The Injustice of Plastics

Disadvantages of Plastics are 1. Flammable – This is definitely an advantage in that they can be melted down, however smoldering plastics can release toxic fumes into the environment. 2. Cost of Recycling – While recycling is a plus, recycling is a very costly endeavor. 3. Volume – In the United States 20% of our landfill is made up of plastics. As more products are being made of plastics, where will this lead us in the future? 4. Durability – This is an advantage as well as a disadvantage. Plastics are extremely durable, which means that they last a long time.Those plastics in the landfill will be there for years. Plastics make our lives easier, however is their cost on the environment worth it? We can only hope that soon someone will invent a way to safely and cheaply melt and reuse plastics. A plastic material is any of a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic amorphous solids[citation needed] used in the manufacture of industrial products. P lastics are typically polymers of high molecular mass, and may contain other substances to improve performance and/or reduce costs. Monomers of plastic are either natural or synthetic organic compounds.The word plastic is derived from the Greek (plastikos) meaning capable of being shaped or molded, from (plastos) meaning molded. [1][2] It refers to their malleability, or plasticity during manufacture, that allows them to be cast, pressed, or extruded into a variety of shapes—such as films, fibers, plates, tubes, bottles, boxes, and much more. The common word plastic should not be confused with the technical adjective plastic, which is applied to any material which undergoes a permanent change of shape (plastic deformation) when strained beyond a certain point.Aluminum, for instance, is plastic in this sense, but not a plastic in the common sense; in contrast, in their finished forms, some plastics will break before deforming and therefore are not plastic in the technical se nse. There are two types of plastics: thermoplastics and thermosetting polymers. Thermoplastics will soften and melt if enough heat is applied; examples are polyethylene, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)[3]. Thermosets can melt and take shape once; after they have solidified, they stay solid.Overview Plastics can be classified by chemical structure, namely the molecular units that make up the polymer's backbone and side chains. Some important groups in these classifications are the acrylics, polyesters, silicones, polyurethanes, and halogenated plastics. Plastics can also be classified by the chemical process used in their synthesis, such as condensation, polyaddition, and cross-linking. [4] Other classifications are based on qualities that are relevant for manufacturing or product design.Examples of such classes are the thermoplastic and thermoset, elastomer, structural, biodegradable, and electrically conductive. Plastics can also be classified by various physical properties, such as density, tensile strength, glass transition temperature, and resistance to various chemical products. Due to their relatively low cost, ease of manufacture, versatility, and imperviousness to water, plastics are used in an enormous and expanding range of products, from paper clips to spaceships.They have already displaced many traditional materials, such as wood; stone; horn and bone; leather; paper; metal; glass; and ceramic, in most of their former uses. The use of plastics is constrained chiefly by their organic chemistry, which seriously limits their hardness, density, and their ability to resist heat, organic solvents, oxidation, and ionizing radiation. In particular, most plastics will melt or decompose when heated to a few hundred degrees celsius. [5] While plastics can be made electrically conductive to some extent, they are still no match for metals like copper or aluminum. citation needed] Plastics are still too expensive to replace wo od, concrete and ceramic in bulky items like ordinary buildings, bridges, dams, pavement, and railroad ties. Chemical structure Common thermoplastics range from 20,000 to 500,000 amu, while thermosets are assumed to have infinite molecular weight. These chains are made up of many repeating molecular units, known as repeat units, derived from monomers; each polymer chain will have several thousand repeating units. The vast majority of plastics are composed of polymers of carbon and hydrogen alone or with oxygen, nitrogen, chlorine or sulfur in the backbone. Some of commercial interests are silicon based. ) The backbone is that part of the chain on the main â€Å"path† linking a large number of repeat units together. To customize the properties of a plastic, different molecular groups â€Å"hang† from the backbone (usually they are â€Å"hung† as part of the monomers before linking monomers together to form the polymer chain). This fine tuning of the properties of the polymer by repeating unit's molecular structure has allowed plastics to become such an indispensable part of twenty first-century world.Some plastics are partially crystalline and partially amorphous in molecular structure, giving them both a melting point (the temperature at which the attractive intermolecular forces are overcome) and one or more glass transitions (temperatures above which the extent of localized molecular flexibility is substantially increased). The so-called semi-crystalline plastics include polyethylene, polypropylene, poly (vinyl chloride), polyamides (nylons), polyesters and some polyurethanes. Many plastics are completely amorphous, such as polystyrene and its copolymers, poly (methyl methacrylate), and all thermosets.Almost every market that you go today, you will see people carrying their shopping items in plastic bags. Right from food items to clothes to shoes, there is hardly any item that we do not use a plastic bag to carry. However, before stuffin g your home with different styles, colors and shapes of plastic bags, have you every considered the dangers that are inherent in using them? No? Then, reading through this article is a must for you. Go through the following lines and explore the disadvantages of plastic bags. After reading them, we are sure that you will prefer sticking to paper bags and the like. Dangers Of Using Plastic BagsEnvironmental Damage Plastic bags have been known to cause a lot of environmental damage. A single plastic bag can take up to 1000 years, to decay completely. This makes the bags stay in environments longer, in turn leading to great build-up on the natural landscape (much more than degradable materials like paper). In other words, the more plastic bags you use, the greater the chances of environmental damage. Threat To Animal Life As per Marrickville Council of Australia, as many as 100,000 whales, turtles and birds die have been reported to die every year, mainly because of plastic in their en vironment.Plastic bags not only have adverse effects on our natural habitats, but have also been found to be responsible for the death of many animals, mainly on account of the suffocation encountered on eating them. Suffocation Not only animals, infants and young children have also been reported to have lost their life, on account of plastic bags. Since plastic bags are thin and airtight as well, children often end up blocking their mouths and nostrils with them. In case they are not being monitored by an adult, this leads to suffocation and, in some cases, even death.Pollution Plastic bags are extremely durable. In case you are thinking of this as an advantage, just bring to mind an image of the huge landfill that you visited on the city outskirts, the other day. In most probability, majority of the rubbish present there will comprise of plastic bags only. In other words, plastic bags have led to a great increase in the pollution levels. Fumes Since plastic bags are not bio-degrad able, the only way to get rid of them is to burn them up. Though lighting a match to them is easy, it has more than its fair share of disadvantages.The biggest of them is that smoldering plastics can release toxic fumes into the environment, in turn taking the air pollution to much higher levels. Non-renewable One of the main disadvantages of plastic bags is that they are not renewable. The reason behind this is that they are made of petrochemicals, a non-renewable source of energy. They can be recycled, but not as easily as paper bags. Plastic bags can last for as much as hundred of years. In other words, long after you are no more, the plastic bag used by you will be in existence. Plastics are manufactured from petroleum.This brings a host of issues (destruction of habitat, extraction of crude oil, security issues from the volatile countries where oil is produced, processing of petroleum, chemical manipulation into various types of plastics). The manufacture involves many chemical s, many of which have not been sufficiently tested for their toxicological impact on humans or animals. The final plastic product is often a chemical entity that in and of itself has had insufficient toxicological and ecotoxicological testing. An example would be PVC, forms of which are banned in Europe but exist widely in children's toys in America.Recent controversies over plastic bottles (many toxicologists recommending not re-using plastic water bottles and not storing food in tupperware) have highlighted the potential risks. Exacerbating the problem is that science is only now advancing to where it can detect plastic components in human blood and then trace concentrations and link them to human ailments and diseases. The plastics industry itself often spins plastic and related plastic chemicals into a variety of products, some of which are hazardous and controversial (Teflon, PVC, Polyethylene, polystyrene, various silicones in body and hair care).Plastic-producing companies ar e often chemical companies or subsidiaries of chemical companies, both with poor track records when it comes to their adherence to regulatory compliance and their willingness to perform toxicological analysis on the products they make. Plastics often leech component chemicals, including hazardous chemicals, through common temperature changes. It is for this reason that toxicologists do not recommend storing very cold foods in plastics or heating foods (microwaving especially) in plastics. Plastics are durable materials.Thus, they are hard to eliminate once used and create tremendous waste. While some common plastics can be recycled (#1 and #2 plastics used in common soda and milk bottles), the vast majority cannot. They take up a lot of space in landfills and create air pollution when incinerated. The Disadvantages of Plastic Skylights Although plastic skylights are safer and sturdier than glass skylights, they do pose several long term disadvantages. Firstly, because they are made in single sheets, they can only be curved or bent in one area, which limits design options.Secondly, all plastics deteriorate in strength and light transmission as time passes, due to ultraviolet rays, heat and oxidation (and none can be entirely prevented). And finally, the life and service of plastic materials is highly unpredictable. Therefore choosing the plastics you will use for a plastic skylight requires much research and first hand knowledge. This is where Roof 101 can help – our contractors have worked with all kinds of plastics in plastic skylights, and their first hand experience could greatly assist you in reaching a decision.

Kaustav Bakshi

Kaustav Bakshi remarks that Tagore defamiliarises the image of a widow in the persona of Binodini. She is depicted as sharp, instinctive and passionate. Through the novel, Tagore seems to portray the natural yet socially forbidden desire of a widow ironically called Binodini – which is a name that often recurs in Vaishnav Kirtan connoting ‘sensuousness and pleasure loving'. She is a rare combination of beauty, grace and intelligence. There is a certain ease and spontaneity with which she carries herself and caters to the need of the people in Rajlakshmi's household. She is a traditional woman in the sense that she is well accomplished in household arts and has the attributes associated with womanhood such as selfless devotion and sacrificial spirit. The process of self realisation in Binodini follows a sequential pattern. She moves from a traditional acceptance of her fate as a widow to a realisation of her need to arise out of this blind acceptance and reaffirm her identity in society. Being an educated woman, her feelings and her outlook to life are characterised by a spirit of modernism. Binodini believes that the only person responsible for her being a young widow was Mahendra who rejected her as his bride even without seeing her. Overcome by a sense of vengeance, she resolves to avenge her humiliation by ensnaring Mahendra in her web of seduction. It is her consuming passion that lends a remarkable human touch to her personality and makes her self-effacement, more significant. The second stage in Binodini's progression is when her insight and intellect come into play. She does not reciprocate the love shown to her by Mahendra as she believes that he is a selfish man who loves neither his wife nor her but only himself. She replies contemptuously to a letter written by the Mahendra: I have no right to love or be loved in this world. That is why I play at love to lighten my sorrow†¦.I implore you again and again, please give me up, do not pester me, do not put me to shame with your shamelessness†¦You may shout and cry, but from me you will get no response whatsoever. (147) As soon as she realizes that this love game is killing her inner self, she decides to leave Mahendra's house emphasizing her power as decision maker.

