront, Tommy was tempted to just chuck Elijah in the Bay right there and call it a night, but he had a plan, so he dragged the vampire that last two blocks to the promenade at the end of Market Street, where the antique streetcars, the cable cars, and the cross-bay ferries all converged in a big paved park and sculpture garden. Here, away from the buildings, the night seemed to open up to his vampire senses, take on a new light. Tommy stopped for moment, stood Elijah by a fountain, and watched heat streaming out of some grates by the streetcar turnaround. Perfect. There was absolutely no one around. Then the beeping started. Tommy looked at his watch. Sunrise in ten minutes. The night hadn't opened up to him, it had been shutting him down. Ten minutes, and the loft was a good twenty blocks away. Jody was quickstepping along the alleyway that came out in front of their old loft. She still had twenty minutes until sunrise, but she could see the sky lightening, and twenty minutes was cutting it too close. Tommy would be freaked. She should have taken the cell phone with her. She shouldn't have left him alone with the new minion. She'd finally found William, passed out in a doorway in Chinatown, with Chet the huge cat sleeping on his chest. They'd have to remember not to leave William with any money from now on, if he was going to be their food source. Otherwise he'd go elsewhere for his alcohol, and that wasn't going to work. He was making his staggering way home on his own. Maybe she'd let him take a shower at the old loft – they weren't going to get their deposit back anyway. There was still a light on in the loft. Great, Tommy was home. She'd forgotten to get a key for the new place. She was about to step out of the alley when she smelled cigar smoke and heard a man's voice. She stopped and peeked around the corner. There was a brown Ford sedan parked across the street from their old loft, and in it sat two middle-aged men. Cavuto and Rivera, the homicide detectives that she'd made a deal with the night they'd blown up Elijah's yacht. They'd moved just in time, but then, maybe not quite. She couldn't get to the new place either. It was only a half a block away, and she'd have to cross in the open. And even then, what if it was locked? She jumped four feet straight up when the alarm on her watch went off. It was toward the end of their second shift after returning to the Safeway that the Animals sobered up. Lash was sitting by himself in the wide backseat of the Hummer limo, his head cradled in his hands, hoping desperately that the despair and self-loathing he was feeling was only the effect of a hangover, instead of what it really was, which was a big flaming enema of reality. The reality was, they had spent more than a half a million dollars on a blue hooker. He let the hugeness of it roll around in his head, and looked up at the other Animals, who were sitting around the perimeter of the limo, similarly posed, trying not to make eye contact with one another. They'd had nearly two semi trucks of stock to put up that night, and they'd known it was coming because they'd ordered it to make up for the time they'd been away and Clint had let the shelves get low. So they'd sobered up, put their heads down, and thrown stock like the Animals that they were. Now it was getting close to dawn and it was dawning on all of them that they might have severely fucked up. Lash risked a sideways glance at Blue, who was sitting between Barry and Troy Lee. She'd taken Lash's apartment on Northpoint, and made him sleep on the couch at Troy Lee's, where there were about seven hundred Chinese family members, including Troy's grandmother, who, every time she passed through the room during the day, when Lash was trying to sleep, would screech, â€Å"What's up, my nigga!† and try to get him to wake up and give her a pound or a high five. Lash had been explaining to her that it's impolite to refer to an African American as a nigga, unless one was another African-American, when Troy Lee came in and said, â€Å"She only speaks Cantonese.† â€Å"She does not. She keeps coming in and saying, ‘What's up, my nigga? â€Å" â€Å"Oh yeah. She does that to me, too. Did you give her a pound?† â€Å"No, I didn't give her a pound, motherfucker. She called me a nigga.† â€Å"Well, she's not going to quit unless you give her a pound. It's just the way she rolls.† â€Å"That's some bullshit, Troy.† â€Å"It's her couch.† Lash, exhausted and already hungover, gave the wizened old woman a pound. Granny turned to Troy Lee. â€Å"What's up, my nigga!† She offered and received a pound from her grandson. â€Å"That shit is not the same!† Lash said. â€Å"Get some sleep. We have a big load tonight.