Looking for Alibrandi Short Story

A Letter of Hope. As John sat in the bustling coffee shop and gazed at the blank paper in front of him, beads of sweat broke across his forehead and trickled slowly down his face. How was he meant to write down what he was feeling when he couldn’t explain it? He knew his emotions were in there somewhere but he just couldn’t reach them. They were locked tight, stuffed somewhere deep down. He was comfortably numb and that was something that terrified him. It was as if the numbness was pulling him into a black hole. He was trapped, unable to get out. His thoughts were jumbled and out of sync. He couldn’t tell if what he was feeling was real.Was he capable of feeling emotions anymore? It was as if John was a ghost. Doing what he had to do to get through the day. Doing what he could to make his father proud. That wasn’t living in his opinion. It was merely existing. His hands started to tremble. Looking up at Josie he studied her. She had a look of pure concent ration on her face as she wrote everything down. He couldn’t help but envy her. Sure her life wasn’t perfect but it was a hell of a lot better than his. She could choose her own career without being screamed at for hours on end. She could get one bad grade without being told she was a failure.She didn’t have to be perfect, and she was beginning to slowly understand that. That was something John would kill for. Even his best wasn’t enough. John had tried his best to please his father; he studied harder than anyone else he knew. He’d sacrificed so much to try and make his father proud, but nothing was ever good enough. John closed his eyes and leaned his head back thinking of all the times he was put down by his father. Pain welled up from deep inside him. He thought of the times he was told he was hated or not good enough just because he’d been beaten in a math competition.He thought of the times he had come home to his father opening his mai l then calling him worthless when the results weren’t up to his standard. The times his father wouldn’t speak to him because he hadn’t got the perfect mark. Maybe his father not talking to him would have been a relief if it lasted more than an hour. John was starting to get more and more tired every day. Tired of the constant pressure, tired of not meeting expectations and of not being able to live his life the way he wanted. But most of all he was tired of the constant nagging voice in his head. The voice that wouldn’t leave him alone.The voice that was the cause of so many nightmares. If John could be who his father wanted him to be then he would. But he just wasn’t capable of that anymore. He was sure of it; there was no way that he could reach his father’s larger than life expectations. It just wasn’t possible. His father always wanted that little bit more. He finally decided that it was time to share how he was feeling with someo ne else and that person would be Josie. He bounced his legs absentmindedly, took a deep breath and with his heart pounding in his chest he started to write down the words that had plagued his mind for the last few months.He wrote the words he hadn’t had the courage to say to himself. Can you see what I see? No I don’t think you can I see images of nothing and I attempt to make that nothingness mean something as hard as I try there is still nothing and that nothing is meaningless I am somewhere else now, outside I am surrounded by people and the blueness of the sky but still nothing has changed everything remains the same I am still alone. As John finished writing he let out a breath. He raked his hands through his hair nervously. He thought it over one last time. Was he really ready to bare his soul to Josie?Taking another deep breath to help calm his nerves, John folded the letter and sealed it with some sticky tape. With his hands trembling he handed over his most pr ivate thoughts to Josie. After they had exchanged letters they said their goodbyes and went their separate ways. Once John got outside he looked up to the hazy sky and let out a shaky laugh full of relief. Maybe just maybe Josie would be the one to save him before it was too late. He hoped that she would open the letter before graduation and help him put back together the shattered pieces of his life. Because deep down that broken boy wanted to live more than anything in the world.

Malaysia a Multi-Cultural Country

Malaysia is a tropical country with around 25million people. Malaysia located at Southeast Asia, peninsula bordering Thailand and Northern one-third of island of Borneo, bordering Indonesia, Brunei, South China Sea and South of Vietnam. Malaysia separated in two islands just similar as New Zealand, the only difference is West and East Malaysia and they are sharing the island with other countries as has mentioned before. The capital city (Kuala Lumpur) is located in West Malaysia, and Sabah (Borneo) and Kuching (capital city of East Malaysia) are located in Sarawak (East Malaysia). The major religious in Malaysia are Muslims, Buddhists, Christians, and Hindu. Malaysian official language is Malay, and English the second. Apart from Chinese, Indian and Malay, there are several native cultural such as Iban, Bidayuh, Kadasan, and so on. This essay is going to give the foundation idea of three main cultural and also a briefly talking about Iban people. Malay or Melayu called themselves the â€Å"bumiputeras’’ in Malaysia, bumi in Malay language means earth, and putera means prince or son. Overall it means â€Å"The Son of Earth†. The population has consisted around 60% (including indigenous people of the land) and the other cultural are consisted the rest of the percentage. Most of Malays in Malaysia are Muslims. If anyone has fall in love and want to be married with Muslim, he or she will be forced to become a Muslim. Or else the Muslim parents in law or even the Muslim community would not accept this marriage. I had a Chinese teacher when I studied in Malaysia; she has married to my Muslim teacher who taught me Malay language. She was an atheist, she did not join any religious but because of the marriage she had to join the Muslim. I asked her before about if she is regretted, but she told me she will not regret of what she has chosen. ‘’I am not, and I will not regret as long as I am with my husband,’’ my Chinese teacher said that to me. Therefore I personally think that she is a brave lady, because she has to change her eating habit. Eating or touching pork and dog (especially their wet nose and faces) are forbidden for Muslims. The Malay words â€Å"tidak suci†. Tidak means not, and suci means pure. Therefore if any Muslim has touched these animals would consider as unclean or impure. They believe that they would need to renew their ablution or change their clothes as the spit of the dog can contain some impurities. There is a specific reason of why Muslims having this rule, Islam (Muslim) teaches how to attain the virtues and how to give up bad habits because both good and bad grow in the man according to his upbringing, education and environment. Ramadan (Arabic language) means the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. Every year around that month, Muslim would be Fasting or dieting. Fasting breaks into three abstains, which are food and drink, sexual intercourse, and masturbation (most scholars said that this is not allowed even when not fasting). Muslims eats once before the sun rise and another one after the sunset. After the sunset, they could eat if they have done their prayer. Muslims are recommended to eat dates before breaks the fasting. For the Muslims who are sick or pregnant, there is no way to escape the Ramadan fasting. However, they could postpone the Ramadan fasting period. As long as to ensure they will do it for a month or at least 29 days. There is no official date for celebrating the Break Ramadan Festival; it depends on the moon after 29 or 30 days. It quite often happens during the student’s long break for the year around December. Chinese (known as Malaysian Chinese) are the second main cultural in Malaysia, they were originally from China. British brought them from Southern China for work-force in tin mining between the fifteenth and the mid-twentieth century’s. Most Chinese are very successful in the business or trading area, if you have visited in Malaysias most of the department stores or shops are owned by Chinese. They are the richest when it comes to a comparative between the different cultural. Malay is the official language; however it is unsurprised that Chinese are still speaking their languages. Chinese language divides in Cantonese, Hokkien, Foochow, Hakka, etc. All those languages could identify which place they were from origin. Most of Chinese are Buddhists and Taoism, a few percentages of Christians and a little percentage of Muslims. Malaysian Chinese do celebrate Chinese New Year; the public holiday is normally three to four days. For more days of holiday, the Chinese schools would have to write the letter to get the permission from Ministry of Education. Before the first day of Chinese New Year, all the Chinese recommend to be at home for dinner at night. It means a family reunion after the busy days with working for whole year, but not many Chinese could make it because they have their different reasons. It could be because some of the people are working far away from home, and they do not have holiday so they could not make it. Why do Chinese celebrate the Chinese New Year? There is a legendary story of a long time ago, Chinese were living in peacefully in town but suddenly a wild animal called â€Å"Nian† (it spells as â€Å"Knee-Yen’’ in English), Nian by itself means year. People called it Nian because it came once a year to attack or eat people. Once, somehow a man discovered that Nian scared of something red in colour and a loud sound of beating. So every around that day, people would wear red clothes and red decoration around house such as red lanterns. Nian came and saw the town is full of red and also heard the sound of beating or banging sound. Year by year has passed, Nian does not come anymore. Chinese were very happy and excited; they could not believe their eyes. That is how Chinese New Year came from; Chinese celebrates it with the lion dance and wears red. The house is full of red decorations, through generations people changed the style of decoration. They make it prettier and stylish. Nowadays, people could not care less about Chinese New Year. It does not matter if they do not wear red clothes during the first day of the Chinese New Year. Some people that dislike the red colour have decided to wear in pink or other colourful clothes. People created Lion dance to celebrate their happiness and they used drums and gongs to make the loud sound instead of other way like using the wood stick to beat the cooking pots. Malaysian Indians were also brought by British to work in rubber plantations. Most of them were originally Southern Indian. The overwhelming majority of migrants from India were ethnic Tamil. If you have seen Tamil, their skin tones are definitely darker than other Indians. Most of them are Hinduism, and some of them are Christians and Muslims. Malaysian Indians celebrate Deepavali (Festival of Lights) once a year. In Hinduism, Indians celebrates the return of Lord Rama to his kingdom after defeating Ravana (the demon king). A long time ago there lived a cruel King who often killed many people without a special reason. Because many people were killed, the rest of the people were so terrified so they prayed to the Lord Ravana and hoped to get helped. Why it is called The Festival of Lights? Because long time ago people were warmly welcoming the return of Lord Rama with all the candle lights, it was very dark in the night. The celebration of Deepavali lasts six days, beginning on the 12th day of the month (North Indian lunar calendar). According to the Hindu Lunar Calendar, Deepavali is celebrated for 5 days. It is a public holiday in Malaysia as well, this year the public holiday will be on fifth of November. Most of Hinduism does not eat beef; I heard my Hindu said that they think the cow is a holy animal that has been given from God. Iban also known as ‘’Sea Dayak’’, they used to live in a long wooden house aside the rivers or coasting area and living by fishing, farming and hunting. Talking about hunting, they were traditionally head hunters. Long time ago, they used to collect skulls and hung it up to the ceiling. That were from the old days, Iban men would have a fight for a land, they not only win land through the battle, but they win for preserve the land. The winner wins the head off of the loser, and people would treat and respect him as a hero. However it is forbidden to do that activity now and they are very friendly and hospitable. Apart from Malay language, most of them could speak English because it is an international language. Some of Iban people even speak mandarin well; because they have been studied in a Chinese primary school before. Iban people have a big celebration which is Gawai (Harvest Festival), is one of the big ceremonies or occasions. The day is coming soon this year, and it is a public holiday in East Malaysia only. It will be celebrated on the first of June. That is when it comes to the harvest season, they would celebrate it with ‘’Tuak’’. It is handmade sweet rice wine. If you come to visit them, by the entrance they would serve you Tuak and you better do not refuse to have it. Or else they would think you are not respecting their kind offer.