Health Care Workers Needlestick Injuries Health And Social Care Essay

A needlestick hurt is a transdermal piercing lesion typically set by a hollow-borne acerate leaf or crisp instrument, including, but non limited to, acerate leafs, lancets, scalpels, and contaminated broken glass. This type of hurt can happen at the clip people use, disassemble, or dispose of acerate leafs. In the health care work topographic point, needlestick hurt has become a major concern to wellness attention workers in the decennaries. The Centers for Disease Control estimates that, in the United States, about 600,000 to one million needlestick hurts occur each twelvemonth. Unfortunately, about half of these needlestick hurts go unreported ( CDC, 2007 ) . In Canada, hurts from needlesticks and other sharps remain a major concern in the healthcare field with the figure around 70,000 per twelvemonth, or norm of 192 per twenty-four hours. [ 2 ] Health attention worker exposures to bloodborne pathogens as a consequence of hurts caused by acerate leafs and other crisp devices are a important societal concern these yearss. The bloodborne pathogens related to needlestick hurt are more than 30 species including human immunodeficiency virus ( HIV ) , hepatitis B virus ( HBV ) , and hepatitis C virus ( HCV ) and others. Needlestick hurts expose workers to bloodborne pathogens that can do infection such as AIDS, hepatitis B, hepatitis C and so on. The first instance of occupationally acquired human immunodeficiency virus ( HIV ) infection was reported in 1984 and highlighted the hazard of occupational exposure to HIV and hepatitis. [ 3 ] Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported that over 1400 wellness attention worker infection to Hepatitis B occurred due to needlestick hurts In 1993. [ 4 ] To minimise the hazard of occupational exposure to the bloodborne pathogens through transdermal hurts, the US federal statute law has been acted with the beginning of OSHA Bloodboren Pathogens criterion in 1991 [ 5 ] and culminating in the Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act of 2000 [ 6 ] . From the ordinance, the cardinal constituent is the usage of safety-engineered devices, which are medical sharps that have been designed to include safety characteristics or mechanisms, including design characteristics to extinguish the crisp wholly, to extinguish or minimise the hazard of hurt to the user or others. [ 7 ] Pugliese found that about 80 % of sharps hurts are preventable through either a procedural alteration or the debut of a safety device. [ 8 ] During the past decennary, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration ( OSHA ) of the U.S. Department of Labor has led authorities attempts to diminish the hazard of exposure through needlestick hurts. [ 3 ] The US Occupational Safety and Health Agency monitors the usage of acerate leafs and sharps and mandates the usage and rating of inactive safety systems for sharps without respect to cost. Contrary to the United States, Canada'sA occupational safety and wellness plans are organized and administered at the provincial degree. In Alberta, the authorities had passed ordinances to include demands for the usage of safety-engineered devices to cut down sharps hurts and exposure to blood and organic structure fluids in November 2003 which set criterions for protecting the wellness and safety of workers. ( OHS Code )C. Study Design and MethodsDatabase from infirmaries ( see Appendix A ) comparison before and after the SEN, underreport [ 9 ] and interview with RN E. Study Population – ( Gender and Minority Inclusions ) : 1. Describe the features of the capable population, include the awaited figure of normal voluntaries, age scopes, sex, cultural background, and wellness position. Identify the standards for inclusion or exclusion ( particularly adult females and/or minorities ) . Explain the principle for the usage of particular categories of topics, such as foetuss, pregnant adult females, or others who are likely to be vulnerable, particularly those whose ability to give voluntary informed consent may be questionable.F. Plan of Statistical Analysis1. Analysiss will be performed utilizing Microsoft Access, Excel and State 10 package. 2. Describe plans for enlisting of topics and the consent processs to be followed ; including the fortunes under which consent will be sought and obtained, who will seek it, who will give degree CelsiusG. Ethical IssuesAll research will be conducted following verbal and written consent of the participants. Approval will be obtained by the University of Alberta research moralss board ( REB ) prior to the beginning of the survey.H. Timetable:Completion of proposal for research February 31, 2010 Completion of questionnaire April 31, 2010 Edmonton Part July-August, 2010 Data Import and Analysis Septemper 31, 2010 Writing Up November 31, 2010I. References & A ; Literature CitedAppendix A: Edmonton infirmaries information University of Alberta Hospital 8440 – 112 Street, Edmonton Ph 780-407-8822 Medical Education Office 1F1.08 WMC Ph 407-7455 Royal Alexandra Hospital 10240 – Kingsway Avenue, Edmonton Ph 780-735-4111 Medical Education Office Room 1108H Ph 735-5239 Alberta Hospital Edmonton 17480 Fort Road, Edmonton Ph 780-472-5555 Cross Cancer Institute 11560 University Avenue, Edmonton Ph 780-432-8771 Edmonton General Continuing Care 11111 – Jasper Avenue, Edmonton Ph 780-482-8111 Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital 10230 – 111 Avenue, Edmonton Ph 780-735-7999 Grey Nuns Community Hospital and Health Centre 1100 Youville Drive W, Edmonton Ph 780-735-7000 Medical Education Office Room 1712 Ph 780-735-7434 Misericordia Community Hospital and Health Centre 16940 – 87 Avenue, Edmonton Ph 780-735-5611 Medical Education Office Room 1N98 Ph 780-735-2991 Northeast Community Health Centre 14007 – 50 Street, Edmonton Ph 780-472-5000 Queen Elizabeth II Hospital 10409 – 98 Street, Grande Prairie Ph 780-538-7100 Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre 3942 – 50 A Avenue, Red Deer Ph 403-343-4422 Stollery Children ‘s Hospital Administrative Offices 4H2.36 WMC 8440 – 112 Street, Edmonton Ph 780-407-8655 Sturgeon Community Hospital and Heath Centre 201 Boudreau Road, St Albert Ph 780-418-8200OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH, SAFETY & A ; WELLNESS ( OHS & A ; W )Report all blood/body fluid and needle stick exposures to: RAH/UAH/SCH/GRH/LCH/FSHC/RHC/WHC/DGH – Alberta Health Services LINK at 780-401-2669. MIS/Caritas – 780-735-2806 GNH/Caritas – 780-735-7310

Civil Rights Era Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Civil Rights Era - Essay Example Before the 1960s, other major nations like the United Kingdom had in various ways permitted higher levels of freedom to the Black community (Mohammed, 2010). Faith Ringgold had used the ‘N’ word in her painting thus to bring attention to the fact that it was high time the so called ‘nigger’ of the United States had his or her own freedom and rights respected. Clearly, the overall meaning of her work could be summed as a protest against racism. Living a fight that had been started by the civil rights movement, Faith Ringgold was more or less adding her voice to the call for the Black American to be respected by virtue of his color and the need to the Black community to be granted as much freedom and justice as the White community. In relation to the documentary, the N Word, which sought to review various meanings associated with the word nigger, one is right to say that the title of ‘Die Nigger’ used by Faith Ringgold was an advocacy call for the negative connotations associated with the word nigger and the personality of the African American, of which the painter was one, as nigger to die (Mohammed, 2010). In the opinion of the painters, the African America did not deserve any more continuation of nigger connotations and so the overall meaning of the painting was for the associated nigger to die once and for all. One unique social structure of the United States that distinguishes it from other major countries and cultures of this world has to do with the kind of identification they give to citizens who are not of original American descent. This identification is in the fact that they want to mention the original origin of the citizen in addition to the word, American. One of such identifications is Mexican-American. Interestingly, this does not end there. In the era prior to the civil rights freedom era, it was generally speculated and notion that Americans refused to give total freedom to the respect of the rights of thes e labeled Americans. In this vain, several civil rights groups sprang up among these labeled Americans who in most cases formed the minority group (Rogers, 2009). The Chicano Movement is one of such popular groups that were instituted to defend the human rights of Mexican-Americans. As a member of the Mexican-American himself, Mel Casas used his talent and profession as a painter to trumpet his side of the message for equality before the law. In support of his move, other famous methods of trumpeting the need for equality sprang up through the use of strange means like cartoon and commercials. PART 2 1. A s far as the representation of the two imagery are concerned, it can be seen that the artist took advantage of the power and authority behind the national flag of the United States to put her message of the need for absolute equality before the law across. It is not surprising therefore that the painting really was done in the image of the United States flag. Imperatively, one nati on that had all its people using the same flag needed to be treated the same but in the opinion of the artists this was not done. She therefore could not help than to use her painting to create the impression that some people among the American society had a different identity by virtue of the treatment they received in the hands of their own people. 2. The first point that confirms that the message in the work of

What is the state of scholarship concerning on Rehabilitation of the Research Paper

What is the state of scholarship concerning on Rehabilitation of the arm after stroke On what issues does they debate - Research Paper Example Besides, analysts argue that the state of scholarship on the rehabilitation of arm after stroke incorporates the recruitment of students with efficient knowledge in clinical technology and has done specific projects on medicine as a discipline. Psychologists and therapists suggest that stroke is one of the collective causes of disability of the arm among various patients globally. However, there is serious improvement in stroke patients who suffer arm disabilities through rehabilitation techniques. Different research and testing institutions established in various Universities combine Tran’s cranial magnetic stimulation with the incorporation of robotic therapy. The development of this research encourages scholarships initiatives that enable more students to come in the research centers and support the testing of different diseases developed after arm stroke. Additionally, universities lecturers such as Dr. Wittenberg of the University Of Maryland School Of Medicine, argues that scholarship needs to be given to students who can participate in doing different projects. The students need to be interested in the research of arms rehabilitation after stroke. Dr. Wittenbery argues that scholarships given to students in doing research on the rehabilitation of the arm after stroke need to have special interests in neuron rehabilitation, cerebral paisy, and Stroke and movement disorders (Shadmehr, 2005). Besides different psychologists in the university add that research in the above disciplines encourages and increase the number of students in medicine. Moreover, during the research, more discoveries are realized on the causes of arm stroke and necessary rehabilitative steps in curing the disease.Stroke develops and facilitates in hospitals to increase the number of saved lives in arms stroke rehabilitation. Therefore, it is necessary for various stakeholders to take part in promoting scholarships initiatives in different Universities and

Advantages and Disadvantages of Globalisation on Business Essay - 1

Advantages and Disadvantages of Globalisation on Business - Essay Example The paper tells that globalization can be defined as a process where regional economies, culture, and societies have been integrated by trade and a worldwide-spanning network of communication. Globalisation exists in different dimensions. These dimensions include rapid technological advancement, foreign investment, capital flow, migration as well as international trade. Globalisation in simple context is considered as efforts to making the global society as a single village. This process is characterized by the production of goods in one region of the world and later distributed to the rest of the world. For instance, vehicles are manufactured in countries like Germany, United States, and Japan among others but are used in the rest of the world including Africa. Globalisation has integrated world economies for instance internet connections, and mobile phone has made people closer. This makes the world be a smaller village. Work can be distributed to any part of the world as far as th e internet connection is existing. In the business, context globalization serves to remove variation that exists and is geared to achieve universal platform. Globalisation influence issues and concerns in a business environment. Issues and concerns are the ones that are considered to affect business either positively or adversely. Economic globalization further integrates national economies to form an international economy through aforementioned dimensions of globalization. Jens-Uwe and Meera point outs that technological advancement and policy have played a crucial role in enabling global investment, immigration, and international trade. For instance, the current globalization in the United Kingdom is traced to be cooperative policies such as trading blocs. Globalisation is a tool that helps in eradication of state-enforced legislation on services and goods across the borders.