† Now half a million dollars was gone. His apartment was gone. The limo was costing them a thousand dollars a day. Lash looked out the blackout windows at the moving patchwork of shadows thrown by the streetlights, then turned to Blue. â€Å"Blue,† he said. â€Å"We have to get rid of the limo.† Everyone looked up, shocked. No one had said anything to her since they'd finished stocking. They'd brought her coffee and juice, but no one had said anything. Blue looked at him. â€Å"Get me what I want.† Not a hint of malice, not even a demand, really, just a statement of fact. â€Å"Okay,† Lash said. Then to the driver he said, â€Å"Take a right up here. Head back to that building where we went last night.† Lash crawled over the divider into the front passenger seat. He couldn't see shit out the blackened windows. They'd only gone about three blocks into the SOMA district when he saw someone running. Running way, way too fast for a jogger. Running – like he was on fire – running. â€Å"Pull up alongside of that guy.† The driver nodded. â€Å"Hey, guys, is that Flood?† â€Å"Yeah, it is,† Barry, the bald one, said. Lash rolled down the window. â€Å"Tommy, you need a ride, man?† Tommy, still running, nodded like a bobble-head on crack. Barry threw open the back door, and before the limo could even slow down, Tommy leapt in, landing across Drew and Gustavo's laps. â€Å"Man, am I glad you guys came along,† Tommy said. â€Å"In about a minute, I'm going to – â€Å" He passed out in their laps as the sun washed over the hills of San Francisco. Chapter Fifteen Broken Clowns Inspector Alphonse Rivera watched the broken clown girl – black-and-white-striped stockings and green sneakers – come out of Jody Stroud's apartment and head up the street, then turn and look back at their brown, unmarked sedan. â€Å"We're made,† said Nick Cavuto, Rivera's partner, a broad-shouldered bear of a man, who longed for the days of Dashiell Hammett, when cops talked tough and there were very few problems that couldn't be solved with your fists or a smack from a lead sap. â€Å"We're not made. She's just looking. Two middle-aged guys sitting in the car on the city street – it's unusual.† If Cavuto was a bear, then Rivera was a raven – a sharp-featured, lean Hispanic, with just a touch of gray at the temples. Lately he'd taken to wearing expensive Italian suits, in raw silk or linen when he could find them. His partner was in rumpled Men's Wearhouse. Rivera often wondered if Nick Cavuto might not be the only gay man on the planet who had no fashion sense whatsoever. The knock-kneed kid with the raccoon eye makeup was making her way across the street toward them. â€Å"Roll up your window,† Cavuto said. â€Å"Roll up your window. Pretend like you don't see her.† â€Å"I'm not going to hide from her,† Rivera said. â€Å"She's just a kid.† â€Å"Exactly. You can't hit her.† â€Å"Jesus, Nick. She's just a creepy kid. What's wrong with you?† Cavuto had been on edge since they'd pulled up an hour ago. They both had, really, since the guy named Clint, one of the night crew from the Marina Safeway, had left a message on Rivera's voice mail that Jody Stroud, the redheaded vampire, had not left town as she had promised, and that her boyfriend, Tommy Flood, was now also a vampire. It was a very bad turn of events for the two cops, both of whom had taken a share of the money from the old vampire's art collection in return for letting them all go. It had seemed like the only option, really. Neither of the cops wanted to explain how the serial killer they'd been chasing had been an ancient vampire, and how he'd been tracked down by a bunch of stoners from the Safeway. And when the Animals blew up the vampire's yacht – well, the case was solved, and if the vampires had left, it would have all been good. The cops had planned to retire early and open a rare-book store. Rivera thought he might learn to golf. Now he was feeling it all float away on an evil breeze. A cop for twenty years, without ever so much as fixing a traffic ticket, then the one time you take a hundred thousand dollars and let a vampire go, the whole world turns on you like you're some kind of bad guy. Rivera was raised a Catholic, but he was starting to believe in karma. â€Å"Pull out. Pull out,† Cavuto said. â€Å"Go around the block until she goes away.† â€Å"Hey,† said the broken clown girl. â€Å"You guys cops?† Cavuto hit the window button on his door but the ignition was off, so the window didn't budge. â€Å"Go away, kid. Why aren't you in school? Do we need to take you in?† â€Å"Winter break, brain trust,† said the kid. Rivera couldn't hold the laugh in and he snorted a little trying to. â€Å"Move along, kid. Go wash that shit off your face. You look like you fell asleep with a Magic Marker in your mouth.