God and Man Benedict Spinoza

Since the alienation is made without reservation, the union is as perfect as possible, and no associate has anything further to demand; When the social compact is violated each person then regains his first rights and resumes his natural liberty while losing the conventional liberty for which he renounced it; Albert Camus (The Myth of Sisyphus) The gods had condemned Sisyphus to ceaselessly rolling a rock to the top of a mountain whence the stone would fall back of its own weight; If one believes Homer, Sisyphus was wisest and most prudent of mortals and according to another tradition, however, ne was disposed to practice the protession ot highwayman; Opinions d as to the reasons why he became the futile laborer of the underworld; To begin with, he is accused of certain levity in regard to the Gods; Homer tells us that Sisyphus had put Death in chains He dispatched the god of war, who liberated Death from the hands of her conqueror;He wanted to test his wife's love so he ordered her to cast his unburied body into the middle of the public square; He is much through to his passions as through his torture; His scorn of the Gods, his hatred of death and his passion for life won him that unspeakable penalty in which the whole being is exerted toward accomplishing nothing; Myths are made for the imagination to breathe life into them; If this myth is tragic, that is because its hero is conscious; But it is tragic only at the rare moments when it becomes conscious. Sisyphus, proletarian of the gods; powerless and rebellious, knows the whole extent of his wretched condition; He too concludes that all is well. This universe henceforth without a master seems to him neither sterile nor futile; The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man's heart; Simone de Beauvoir (The Second Sex) Those who are condemned to stagnation are often pronounced happy on the pretext that happiness consists in being at rest.This notion that we reject, for our perspective is that of existentialist ethics; Present existence can only be Justified by ts expansion towards an indefinitely open future; Every time transcendence falls back into immanence, existence is degraded into an en soi(in itself), and freedom into facticity; Every individual concerned to Justify his or her existence experiences it as an undefined urge to transcend himself or herself; Woman is a free and autonomous being like all human nevertheless finds herself and chooses herself within a world where men compel her to assume the status of the Other; Biologically – The more separate the female individual, the more imperiously does continuity of life assert tself against her separateness. Historically is when sub-species of humans are brought together each aspires to impose its sovereignty upon the other. If both are able to resist this imposition there is created between them a reciprocal relation sometimes in enmity, sometimes in amity but always in a state of tension. Ontologically i s when man never thinks â€Å"self† without thinking â€Å"other†; he views the world wider the sign of duality, a polarity which is not at first sexual in character.Miguel de Unamuno The man of flesh and bone; the man who is born, suffers, and dies; the man who eats nd drinks and plays and sleeps and thinks and wills; the man who is seen and heard; the brother, the real brother; He is the legendary featherless biped, the social contractor for Rousseau, the homo economicus of the Manchester school, The home sapiens of Linnaeus, or, if you like, the vertical mammal; This concrete man, this man of flesh and bone, is at once the subject and the supreme object of philosophy, whether certain self-styled philosophers like it or not; Philosophy answers to our need of forming a complete and unitary conception of the world and of life, and as a esult of this conception, a feeling which gives birth to an inward attitude and even to outward action; The philosophy of this man Kant , a man of heart and head that is to say, a man there is a significant somersault, as Kierkegaard, another man would have said, the somersault ot the Critique ot Pure reason to the Critique ot Practical reason; This transition of Kant exists already in embryo in the Lutheran notion of faith; The first God, the rational God, is the projection to the outward infinite of man as he is by definition, that is to say, of the abstract man, of the man no-man; The other God, theGod of feeling and volition, is the projection to the inward infinite of man as he is by life, of the concrete man, the man flesh and bone; Whosoever reads the Critique of Practical Reason carefully and without blinkers will see that, in strict fact, the existence of God is therein deduced from the immortality of the soul, and not the immortality of the soul from the existence of God; All the rest is the Jugglery of the professional of philosophy

Importance of Baseball to New York Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Importance of Baseball to New York - Essay Example The age when these teams existed and played is mostly referred as the Golden Age especially because the three different teams had their loyal fans that liked to watch them compete. However, this was only witnessed in New York and not the rest of the cities, which were characterized by decaying inner cities and aging ballparks. Other cities also lacked a competitive balance that was witnessed in New York (Wetherbee, n.d). The period after the war, however, brought with it some new changes that would change the New York baseball history. By this time, America was transitioning into a modern society and many teams had the chance to move to prosperous heights. Some teams moved to other areas and managed to gather fans. Some of them moved to Idaho while others moved to Milwaukee, Kansas City ad Baltimore among other major areas. This was to move to higher heights, which led to the two of the major leagues moving to California. The Dodgers and the Giants thought that California had better chances, which made them disappoint millions of fans in New York. With one move, the city was drained from its major league representation, which eventually led to the weakening of the championship baseball in this major city. Some of the major players in this period include Mickey Mantle, Jack Roosevelt Robinson and Branch Rickey. As mentioned earlier, baseball represents a huge part of America history. It provided Americans with a sense of togetherness and community, which was non-existent in the corporate world. It was also a source of pride and power for the Americans mostly because of the passion that came with sharing of the game’s experiences among Americans. By this time, the game was universal to all Americans and everyone seemed to know something about the game and the players. The three teams mentioned earlier owned the game (Barbieri, 2013). Before the 1950’s, baseball was part of middle class whites, which would later be challenged by baseball. Jackie

Macroeconomic convergence, financial development and economic growth Dissertation

Macroeconomic convergence, financial development and economic growth - Dissertation Example The potential of the developing countries to grow faster is more than that of the developed countries as the developing countries have diminishing returns to factors. Convergence can be of two types, the process of poorer economies catching up with the richer economies is referred as alpha convergence whereas beta convergence is the process in which a country converges to its own steady state rate of growth (Alfaro et al.2005). As pointed out by professor Jeffrey Sachs ,many countries due to its closed economic policies cannot converge, this could however be overcome if the free trade policies are included which will lead to openness of the economy. Between the years 1970-1989, 111 countries have been studied on the basis of their rate of convergence. It was found by Andrew Warner and Sachs that the countries following closed economic policies had a growth rate of 2% whereas the countries following open economic policies have a growth rate of 4.5 % (Alfaro et al.2005) There are many countries that have converged with the developed countries such as the Asian tigers, HongKong, Singapore, Taiwan, and South Korea. As sited by many economists the endogenous rather than the exogenous factors triggers the growth of an economy (Alfaro et al.2005). ... tal are important as it significantly influences the savings and rate of investment (Halmai & Vasary.2009.p.3).Technological spread, change in growth rate and total productivity of the factors are the major players in enhancing the rate of convergence. Macroeconomic convergence and economic growth Integration of the national and regional economies with the global economy is one of the salient features over the history. Two models of economic integration which relates to income convergence are firstly growth models and secondly trade models (Kim.1997.p.4). According to the neoclassical Solow model of growth, the regional level of income varies due to the different capital labour ratios. Whereas the Hecksher Ohlin trade model says that the income varies across the regions due to the difference in the factor prices and factor endowments (Kim.1997.p.5). Income convergence occurs due to trades in goods and economic integration via equalisation in prices. Factor endowments vary across the regions and therefore various regions specialise in different industries. Thus if the regional variation in the factor endowments increases then there arises divergence in the income levels as the structure of industries diversifies. Conversely as there exits similarity in the factor endowments then the income level also converges in the due course. Economic integration also gives rise to income divergence (Kim.1997.p.5) The growth models put forward by Romer and Lucas, which are based on increasing returns on physical capital, states the chances of such income divergence. Even the trade models by Krugman states that income divergence may arise due to the differences in the industrial structures. If the industries equipped with high technology and high wages are subjected to external

Cultural Diversity and Globalization Case Study - 4

Cultural Diversity and Globalization - Case Study Example Hofstede’s cultural dimensions can be used to explain the cultural differences between the two countries. These differences are very important as they are the main cause why Euro Disneyland failed despite its huge name and publicity. The dimensions of culture are very well known in organizational behavior and sociology. They include power distance, collectivism, uncertainty avoidance and masculinity (Kwintessential, 2010).The first dimension is power distance. It is defined as the extent of belief in the inequality or equality of distribution of power in the society. The countries that have high power distance exhibit acceptance with regards to the inequalities of people. In these countries, people conform to the powerful and follow orders. Countries like China, Mexico and India. In these countries, we can witness disparity in incomes and power. The countries that have low power distance exhibit equality. In these countries, power is equally distributed in the society. The United States of America, Austria and Norway have low power distance. We can see less disparity of incomes and power in these countries.France has a relatively high power distance than the United States of America. This means that people of France accept, to a certain extent, inequality of power. For this reason, Euro Disneyland should have special rights for people in France and ‘rules are for all’ strategy is not appropriate for France. The second dimension is individualism. Countries that have high individualism, people there care about themselves and family only. Low individualistic or collectivist countries have people that care about the extended family and the whole clan. These countries lack personal initiative and people are dependent on family. The United States of America is a highly individualistic country. Personal values of the people are strong. France is relatively less individualistic and people still care about their families. The degree of individualism is less in France than in the United States of America where people have relatively strong family values.

Budget and financial analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Budget and financial analysis - Essay Example It is common knowledge that obesity especially among the children has immediate as well as long-term impact on the lives and health of the affected population (Gollust, etal, 2013). For instance, there is high risk of cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes as well as joint problems. The organization will require exactly $15,000 as a startup capital for the obesity eradication program. This money ($15, 000) will come from the three administrators of the organization (Nurse, Dietitian and Social worker) inform of donation. Healthy Neighbors Center was lucky to get sponsorship in form of donations not exceeding $4000 per month from a local based organization called Kick Out Obesity. Since the organization has limited financial sources as at its start up the organization will look for various avenues of increase its revenue stream. The company will begin by incorporating an online payment option to allow individuals subscribe to the programs, make donations, and buy articles as well as videos concerning healthy behaviors that can reduce or prevent childhood obesity. The income received from the administrators as well as the donations will be used to acquire office equipment, furniture, computer, telephone, stationary, personal digital assistance (PDA), website design, staff expenses, administrative supplies, office space, and training materials. In order to operate obesity suppression programs online the organization will contract a company to design a website where users can make donations and subscribe to the diverse obesity eradication programs online. Considering that, the organization is not for profit the administrators will not claim refund of their investment apart from salaries, which will be reviewed upwards after the first 2 years operation. For the first year of operation, the administrators accepted to earn bonuses rather than salaries

Week 4 Journal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Week 4 Journal - Essay Example ime when students from families which are above average cannot afford to have all the required for their courses and every student has to either borrow the book from a friend or from some library in order to get necessary information for their required project or course. Apart from students getting into a psychological state of inferiority, lack of proper textbooks has been shown to affect student’s grades as well. When students won’t get the required information from an authentic source, their lack of knowledge is definitely going to affect them in their studies. Measures should be taken to provide the students with their textbooks free of cost or if not possible, at a cost which is affordable to them since the prices of these books has rocketed high in the sky in the last 10-12 years. "College textbook sticker shock causes students to leave books on the shelves."ContraCostaTimes.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Feb. 2014.