Corporate Social Reporting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Corporate Social Reporting - Essay Example Companies that embrace corporate social responsibility have received long-term positive benefits. These include better working conditions, which in turn increases productivity and innovation, increased trust and enhanced reputation with stakeholders and greater customer loyalty. Businesses also receive better publicity through media reports. Indeed, staff turnover in companies such as Starbucks and Bettys and Taylors is low. In the latter, its philanthropic ways extend all the way to the employees, who have seen improvements in working relations and strong ties are developed with suppliers that not only certify quality in their produce, but also ensure these produce are grown in a socially responsible manner (10). On the contrary, pressure groups are making their presence known. In 1995, Royal Dutch/Shell suffered negative publicity as well as heavy losses when European boycotted them in their bid to dispose an oil platform at sea (3). Evidently, the business practice of being social ly responsible is highly preferred. In a study on the power and size of firms, there are loopholes present in smaller organizations that, for instance, violate legal rights of workers in cleaning subcontractors. Although this issue is not uncommon with the larger firms, it is found that they exercise greater care as their business is reliant on the state (9). However, in another study, it is found that both small and large firms are likely to participate in corporate social responsibility moves based on their visibility, resource access and scale of operations (4). The two studies are rather conflicting evidence of how corporate social responsibility is adopted by firms of different sizes. Perhaps, a small business operating locally is not as likely to be subject to public scrutiny compared to a larger one operating globally. Larger organizations are embracing this practice far more, which gives them a competitive advantage as the stakeholders they affect are wider. Furthermore, they are able to attract younger talents who yearns more than fat remuneration packages (8). Small businesses, on the other hand, are driven to embrace this practice because differentiation is their key reliance. With this strategic foresight, they are able to find opportunities in a growing market (2). However, these all boils down to management decision on whether to embrace this philosophy or not. 2.3 The profitability strength of businesses that uses CSR As mentioned earlier, companies that adopt corporate social responsibility receive better recognition than those who do not. Customer loyalty and consumer trust are key points in sustaining a business as evident in the Body Shop. Smaller firms practising CSR are a great target for acquisition even though there have been no drastic change in their combined earnings or improvements in the way they carry out their business in terms of being socially responsible. Although consumers are looking for healthier options when buying products, it is found that only a handful will actually pay a premium for such

Health & Nutritio Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Health & Nutritio - Essay Example It is often referred to as healthy living. This paper will review some of the reasons why health and nutrition are important factors in today’s modern life and how they can be attained. The reason why this is important is to enable people to fully understand that in becoming healthy, nutritious food is the only way to maintain a good body. Diseases are kept at bay especially in an environment that is healthy. Fruits and foods high in fibre ensure that the body gets its daily nutrients, and is cleansed. This information is very important since everyone can be able to access it and benefit greatly from it. In these modern times, it is very easy for people to lose track of the kind of foods they consume (Bakalar, p. 12). This can help them understand that maintaining a healthy lifestyle is for their own good. The scientific basis on which this research was carried on is the fact that nature has the perfect blend to help in the maintenance of health and body balance. Its unique formulation has everything to keep a healthy body and mind. The improvements that have been made on some of nature’s resources are not absolutely one hundred per cent. Chemicals are introduced into them. They cannot be fully trusted (Cloud, p. 15). However, they still serve the same purpose, and it is through science and technology that this has been able to work. Some social issues have been brought up in some of the articles talking about health and nutrition. They include the taking of pills to do what was meant to be done naturally (Gordinier, p. 5). Many think that it is not right for people to have pills for everything that goes on in their lives. That is the intrigue of modern science. Everything has been reduced to the size of a pill. This does not go down well with environmentalists trying to keep indigenous trees and plants from being destroyed. Also, the amount of time taken to live a healthy life could be increased. The rate at which drugs that help in healthy living

The history of computer crimes Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The history of computer crimes - Term Paper Example In 1969, a student riot in Canadian school building resulted to damages totaling around $2 million. The students were protesting against a racist professor when their riots resulted to a fire breaking out and destroying computers and other university property. 97 students were arrested in the incident (Concordia University, 2008). In 1970, several computer crimes were reported. A bomb at the University of Wisconsin resulted to $16 million worth of computer damage; a Molotov cocktail bomb caused $1 million damage to the Fresno State College; and students at the New York University wanting to free a jailed Black Panther damaged computers by placing fire-bombs on top of the Atomic Energy Commission (Kabay, 2008). Computers were often damaged during the 1970s in order to make a statement; antiwar protests in Australia resulted to the shooting of an American firm’s computers; terrorists poured gasoline on a university’s computers and burned them; and a peace activist destroy ed a computer at the Vanderburg Air Base in California as a sign of protest against American military policies (Kabay, 2008). From 1970 to 1972, Albert the Saboteur created problems for the National Farmers Union Service Corporation of Denver. Albert enjoyed having the repair crews over every time the computer crashed. As a result, he deliberately caused the computers to crash about 50 times in the span of 2 years. He lived an isolated life as a night shift operator. He finally got company and human interaction because of the computer crashes, and he could not help but cause one crash after another just to have company (Kabay, 1996). In 1970, Jerry Schneider posed as a PT&T employee and ordered $30,000 worth of equipment from PT&T. He retrieved PT&T computer printouts from dumpsters. He was later able to collect detailed information on various procedures in the company and as a result was able to successfully steal $1 million worth of equipment from

Energy Saving Potential of Green Facade in Hong Kong Dissertation

Energy Saving Potential of Green Facade in Hong Kong - Dissertation Example The up to date technology of green wall system in other countries will be reviewed. Existing examples were examined for assessing the potential development in s Hong Kong setting. 1.1 Objective The social, environmental and visual impression that a green wall system can make towards providing a sustainable built environment in cities are accepted worldwide. One of the objectives of this dissertation is to conduct a thorough review of the update design principle and technology on the green wall system in order to increase public understanding and awareness. Basically, the purpose of this dissertation is divided into three parts. 1.1.1 The first purpose is to present the findings of the desktop literature search into the worldwide green wall innovations. This includes, but is not limited to; A brief definition and classification of green wall systems; A list of the benefits for the public and private sectors; A brief list of the benefits for the environment; 1.1.2 The second purpose is to review green walls development in Hong Kong including: Review of present government pilot project and commercial project; Review of constraint for the application in Hong Kong; A brief of the present green building assessment method in Hong Kong. 1.1.3 The last purpose is to demonstrate how to demonstrate the green wall could be applied in a Hong Kong setting. ... Green walls need to be maintained routinely in order for the plants to survive. Counties that use green walls will be examined. The difference between residential and commercial green walls and the purposes will be described. The green walls have different forms in order to fill the area’s specific need. The irrigation, run-off and water retention of the green walls is a consideration that should be looked at in the developmental stage of a new construction project or in the construction of the green wall. All of these topics will be discussed in this section and sub-sections. 2.1 Definitions of the green walls In the current market there are minimal discrimination between domestic and commercial products and systems. Although there are some major differences relevant to this study. The scale of commercial green wall systems for multi-storey buildings requires a different standard to the domestic scale systems. The materials need to have a relatively high quality and longevity to cater for the rigors of extreme conditions such as weather, pollution, and other conditions relevant to the green walls location. For example, the excessive solar radiation in the high-density urban environment would damage UV unstable materials in a short period. Structural loading on the building framework to support the green wall system, wind loading in addition (i.e. the higher the green wall the greater the wind loadings to be induced), requires more precise structural design than with smaller scale domestic applications. Furthermore, the issue of repair and maintenance must be integrated into the building systems, rather than applied as an add-on component (Graeme, Christine, Milos and Michael Andrew 2010), such a

Short Story and Mick Essay Example for Free

Short Story and Mick Essay Serrusalmus I have road a short story called Serrusalmus written by Lesley Glaister. Lesley Glaister was born in Northampton shire, The United Kingdom at October 04, 1956. Lesley Glaister is a fiction writer and her first novel got published in 1990. The short story is about the protagonist Marjorie who is a woman. I will say she is in her forties and lives by herself in a apartment on the nineteenth floor. When Marjorie was a little girl she liked ants she felt that the ants inspired her. As a little girl she would have liked ants as pets. She thought as ants like people. They worked together as a team, and they were Just as pushy as the human beings was. As the years pasted and she got older, she got a illness. She suffered from the a illness called agoraphobia who made afraid to be at big open places with lot of people. her opinion also changes it was no longer ants there was like people but people there was like ants. She was afraid of people and did not speak with a lot of people. Therefore she kept fishes she meant that they were so peaceful in there aquarium. She felt like she cut be peaceful and safe when she looked at them in the aquarium. She loved her fishes like they were her own children. But one day the troublemaker Mick, came looking for her in her apartment at the nineteenth floor. He used to come when he needed something from Marjorie. Most of the time when he came did he beg her for money, food or clothing . This time did he not beg her four any of this tings. He actually came to help her with moving her sick angle fish to a new clean aquarium. Marjorie believed him because he helped her with her beloved fish. But Mick was only pretending to care for her and the fish. Mick picked up the net and caught the fish. He took the fish with him over to the open window and then asked Marjorie how much she thing the fish was worth. He wanted a hundred quid four not killing the fish. But bad for her she did not have all those money and Just like that he flipped the fish out the open window. Then he left and she was so sad. Mick come back and Marjorie gave him a rink were she had dropped some drugs in. The drugs was for her illness. The drugs made Mick felt asleep like a stone. She took her Piranha in toa bucked and then took Micks hand in to the bucked. The Piranha eat his hand in a few minutes. Now was the boot on the other foot. In The very end she got revenge over Mick not Just because he killed her fish but also for the long time where he had used her and all her things, money and food. She was free now and was now longer under his power. Short Story and Mick By cami646t