† â€Å"Yeah,† said the kid, examining a black fingernail, â€Å"well, you look like someone pumped about three hundred pounds of cat barf into a cheap suit and gave it a bad haircut.† Rivera slid down in his seat and turned his face toward the door. He couldn't look at his partner. He was sure that if it was possible for steam to come out of someone's ears, that might be happening to Cavuto, and if he looked, he'd lose it. â€Å"If you were a guy,† Cavuto said, â€Å"I'd have you in handcuffs already, kid.† â€Å"Oh God,† Rivera said under his breath. â€Å"If I were a guy, I'll bet you would. And I'll bet I'd have to send you to the S and M ATM, because the kinky shit is extra.† The kid leaned down so she was eye level with Cavuto, and winked. That was it. Rivera started giggling like a little girl – tears were creeping out the corners of his eyes. â€Å"You're a big fucking help,† Cavuto said. He reached over, flipped the ignition key to â€Å"accessory,† then rolled up his window. The kid came over to Rivera's side of the car. â€Å"So, have you seen Flood?† she asked. â€Å"Cop?† She added  «cop » with a high pop on the p, like it was punctuation mark, not a profession. â€Å"You just came out of his apartment,† Rivera said, trying to shake off the giggles. â€Å"You tell me.† â€Å"Place is empty. The douche nozzle owes me money,† said the kid. â€Å"For what?† â€Å"Stuff I did for him.† â€Å"Be specific, sweetheart. Unlike my partner, I don't threaten.† It was a threat, of course, but he thought he might have hit pay dirt, the kid's eyes opened wide enough to see light. â€Å"I helped him and that redheaded hag load their stuff into a truck.† Rivera looked her up and down. She couldn't have weighed ninety pounds. â€Å"He hired you to help him move?† â€Å"Just little crap. Lamps and stuff. They were like, in a hurry. I was walking by, he flagged me down. Said he'd give me a hundred bucks.† â€Å"But he didn't?† â€Å"He gave me eighty. He said it was all he had on him. To come back this morning for the rest.† â€Å"Did either of them say where they were going?† â€Å"Just that they were going to leave the City this morning, as soon as they paid me.† â€Å"You notice anything unusual about either of them – Flood or the redhead?† â€Å"Just day dwellers, like you. Bourgeois four-oh-fours.† â€Å"Four-oh-Fours?† â€Å"Clueless – Pottery Barn fucktards.† â€Å"Of course,† Rivera said. He could hear his partner snickering now. â€Å"So you haven't seen them?† the kid said. â€Å"They're not coming, kid.† â€Å"How do you know that?† â€Å"I know that. You're out twenty dollars. Cheap lesson. Go away and don't come back here, and if either of them contact you, or you see them, call me.† Rivera handed the kid a business card. â€Å"What's your name?† â€Å"My day-slave name?† â€Å"Sure, let's try that one.† â€Å"Allison. Allison Green. But on the street I'm known as Abby Normal.† â€Å"On the street?† â€Å"Shut up, I have street cred.† Then she added, â€Å"Cop!† like the chirp of a car alarm arming. â€Å"Good. Take your street cred and run along, Allison.† She shuffled off, trying to swivel nearly nonexistent hips as she went. â€Å"You think they left the City?† Cavuto asked. â€Å"I want to own a bookstore, Nick. I want to sell old books and learn to golf.† â€Å"So that would be no?† â€Å"Let's go talk to the born-again Safeway guy.† Four robots and one statue guy worked the Embarcadero by the Ferry Building. Not every day. Some days, when it was slow, there were only two robots and a statue guy, or on rainy days, none of them worked, because the silver or gold makeup they used to color their skin didn't hold up well in the rain, but as a rule, it was four robots and one statue guy. Monet was the statue guy – the ONLY statue guy. He'd staked his territory three years ago, and if some poseur ever showed up, he had to meet Monet on the field of stillness, where they would clash in the motion-free battle of doing absolutely nothing. Monet had always prevailed, but this guy – this new guy – was really good. The challenger had been there when Monet arrived in the late morning, and he hadn't even blinked for two hours. The guy's makeup was perfect, too. He looked as if he had really been bronzed, so it was beyond Monet why he would choose to get his collections in Big Gulp cups that he'd jammed his feet into. Monet carried a small portfolio case, with a hole cut in it where tourists could stuff their bills. He had primed his money hole with a five today, just to show the challenger that he wasn't intimidated, but the truth was, after two hours, he hadn't made half of what he saw the newcomer take in, and he was intimidated. And his nose itched. His nose itched and the new statue guy was kicking his ass. Normally Monet would change positions every half hour or so, then stand motionless while the tourists taunted him and tried to make him flinch, but with the new competition, he had to stay still as long as it took. The robots on the promenade had all assumed poses from which they could watch. They only had to hold still until someone dropped cash into their cup, then they would do the robot dance. It was boring work, but the hours were good and you were outside. It looked like Monet was going down. Sundown. He felt like his ass was on fire. Tommy came to to the sound of a riding crop being smacked against his bare butt and the rough bark of a woman's voice. â€Å"Say it! Say it! Say it!