Soil Mechanics (Geotechnics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Soil Mechanics (Geotechnics - Essay Example Soil is composed of particles such as silt, clay, gravel and sand and they can also contain other gases that exist in between these particles. The study of soil is very important because this is what makes the study of geotechnical engineering possible. This is a subtopic in civil engineering and it is a very complex topic. Soil mechanics is applicable in many ways as far as building and construction is concerned and some of the best examples are such as building foundations of bridges, dams and sustaining systems of buried pipelines. This is very important because it ensures that buildings do not fall apart easily in the modern world and this contributes a lot to the development of different cities world wide. The study of soils is also very important because it contributes a lot to good agricultural products. Many areas of engineering depend on soil mechanics and some of these areas are such as coastal engineering, geophysical engineering and hydrology among other areas. One of the best ways of approaching the topic on geotechnics and drainage is through understanding the composition and genesis of soils. This is one of the best examples of a diagram that clearly defines the formation of soils as far as volumes of water, air and solid is concerned. The V?, V?, and Vs represent the amount of solids, air and water present in a specific mixture of soil. W?, W?, and Ws in the diagram above stand for the weights of solids, air and water within a soil mixture and M?, M?, and Ms stand for the masses of water, solids and air found in a mixture of soil. The formulae for calculating the weights of all the named particles present is Mass multiplied by the acceleration of gravity which is; Ws=Mg. Types of Triaxial Tests There are several types of triaxial tests but the most common ones are; Consolidated Drained also known a CD, Consolidated Undrained tests which is also referred to as UD and Unconsolidated Undrained. In the consolidated drained or CD, the test is done th rough consolidating and shearing while compressing it with the drainage. In the second type of test, the sample is not drained and in the third type of test, the sample is constantly compressed. This is an example of soil horizons from www.wikipedia.com . A; can be referred to as the colluviums or top soil, B; is the Residual soil that is mature and C; is weathered rock. In most cases, soil deposits become affected by how they are transported to the specific location where they can be found. Understanding the formation and deposition of soils makes it quite easier and understandable especially when it comes to dealing with geotechnics calculations. Clay is composed of several minerals that form structures that look like a sheet which have a length range of 10 x 10 ?7 and 4 x 10?5 and its thickness ranges from 9 x 10?9 and 2x 10?6 and their surface area is large. Through understanding the formation of soils, one can easily understand how different stresses and shears are formed in di fferent phases on a normal circumstance and all this is part of the study of geotechnics (Chen 2010). Stress strain curve diagram. Looking at the curve above, one can easily predict the stability of the soil by measuring the shear strain against its shear strength Cell pressure kN/m2 Deviator stress kN/m2 kN/m2 2 (a). Normal and Over- Consolidated Stratum Normally consolidated stratum is one which is very dense and packed tightly as one goes deep the strata. An over-consolidated clay stratum is one which occurs when water is squeezed out of the ground with

Financial vs Managerial Accounting PART II Assignment

Financial vs Managerial Accounting PART II - Assignment Example tlook to carry out such things as acquisitions, which bring financial gains, they seem to focus more on financial accounting than managerial accounting. Most certainly, when such a situation continues, companies cannot make the most out of their accounting. This is because it is important to synchronize the internal principles with the external ones. Again, it is when there is effective internal usage of information that there can be adequate balance on external output in the form of financial accounting (Zimmerman, 2014). I find the idea that you differentiate financial accounting from managerial accounting very useful and insightful. This is because it is only under such situations that the companies can know how to appropriately apportion its resources to handle the internal and external usage of accounting information (Zimmerman, 2014). Again, it is when the company has a clear understanding of the difference between its financial and managerial accounting outcomes that the right strategies can be put in place to cater for each of these variables. However, I feel you underestimated the importance of managerial accounting when you stressed that inaccurate accounting is only disastrous with financial accounting. This is because where there is inaccurate managerial accounting companies are likely to make a lot of mistakes that could go a long way to affect financial accounting. An example of this situation can be given with my company when out of inaccurate managerial accounting, the company took a f inancial decision to go into a merger, only for the process to go through and land the company in huge financial

Ethnographic essay about smokers Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Ethnographic about smokers - Essay Example Smoking becomes more acceptable in other culture and this could explain why there are more smokers in certain group of people compared to others. To illustrate, I will compare my two friends John and Jose. John is a Caucasian whose roots hailed from Louisiana and we can say that John is all-American by cultural background and orientation. Jose on the other hand is an immigrant from Mexico and prides himself as Mexican. John and Jose are of the same age bracket of 17 years old. John hates smoking while Jose is a chain smoker. When asked why John hates smoking, he replied that it is dangerous to his health and that it â€Å"stinks†. He also narrated that his parents will not also tolerate him if he smokes and that there will be dire consequences if he will smoke such as cutting off his allowance. This is a concern shared by the American general public as they are now becoming more health conscious with parents who generally dislike smoking. Jose on the other hand is more relaxed on his attitude about smoking. He said he knows that smoking is dangerous to one’s health but he reasoned that everybody dies anyway. He explained further that smoking is more acceptable among Mexicans because it makes them look more â€Å"macho† or manly. It is important to stress here that manliness or being â€Å"macho† is more important among Mexicans than Americans. According to Jose, smoking is part of that cultural thing to look like a â€Å"real man†. He said that among Mexicans, parents are not that strict about their children who will smoke. This observation is validated with most of Jose’s male friends smoke at an early age. Another ethnographic profile of smokers is those people who are in need of â€Å"stimulants† to do a certain job. They are the type of people whose vocation a lot of thinking and imagination that they need to be in a â€Å"mood† to do it. Thus, a stimulant or a relaxing tool, such as cigarette is common for