Theory of Title Essay Example for Free

Theory of Title Essay The State of Arkansas was selected as the example state because of its proximity to surrounding states of Tennessee, Mississippi, Missouri, and Okalahoma and the frequency in which individuals change their residency between the surrounding States. The research examines the type of real estate transfer theory practiced in the State of Arkansas by reviewing relevant case laws, mortgage practices and supplementary materials dealing with contract law and collection of rents. The literature tends to suggest that Arkansas does that follow any particular lien theory and utilizes a combination of each of the three lien theories. The Outline I. Introduction II. General definitions of three theories governing title transfer in United States of America: a. Title theory. b. Lien Theory c. Intermediate theory IIIGeneral effects of theories in practice a. Effects for the lender b. Effects for the borrower IV. Transfer of title in the State of Arkansas a. Prevalent theory used in State of Arkansas b. Review of laws and regulation governing transfer of title in Arkansas . Throughout the United States the rate of housing foreclosures or mortgage defaults continues to rise at an alarming rate. This rise in foreclosures and mortgage defaults in many instances can be attributed to a weakening economy. Many individuals enticed by a strong economy freely entered agreements to purchase homes with little regard to the actual terms of their agreement. A picture of these individuals would usually find young adults in a two to three person household, who finally obtained the opportunity to live the American dream and took full advantage of that opportunity. For many of these individuals this may have been their first home purchase or with decreasing interest rates they believed they could finally afford to remodel their present home to be their dream home. These same individuals knew little about twists and turns of purchasing a home or mortgage finance laws. Many did not use lawyers and simply relied on the advice of the lenders, mortgage companies or real estate agents. Unfortunately, the economy failed to cooperate as those families with two person incomes dropped to one person incomes and those adjustable rate mortgages increased beyond household income. The end result is a slow housing market with individuals actually losing their homes in drastic numbers or selling their homes at reduced prices, which usually means a lost for the average home owner. It affects their ability to purchase a new home and decreases the amount of funds that will be available to local economies through the purchase of other consumer goods. Because our country has become so mobile, allowing individuals to move from place to place with ease, many individuals had no problem locating new areas in various states to call home. Examples of the easy mobility concept are individuals living in the State of Tennessee who find it extremely easy to purchase a home in Arkansas or Mississippi and maintain their jobs in Tennessee. In fact, with the growing pressure to leave the fast life and crime often found in large Metropolitan areas, individuals jumped at the opportunity when confronted with advertisements from small suburbs or rural cities which boosted of the quiet simple life to raise their families while only minutes away from the recreation, entertainment and lucrative employment opportunities of the Metropolitan cities. It was the dream of a life time that many simply could not pass up. Understanding mortgage finance laws of the State an individual intend to purchase a home or understanding mortgage lending theories is extremely necessary and important to any individual relocating to another state or those who have lived in a state and purchase their first home. Unfortunately, most individuals seeking to relocate assume and wrongly so, that the laws regarding mortgage finance are the same throughout the United States. They are unaware of the procedures or consequences involved in retaining their property should they become delinquent in their mortgage payments. When an individual moves from one state to another they subject themselves to the laws of the state in which they are doing business. However, in some states an individual may be able to specifically contract that the mortgage or contract may be governed by the laws of another state. This is seldom used for individual residential mortgages and used primarily in some commercial transactions that occur in another state. Mortgage laws in their new state may or may not be to their advantage and they should know the advantages and disadvantages before they decide on purchasing a home in their chosen state. This is also true for businesses financial institutions lending funds, and other entities crossing state lines to conduct business in other states, i. e. , purchasing businesses or other property or obtaining loans in other states to conduct business in the State of Tennessee. The general belief of the average individual is that once they purchase a home or obtain a mortgage, the title to the property is placed in the name of the borrower and that a lender simply obtains a lien on the property and can only foreclose on the property when and if the borrower is unable to make payments and then, and only when an action is filed in a court of law. This may or may not be true based on the laws and practices of the State in which the transaction originates. Thus, a review of the laws governing the state in which the individual intends to obtain its mortgage will prove extremely beneficial. However a greater benefit will be obtained if the home buyer seeks the services of a licensed attorney or a home buyer counselor. This senior project has chosen the state of Arkansas to review its laws regarding the transfer of title in real property. Arkansas was selected because of its proximity to the State of Tennessee and Mississippi and the ease in which residents move their residency from one state to the other. Thesis Statement) Individuals entering into financial agreements to obtain funds to purchase real property should always know which of the three theories of real property transfer is practiced in the state in which they intend to obtain a mortgage. Literature Review The purpose of this senior project is to first review the three general theories governing real estate transfers as practiced throughout the United States, and how they can affect the transfer of property from a lenders perspective and from a borrower’s perspective. The project will also review the present status of mortgage lending and home buying throughout the United States and how the theories of title transfer has affected the present market. The project uses the State of Arkansas as the example state for its review and analysis. The project will explore and review how the laws in the State of Arkansas’ differ from other states in the United States and review the effects of such laws on individuals and businesses doing business within the State of Arkansas. Determining what theory is utilized within a particular state when obtaining a mortgage or transferring real property will prove extremely beneficial and alleviate serious problems for both the lender and borrower, should problems arise regarding ownership of the property, or in foreclosure proceeding. Knowing ones rights will assist the homebuyer in understanding what can happen to their property if they should become delinquent in their mortgage payments and allow them an opportunity to attempt to save their property or their equity interest should a foreclosure action be filed against them. The review will also examine how the failure of borrowers to understand property transfer theories can have a devastating affect on their ability to retain ownership of the property during a foreclosure action. Information released from Foreclosure Data online and posted on October 19th, 2007 indicate that the growing number of mortgage foreclosures has begun to affect more than just residential homeowners, â€Å" in some residential blocks where ten to twelve homes in a twenty-five home block, have ‘bank owned’ for sale signs on their lawns. The rising rate of foreclosures throughout the United States provide justification for the idea of borrowers taking more responsibility in determining their rights and the potential consequences when entering mortgage contracts where ever they live. In order to understand what happens if default occurs residents must always be aware of the three basic theories practiced throughout the United States relating to transfer of title and then attempt to understand which theory is actually practiced in the state in which they desire to purchase real property. This is especially relevant as many state fail to practice a single theory and combine several theories to develop a single procedure for dealing with property transfer in their state. For the most part title theory of a particular state is determine by case law, even in situations where states have adopted statues defining how title transfers will be conducted in their state. General Definitions of title transfer theories Following a broad adoption of English pure title theory by the American States, three theories of title have evolved. According to the Restatement Third of Property and (Mortgages), the evolution of title theory from the English common law has served to reduce the rights of the mortgagee under the ‘pure’ or original title theory of England. The pure title theory worked a defeasible conveyance of the fee to the mortgagee, which obtained legal title, the right to possession, and the right to collect the rents and profits. (2) This evolution included the development to (a) lesser title theory, (b) lien theory, and (c) intermediate theory. While the three theories are useful for comparisons, implementation of the theories is by no means standard. The practical effect of the theories has been minimized because in many jurisdictions the harshness of pure title theory has been removed by statue or by case law or in many instances the drafters of mortgages have learned to achieve the advantages of the alternative theories at the time the mortgage documents are prepared and signed. According to Sandy Gadow, an escrow expert, and a member of the American Land Title Association, in a title theory state, the borrower does not actually keep title to the property during the loan term. The seller gives the buyer/borrower a deed to the property but when the borrower signs the mortgage for the loan the borrower gives the title back to the mortgage holder. The lender then holds title to the property, as security only, until all loan payments have been made. During that time the borrower has the right to possession of the property, and the lender delivers the deed back to the borrower only after the loan obligation has been satisfied. (3) In most states the instrument used is known as a trust deed. The lender actually maintains ownership of the property until the debt is paid in full. The process is quite different in a lien title state. The Restatement (third) of Property, section 4. 1 (1997) indicates that in a lien theory state, the buyer holds the deed to the property during the mortgage term. The buyer promises to make all payments to the lender and the mortgage becomes a lien on the property, but title remains with the buyer. The lender’s lien is removed once the payments of all loan payments have been completed. (id 2) The two theories are similar in that they allow the borrower to actually possess the property but differ regarding actual ownership of the property. In a title theory state the borrower actually owns the property with the lender retaining the deed only for security whereas in a lien theory the buyer retains the deed and the lender retains a lien on the property. The third theory, the Intermediate theory can be considered a compromise theory between the title theory and the lien theory. Again, according to Sandy Gadow, an escrow expert, and a member of the American land Title Association, â€Å"the title remains with the borrower, but the lender may take back title to the property if the borrower defaults on the loan. † (Id at 3). An Arkansas Law review article in 1992 examines the effects of conflict of laws, and indicates that in an intermediate jurisdiction the mortgage is a lien until default, as it would in a lien theory state. Upon default, legal title passes by operation of law to the mortgagee and with the title comes the right to possession, rents and profits. (4) In her article, Sandy Gadow argues that â€Å"Foreclosure proceedings in a lien theory state may be more difficult for the lender than a title theory state, due to the fact that the buyer is holding title to the land and not the lender. † ( Id at 3). The theory prevents the lender from entering onto the property and taking possession of the property at will. The lender is forced to take legal steps to regain ownership of the property. The theory actually gives the borrower more time before they are forced to give up the property, and they also can continue to maintain possession of the property and keep any rents collected as a result of their ownership until a legal foreclosure action is completed. Today, mortgagees customarily profit from interest. Possession by the mortgagor is commonplace in title theory states, although some states still hold that possession remains with the ortgagee as an incident of legal title. Another real estate treatise reports that title theory mortgagees can take possession of the mortgaged property upon default and before foreclosure. (6) A borrower to a mortgage should always concern themselves with which theory will give the greatest ownership interest in their property and allow them to retain in terest in the property as long as possible. Any theory that immediately transfers the right to possession, fee simple ownership and any other legal rights from the borrower back to the lender are not in the best interest of the borrower. The literature thus far appears to suggest that a lien theory state would provide the better advantage to a borrower in that the borrower usually retains a right to ownership and possession until foreclosure is accomplished in a court of law. Many states within the United States adopt a lien theory when transferring property. However, like Arkansas, these same states do not exercise a hard and fast rule on the use of a title transfer theory. However, most states can be grouped in one of the three title theory categories. In general throughout the United States, approximately of the fifty states only sixteen states follow a lien theory, with the remaining thirty four (34) states being described a title theory states. More specifically of the six states that share a boundary with the State of Arkansas, which include: Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Tennessee, Mississippi and Louisiana, five of the six states are described as practicing a title theory in property transfers, and only one of those states, Louisiana is described as following the lien theory in title transfers. In Arkansas, in the case of Bank of Oak Grove V. Wilmot State Bank, a case considered as an authority on Arkansas Mortgage law, the court refused to adopt a particular theory on the formalities of what the court termed the â€Å"broad and undefined a principle as lien versus title theories of mortgages†. (5) In general Arkansas courts do not appear to have frequently discussed title theory since a search of Westlaw for â€Å"title theory in Arkansas† produces only Bank of Oak Grove v. Wilmot. However, several cases align themselves and follow the decision of the Bank of Oak Grove case and its findings. Such cases cite the bank of Oak Grove case as an endorsement of title theory use in the State of Arkansas. Fully discerning the nature of Arkansas’ theory of title requires a discussion of whether a mortgage is merely a lien (lien theory) or whether it passes owner-type interest and powers to the mortgagee. A survey of Arkansas mortgage case law reveals two tracks of cases supporting different conclusions about whether a mortgage is only security for a debt. As early as 1856, equity held that a mortgage is only security for a debt. (7) By 1866, the Arkansas Supreme Court established that â€Å"now in both law and equity† a mortgage is mere security for a debt, and removed the presumption that a mortgagee takes possess if there is no proof other wise. (8) Eighteen years after Trapnall, the court said that the legal estate in mortgaged property passes to the mortgagee and that possession follows the egal title; the same was said 45 years after Trapnall in a 1911 case, Whittington v. Flint. (9) If it follows that legal title not only delivered possession but also delivered what a 1988 Arkansas Federal court interpreting Arkansas law called the incidents of possession (rents, profits and what appears as beneficial interests), Arkansas would have been a title theory state. The Arkansas Supreme Court has not overturned these cases, and the Arkansas Attorney General was citing the case as late as 1998. 10) After Wilson, the Arkansas Supr eme Court held that â€Å"in equity† a mortgage is only a security interest, and that the mortgagor is entitled to deal with the land as its owner, entitled to rents and profits and alienation as long as he is in possession and he and takers under him do not impair the rights of the mortgagee. (11) The 1959 update of a key Arkansas mortgage title treatise follows that a mortgage is a mere security interest. The mortgagors were treated as owners in a 1980 case that characterized an absolute deed held for security purposes as an equitable mortgage, finding that the father who purchased the real estate was the mortgagee and holding that the divorcing son and daughter-in law must split the property. This inferred that the son and daughter-in-law were mortgagors and in effect owners of joint property. (13) The lack of clarity on some points suggests that mortgagors should not rely on the formalities of title theory in the State of Arkansas. Possession, Redemption and Rents as they relate to title transfer in Arkansas Better understanding Arkansas law requires discussions about possession, redemption and rents. The custom in Arkansas is that the mortgagor takes possession, but case law suggests that possession may be based on the terms of the agreement or interest rather than accruing automatically to the holder of legal title. More recent opinions mitigate towards possession being retained by the mortgagor. Similarly, the Arkansas Attorney General opined that the 1980 Nelson court took a â€Å"common sense approach† holding that the mortgagor retains a possessory interest that makes him â€Å"at least the equitable owner. † (14) This suggests a conclusion that possession can be devised by the contract language, which can grant immediate possession or possession upon default. Not withstanding the language, mortgagees are likely to intend that possession be in the mortgagor, and mortgagees are likely to want to avoid mortgagee in possession status and the duties that derive from it. To preserve its collateral, the mortgagee should include clauses providing for (1) appointment of a receiver; and (2) right to enter and inspect. A power of sale clause may be advisable; however, the Arkansas Code implies a power of sale in every mortgage of real property. (15) Arkansas does not follow title or lien theory or intermediate theory as the latter is described by secondary sources. Like title theory, the mortgagee appears to secure legal title. The more recent cases appear to treat the mortgagor as the owner as would be the case under lien theory. Arkansas appears to practice its own brand of intermediate theory in which the incidents of possession follow actual or constructive possession. Drafting may govern possession and rents in Arkansas law. The literature and case law indicates that the custom in Arkansas is that the mortgagor takes possession, but case law suggests that possession may be based on the terms of the agreement or intent rather than accruing automatically to the holder of legal title. In the case of Whittington (1884) and Wilson (1911 held that legal title passes to the mortgagee and with it possession, unless there is a reservation of the right to occupancy. Id 9) Trapnall held in 1866 that there is no presumption that the mortgagee takes possession. (Id. 8) Most recent opinions mitigate towards possession being retained by the mortgagor. The First Federal case addressed the incidents of possession, saying that in a â€Å"garden variety mortgage,† the borrower has â€Å"retained all of the incidents of possession including the right to rents, profits, and crops,† and he may do with them as he pleases until the mortgagee takes possession, at which point these incidents pass to the mortgagee. Similarly, the Arkansas Attorney General opined that the 1980 Nelson court took a â€Å"common sense approach† holding that the mortgagor retains a possessory interest that makes him â€Å"at least the equitable owner. † (Id 14) Neither opinion states that the mortgagor and mortgagee can not agree otherwise. This suggests a conclusion that possession can be devised by the contract language, which can grant immediate possession or possession upon default. In comparing the cases, it may be helpful to note the references to the language of the agreements, and consider that the language of Arkansas mortgages has varied greatly. Whittington states that â€Å"possession follows the legal title, unless controlled by stipulations in the deed, or by the apparent intention of the parties. † (Id. 9) It is an old case that may have succumbed to the presumption that Trapnall dismissed. American Jurisprudence publishes in its form book what it titles the Arkansas-Mortgage and the Arkansas-mortgage-Traditional form. The traditional form is more in the form of a sale agreement stating that mortgagee â€Å"does grant, bargain, sell, and convey to mortgagee, and to its successors and assigns forever† the mortgaged property to have and to hold the same to mortgagee, and to its successors and assigns forever. † It then provides the conditions under which the â€Å"sale† shall become null and void. (16) Notwithstanding the language, mortgagees are likely to intend that possession be in the mortgagor, and mortgagees are likely to want to avoid mortgagee in possession status and the duties that derive from it. It is evident that despite the rules and statues individuals seeking to obtain a mortgage will need to be mindful of what the law is and if they desire that something different needs to occur on any matter, if the issue is addressed in the contract agreements and agreed to by both parties, the courts will upon the original intent of the parties entering the contract. Treatment of Rents in Mortgage transfer In understanding actual practice regarding ownership interests one must also review and discuss how rent is treated in the State of Arkansas.