† He tried to pull away from the pain but couldn't move his arms or legs. He was having trouble focusing his vision – waves of light and heat were rocketing around his brain and all he could really see was a bright red spot with waves of heat coming off of it and a figure moving around the edges. It was like staring into the sun through a red filter. He could feel the heat on his face. â€Å"Ouch!† Tommy said. â€Å"Dammit!† He pulled against his bonds and heard a metallic rattling, but nothing gave. The red hot light went away and was replaced by the blurry form of a female face, a blue face, just inches away from his own. â€Å"Say it,† she whispered harshly, spitting a little on the â€Å"it.† â€Å"Say what?† â€Å"Say it, vampire!† she said. She whipped the riding crop across his stomach and he howled. Tommy squirmed against his bonds and heard the rattling again. With the spotlight moved away, he could see that he was suspended by very professional-looking nylon restraints to a brass, four-poster bed frame that had been stood on end. He was completely naked and evidently the blue woman, who was dressed in a black vinyl bustier, boots, and nothing else, had been whaling on him for some time. He could see welts across his stomach and thighs, and well, his ass felt like it was on fire. She wound up to smack him again. â€Å"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa,† Tommy said, trying not to screech. He only realized then that his fangs were extended and he'd bitten his own lips. The blue woman held up. â€Å"Say it.† Tommy tried to keep his voice calm. â€Å"I know you've been doing this for a while now, but I've only been awake for about a minute of it, so I have no idea what you are asking me. If you slow down and repeat the whole question, I'll be happy to tell you whatever I know.† â€Å"Your safety word,† said the blue woman. â€Å"Which is?† Tommy said. He noticed for the first time that she had enormous boobs spilling out of that bustier and it occurred to him that he had never seen big blue boobs before. They were kind of mesmerizing. He wouldn't have been able to look away even if he weren't strapped down. â€Å"I told you,† she said, letting the riding crop fall to her side. â€Å"You told me what a safety word is?† â€Å"I just told you what it is.† â€Å"So you know it, then?† â€Å"Yes,† she said. â€Å"Then why are you asking?† â€Å"To see if you're at your breaking point.† She seemed to be pouting a little now. â€Å"Don't be a dick, this isn't my specialty.† â€Å"Where am I?† Tommy asked. â€Å"You're Lash's Smurf, aren't you? Are we at Lash's?† â€Å"I'm asking the questions here.† She snapped the riding crop against his thigh. â€Å"Ouch! Fuck! Stop that. You have issues, lady.† â€Å"Say it!† â€Å"What is it? I was asleep when you told me, you stupid bitch!† He was wrong, he was able to look away from the blue boobs. He snarled at her, something coming up from deep inside him that he didn't even recognize – something that felt wild and on the verge of out of control – like when he first made love with Jody as a vampire, only this felt – well, lethal. â€Å"It's Cheddar.† â€Å"Cheddar? Like the cheese?† He was getting beating because of cheese? â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"So I said it. Now what?† â€Å"You're broken.† â€Å"‘Kay,† Tommy said, straining against the heavy nylon straps, understanding now what he was feeling. He was going to kill her. He didn't know how yet, but he was as certain of it as of anything he had ever known. Grass was green, water was wet, and this bitch was dead. â€Å"So now you have to turn me,† she said. â€Å"Turn you?† he said. His fangs ached, like they were going to leap out of his mouth. â€Å"Make me like you,† she said. â€Å"You want to be orange? Is this another Cheddar thing? Because – â€Å" â€Å"Not orange, you nitwit, a vampire!† she said, and she snapped the riding crop across his chest. He bit his lips again and felt the blood running down his chin. â€Å"So for that you needed all the hitting?† He said. â€Å"Come over here.† She leaned up and kissed him, then pushed away hard and came away with his blood on her mouth. â€Å"I guess I'm going to have to get used to this,† she said, licking her lips. â€Å"Closer,† Tommy said.