South African national parks Essay Example for Free

South African national parks Essay Kruger National Park was established in 1898 to protect the wildlife and habitats of South Africa. The largest of South African National Parks (SANParks), Kruger has been admired worldwide by conservationist, environmentalist, and tourists for its pristine environment and beauty. According to Strickland and Mixon (2010), Kruger has been heralded by many to be a leader in â€Å"environmental management, infrastructure, and, of course, biodiversity† (C-407). Although the main purpose for which Kruger National Park (KNP) was created is and remains conservationism, as a result of the park’s mission KNP attracts over a million visitors each year and is regarded as an â€Å"icon destination in international tourism† (Merwe Saayman, 2008, p. 154). The motives of tourists visiting KNP, according to Merwe Saayman (2008), are identified as escape – such as visiting exciting places, and nature –described as to see endangered species. As seen by the tourists of KNP, the park has provided â€Å"a place to escape while enjoying the Big 5†. (Merwe Saayman, 2008, p.158). Ethical Dilemma To maintain and protect the environment of the park has required a large operating budget. As of 2010 the dollars necessary to meet the strategic goals of SANParks was well over 5. 5 million (Strickland Mixon, 2010). At the same time the South African government, a large grant provider to the park, began to reduce its funding of the park. As a result, SANParks needed to increase revenue streams to make up for the shortfall in grants provided by the government. One such source of income has been via wildlife sales through the game capture unit of the park. Originally the game capture unit of Veterinary Wildlife Services (VWS) was established to provide critical support to conservation efforts for rare and threatened species of animals in the park. This effort included the endangered rhino. The capture unit’s main objectives with regards to the endangered rhino were to control the population, expand the population both inside and outside the park, and make the population more resilient (Strickland Mixon, 2010). As pressure for self-funding has increased the objectives of the game capture unit have been shifted and have become more focused on the revenue stream provided by the sale of rhinos. According to Strickland and Mixon (2010), revenue from the sale of rhinos generated over 7 million dollars in 2009. For VWS and conservationist biologists of SANParks two crucial strategic organizational objectives have become conflicted: Enhancing the conservation status of rare and threatened species Generating revenue for the SANParks through wildlife sales Impact on Strategic Vision There has been a tremendous demand for rhinos in the world market both for trophy hunting and for the horns of these animals. Although SANParks has had strict criteria under which these animals are sold, by selling rhinos they have indirectly contributed to the hunting and illegal poaching of these animals. In addition, while SANParks controls the primary market in which they sell rhinos, it is difficult if not impossible to control the secondary markets where many of the SANParks rhinos eventually ended up. According to Coniff (2011) conservationists, like Tom Milliken of Traffic, a group that monitors the international wildlife trade, agree that â€Å"trophy hunting can be a legitimate contributor to the conservation of rhinos. † At the same time, they also agree that hunting has produced a â€Å"moral gray zone† (Coniff, 2011). It is imperative that SANParks finds new sources of revenue streams to maintain the mission and objectives for which the Kruger Park was originally created. Internal Strengths: Unrivaled wildlife diversity and easy viewing Leaders who want to see Kruger and its wildlife prosper Exceptional game capture unit. Income generation from selling of rhinos Internal Weaknesses: Less income due to gov’t grant to Kruger being done away with Less money for VWS to take care of wildlife as best they can Selling rhinos for income generation given the uncertainty of where they will end up (private park, private hunting park, black market, different cultures) Leasing out land to private companies who are making money that Kruger could make if they were to utilize the space for other income generating activities External Threats: Buyers with wrong intentions Cultures value rhino horns because of cultural beliefs. Demand is extremely high for rhino horns and is worth $7,200 per pound on the black market Poaching has become more prominent because of the value of horns on black market External Opportunities: Research and solicitation for other conservation organizations for funding Explore more tourist opportunities for funding Hunting on Kruger premises as an income and tourist generator. SWOT Analysis A SWOT analysis is a powerful tool that is used for analyzing organizations internal strengths and weaknesses and its market opportunities and external threats to ensure a healthy future well-being for the organization. Organizations use the SWOT to evaluate current conditions and make strategic changes that will help to strengthen them. An organizations strengths and weaknesses are the internal situations within the organization and its opportunities and threats are the external situations outside its organization. Internal Strengths The SWOT analysis above demonstrates that Kruger has a great deal of strengths to work with in order to generate the income needed while fulfilling its mission as a conservation site for the endangered rhino. First and foremost, Kruger has some great leaders that truly care for the well-being of Kruger National Park. Among these prominent leaders is Dr. Markus Hofmeyr, head of Veterinary Wildlife Services for SANParks and has been taking care of the park animals for a number of years. As head of VWS he is concerned with how KNP will be able to continue to take care of its wildlife with the amount of money that is required. Dr. David Mabunda, SANParks’ chief executive officer, is also concerned about the wildlife population of KNP. Dr. Mabunda has stressed the importance of protecting the rhino population both inside and outside the park by either selling or donating rhinos. According to Mabunda, â€Å"it is too risky to keep the entire rhino population at Kruger because of the danger of losing them should there be an outbreak of disease or rampant poaching†(C-409). With Kruger being the largest supplier of rhinos in the world, the park generates about $32k per sale of a rhino. In 2009, 500 rhinos were sold in South Africa, 252 of these transactions came from Kruger. That is approximately $8,064,000 of revenue that Kruger saw in 2009 just for selling rhinos. Although a costly activity, Kruger’s exceptional game capture unit plays a large role in Kruger being the largest supplier of rhinos. Game capture has also made it easier to manage rare species by placing them in breeding enclosures. Because of KNP’s expert game capture unit, the park is able to ensure protection and a healthy environment for not only the rhinos but all of its wildlife. Kruger’s reputation for its unrivaled wildlife diversity and easy viewing of its many species is another of its many internal strengths. Internal Weaknesses The SWOT analysis displays some internal weaknesses that Kruger has been experiencing. Lack of money has become a major issue due to the cut of an annual grant that has long been provided to SANParks by the South African National Government. This cut has put pressures on Kruger to come up with ways to self-fund its park and has, according to Strickland and Mixon (2010) â€Å"threatened the ability of SANParks’ Veterinary Wildlife Services to continue to deliver normal veterinary and operational services† (C-406). Strickland and Mixon (2010) state that there are 7 private lodge concessions and over the years these concessions have been leased to partnerships between communities and private companies. The concessions were placed on tender, and areas were allocated for 25 to 30 year leases where these companies had tourist operations. When the lease is up, the fixed assets become SANParks property and they can decide whether to lease or retender the concession. This land that has for so long been leased could be a major missing income generator. Currently this as an internal weakness of Kruger’s because this land could provide many income generating activities that Kruger is missing out on due to its decision to lease out the land to private companies. External Threats. Although the selling of rhinos is listed as a strength because it is an income generator, it can also be classified as a weakness because we are uncertain that the rhinos being sold are in the hands of people with the best intentions. Kruger’s rhino conservation efforts are being jeopardized due to buyers who are in secondary markets, most of which include hunters and members of the black market. The unknown destination of rhinos sold in the secondary market pose an external threat to Kruger National Park. Private parks buy these rhinos then turn around and have them hunted for a profit of 82k. Because of the high demand for rhino horns on the black market, buyers in the secondary market buy these rhinos for 32k and sell their horns on the black market for $7,200 per pound of rhino horn. That is roughly $43,200 per rhino horn. Poaching has become more rampant than ever due to the high value of horns in the black market. In Asia the rhino horn has been prevalent in traditional medicine, used as a cure for the common cold and other illnesses. Some even believe it can cure cancer. Oryx says the rhino horn is in great demand in North Yemen; men wear rhino horn daggers around their neck as a symbol self-defense, honor, and a man’s word. Since 1970, it is said that half of the rhino horn on the market has ended up in North Yemen. Vietnam is also a major player in the illegal sale of rhino horns due to the beliefs of the horn being a healing agent. Market Opportunities Although there are a significant number of external threats, there are some market opportunities that Kruger can take advantage of that would greatly increase funding for the park and its veterinary wildlife services. Solicitation for other conservation groups to come and research Kruger’s wildlife is a large opportunity not only for the park but also for the conservations groups that are solicited to. The presence of conservation groups will also give Kruger the opportunity to add more wildlife and endangered species to the mix. This will in turn give way for more tourist opportunities. Hunting is a desirable of many; a possible opportunity for Kruger could involve hunting of these wild beasts. This would then give Kruger the opportunity to select the Rhinos that are eligible for hunting, which will become a win-win for income generation and conservation of healthy Rhinos. Solutions to Contributing factors The SWOT analysis identified four factors that are contributing to the ethical dilemma facing SANParks. The main factors are a lack of money, hunting practices, cultural beliefs around the world and poaching. After much discussion and thought solutions were identified for each of the issues and the benefits and drawbacks of each one. Budget shortfall solutions The first issue identified was the lack of money. SANParks has had funding pulled by the government and this has created an operating deficit. Without additional income, it will be difficult for the park to continue its normal operations. That being said, the solution for the money issue needs to include a way to generate more money. Two solutions are recommended to solve this issue. The first would be to solicit to conservation groups and private investors around the world for additional funding through donations. In return, they park could provide research opportunities to these groups. The added income would be the biggest pro argument and would allow the park to continue its current operations. However, this solution does come with several drawbacks. Donated funds are inconsistent and can be pulled at any time. Relying on donations would offer the possibility of the park ending up in the same spot in a few years. Accepting donations also opens the park to criticism from the private investors and donators. For example, they may not agree with the capturing process done by SANParks and may pull their funding if the practice continues. Another viable option to increase income for the park is to allow more tourist options within the park. These options can include safaris, hunting, fishing, research and all other areas of tourism. These tourist options are already done on the park and often by private companies. This is an area where SANParks could step in and begin managing these services themselves. Again, the biggest pro to this solution is the possibility of income generation. According to Strickland and Mixon (2010), SANParks is currently selling its captured rhinos on the market for $30,300. A typical rhino hunting expedition can cost $82,400 per hunter. That is over $50,000 per rhino in opportunity costs. The park could definitely look into hunting as a tourism option and gain some of this market share. There are a couple of cons to getting into the tourism business. Some of the attractions or services would require some up-front costs. For example, Safaris require vehicles to transport tourists around the park and also requires guides. The park will need to make an initial investment to purchase the equipment and pay tour guides. The same can be said if hunting is allowed as part of the tourism attractions. Another drawback to this solution is that if the park promotes hunting, it may be viewed as a conflict to their goal of conserving rhinos. That view can be debated in that population management is a key success factor to maintaining a healthy herd of rhinos. For this reason, it may be a benefit to allow hunters on the park if it is managed properly. Hunting solutions The second issue or factor is the amount of rhino hunting that takes place. Currently SANParks captures and sells rhinos on the open market. Private companies buy these rhinos and place them on controlled hunting plots and allow individuals to hunt these rhinos. As stated above, these hunting expeditions can cost $82,400 per hunter. This demand has resulted in more and more rhinos ending up in the hands of hunters. Once they are sold, SANParks has no control over how the rhino is managed. This practice goes against the main goal of the park to conserve rhinos. There are a couple of solutions to reduce the amount of hunting going on outside the park and on private land. The first is the same solution for the lack of money issue. SANPark should allow hunting to take place on the park. This should decrease some of the hunting on private land and will allow the park to some of the market share. The drawback is also the same as above. Allowing hunters on the park could hurt the image of the park’s main goal which is to conserve rhinos. Another solution to limiting the amount of hunting on private land is to restrict the sale of rhinos only to other conservation groups. This may include other parks, zoos and research groups. The biggest benefit to this is it would reduce the number of rhinos available to private hunting organizations. This solution would be difficult to carry out. It would be difficult to manage the sale of every rhino and the effort may be too great to be realistic. Limiting the amount of rhinos available to private buyers may also increase the demand in the black market and in turn may increase poaching. Cultural solutions The third issue discussed that is contributing to SANPark’s dilemma is the practices of various cultures around the world. Some cultures view the rhino horn as a cure for diseases, aphrodisiac, and rhino horn daggers. This increases the demand for rhino horns and threatens the safety of rhinos on the park. According to Coniff (2011). , the demand spiked in 2008 after claims that a rhino horn cured liver cancer in Vietnam. One solution to this issue would be to educate other cultures on the damage caused by purchasing rhino horns. Perhaps if they were made aware that their practices were putting rhinos at risk, they would change. This solution is probably not viable. The benefit would be great in that it would reduce demand for the horns; however, the cons heavily outweigh the pros. Getting cultures to change their practices would not be easy, cost effective, or in the best interest of the park. Changing a cultures belief is not something that can be done easily as these beliefs develop over years and years in a culture. It would also require an investment for the park to produce and circulate the education material. In addition, it could also reflect badly on the park if they were to attack or try to change a cultures belief. The second solution to the culture dilemma would be to lobby governments to increase punishments for rhino products sold on the black market. Most activity of rhino horns being sold occurs on the black market. A higher penalty for selling and buying these horns on the black market may defer some traffic and reduce the demand. The negative side of this is that the demand for these horns by the final buyers is not likely to change. The end result may just be that prices are driven up and the supply and demand remains the same. Poaching solutions The final factor contributing to SANPark’s dilemma is poaching. According to the Strickland and Mixon (2010), the demand for rhinos and rhino horns has steadily increased over the past 15 years and has resulted in an increase in poaching. Poaching is a big problem for both the park and for rhinos around the world. The two solutions offered to reduce poaching are to lobby for higher penalties if caught and to increase security on the park. Lobbying for higher penalties could deter some poachers from taking the risk. The increase in the penalty would probably have little effect on established poachers that dominate the market. The other option to reduce poaching would be to increase security on the park. The biggest pro for this solution is that it would make it harder for poachers to gain access to the park and rhinos. However, it is Strickland and Mixon (2010) suggest Kruger already has one of the best anti-poaching units in South Africa. According to France-Presse, (2011), poachers are using helicopters, night vision goggles and high powered rifles to hunt the rhinos. Strickland and Mixon (2010) also discuss the advanced weaponry that is used by poachers. Combating this type of criminal has been and will continue to be a tough obstacle to overcome. This presents the question; at what point does putting more money into defense become wasteful SANParks may have already reached that limit. Recommended Solution Since the lack of funding is Kruger’s biggest hurdle, the recommended solution is to explore more tourist options within Kruger Park in order to generate income. This will include guided safaris, hunting, fishing, and camping which will allow the park to utilize its resources. Rational 1. This is the recommended solution because it is the solution that will allow Kruger Park to generate more of its own income. Tourism at Kruger Park is already one of the largest in South Africa, so to enlarge what already exists they should introduce hunting to the national park. When SANparks captures and sells a rhino, the consumer pays an average of $30,000 per rhino. The rhinos are sold to many different consumers, private game owners, ranchers/breeders, and other parks. When these rhinos are sold to private game owners, they are sometimes hunted at which people pay about $80,000 to hunt their property. (Strickland and Mixon C-407) The recommendation is to include hunting at Kruger Park and make a possible profit of $50,000 per rhino. Rational 2 By allowing these new tourist options, Kruger Park will in turn protect the rhino population and prevent more poachers from killing the rhinos for their horns, which is SANparks main goal, to protect the rhinos from extinction. SANparks should continue to sell to other protected parks so that the rhinos do not become extinct, due the risk of wide spread disease in certain parts of the world. Rational 3 This solution to solve the money deficit is also low cost, which is necessary to make a profit. Since Kruger Park already hosts safaris and camping, a lot of extra equipment should not be needed. The main objective to low cost solutions is to use the resources that are already in your possession. The park includes 7,722 square miles of conservation area that is already gated to control trespassing. The park is also known for the wide variety of species on the property; 147 mammal species, 49 species of fish, 507 bird species, etc. . (Strickland and Mixon C-407) The park should utilize these great resources and generate its own income. Rational 4 Out of all the solutions presented, this solution is the most attainable. Since several cultures believe that the horns contain healing properties, or they make good weapons, or is an aphrodisiac, it would be difficult to convince a group of people that their culture is wrong. Although the horns are believed to be healing, they are really only made up of the same materials that our finger nails are made of and Amin, a researcher says, â€Å"You’d do just as well chewing on your fingernails. † (2012) While this may be true, it would be hard to convince a specific group of people that what their ancestors taught them is a lie, and therefore protesting against poachers and trying to raise awareness may, or may not work, and the rhinos will still be unprotected. But, with this solution the money earned from extra tourism can be filtered down to other contributing factors and help to solve those issues as well. Action Plan As Kruger Parks moves towards offering more options to promote tourism they will first need to look into their target markets as well as the current industry of rhino hunting and safaris. Looking at the competition it would seem logical for Kruger parks to focus on offering safari tours, camping, hunting, helicopter tours and educational exhibits in order to increase their tourist appeal. Now that Kruger is focusing on running these activities themselves it would make most financial sense to cancel all previous contracts with outside companies that were able to offer these concessions on their land. In offering these extra tourist options it will be necessary to increase their current marketing team to promote their parks and set up vacation packages working with airlines and resorts in the area. Kruger will also need to purchase Safari automobiles, a helicopter, and hunting gear. By keeping their park in the most natural state possible it will allow them to save money as opposed to setting up a zoo environment. One of their largest overhead costs may be the addition of more staff such as the marketing team, expert hunters, a helicopter pilot and tour guides. Kruger may have to bring on an extra helicopter to support more rides a couple years down the line when they are been able to raise enough capital. Until then, they will be able to use their current revenue to finance these new additions in staff and marketing. If they will set up a lower cost hunting price to gain customers they will be able to raise prices when their name and brand get out to the consumers. Until then Kruger should increase prices of items not in the hunting packages such as equipment and trophy prizes that the clients will not think about till they are on property. The biggest risk Kruger may face would be spending all of their current revenue/assets on jumping into a new market and not seeing sufficient return in profits. If they are unable to compete with the current companies in this market it will be in a bigger hole than when they started. The good news is Kruger will be entering the tourist/hunting market after learning from competitor’s current prices and build off of their mistakes to enhance the experience for customers. Other risks may include activist groups coming at them for not caring for the Rhino. One way to make them happy would be offering hunting trips with darts so that Rhinos will not be killed. Kruger will be able to charge extra dart and trophy prizes on these trip while still offering lower prices. Luckily, many activists see the logic in controlling the Rhino population in parks. â€Å"Friedman, Muir and Pelham Jones, of the Private Rhino Owners’ Association, said most state-run parks in South Africa were reaching the end of their productive carrying capacity and there was a need to remove â€Å"surplus† rhino (Carnie, 2012). † It is a positive that they already have a pretty large fallowing, however, another potential risk may be losing some of their previous customers due to the change in their business model. Finally, they will need to keep a close eye on the supply and demand of Rhinos on their property because they do not want to run into the risk of losing to many Rhinos to their hunting business. Linda’s References Coniff, R. (2011). Defending the Rhino. Smithsonian, 42(7), 64 Merwe, P. , Saayman, M. (2008). Travel motivations of tourists visiting Kruger National Park. Koedoe African Protected Area Conservation And Science, 50(1), 154-159. doi:10. 4102/koedoe. v50i1. 140 Strickland, A. , Mixon, W. (2010). Rhino Capture in the Kruger National Park. In Thompson, A. , Peteraf, M. , Gamble, J. , Strikland, A. (2012). Crafting and executing strategy. (18th ed. ). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Jeff’s Reference Carnie, T. (2012). Ian Player defends hunting the rhino. South Africa: Cape Times News. p. 6. Marjorie’s Reference Daniel Martin Varisco (1989). Beyond rhino horn—wildlife conservation for North Yemen. Oryx, 23, pp 215219 Matt’s References Coniff, R. (2011). Defending the Rhino. Smithsonian, 42(7), 64 France-Presse, A. (2011) Rhino Poaching Rampant. Windsor Star News. D6. Shannon’s References Rhino horn use: Fact vs. fiction. (2012). Retrieved from http://www. pbs. org/wnet/nature/episodes/rhinoceros/rhino-horn-use-fact-vs-fiction/1178/ Bryson, D. (2012). Vietnam craves rhino horn; costs more than cocaine. Retrieved from http://news. yahoo. com/vietnam-craves-rhino-horn-costs-more-cocaine-062134928. html.