Usefulness Of Symbiotic Relationships In Marketing Marketing Essay

Usefulness Of Symbiotic Relationships In Marketing Marketing Essay Symbiotic Marketing, also known as Co-Marketing Alliances and Joint Marketing Activities, has remained sporadic, especially in Indian Small Scale Sector. The studies focusing on the applicability of these Symbiotic Marketing strategies in the Indian context are conspicuously absent. The existing literature, conveniently assuming that the Indian Small Scale entrepreneurs possess the knowledge of the operationalities of the concept, has suggested this as a valid alternative system to their marketing problems. The present study is aimed at comprehending the perceptions of the Small Scale entrepreneurs towards Symbiotic Marketing strategies. The analysis is useful in developing programs aimed at facilitating these inter-organizational cooperative marketing strategies. In marketing channel strategy literature, a number of channel alternatives have been identified which firms utilize in distributing their products and services. These alternatives include the traditional marketing channel, the vertical marketing system, vertical integration, strategic alliances, network organizations, and the horizontal marketing system. These channel forms have been studied by market researchers relatively thoroughly and from a number of perspectives. However, one other strategic alternative has been identified and discussed by a few authors but has yet to receive the same level of attention as other forms of marketing and distribution. This cited strategy is the more holistic concept of symbiotic marketing, originally defined as an alliance of resources or programs between two or more independent organizations designed to increase the market potential of each (Adler, 1966). The concept was first introduced in 1960s, but has rarely been discussed by the market resea rchers and is generally dispatched as a synonym for horizontal marketing system (Kotler, 1991). However, the concept is much more powerful and comprehensive, than conceived by the lack of research in the area. The symbiotic marketing is comprehensive in the sense that firstly, it provides a strategic direction to channel considerations. Rather than develop strategically important core competencies and resources internally, firms which practice symbiotic marketing are actively and continually scanning both the external and the competitive environments for likely partners with such resources. This shifts the firm from being primarily internally- oriented to externally oriented. Secondly, the modes of symbiotic marketing comprise virtually all of the various forms of distribution identified in extent marketing and management literature. Modes of symbiosis include strategic alliances, joint ventures, co-marketing agreements, vertical marketing systems, horizontal marketing systems, and traditional buyer-seller marketing channels. However, distribution strategy employing mergers and acquisition as a tool, violate the spirit of symbiotic marketing, since the firms are integrated and are no longe r independent organizations, which is a requisite for symbiotic marketing. Thus all forms of distribution strategy other than vertical integration lie within the scope of symbiotic marketing. Since, not enough research has been done on the subject, extent literatures existing on strategic alliances and organizational networks has been used for the analysis since virtually all modes of symbiotic marketing is based on some form of organizational collaborations. Once the basis for symbiotic marketing has been established network analysis will be proposed as a tool for symbiotic partner selection and market selection. The underlying framework for this research is that the use of symbiotic marketing can return to a firm superior market success, if applied in a strategic manner, via such measures as first mover advantage, superior profit returns, and the ability to overcome barriers of entry into market niches dominated by well-entrenched competitors. Hypotheses will be proposed to test these assumptions. STATEMENT OF PROBLEM The usefulness of Symbiotic Relationships in Marketing for firms to compete successfully in the local global markets and its acceptance by small business units in India. TOPIC JUSTIFICATION OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY The primary objective of this paper is to address an apparent gap in the strategic or purposeful use of symbiotic marketing as a delivery system for a firms product or service in the current stream of marketing literature. Only recently has the market researchers focused on an attempt to understand the vertical marketing systems (VMS) and horizontal marketing systems(HMS), of which HMSs such as joint ventures, strategic alliances and partnerships have been studied most heavily. However, the researchers of these strategies have focused only on a single mode of HMS, whereas Symbiotic Marketing provides a broader framework for the researchers, to apply their desired analysis tool. Apart from the handful of extant literature existing on HMS, much of the research on channel strategy has focused on vertically-oriented channels such as VMS and vertical integration. This focus on Vertically-oriented Structures has discounted the emergence of horizontal strategies such as strategic alliances, partnerships and co-marketing agreements. The rationale behind vertically- oriented alliances or integration primarily gravitates around reducing transaction costs or achieving economies of scale (Heide,1994). On the other hand Symbiotic Relationships allow the firm to achieve significant leverage in the marketplace by not only accessing external resources but also identifying and exploiting market voids at reduced capital outlays. Furthermore, as the market segment boundaries are becoming increasingly undistinguishable, the firms focus is shifting from market share to designing strategic distribution programs that provides some degree of isolation from competition (Day, 1991), which is achievable through the use of Symbiotic Marketing strategies in niche markets, or using external resources for competing successfully in the global marketplace. Once the foundation for Symbiotic Marketing has been established and justified, network analysis can be used to explain how and why the firms will achieve superior markets via Symbiotic Marketing, providing a method for identifying potentially profitable market niches and guidance for selecting symbiotic partner firms for penetrating these market segments. Moreover, understanding the formation of Symbiotic Marketing in the network analysis framework is important because, firstly no adequate framework for understanding the Symbiotic relationships exists in the marketing literature; secondly business competition is increasingly between distinct networks or groups of independent firms operating as a single competitive entity; finally, there is a lack of marketing literature, focusing on the specific conceptualization of Symbiotic relations which need to be addressed. Thus an integrative framework needs to be developed to understand why and how firms enter into these types of partnership s, which will be useful to both academicians and practitioners. To achieve these goals, this paper will first, introduce and review the extant literature available on the subject matter which will provide the basis for developing the framework. The framework will be developed which builds on that introduced by prior researchers and will focus on developing a typology of possible modes of symbiosis available to businesses and their symbiotic opportunities. Secondly, the general concept of market segmentation discussed which is applicable to our study presented. Thirdly, the powerful concept of network analysis will be introduced. However, the focus will be on the qualitative, managerial implications and applications of network analysis, not on its usefulness as a quantitative structural analysis tool. Finally, a model of Symbiotic Marketings usefulness as a strategic tool will be presented and justified. CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEW Recent research has pointed the importance of nurturing relationships for effective marketing. There is a paradigm shift in marketing from transaction marketing to relationship marketing. Firms are also considering relationship marketing as crucial for sustaining competitive advantage. The center has provided impetus for an in-depth look at relationship marketing from the perspective of both theory and practice. The term relationship marketing encompasses some of the constructs suggested by past research. These constructs are relational contracting, internal marketing, symbiotic marketing, relationship marketing, strategic alliances, working partnerships, co-marketing alliances, and long-term orientation. Morgan and Hunt emphasize the process and their definition states relationship marketing refers to all marketing activities directed toward establishing, developing, and maintaining successful relational exchanges.We suggest that relationships lead to value creation that has become an area of interest to researchers. Firms realize that both customers and suppliers create value. The value can manifest itself into access to technology, access to markets, and access to information. Firms realize that customers and suppliers provide access to value creation that will provide them with sustainable competitive advantage. Value creation can be divided into three domains. The first domain is value creation through supplier partnering that forms the first set of articles for this special issue. Value creation through alliance partnering form the second set of articles. Finally, value creation through customer partnering form the third set of articles. The issue of value creation through relationships with suppliers is examined by the first four articles. The first paper is Supplier Relationships: Emerging Issues and Challenges, written by the co-editors of the special issue. The paper proposes that effective relationship with suppliers will provide firms with next-generational competitive advantage. We suggest that this shift toward supplier relationships will change the role, processes, and strategies of firms and, therefore, new areas of inquiry will emerge. These include understanding suppliers as customers; cross-functional supplier teaming; economic value of supplier equity; supply experience curves; hub and spoke organization; bonding with suppliers; global sourcing processes; cross-cultural values in purchasing; cross-national rules and regulations; and service procurement. The second article also addresses the issue of the importance of supplier relationships and discusses the use of portfolio approaches to examine supplie r relationships. In previous papers, authors suggest that firms should examine supplier performance to classify suppliers into groups. This classification will aid firms in designing strategies to enhance relationship with firms. The next two articles discuss the effect of JIT and information technology on supplier relationships. In The Effect of JIT Purchasing Relationships on Organizational Design Purchasing Department Configuration, and Firm Performance, by Richard Germain and Cornelia Droge, the authors suggest that JIT relationships involve close supplier collaboration on product development and specifications, product, and information flows. Based on a survey of 200 US firms, the article suggests