Racism in the 1960s

Racism in the 1960s Racism in the 1960s The 1960s were a time where the world was changing. Music was changing, politics were changing, and people were changing. But one problem seemed to remain in society Racism. Although the 1960s were the era of the Baby Boom, the racist segregation did not subside. Although segregation thrived through Jim Crow Laws, Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X both fought hard against it. This segregation lead to possibly the worlds greatest achievement, the African-American Civil Rights Movement. In the 1960s, the way of life was different for people with different colors of skin. There were separate bathrooms, separate restaurants, drinking fountains, and churches for black people. Restaurants had a Jim Crow law, that stated, It shall be unlawful to conduct a restaurant or other place for the serving of food in the city, at which white and colored people are served in the same room, unless such white and colored persons are effectively separated by a solid partition extending from the floor upward to a distance of seven feet or higher, and unless a separate entrance from the street is provided for each compartment. Black people were also forced to use different barbers, nurses and jail cells. The segregation between black people and white people was evident and enforced by law. These laws were called Jim Crow Laws, and were local laws that outlined the segregation between black people and white people. Any act against a Jim Crow law was punishable by law and received an unusually hefty punishment. These separate but equal approaches lead to much discrimination that African-American communities endured for much of the decade. These laws covered aspects such as barbers, prisons, nurses, and libraries. Some examples of Jim Crow laws were: 1. No colored barber shall serve as a barber (to) white girls or women (Georgia). 2. No person or corporation shall require any White female nurse to nurse in wards or rooms in hospitals, either public or private, in which Negro men are placed (Alabama). 3. The warden shall see that the white convicts shall have separate apartments for both eating and sleeping from the Negro convicts (Mississippi). Although these laws were all forced by law, they were all forced by the public as well. Many mobs of white men used lynching in the 1960s to try and manipulate the African-American population. Lynching is considered the punishment of any person without legal process or authority. Any person who tried to promote against, abolish, or defy the Jim Crow laws were often beaten and/or killed. With the help of Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights movement, these laws were only in effect up until 1965. In 1968 the Supreme Court declared all types of segregation unconstitutional. Martin Luther King Jr. was an integral part of the abolishment of Jim Crow Laws and the public support of the Civil Rights Movement. Growing up as a child, Martin Luther King Jr. was a very smart human being. He attended segregated high schools in Georgia but only stayed for a short amount of time. Because of Martins superb intelligence, he was able to finish grades 9-12 in just two years, making him a high school graduate at the age of fifteen. After receiving a doctorate at Boston University, Martin had already started his effect on society. He participated in a 382 day boycott to remove the segregation between black and white people on buses. The supreme court agreed and on December 21, 1956, the law was ruled unconstitutional. Martin Luther King paid the price for this great achievement, finding himself arrested and his home was bombed. The African-American Civil Rights Movement took place in the 1960s and really gained support on August 28th, 1963. Martin Luther King Jr. made hi s plea to the world for racial equality during his I Have a Dream speech. This speech was a powerful moment in history and held the support of people all over the planet. I have a dream is still regarded as one of the greatest political statements ever to be made.

Managing Change At Procter And Gamble Commerce Essay

Managing Change At Procter And Gamble Commerce Essay The world of business is facing different changes in the environment which create opportunities and threats. As a result, businesses make changes in different processes that are related to work place more abruptly and often compare before. This is because these changes can influence the speed and quality of the performance of companies including: acquisitions, merging, innovation, restructuring and downsizing which can result to the growth of climate of uncertainty (FEAP n.d.). Currently, the business world is facing different changes that are related to technology, regulation and competition and economic condition which affect the perceptions and behavior of the customers and other stakeholders of the company. Due to this, change is considered as inevitable in the world of business, because change constitute growth and development. According to Peter Drucker, any change in any organizational culture and management is considered as normal and healthy (cited in Dulebohn 2006, p. 37). It will be impossible for any business to grow and improve without improving any changes in order to cope with the changes happenings in the environment its operating. Any change to be done inside and outside the organization can help the entire organization to adjust to the current situation of the market and industry, by improving and adjusting the culture and other important internal aspects of the organization. Therefore, it is important to consider that change is the most important decision of the top level management of different companies; however, it is one of the most taken for granted aspect of management, particularly regarding the issue of lack of involvement. This paper will focus on implementation of change in Procter and Gamble (PG). PG offers branded products of superior quality and value in order to improve the lives of the consumers from different parts of the globe. This results in: leadership sales, profits as well as value creation, which allow all the stakeholders to prosper (PG UK 2010). Currently, the company markets more than 300 branded products and operating in more than 80 countries and employs about 140,000 people (PG UK 2010). The business started when William Procter and James Gamble started their business of making and selling soap and candles separately on April 12, 1837. In August 22 of the same year, the two decided to formalize their business relationship by pledging $3, 3596.47 in Cincinnati, Ohio and signed in October 31. The initial foray of PG into branding was The Moon and Stars, a trademark that have appeared on all products of the company starting early 1860s (PG UK 2010). As a result of this effort and the unyielding commitment of the company to strengthen the brand, widening portfolio and delivering high level of customer service, PG ranked 10th in the Fortunes Most Admired Companies in 2007 and hailed as the 23rd largest company by US revenue and 14th largest in terms of profit. Because of the dominance and leadership of PG in different consumer product categories, it is important for the company to focus on the improvement to be done in its overall operation. The company focuses on adopting new changes and seizes new opportunities that the company created. This paper will focus on analyzing the new technology to be applied in PG that will help to improve its current operation and performance. Background to Change Background of Change One of the important characteristics of PG and the reason behind the success of the company is its ability to cope with change. The company focuses on adopting different changes that will help to improve its performance. If needed, the company is willing to unlearn habits as well as assumptions that were rapidly becoming obsolete and challenge traditional skills as well as strengths. Based on this, change is the term that equates with PG and it happens in major events, such as technological innovations inside the company. One of the major technological movements of the company is the concept of Enterprise Content Management (ECM) in 2003. This enables the company to implement content spread across different applications. The result is the integration from back-end system into the more appropriate application of choice. It also enables the company to move from unstructured to structured content management and have been applied to the internal stakeholders to enable information life cycle management. This had helped in order to create, store, retrieve and distribute information that lead to trimmed cost and improved collaboration. However, this system created some problems or threats that might affect the operation of the company. There is a need to tap virtual working opportunities, at the same time, reduce the workload because of web-based space and chargeback reports. Therefore, it is important to implement smarter working practices and focuses on the need for a fully integrated web-based facilities management environment. This action is connected to the goal and mission of the company to use innovative technologies that will help PG to work smarter, faster and more efficiently. Therefore, based on this, it is important to implement new system that will help in order to fully integrate the operation of PG in the UK, as well as other parts of the world. This is important because it can help in order to lessen the effort that must be exerted by the employees in terms of managing the system, at the same time, it can help in order to fully integrate the system that will handle the data of different departments and units of PG UK, which will help in order to improve the decision-making process. Strengths and Weaknesses of PG In connection with the current problem of the company, and the proposed change, it is important to focus on the strengths and weaknesses of PG. One of the strength of PG focuses on its ability to handle change. This pertains on the different activities of the company regarding researchers and development. One of the main activities in the company is researching regarding the changes that are going on in the environment, which the company believes that could offer threats and opportunities. Due to this, it can be said that being open to change is strength for PG because of its willingness to adopt development and improvement. Furthermore, the company also has a strong relationship and connection with other IT organizations which enables the company to have connections with those companies that are informed and skilled in this aspect. With the connection and the willingness to learn and change, the company will have edge in the said aspect. On the other hand, the weakness of the company will focus on the ability of the employees of the company to use the fully integrated system. This will be a problem because the perceptions of the employees towards a system are important factor that will affect their individual performance, thus the overall performance of the company. Organizational Development Organization development (OD) is a powerful set of concepts and techniques in order to improve the effectiveness and individual well-being of an organization (Friday 2003, p. 2). In the case of PG, the application of new technology, online workspace system, it can offer different development and improvement for the company. This can help in order to build up an inventory of applications that will deliver information for the entire business units in the UK as well as other parts of the globe, which will help in order for the information to be available as the services through the portal. With this, the employees as well as managers will be able to reuse systems and codes from other parts of the business including purchasing, marketing, logistics, manufacturing and other parts of the company. Furthermore, it can also offer a security module which will help in order to protect information, at the same time, offer service platform that will facilitate data from different sources that can be accessed when needed. Overall, it can help in order to improve and maintain decision-making, at the same time, increasing the access of the internal and external stakeholders to knowledge and information (Mari 2008). Systems for Process of Change Systems of Change The nature of change program falls under three important categories, including continuous improvement, knowledge management and management by objectives. The continuous improvement placed its focus on the improvement of the satisfaction of the customers by implementing continuous and incremental improvements to processes. This focuses on offering workers with flexible data access, particularly regarding the ongoing management of web content. On the other hand, knowledge management pertains on the collection and management of critical knowledge for the purpose of increasing the capacity in order to achieve results. With the help of the program, the application of computer technology can help to wider the audience and connection with the stakeholders. Above all, the ongoing tracking and feedbacks can help in order to motivate PG to reach its objectives by way of employee and consumer inputs. This change will focus on satisfying the end-users and develop products that are innovative, which will help to improve the lives of the consumers and the employees of the company. Three important strategies will be implemented in order to capture the end-users requirements and build new products in meeting those requirements. The first two are interactive, which pertains to: living it and working it, while the third pertains on the innovation labs. The innovation labs focus on the needs that are not articulated in direct manner. Aside from these, the corporate portal will also focus on implementing personalized website which will mainly focus on individual websites of each and every products of the company. This will focus on refurbishing the website, introducing new workspace standards, flexible hot desks for workers who occasionally work at home and additional meeting and huddle rooms. With this, different physical and structural aspect of the company will be changed. The structure of the organization will be changed in a way that managers and employees will be trained and coached with accordance to the new system. Furthermore, it will also focus on the improvement and changing the overall standards, rules and procedures being implemented inside the company. This is because it can help in order to ensure that everything is based on the mission, vision and goal of the company. Evaluation Assessment and evaluation is important in any change or any actions or strategies to be implemented in an organization. This is because, it can help in order to ensure and maintain that the planned outcome of the program is the exact result, at the same time, ensure that the company acquires competitive advantage. It is important to focus on the main purposes of the program: management support, internal and external communication and program operation. These important factors will be the deciding factors in the evaluation process to know if the program is effective. With this, it is important to implement intensive communication between the different levels of management. It is vital to maintain formal and informal communication via reporting in order to know the status of each and every changes being implemented inside the organization. In the end, evaluation of the impact of the system to the organization will be evaluate by asking the employees about the result of the system and i ts advantages and advantages in their current works and roles, at the same time, focuses on the overall performance of the company via the financial and other resources matters. Models of Implementation Commonly, business leaders considered IT to be costly; however, it is important for PG to focus on becoming and continuing to be innovation leader, particularly in the UK. Therefore, it is important to unite the IT aspect of the company with its core business services as the core strategy. With this change, it will help to drive shared services across business process with the ongoing commitment in order to maintain the top-to-bottom focus regarding the mission. In the entire change process, the eight-stage process by Kotter (1996). 1. Establishing a sense of urgency it is important to overcome complacency. This can be done by creating a strong reason why change is needed. The current implementation of IT in PG created several problems and threats which include duplication and inefficiency. As a result, there is a need to implement new IT platform which will help the company to integrate its current business applications and processes. Thus, the new system will help to focus on scalability, flexibility and easy-to-use system which will help to handle different processes and flow of information and data inside the organization. 2. Creating the guiding coalition it is vital to build a team with the right composition of power, level of trust and shared objectives in order to lead the change. In the case of the PG UK, the guided coalition will be from Cincinnati headquarter by Passerni. This is because the said guiding coalition must conform to the international operation of the company. Thus, in the continuing effort of the company to leverage scale as a global business while retaining the local touch, PG will focus on transforming its global strategic thinkers with aggressive entrepreneurial spirit, with the influence of the improving IT capabilities and skills. Thus, the company will focus on the three important structural drivers including: global organization, holistic thinking across the business process; organizations and technologies; and growth of partnership with HP, IBM and other important IT companies. 3. Developing a vision and strategy this pertains on the clarification of direction, motivating people and helping coordination. The premise focused on how new technologies must find its purpose on delivering the product of PG in the market. Through this process, PG will continue to be the entrepreneurial thinker where in innovative ways that are related on improving the current products and services being offered to the current market and target market. With this, it can help in order for the company to maintain its position in the UK market, at the same time, ensure that continuous innovation and development will be done. 4. Communicating the change vision understanding is vital in any change management, because it can affect the overall change implementation. The actors of this change are the members of the enterprise architecture unit at PG. In order to gain the 100% employee buy-in, it is important that the bulk of ideas will be generated from different sources from the top IT providers to the employee who work on shop floor. This will cause 10% to 15% jobs changes and structural changes. Communication strategies to be implemented are downward and horizontal communication (Guffrey n.d.). Downward communication refers to communications from superior to those who report to them. These may be used in order to communicate about job instructions, job rationale, procedures and practices, performance feedback and company missions. On the other hand, the horizontal communication consists of message between colleagues at the same level of organization (CMR Institute 2006). Overall, the information will flo w from decision-makers and will be shared between lateral channels (Guffrey n.d.). 5. Empowering employees for broad based action this stage will focus on eliminating barriers and time constraints. The team approach gets hold of the willingness of each and every employee for the implementation of the online workspace system. This will help in order to empower the employees for broad-based action. It is vital to focus on creating sense of involvement to the employees, at the same time implement self-directed work teams in order to meet their objectives of adapting to the online workspace systems. The company will focus on implementing different training and development programs that will help to coach and train the employees to be familiar with the new system. 6. Generating short terms wins it is important to stay on the course as major change will take long time. The said change is an indication that the top management of the company must focus on the strategic actions that focus on the total business perspective and not just focus towards the product or the employee. It is vital to focus on the organizational process, decision making and innovation with connection on the IT strategy and the business needs in order to generate short term wins. 7. Consolidate gains and produce more change using short term wins, with this change, the company can focus on international change, particularly in the sense of the geographically dispersed business units, it is important to focus on the development of the organization, global business service as well as corporate functions into a single, cohesive collaboration. 8. Anchor the new culture it is important to innovate and change in continuous manner in order to firmly ground the operating style. It will pertain on the multi-layer content management architecture, at the same time, leverage open standards consolidating the gains. The paradigm shift was from being technologies-thinking into solution-thinking. Conclusion and Recommendation Change is inevitable, particularly in the world of business. Change can cause both positive and negative results for any company. First, change means growth and improvement, thus it can help companies to focus on the different threats and opportunities which can be implemented and prevented inside the organization in order to ensure success and maintain position in the market and industry. On the other hand, change can also cause negative results for any company, particularly in the aspect of management. It can cause huge amount to be spent, at the same time great effort to be exerted in order to ensure that the change will not affect the behavior and attitudes of the employees and other important stakeholders towards the company. In the case of PG, it is important for the company to focus on improving its IT, because it can help to maintain competitive advantage by ensuring that information flow is properly manage, at the same time, ensure that all the stakeholders in the company are properly connected in the decision-making process. With this, it is vital for PG to focus on the different aspects that are related with the change management, including theories and practices.

Twelfth Night Essays: Learning About Love :: Twelfth Night essays

  Ã‚   In Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, it is clearly evident that the fluctuation in attitude in the dual role, situation and tribulations imposed upon the character of Viola/Cesario gives rise to a better understanding of both sexes, and thus, allows Viola to have a better understanding for Orsino. Through the love of Orsino and Olivia, Viola learns the difficulties of love from both standpoints, man and woman's. Near the opening of the play, when Viola is adopting her male identity, she creates another self like two masks and may decide to wear one or the other while swinging between the two identities in emotion and in character. She decides to take on this identity because she has more freedom in society in her Cesario mask, which is evident when she is readily accepted by Orsino, whereas, in her female identity she would not be. Thus, a customary role in society and to the outlooks of others is portrayed. Orsino sees Cesario, as a young squire just starting out in the world, much like himself as a young, spry lad, so he has a tendency to be more willing to unload onto her his troubles and sorrows, seeking a companion with which to share and to teach. Thus, Viola grows in her male disguise to get a better feeling for his inner self, not the self that he shows to the public, or would reveal and share with Viola in her true female self, but rather his secret self, as he believes he shares wi th a peer. So, she grows to love him.    But, Orsino's motivation is actually not love for Viola, but rather he seems to be in love with love itself. His entire world is filled with love but he knows that there might be a turning point for him, like when he says: "If music be the food of love, play on; give me excess of it, that, surfeiting, the appetite may sicken, and so die" (I, i, 1-3). This quote shows that he knows that he is so caught up in "love," that he hopes his appetite for love may simmer when he takes more than he can handle.    Near the end of the play, when all tricks and treacheries are revealed and all masks are lifted, Orsino "falls" in love with Viola. He first forgives her of her duty to him, the master; then says that she shall now be her master's mistress.

I.T Faliure And Dependence :: essays research papers

In Today’s Society we are so Dependent on I.T that the Consequences of its Failure May be Catastrophic. Discuss the Threats and Causes of Failure, and Steps Taken to Minimise it. In today’s world it is impossible to run a large organisation without the aid of computers. Businesses hold massive amounts of important data, hospitals hold large amounts of confidential patient information and large scientific research projects hold important codes, formulae, and equations. The bottom line is that loss or corruption of this information is sure to result in bankruptcy, a substantial loss of customers, and even world-wide financial meltdown. A dependency on technology is impossible to avoid – even with its fatal consequences. Companies face the worry of information lost through hacking, virus corruption, and even physical threats such as fire and flood. Viruses are the most common threat to companies they can corrupt large amounts of files and data both kinds of virus, biological and electronic, take over the host cell/program and clone their carrier genetic codes by instructing the hosts to make replicas of the viruses. Neither kind of virus, however, can replicate themselves independently; they are pieces of code that attach themselves to other cells/programs, Just as biological viruses need a host cell, computer viruses require a host program to activate them. Once such example of the damage done by viruses occurred in 1988. A Cornell University hacker named Robert Morris used the national network system Internet, which include the Pentagon's ARPAnet data exchange network. The nation's high-tech ideologues and spin doctors have been locked in debate since, trying to make ethical and economic sense of the event. The virus rapidly infected an estimated six thousand computers around the USA This created a scare that crowned an open season of viral hysteria in the media, in the course of which, according to the Computer Virus Industry Association in Santa Clara, the number of known viruses jumped from seven to thirty during 1988, and from three thousand infections in the first two months of that year to thirty thousand in the last two months. While it caused little in the way of data damage (some richly inflated initial estimates reckoned up to $100m in down time), the ramifications of the Internet virus have helped to generate a moral panic that has all but transformed everyday "computer culture." Other worrying viruses include â€Å"Pathogen† which was created by Christopher Pile. I.T Faliure And Dependence :: essays research papers In Today’s Society we are so Dependent on I.T that the Consequences of its Failure May be Catastrophic. Discuss the Threats and Causes of Failure, and Steps Taken to Minimise it. In today’s world it is impossible to run a large organisation without the aid of computers. Businesses hold massive amounts of important data, hospitals hold large amounts of confidential patient information and large scientific research projects hold important codes, formulae, and equations. The bottom line is that loss or corruption of this information is sure to result in bankruptcy, a substantial loss of customers, and even world-wide financial meltdown. A dependency on technology is impossible to avoid – even with its fatal consequences. Companies face the worry of information lost through hacking, virus corruption, and even physical threats such as fire and flood. Viruses are the most common threat to companies they can corrupt large amounts of files and data both kinds of virus, biological and electronic, take over the host cell/program and clone their carrier genetic codes by instructing the hosts to make replicas of the viruses. Neither kind of virus, however, can replicate themselves independently; they are pieces of code that attach themselves to other cells/programs, Just as biological viruses need a host cell, computer viruses require a host program to activate them. Once such example of the damage done by viruses occurred in 1988. A Cornell University hacker named Robert Morris used the national network system Internet, which include the Pentagon's ARPAnet data exchange network. The nation's high-tech ideologues and spin doctors have been locked in debate since, trying to make ethical and economic sense of the event. The virus rapidly infected an estimated six thousand computers around the USA This created a scare that crowned an open season of viral hysteria in the media, in the course of which, according to the Computer Virus Industry Association in Santa Clara, the number of known viruses jumped from seven to thirty during 1988, and from three thousand infections in the first two months of that year to thirty thousand in the last two months. While it caused little in the way of data damage (some richly inflated initial estimates reckoned up to $100m in down time), the ramifications of the Internet virus have helped to generate a moral panic that has all but transformed everyday "computer culture." Other worrying viruses include â€Å"Pathogen† which was created by Christopher Pile.