that JIT increases a firms formalization, integration, and specialization. Also firms that use JIT have enhanced performance. Employing Information Technology in Purchasing: An Empirical Study of the Impact on Buyer-Supplier Relationships and Size of the Supplier Base, by Rodney L. St ump Ven Sriram, and Earl G. Graves, discusses the role of information technology on relationships. They find that information technology investments enhance buyer-seller relationships and the degree of information technology used in transaction processing affects this relationship. Interestingly, they also find that information technology investments reduce the supplier base. The next set of two articles discuss value creation through alliance partnering, an emerging area of interest to marketers. The fifth article in the special issue is Scope and Intensity of Logistics Based Strategic Alliances: A Conceptual Framework and Managerial Implications, authored by Walter Zinn and A. Parasuraman. The article examines logistics based strategic alliances and proposes a typology to classify these alliances along the dimensions of scope and intensity. They also offer strategies for firms involved in strategic alliances as well as areas for future research. The next article, Selling Alliances : Issues and Rights, by Brock Smith, examines the issues of selling alliances, an emerging area of interest in personal selling. The issues of selling alliances at both the organizational as well as the personal level are discussed. A sample of 175 salespeople who are in sales partnerships is used to validate the expectations. The final set of articles discuss value creation through customer partnering. Customer Value Change in Industrial Marketing RelationshipsA Call for New Strategies and Research, by Daniel J. Flint, Robert Woodruff, and Sarah F. Gardial, addresses the issue of customer perceptions of value. The authors suggest that suppliers perceptions of value are changing. To design strategies that give business marketers a strategic advantage, firms need to understand customers present value needs, marketers ability to deliver value, and change in perceptions of value. The next article discusses the issue of customer perceptions of the marketer and value provided by the mark eter. As firms survey their customers to determine their performance, the issue of the validity of customer evaluations comes into question. What Information Can Relationship Marketers Obtain from Customer Evaluations of Salespeople? by Douglas M. Lambert, Arun Sharma, and Michael Levy, addresses this issue. The results of a survey from business customers in the health care industry suggest that buying firms that give higher evaluations to business salespeople also give higher performance ratings to the selling organization. Also, salespeople who are evaluated as being better and more credible by customers also receive superior evaluations from their managers. The final three papers in the special issue discuss case studies in value creation through customer partnering. The first paper, Managing Business Relationships and Positions in Industrial Networks by Brian Low, examines the issues of industrial networks. The article views networks as providing access to resources and activiti es and examines a network in the context of a dealer for office equipment. The second article, Building Supplier-Customer Relationships: Using Joint New Product Development, by James Comer and B. J. Zirger, examines the evolution of a supplier-customer relationship. The paper examines a relationship in the case of an automobile project. The final paper by Pierre Filiatrault and Jozee Lapierre, Managing Business-to-Business Marketing Relationships in Consulting Engineering Firms, (accepted by Peter LaPlaca) examines relationships in the context of business services. In conclusion, we feel that the papers provide a broad look at the academic research in the area of business relationship marketing. The articles in this special issue address value creation through supplier relationships, alliances, and customer relationships. The papers make an important contribution to relationship marketing thinking in the domain of business markets. The research is both useful to managers and serves as an impetus to future research in this area. We hope that you find the articles as exciting and interesting as we have. CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY DATA SOURCES UNIT OF ANALYSIS SAMPLE SELECTION The present investigation is prescription type of study undertaken to estimate the effectiveness of the Symbiotic Relationship in the Indian Marketing Scenario in various business units and its impact on the Partnered Business profits, Market Share, Level of Competition and Customer Loyalty and Retention. The present study identifies the views of people engaged in different businesses, generally small-scale, about their interpretation, importance and understanding of the advantages of developing a Symbiotic Relationships with different aspects of their supply chain or competitor base in order to cater to new market segments, or expanding their resource base and thereby improving their productivity, profitability and survivability in the highly competitive and rapidly expanding Indian Markets. Moreover, due to lack of availability of enough time, the scope of research has been restricted to the local area markets in the Mumbai region covering the areas of Andheri, Vile-Parle, Kandivali, Santacruz, which are small scale businesses such as shop-owners or factory outlet managers and marketing and operations team-members of some large scale firms. Considering the time criteria in which the report had to be prepared, we considered small scale businesses as the population with the size of 68. However, 24 participants did not fill the questionnaires provided to them completely, a requisite when using the likerts scale, and about 8 people were not willing to fill such questionnaires, the number of actually completed forms was drastically reduced to 36. Considering the fact that, for conducting a Z-Test for the analysis, the minimum size should be 30, the sample size of 35 was considered appropriate for the analysis and was carried forward for the purpose of research. TOOLS TECHNIQUES The tool used for conducting the research was administering the questionnaires to the business owners and conducting interviews, so as to determine whether their response in the questionnaire and on-face does not contradict. The questionnaire consists of open-ended questions which need to be answered on Likerts 5 Point Scale. For the analysis of the responses of the respondents, a 2-tailed Z-test will be used and the feasibility of the Symbiotic Marketing in the Indian Context will be determined based on the mind-set of the people involved in the analysis. Although, the sample size is 35, but it will be indicative of the entire population in the local areas considered for this study. Also random sampling (and in some cases systematic sampling) has been used to distribute the questionnaires and collect the responses for conducting the analysis. DATA SOURCES Market research requires two types of data i.e. secondary data and primary data. Primary data has been used abundantly for the study. Well-structured questionnaires were prepared the survey was undertaken. Feedback for the display has been taken by asking questions observation has also done to gather primary information. There is also a use of secondary data, collected from the extant literature available on the subject matter in various journals, books, and websites from various marketers and business owners. PRIMARY DATA The primary data to be selected was based upon the response of the respondents to the questionnaire designed. The questionnaire consists of open ended questions. The Questionnaire was targeted to know about the views of the business owners and planning and marketing department people towards the adoption of symbiotic relationship in the long term opportunities for the businesses especially in the Indian Context. SECONDARY DATA The secondary data was collected by referring through various companys marketing strategies in online manuals, Reports, journals and research papers, web sites, and the final data was analyzed systematically to accomplish the objectives of this research paper. CHAPTER IV RESEARCH FRAMEWORK OF THE STUDY PROPOSED FRAMEWORK RATIONALE OF FRAMEWORK VARIABLES HYPOTHESIS Symbiotic Marketing increases the competitive Advantage of the participating firms over their respective competitors companies with complementary products or services can also achieve symbiotic marketing by carrying out lateral cooperative marketing Growth Oriented firms prefer bigger firms for Marketing Symbiosis. Survival Oriented firms prefer equal sized or smaller firms for Marketing Symbiosis. Sharing of operational resources and mutually-complementary advantages among interrelated companies, will increase their production efficiency. CHAPTER V DATA ANALYSIS INFERENCE STATISTICAL ANALYSIS INTERPRETATIONS CHAPTER VI SUMMARY CONCLUSION SUMMARY OF FINDINGS CONCLUSION SCOPE RECOMMENDATIONS LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY CHAPTER VII REFERENCES [1] Kotler, P., Fernando, T. D.(2005).Lateral Marketing. Beijing: China Citic Press,25. [2] Lee, A. (1966). Symbiotic Marketing. Harvard Business Review,44(9-10):59-71. [3] Rajan, P. Rajaratnam, D. (1986). Symbiotic Marketing Revisited. Journal of Marketing, 50(1):7-17. [4] Andy, L., Ian, B. (2001). Strategies for Building a Customer Base on the Internet: Symbiotic Marketing. Journal of Strategic Marketing, (9):47-68. [5] KaZuo, A. (2002). Sociological Principle. Beijing: Huaxia Publishing Co., Ltd., 50-52. [6] Shiroshi, T. (2000). How Will the Market Strategy Change in the Future?. ToKyo: Diamond Inc.,90. [7] Kazuhisa, T.(2000). Social Psychology of Consumption Behavior. ToKyo: Kitaoji Publisher,52-62. [8] Xavier, M. J., Krishnan, R., Borin, N.(2005). An Integrated Model of Collaborative Value Creation for Strategic Innovation: The Case of Retail Automation in India. IIMB Management Review,(6): 29-39. [9] Yokozawa, T. (1998).Customer Value Management. ToKyo: Productivity Publisher,71-80. [10]Mohr, J., Fisher, R., Nevin, J. (1996). Collaborative communication in interfirm relationships: moderating effects of integration and control, Journal of Marketing, 60(July) [11]Osborn, R. Baughn, C. (1990). Forms of interorganizational governance for multinational alliances, Academy of Management Journal, 33(3), 503-19. [12]Rangan, V., Menezes, M., Maier, E. (1992). Channel selection for new industrial products: framework, method, and application, Journal of Marketing, July, 69-82. [13]Shaw, A. (1912). Some Problems in Market Distribution, Quarterly Journal of Economics, 26 (4): 703-765. [14]Street, P. (1975). Animal Partners and Parasites, London: David and Charles. [15]Snyder, G. (1991). Alliance theory: a neoralist first cut, in The Evolution of Theory in International [16]Relations (pp. 83-110), Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina Press. [17] The Effect of JIT Purchasing Relationships on Organizational Design Purchasing Department Configuration, and Firm Performance, by Richard Germain and Cornelia Droge. [18] Scope and Intensity of Logistics Based Strategic Alliances: A Conceptual Framework and Managerial Implications, authored by Walter Zinn and A. Parasuraman. CHAPTER VIII APPENDIX Insert the questionnaire hereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦

RENT the Musical :: Rent Musicals Movies Broadway Plays Essays

RENT the Musical There's a scene in the new musical "RENT" that may be the quintessential romantic moment of the '90s. Roger, a struggling rock musician, and Mimi, a junkie who's a dancer at an S/M club, are having a lovers' quarrel when their beepers go off and each takes out a bottle of pills. It's the signal for an "AZT break," and suddenly they realize that they're both HIV-positive. Clinch. Love duet. If you don't think this is romantic, consider that Jonathan Larson's sensational musical is inspired by Puccini's opera "La Boheme," in which the lovers Mimi and Rodolfo are tragically separated by her death from tuberculosis. Different age, different plague. Larson has updated Puccini's end-of-19th-century Left Bank bohemians to end-of-20th-century struggling artists in New York's East Village. His rousing, moving, scathingly funny show, performed by a cast of youthful unknowns with explosive talent and staggering energy, has brought a shocking jolt of creative juice to Broadway. A far greater shock was the sudden death of 35-year-old Larson from an aortic aneurysm just before his show opened. His death just before the breakthrough success is the stuff of both tragedy and tabloids. Such is our culture. Now Larson's work, along with "Bring in 'Da Noise, Bring in 'Da Funk," the tap-dance musical starring the marvelous young dancer Savion Glover, is mounting a commando assault on Broadway from the downtown redoubts of off-Broadway. Both are now encamped amid the revivals ("The King and I") and movie adaptations ("Big") that have made Broadway such a creatively fallow field in recent seasons. And both are oriented to an audience younger than Broadway usually attracts. If both, or either, settle in for a successful run, the door may open for new talent to reinvigorate the once dominant American musical theater. "RENT" so far has the sweet smell of success, marked no only by it's $6 million advance sale (solid, but no guarantee) but also by the swarm of celebrities who have clamored for tickets: Michelle Pfeifer, Sylvester Stallone, Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise, Mel Gibson, Ralph Fiennes...name your own biggie. Last week, on opening night, 21 TV crews, many from overseas, swarmed the Nederlander Theatre to shoot the 15 youthful cast members in euphoric shock under salvos of cheers. Supermogul David Geffen of the new DreamWorks team paid just under a million dollars to record the original-cast album. Pop artitsts who've expressed interest in recording songs from the 33-number score include Whitney Houston, Toni Braxton and Boyz II Men. A bidding scrimmage has started for the movie rights among such Hollywood heavies as Warner Brothers, Danny DeVito's Jersey Films, Fox 2000 and Columbia. The asking price is $3 million, but bonuses for length of run, RENT the Musical :: Rent Musicals Movies Broadway Plays Essays RENT the Musical There's a scene in the new musical "RENT" that may be the quintessential romantic moment of the '90s. Roger, a struggling rock musician, and Mimi, a junkie who's a dancer at an S/M club, are having a lovers' quarrel when their beepers go off and each takes out a bottle of pills. It's the signal for an "AZT break," and suddenly they realize that they're both HIV-positive. Clinch. Love duet. If you don't think this is romantic, consider that Jonathan Larson's sensational musical is inspired by Puccini's opera "La Boheme," in which the lovers Mimi and Rodolfo are tragically separated by her death from tuberculosis. Different age, different plague. Larson has updated Puccini's end-of-19th-century Left Bank bohemians to end-of-20th-century struggling artists in New York's East Village. His rousing, moving, scathingly funny show, performed by a cast of youthful unknowns with explosive talent and staggering energy, has brought a shocking jolt of creative juice to Broadway. A far greater shock was the sudden death of 35-year-old Larson from an aortic aneurysm just before his show opened. His death just before the breakthrough success is the stuff of both tragedy and tabloids. Such is our culture. Now Larson's work, along with "Bring in 'Da Noise, Bring in 'Da Funk," the tap-dance musical starring the marvelous young dancer Savion Glover, is mounting a commando assault on Broadway from the downtown redoubts of off-Broadway. Both are now encamped amid the revivals ("The King and I") and movie adaptations ("Big") that have made Broadway such a creatively fallow field in recent seasons. And both are oriented to an audience younger than Broadway usually attracts. If both, or either, settle in for a successful run, the door may open for new talent to reinvigorate the once dominant American musical theater. "RENT" so far has the sweet smell of success, marked no only by it's $6 million advance sale (solid, but no guarantee) but also by the swarm of celebrities who have clamored for tickets: Michelle Pfeifer, Sylvester Stallone, Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise, Mel Gibson, Ralph Fiennes...name your own biggie. Last week, on opening night, 21 TV crews, many from overseas, swarmed the Nederlander Theatre to shoot the 15 youthful cast members in euphoric shock under salvos of cheers. Supermogul David Geffen of the new DreamWorks team paid just under a million dollars to record the original-cast album. Pop artitsts who've expressed interest in recording songs from the 33-number score include Whitney Houston, Toni Braxton and Boyz II Men. A bidding scrimmage has started for the movie rights among such Hollywood heavies as Warner Brothers, Danny DeVito's Jersey Films, Fox 2000 and Columbia. The asking price is $3 million, but bonuses for length of run,

Failure of the Revolution in Animal Farm Essay -- Animal Farm Essays

The animals in the book â€Å"Animal Farm† hoped to achieve unity, equality. trust/truth, prosperity, better quality of life, freedom and individuality, in terms of the revolution. This was achieved at the beginning of the revolution, which made it a success, but in the end the revolution was a failure. The farm, in many ways, was very prosperous when the revolution began. The animals were given an education, â€Å"the reading and writing classes were however a great success,† which made them feel equal to the humans because they were now learning in the same way the humans did. The farm was becoming more prosperous in that, â€Å" everyone worked according to their own capacity,† which made the farm a happier place to work in, and the more work was done, the better. This hard work paid off because, â€Å" the harvest was an even bigger success than they had hoped, ‘ which motivate and encouraged the animals. The animals also did very well in working together in building the windmill which even though it fell down, they carried on rebuilding stronger and bigger ones. The animals also became very u...

Georg Cantor :: essays research papers

Georg Cantor I. Georg Cantor Georg Cantor founded set theory and introduced the concept of infinite numbers with his discovery of cardinal numbers. He also advanced the study of trigonometric series and was the first to prove the nondenumerability of the real numbers. Georg Ferdinand Ludwig Philipp Cantor was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, on March 3, 1845. His family stayed in Russia for eleven years until the father's sickly health forced them to move to the more acceptable environment of Frankfurt, Germany, the place where Georg would spend the rest of his life. Georg excelled in mathematics. His father saw this gift and tried to push his son into the more profitable but less challenging field of engineering. Georg was not at all happy about this idea but he lacked the courage to stand up to his father and relented. However, after several years of training, he became so fed up with the idea that he mustered up the courage to beg his father to become a mathematician. Finally, just before entering college, his father let Georg study mathematics. In 1862, Georg Cantor entered the University of Zurich only to transfer the next year to the University of Berlin after his father's death. At Berlin he studied mathematics, philosophy and physics. There he studied under some of the greatest mathematicians of the day including Kronecker and Weierstrass. After receiving his doctorate in 1867 from Berlin, he was unable to find good employment and was forced to accept a position as an unpaid lecturer and later as an assistant professor at the University of Halle in1869. In 1874, he married and had six children. It was in that same year of 1874 that Cantor published his first paper on the theory of sets. While studying a problem in analysis, he had dug deeply into its foundations, especially sets and infinite sets. What he found baffled him. In a series of papers from 1874 to 1897, he was able to prove that the set of integers had an equal number of members as the set of even numbers, squares, cubes, and roots to equations; that the number of points in a line segment is equal to the number of points in an infinite line, a plane and all mathematical space; and that the number of transcendental numbers, values such as pi(3.14159) and e(2.71828) that can never be the solution to any algebraic equation, were much larger than the number of integers. Before in mathematics, infinity had been a sacred subject. Previously, Gauss had stated that infinity should only be used as a way of speaking and not as a mathematical