Why You Shouldn’t Use Credit Cards

The credit card companies and banks are getting richer, while most Americans are getting more in debt. The economy is in trouble, therefore, more and more people are relying on credit cards. In today’s society we are constantly trying to get out of debt, but in the process of trying to get ourselves out of debt, we create more debt. One of the major problems that most of us are dealing with is credit card debt. Most credit card companies are not looking out for your best interest. They are constantly raising interest rates. Minimum payments are just enough to cover the finance charges. Most Americans should not use credit cards for the following reasons: it will create bad spending habits; you will incur more debt affecting credit score rating; and possibly make you a victim of identity theft. In my opinion, a credit card should be used for purchases that you are able to pay off in full upon receiving your statement, but most of us don’t. Most people lack self control and tend to misuse the credit card. Credit cards should mainly be used for emergencies, but we tend to use them for everyday purchases such as: food, gas, clothing, etc. Some people are living in a borrowed lifestyle, because they purchase things they can’t afford. People will spend more on a purchasing using a credit card than they would with cash. â€Å"People that use credit cards tend to spend 12%-18% more on transactions than those who use cash (faithfitnessfinance. com). † For example, if you are going to pay with a credit card in a fast food establishment, it is easier to get the large drink instead of the medium drink. When the statement arrives, most people will make the minimum payment on his/her credit card. The minimum payment only covers the finance charges, which will increase the amount of time it will take to pay the debt off. â€Å"It will also increase the amount of interest you end up paying (about. com. )† Possessing these bad habits will lead to more debt. A credit card bill is an additional monthly expense. If you are already struggling with paying basic monthly bills, than creating a credit card bill will only add an additional financial burden. Unlike a checkbook ledger, credit card balances are harder to keep track of, because you mostly rely on the monthly statement. If not properly monitored, this will cause your credit card to reach its maximum limit or over the limit. If you are over the limit or at maximum limit, you will incur over the limit fees or higher monthly payments. When faced with additional charges or higher monthly payments, individuals sometimes put themselves in a bind. They are forced to make a decision whether to pay the bill or not. Most of us will opt not to pay, because we can’t afford it. Once you opt not to pay, you set the wheels in motion for your credit score to decline. If your card is at its maximum limit or close to the limit and you decide only to pay the minimum, you are still compromising your credit score. Credit rating is very important, because it is a deciding factor in majority of major purchases such as: car, house, utilities and etc. â€Å"A large part of your credit score considers the amount of debt you have (about. com). If your credit score is low, most likely you wouldn’t be approved for whatever you are trying to purchase or your interest rate will be ridiculously high. Credit card use can also lead to identity theft. We see on television almost on a regular basis that they have arrested someone for identity theft. Everyday people are falling victim to identity theft. Anytime you book a trip, pay a bill or make a purchase online or in person, you are risking someone stealing your identity. We live in a world that is filled with criminals and con artists. They are always larking to find their next victim. This is an easy way for them to obtain sensitive information, make money and purchases that will benefit them while making your life complicated. From a personal experience, someone stole my credit card information and personal information. This person rented a U-Haul truck and kept it for months and decided to make purchases at Home Depot. I was stuck with the task of contacting the credit card companies and the authorities. You are forced to prove that you are not the person that authorized payments and purchases. You are subject to denial while trying to obtain credit from other companies. Sometimes it isn’t always a cut and dry situation to get through, but can be a very time consuming and expensive process. Credit cards aren’t bad when used properly, but could be if used improperly. We should make sure we know the difference between what we need and want. We sometimes justify a purchase by saying ‘I really need it†, but we should ask ourselves â€Å"what will happen if I don’t get it? † Once you ask yourself that question, then at that point is when you determine whether or not it is orth using. Improper use of a credit card will lead you quickly into debt. It is better to make a purchase with cash or debit card than with a credit card. If you are unable to afford something you really want, it is best to save and buy it at a later time. Most of us aren’t equipped to know how to use a credit card properly; therefore, it is in our best interest to keep it in our wallets. When thinking about getting that credit and using it, ask yourself, â€Å"Do I know the rules of the credit card game? †

Chapter 11 Aboard the Hogwart Express

There was a definite end-of-the-holidays gloom in the air when Harry awoke next morning. Heavy rain was still splattering against the window as he got dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt; they would change into their school robes on the Hogwarts Express. He, Ron, Fred, and George had just reached the first-floor landing on their way down to breakfast, when Mrs. Weasley appeared at the foot of the stairs, looking harassed. â€Å"Arthur!† she called up the staircase. â€Å"Arthur! Urgent message from the Ministry!† Harry flattened himself against the wall as Mr. Weasley came clattering past with his robes on back-to-front and hurtled out of sight. When Harry and the others entered the kitchen, they saw Mrs. Weasley rummaging anxiously in the drawers – â€Å"I've got a quill here somewhere!† – and Mr. Weasley bending over the fire, talking to – Harry shut his eyes hard and opened them again to make sure that they were working properly. Amos Diggory's head was sitting in the middle of the flames like a large, bearded egg. It was talking very fast, completely unperturbed by the sparks flying around it and the flames licking its ears. â€Å"†¦Muggle neighbors heard bangs and shouting, so they went and called those what-d'you-call-'ems – please-men. Arthur, you've got to get over there -â€Å" â€Å"Here!† said Mrs. Weasley breathlessly, pushing a piece of parchment, a bottle of ink, and a crumpled quill into Mr. Weasley's hands. â€Å"- it's a real stroke of luck I heard about it,† said Mr. Diggory's head. â€Å"I had to come into the office early to send a couple of owls, and I found the Improper Use of Magic lot all setting off – if Rita Skeeter gets hold of this one, Arthur -â€Å" â€Å"What does Mad-Eye say happened?† asked Mr. Weasley, unscrewing the ink bottle, loading up his quill, and preparing to take notes. Mr. Diggory's head rolled its eyes. â€Å"Says he heard an intruder in his yard. Says he was creeping toward the house, but was ambushed by his dustbins.† â€Å"What did the dustbins do?† asked Mr. Weasley, scribbling frantically. â€Å"Made one hell of a noise and fired rubbish everywhere, as far as I can tell,† said Mr. Diggory. â€Å"Apparently one of them was still rocketing around when the please-men turned up -â€Å" Mr. Weasley groaned. â€Å"And what about the intruder?† â€Å"Arthur, you know Mad-Eye,† said Mr. Diggory's head, rolling its eyes again. â€Å"Someone creeping into his yard in the dead of night? More likely there's a very shell-shocked cat wandering around somewhere, covered in potato peelings. But if the Improper Use of Magic lot get their hands on Mad-Eye, he's had it – think of his record – we've got to get him off on a minor charge, something in your department – what are exploding dustbins worth?† â€Å"Might be a caution,† said Mr. Weasley, still writing very fast, his brow furrowed. â€Å"Mad-Eye didn't use his wand? He didn't actually attack anyone?† â€Å"I'll bet he leapt out of bed and started jinxing everything he could reach through the window,† said Mr. Diggory, â€Å"but they'll have a job proving it, there aren't any casualties.† â€Å"All right, I'm off,† Mr. Weasley said, and he stuffed the parchment with his notes on it into his pocket and dashed out of the kitchen again. Mr. Diggory's head looked around at Mrs. Weasley. â€Å"Sorry about this, Molly,† it said, more calmly, â€Å"bothering you so early and everything†¦but Arthur's the only one who can get Mad-Eye off, and Mad-Eye's supposed to be starting his new job today. Why he had to choose last night†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Never mind, Amos,† said Mrs. Weasley. â€Å"Sure you won't have a bit of toast or anything before you go?† â€Å"Oh go on, then,† said Mr. Diggory. Mrs. Weasley took a piece of buttered toast from a stack on the kitchen table, put it into the fire tongs, and transferred it into Mr. Diggory's mouth. â€Å"Fanks,† he said in a muffled voice, and then, with a small pop, vanished. Harry could hear Mr. Weasley calling hurried good-byes to Bill, Charlie, Percy, and the girls. Within five minutes, he was back in the kitchen, his robes on the right way now, dragging a comb through his hair. â€Å"I'd better hurry – you have a good term, boys, said Mr. Weasley to Harry, Ron, and the twins, fastening a cloak over his shoulders and preparing to Disapparate. â€Å"Molly, are you going to be all right taking the kids to King's Cross?† â€Å"Of course I will,† she said. â€Å"You just look after Mad-Eye, we'll be fine.† As Mr. Weasley vanished, Bill and Charlie entered the kitchen. â€Å"Did someone say Mad-Eye?† Bill asked. â€Å"What's he been up to now.† â€Å"He says someone tried to break into his house last night,† said Mrs. Weasley. â€Å"Mad-Eye Moody?† said George thoughtfully, spreading marmalade on his toast. â€Å"Isn't he that nutter -â€Å" â€Å"Your father thinks very highly of Mad-Eye Moody,† said Mrs. Weasley sternly. â€Å"Yeah, well, Dad collects plugs, doesn't he?† said Fred quietly as Mrs. Weasley left the room. â€Å"Birds of a feather†¦.† â€Å"Moody was a great wizard in his time,† said Bill. â€Å"He's an old friend of Dumbledore's, isn't he?† said Charlie. â€Å"Dumbledore's not what you'd call normal, though, is he?† said Fred. â€Å"I mean, I know he's a genius and everything†¦.† â€Å"Who is Mad-Eye?† asked Harry. â€Å"He's retired, used to work at the Ministry,† said Charlie. â€Å"I met him once when Dad took me into work with him. He was an Auror – one of the best†¦a Dark wizard catcher,† he added, seeing Harry's blank look. â€Å"Half the cells in Azkaban are full because of him. He made himself loads of enemies, though†¦the families of people he caught, mainly†¦and I heard he's been getting really paranoid in his old age. Doesn't trust anyone anymore. Sees Dark wizards everywhere.† Bill and Charlie decided to come and see everyone off at King's Cross station, but Percy, apologizing most profusely, said that he really needed to get to work. â€Å"I just can't justify taking more time off at the moment,† he told them. â€Å"Mr. Crouch is really starting to rely on me.† â€Å"Yeah, you know what, Percy?† said George seriously. â€Å"I reckon he'll know your name soon.† Mrs. Weasley had braved the telephone in the village post office to order three ordinary Muggle taxis to take them into London. â€Å"Arthur tried to borrow Ministry cars for us,† Mrs. Weasley whispered to Harry as they stood in the rain-washed yard, watching the taxi drivers heaving six heavy Hogwarts trunks into their cars. â€Å"But there weren't any to spare†¦.Oh dear, they don't look happy, do they?† Harry didn't like to tell Mrs. Weasley that Muggle taxi drivers rarely transported overexcited owls, and Pigwidgeon was making an earsplitting racket. Nor did it help that a number of Filibuster's Fabulous No-Heat, Wet-Start Fireworks went off unexpectedly when Fred's trunk sprang open, causing the driver carrying it to yell with fright and pain as Crookshanks clawed his way up the man's leg. The journey was uncomfortable, owing to the fact that they were jammed in the back of the taxis with their trunks. Crookshanks took quite a while to recover from the fireworks, and by the time they entered London, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were all severely scratched. They were very relieved to get out at King's Cross, even though the rain was coming down harder than ever, and they got soaked carrying their trunks across the busy road and into the station. Harry was used to getting onto platform nine and three-quarters by now. It was a simple matter of walking straight through the apparently solid barrier dividing platforms nine and ten. The only tricky part was doing this in an unobtrusive way, so as to avoid attracting Muggle attention. They did it in groups today; Harry, Ron, and Hermione (the most conspicuous, since they were accompanied by Pigwidgeon and Crookshanks) went first; they leaned casually against the barrier, chatting unconcernedly, and slid sideways through it†¦and as they did so, platform nine and three-quarters materialized in front of them. The Hogwarts Express, a gleaming scarlet steam engine, was already there, clouds of steam billowing from it, through which the many Hogwarts students and parents on the platform appeared like dark ghosts. Pigwidgeon became noisier than ever in response to the hooting of many owls through the mist. Harry, Ron, and Hermione set off to find seats, and were soon stowing their luggage in a compartment halfway along the train. They then hopped back down onto the platform to say good-bye to Mrs. Weasley, Bill, and Charlie. â€Å"I might be seeing you all sooner than you think,† said Charlie, grinning, as he hugged Ginny good-bye. â€Å"Why?† said Fred keenly. â€Å"You'll see,† said Charlie. â€Å"Just don't tell Percy I mentioned it†¦it's ‘classified information, until such time as the Ministry sees fit to release it,' after all.† â€Å"Yeah, I sort of wish I were back at Hogwarts this year,† said Bill, hands in his pockets, looking almost wistfully at the train. â€Å"Why?† said George impatiently. â€Å"You're going to have an interesting year,† said Bill, his eyes twinkling. â€Å"I might even get time off to come and watch a bit of it.† â€Å"A bit of what?† said Ron. But at that moment, the whistle blew, and Mrs. Weasley chivvied them toward the train doors. â€Å"Thanks for having us to stay, Mrs. Weasley,† said Hermione as they climbed on board, closed the door, and leaned out of the window to talk to her. â€Å"Yeah, thanks for everything, Mrs. Weasley,† said Harry. â€Å"Oh it was my pleasure, dears,† said Mrs. Weasley. â€Å"I'd invite you for Christmas, but†¦well, I expect you're all going to want to stay at Hogwarts, what with†¦one thing and another.† â€Å"Mum!† said Ron irritably. â€Å"What d'you three know that we don't?† â€Å"You'll find out this evening, I expect,† said Mrs. Weasley, smiling. â€Å"It's going to be very exciting – mind you, I'm very glad they've changed the rules -â€Å" â€Å"What rules?† said Harry, Ron, Fred, and George together. â€Å"I'm sure Professor Dumbledore will tell you†¦.Now, behave, won't you? Won't you, Fred? And you, George?† The pistons hissed loudly and the train began to move. â€Å"Tell us what's happening at Hogwarts!† Fred bellowed out of the window as Mrs. Weasley, Bill, and Charlie sped away from them. â€Å"What rules are they changing?† But Mrs. Weasley only smiled and waved. Before the train had rounded the corner, she, Bill, and Charlie had Disapparated. Harry, Ron, and Hermione went back to their compartment. The thick rain splattering the windows made it very difficult to see out of them. Ron undid his trunk, pulled out his maroon dress robes, and flung them over Pigwidgeon's cage to muffle his hooting. â€Å"Bagman wanted to tell us what's happening at Hogwarts,† he said grumpily, sitting down next to Harry. â€Å"At the World Cup, remember? But my own mother won't say. Wonder what -â€Å" â€Å"Shh!† Hermione whispered suddenly, pressing her finger to her lips and pointing toward the compartment next to theirs. Harry and Ron listened, and heard a familiar drawling voice drifting in through the open door. â€Å"†¦Father actually considered sending me to Durmstrang rather than Hogwarts, you know. He knows the headmaster, you see. Well, you know his opinion of Dumbledore – the man's such a Mudblood-lover – and Durmstrang doesn't admit that sort of riffraff. But Mother didn't like the idea of me going to school so far away. Father says Durmstrang takes a far more sensible line than Hogwarts about the Dark Arts. Durmstrang students actually learn them, not just the defense rubbish we do†¦.† Hermione got up, tiptoed to the compartment door, and slid it shut, blocking out Malfoy's voice. â€Å"So he thinks Durmstrang would have suited him, does he?† she said angrily. â€Å"I wish he had gone, then we wouldn't have to put up with him.† â€Å"Durmstrang's another wizarding school?† said Harry. â€Å"Yes,† said Hermione sniffily, â€Å"and it's got a horrible reputation. According to An Appraisal of Magical Education in Europe, it puts a lot of emphasis on the Dark Arts.† â€Å"I think I've heard of it,† said Ron vaguely. â€Å"Where is it? What country?† â€Å"Well, nobody knows, do they?† said Hermione, raising her eyebrows. â€Å"Er – why not?† said Harry. â€Å"There's traditionally been a lot of rivalry between all the magic schools. Durmstrang and Beauxbatons like to conceal their whereabouts so nobody can steal their secrets,† said Hermione matter-of-factly. â€Å"Come off it,† said Ron, starting to laugh. â€Å"Durmstrang's got to be about the same size as Hogwarts – how are you going to hide a great big castle?† â€Å"But Hogwarts is hidden,† said Hermione, in surprise. â€Å"Everyone knows that†¦well, everyone who's read Hogwarts, A History, anyway.† â€Å"Just you, then,† said Ron. â€Å"So go on – how d'you hide a place like Hogwarts?† â€Å"It's bewitched,† said Hermione. â€Å"If a Muggle looks at it, all they see is a moldering old ruin with a sign over the entrance saying DANGER, DO NOT ENTER, UNSAFE.† â€Å"So Durmstrang'll just look like a ruin to an outsider too?† â€Å"Maybe,† said Hermione, shrugging, â€Å"or it might have Muggle-repelling charms on it, like the World Cup stadium. And to keep foreign wizards from finding it, they'll have made it Unplottable -â€Å" â€Å"Come again?† â€Å"Well, you can enchant a building so it's impossible to plot on a map, can't you?† â€Å"Er†¦if you say so,† said Harry. â€Å"But I think Durmstrang must be somewhere in the far north,† said Hermione thoughtfully. â€Å"Somewhere very cold, because they've got fur capes as part of their uniforms.† â€Å"Ah, think of the possibilities,† said Ron dreamily. â€Å"It would've been so easy to push Malfoy off a glacier and make it look like an accident†¦.Shame his mother likes him†¦.† The rain became heavier and heavier as the train moved farther north. The sky was so dark and the windows so steamy that the lanterns were lit by midday. The lunch trolley came rattling along the corridor, and Harry bought a large stack of Cauldron Cakes for them to share. Several of their friends looked in on them as the afternoon progressed, including Seamus Finnigan, Dean Thomas, and Neville Longbottom, a round-faced, extremely forgetful boy who had been brought up by his formidable witch of a grandmother. Seamus was still wearing his Ireland rosette. Some of its magic seemed to be wearing off now; it was still squeaking â€Å"Troy – Mullet – Moran!† but in a very feeble and exhausted sort of way. After half an hour or so, Hermione, growing tired of the endless Quidditch talk, buried herself once more in The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 4, and started trying to learn a Summoning Charm. Neville listened jealously to the others' conversation as they relived the Cup match. â€Å"Gran didn't want to go,† he said miserably. â€Å"Wouldn't buy tickets. It sounded amazing though.† â€Å"It was,† said Ron. â€Å"Look at this, Neville†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He rummaged in his trunk up in the luggage rack and pulled out the miniature figure of Viktor Krum. â€Å"Oh wow,† said Neville enviously as Ron tipped Krum onto his pudgy hand. â€Å"We saw him right up close, as well,† said Ron. â€Å"We were in the Top Box -â€Å" â€Å"For the first and last time in your life, Weasley.† Draco Malfoy had appeared in the doorway. Behind him stood Crabbe and Goyle, his enormous, thuggish cronies, both of whom appeared to have grown at least a foot during the summer. Evidently they had overheard the conversation through the compartment door, which Dean and Seamus had left ajar. â€Å"Don't remember asking you to join us, Malfoy,† said Harry coolly. â€Å"Weasley†¦what is that?† said Malfoy, pointing at Pigwidgeon's cage. A sleeve of Ron's dress robes was dangling from it, swaying with the motion of the train, the moldy lace cuff very obvious. Ron made to stuff the robes out of sight, but Malfoy was too quick for him; he seized the sleeve and pulled. â€Å"Look at this!† said Malfoy in ecstasy, holding up Ron's robes and showing Crabbe and Goyle, â€Å"Weasley, you weren't thinking of wearing these, were you? I mean – they were very fashionable in about eighteen ninety†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Eat dung, Malfoy!† said Ron, the same color as the dress robes as he snatched them back out of Malfoy's grip. Malfoy howled with derisive laughter; Crabbe and Goyle guffawed stupidly. â€Å"So†¦going to enter, Weasley? Going to try and bring a bit of glory to the family name? There's money involved as well, you know†¦you'd be able to afford some decent robes if you won†¦.† â€Å"What are you talking about?† snapped Ron. â€Å"Are you going to enter?† Malfoy repeated. â€Å"I suppose you will, Potter? You never miss a chance to show off, do you?† â€Å"Either explain what you're on about or go away, Malfoy,† said Hermione testily, over the top of The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 4. A gleeful smile spread across Malfoy's pale face â€Å"Don't tell me you don't know?† he said delightedly. â€Å"You've got a father and brother at the Ministry and you don't even know? My God, my father told me about it ages ago†¦heard it from Cornelius Fudge. But then, Father's always associated with the top people at the Ministry†¦.Maybe your father's too junior to know about it, Weasley†¦yes†¦they probably don't talk about important stuff in front of him†¦.† Laughing once more, Malfoy beckoned to Crabbe and Goyle, and the three of them disappeared. Ron got to his feet and slammed the sliding compartment door so hard behind them that the glass shattered. â€Å"Ron!† said Hermione reproachfully, and she pulled out her wand, muttered â€Å"Reparo!† and the glass shards flew back into a single pane and back into the door. â€Å"Well†¦making it look like he knows everything and we don't†¦.† Ron snarled. â€Å"‘Father's always associated with the top people at the Ministry'†¦Dad could've got a promotion any time†¦he just likes it where he is†¦.† â€Å"Of course he does,† said Hermione quietly. â€Å"Don't let Malfoy get to you, Ron -â€Å" â€Å"Him! Get to me!? As if!† said Ron, picking up one of the remaining Cauldron Cakes and squashing it into a pulp. Ron's bad mood continued for the rest of the journey. He didn't talk much as they changed into their school robes, and was still glowering when the Hogwarts Express slowed down at last and finally stopped in the pitch-darkness of Hogsmeade station. As the train doors opened, there was a rumble of thunder overhead. Hermione bundled up Crookshanks in her cloak and Ron left his dress robes over Pigwidgeon as they left the train, heads bent and eyes narrowed against the downpour. The rain was now coming down so thick and fast that it was as though buckets of ice-cold water were being emptied repeatedly over their heads. â€Å"Hi, Hagrid!† Harry yelled, seeing a gigantic silhouette at the far end of the platform. â€Å"All righ', Harry?† Hagrid bellowed back, waving. â€Å"See yeh at the feast if we don' drown!† First years traditionally reached Hogwarts Castle by sailing across the lake with Hagrid. â€Å"Oooh, I wouldn't fancy crossing the lake in this weather,† said Hermione fervently, shivering as they inched slowly along the dark platform with the rest of the crowd. A hundred horseless carriages stood waiting for them outside the station. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville climbed gratefully into one of them, the door shut with a snap, and a few moments later, with a great lurch, the long procession of carriages was rumbling and splashing its way up the track toward Hogwarts Castle.