Storm Born Chapter Twenty-Six

A fairy king's explosion will sort of get everyone's attention. I don't know how they all knew I was responsible, but suddenly, the eyes of my allies and foes alike were on me as all fighting ceased. The guy holding me released his grip, backing up and away. Fear glittered in his wide eyes. It occurred to me then I'd nearly forgotten about my captivity while working the magic. The experience had actually been remarkably like when Dorian kept me tied up. Maybe there'd been more to that method than his own kinky tendencies. None of Aeson's guards – the few who were left – moved from where they stood. I wondered if it was like in those films where killing the head zombie stops all the rest. Kiyo trotted up to me. Blood and dirt spattered his fur, but his eyes shone with eagerness and anticipation, like he could have fought all night. Volusian stood nearby, watching all with an unreadable expression on his face. Looking around myself, I received the full impact of what I'd just done. Whatever else wasn't water in the body lay scattered out in a wide radius from where Aeson had stood. I recognized blood and bits of bone, but most of the debris consisted of slimy, nondescript blobs. Bile rose up in the back of my throat, and I worked to swallow it down. God, what a mess. No wonder the guards looked at me like some kind of monster. I had craved the strength Storm King's inherited power could give me, but this†¦well, I didn't know if I could handle this on a regular basis. â€Å"Sire!† Shaya came tearing through the trees, breaking into the clearing. She looked remarkably fresh compared to the rest of us, but then, she'd probably spent most of our battle time running back to us, once she'd set the trees in motion. She knelt beside Dorian, cradling his head. I'd almost forgotten him in the aftermath. Running over, I dropped beside her. To my surprise, he looked more dirty than burnt. His skin appeared to have the nastiest sunburn of his life, and his clothes had singed and melted in some places. He looked exhausted, like he could keel over at any minute, but he still had the strength to push Shaya away when he saw me. â€Å"I'm fine, I'm fine.† He struggled to sit up. â€Å"Eugenie – â€Å" â€Å"How the hell did you survive that?† I exclaimed. â€Å"Earth shield. It's not important. Listen to me, you have to – â€Å" â€Å"Your majesty, we have to get you to a healer. We can't stay here.† I nodded my agreement. â€Å"She's right – â€Å" â€Å"Damn it! You're both welcome to fuss over my body as much as you like later. Right now, you have to act.† Reaching out, he grasped my arm, fingers digging in painfully to make his point. â€Å"You have to act now if you want to put Aeson to rest.† I glanced around at the gore. â€Å"He's pretty rested. And I don't feel his shade. He's gone.† Dorian shook his head. â€Å"Listen to me. Find his blood, er, what sort of passes for it.† He scanned and caught sight of a small puddle of water that looked to have some dark blobs in it in the poor lighting. â€Å"There. Touch it, and then stick your hand in the ground.† Shaya made a small sound of surprise. â€Å"Why†¦?† Bad enough I'd caused this mess. Now I had to touch it? â€Å"Just do it, Eugenie!† His voice was ragged but forceful, and he reminded me of the time he'd fought the nixies, hard and fierce. â€Å"He's right,† came Volusian's more subdued tones. â€Å"You must finish what you started.† Still not understanding, I did as they asked. The liquid was still warm, and I felt my stomach turn again as I dipped my hand in it. I sensed a tension in Aeson's guards as they watched, but none of them intervened. â€Å"Now put your hand in the earth,† said Dorian. Frowning, I tried. â€Å"I can't really go in. The ground's too hard.† And then it wasn't. My fingers sank in. It was easy. The previously hardened dirt turned soft, like quicksand, pulling my hand in until I was wrist-deep. I wondered if Dorian had done something magical. He shifted over to me. â€Å"Tell me what you feel.† â€Å"It†¦it's soft. And, well, it's dirt.† â€Å"Nothing else?† His voice surprised me. Anxious. Desperate. â€Å"No, it's just – wait. It feels†¦warmer. Hot almost. Like it's moving†¦or alive.† I looked up at him, frightened. â€Å"What's happening?† â€Å"Listen to me, Eugenie. I need you to think about†¦life. Vitality. Picture it in your mind. Whatever setting makes you feel alive when you're outdoors, makes you feel connected to the rest of the world. Cold. Rain. Flowers. Whatever it is, visualize it as sharply as you can. For me, that life is autumn on my father's estate when the oaks are orange and the apples are ripe. For you, it will be something different. Reach out to that. What it looks like, smells like, feels like. Hold that image in your mind.† Still scared, I attempted to focus my befuddled mind into a coherent image. For a moment, his vision stuck in my head, the cool breezes and blazing colors of his land. But no, that wasn't what made me feel alive. Tucson did. Dry heat. The desert's perfume. The sun pouring down on the Santa Catalina mountains. The dull-colored stretches of sandy dirt adorned with splotches of green from low shrubs and plants. The colors and hues of blossoms on cacti after the rain. That was life. The world I'd grown up with and longed for whenever I was away from it. Those images burned into my mind, so real I could almost reach out and touch them. The ground below me shook. Startled, I jerked my hand out of the dirt, but the trembling didn't stop. The land groaned, and before my eyes, it shifted and twisted. The guards' low cries of fear came to my ears, and nearby, Shaya muttered what sounded like a prayer. The trees of the forest behind me melted, sinking into the ground they'd sprouted from. The green carpet of grass we'd fought on faded, replaced by gravelly dirt. A moment later, shrubby patches of grass shot up from that dirt, along with small, scraggly plants. Cholla. Agave. The land beyond the fortress rose, forming into sharp angles and plateaus, like the foothills of a mountain range. Thin pines grew on those slopes, covering it in patches. The moisture in the air dropped, and the temperature increased ever so slightly. Finally the cacti came, popping up everywhere, and they were covered in flowers. Too many flowers to be real. We never had that kind of an outburst, yet there they were, a riot of colors vividly appare nt even in the dusky light of dawn. Saguaros sprang up among the flowering cacti, in a matter of seconds reaching the sizes that normally took hundreds of years. The land started to quiet, except for the spot beside me. It trembled from the force of something trying to get out. I scrambled away lest it impale me. Moments later, a tree burst from the earth, springing up with unreal speed. Reaching almost twenty-five feet in the air, its spiky gray-black branches spread out. Purple blooms sprang all over it like a cloud or a veil. Then all went still. I gaped. I had a Tucson summer around me. Only it was better. The kind of summer you always wished for but rarely achieved. We all sat there frozen, peering around for what would come next. Only Dorian and Volusian seemed nonchalant. â€Å"What is this tree?† Dorian asked softly, looking upward. I swallowed. â€Å"It†¦it's a smokethorn.† My mother had a couple of them in her yard. â€Å"A smokethorn,† he repeated, lips turning up in delight. I stared at him, still in shock. â€Å"What†¦what just happened?† I managed. The sweetness of mesquite came to me on a light breeze, heady and delicious. â€Å"He's given you a kingdom,† said a clear, soprano voice. â€Å"You stole what I should have gotten.† Jasmine Delaney stood just on the outskirts of our little gathering. She looked wraithlike in the early morning light. Her strawberry-blond hair hung long and loose, and a form-fitting blue gown covered her slim body. Her wondrous, enormous gray eyes appeared black without full illumination. Finn stood next to her. I clambered to my feet. Beside me, Dorian did the same, albeit awkwardly. He touched my arm. â€Å"Be careful.† Something was wrong here, but I couldn't put my finger on it yet. â€Å"Jasmine†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I said stupidly. â€Å"We've come to take you home.† Her lips formed a flat line, not exactly a smile and not exactly a grimace either. â€Å"I am home. After putting up with humans all that time, I'm finally where I should be.† â€Å"You don't know what you're saying. I know you think you want to be here, but it's wrong. You need to come home.† â€Å"No, Eugenie. I'm saying what you should have been saying all along. I recognized my birthright, and I came for it. Whereas you†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She shook her head, anger kindling in her words. The intensity of that hate seemed absurd with her young, high voice – as did the fact that she'd actually used the word â€Å"birthright.† Too much time with the gentry. â€Å"You became the biggest rock star around here. You could have had it all, but you couldn't handle it. You spent all your time bitching and moaning, acting like it was so hard to be you. It was stupid, but they all ate it up. Even Aeson did.† She sounded near tears, and a lump formed in my throat. Not because I felt sorry for her but because I knew with a deadly certainty what she was going to say. â€Å"He thought because you were the oldest and had your stupid warrior thing going that you'd be the one to have the heir, not me. He was going to toss me aside, even though I've been faithful to him the whole time – even before he brought me over. It didn't even matter. He was ready to get rid of me for you.† I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to block out her eyes. Those enormous gray eyes, gray like the sky on a rainy day. Just as mine were the violet of storm clouds gathering. Wil's words came back to me, lamenting their childhood: Our dad was always off on some business trip, and our mom was constantly sleeping around on him. Their mom had indeed slept around – with one of the gentry, on one of Storm King's assorted liaisons in the human world. There had been a reason Jasmine reminded me of myself. â€Å"Jasmine†¦please. We can deal with this†¦.† â€Å"No. I'm tired of you, Eugenie. You're the worst sister ever, and you aren't going to be the one who gets to have the heir and start the conquest. I am.† I glanced over at the lanky form beside her. â€Å"Finn†¦?† He shrugged, as chipper as ever. â€Å"Sorry, Odile. I gave you the chance. I spread your identity around, hoping you'd see reason. You think I wanted to be some shaman's toadie? I picked you because I thought you were going places. You blew it, so I traded up.† My shock over these developments shot into anger. Finn had betrayed us. He'd let Aeson know we were coming. He'd even tried to stack the deck against us by separating Dorian from me earlier. Before I – or anyone else – realized what I was doing, I strode over to where my captor had tossed my assorted weapons. In a flash, I held the wand. I touched Persephone's gate and said the banishing words. Finn's mouth dropped open in astonishment, but he was such a weak spirit – never meant to be more than a toadie, after all – that his resistance was a nonevent. My will, channeled through the wand, pulled him through the pathway I'd created. A moment later, he vanished, transported into the Underworld. Banishing him didn't really fix the mess I was in, but it made me feel better. Jasmine's face darkened, her eyes narrowing with bitter hatred for me. Christ. I still couldn't believe this. She was just a kid. â€Å"Your staff got downsized,† I told her. â€Å"I've got more.† I felt a surge of water in the air and a dozen translucent, feline forms appeared beside her. They reminded me of lions, but their bodies moved like water swirled inside them, dynamic and restless, just underneath their translucent skin. Their eyes glowed an almost neon blue, and their teeth and claws looked about ten times longer and sharper than a normal lion's. â€Å"Yeshin,† Dorian murmured in my ear. â€Å"More water creatures.† I caught the implied message. Maiwenn had had nothing to do with the fachan or nixies. Jasmine had sent them, using the power inherited from our father to attempt to kill me. She'd wanted to get me out of the way so she'd be the only one in line to fulfill that crazy prophecy. Maybe I should have been outraged, but mostly I felt jealous. Jasmine could summon water denizens, and I could not. The yeshin moved toward me with a sinuous grace, saliva – or was it simply water? – dripping from their fangs. For a moment, I couldn't act. Then Kiyo moved in a golden-orange streak beside me, tackling one of the yeshin to the ground. Their limbs and claws bit into each other as they wrestled, rolling over and over in the dust. I came to life, grappling on the ground for my gun. Finding it, I ejected the clip and dug through my coat pockets until I found a silver one. Meanwhile, four other yeshin advanced. Dorian waved a hand, and a small dust cloud rose up and swirled in the creatures' eyes. With his other hand, he pointed at me and yelled at the guards. â€Å"All of you! You know your duty. Defend her.† The guards stayed fixed, staring uneasily between the yeshin and me. Then, one stepped forward, sword raised. He let out a battle cry and charged forward to the yeshin nearest him. A moment later, the others followed suit. â€Å"Stay back from this, your majesty,† I heard Shaya say. â€Å"You're too weak now.† She was right. Dorian was pale beneath his burns, barely able to keep himself upright. Giving me a brief glance first, Shaya closed her eyes in concentration. Seconds later, two saguaros ripped themselves from the earth and lumbered toward a yeshin. Their weight and grappling helped immobilize it. I took aim and fired until the yeshin moved no more. Straightening back up, the saguaros plodded on to their next victim. I followed them, ready to repeat the process. Nearby, Kiyo looked to be on his third yeshin. I watched as he pinned it down, his sharp teeth tearing into its skin. Liquid leaked out, not blood but water. Still, it made a valiant effort to fight him, one clawed paw snaking out and gouging his side. Blood appeared on him, but it didn't seem to faze him. He kept moving, tearing into the beast until it died. Then, without hesitation, he moved on to the next one. The guards – my guards? – fought yeshin in small groups while Volusian aided with his magic. Shaya had created another set of moving saguaros but looked tired. She had her sword drawn and hovered near Dorian, watchful and protective through her fatigue. The saguaros had another yeshin pinned. I fired and heard only a click. I'd run out of bullets. This was my second silver clip; I'd brought no more. Swearing, I stuffed the gun away and pulled out my wand. Fixing on the yeshin the saguaros held, I sent the creature out of this world. It took more energy than firing a gun. Working my earlier magic had apparently tired me out. No wonder Dorian and Shaya were weakening. Three yeshin were left. Kiyo was moving onto one of them; I swore he'd taken down half the group himself. Blood covered him, but he bared his teeth and lunged at his next foe. One of the saguaros went down to a yeshin's attack, but the cactus' partner distracted the cat enough for a banishing. The guards had encircled the third and were having a rough time of it. One of them was thrown from the fray, landing roughly and painfully. Another fell in the way of the yeshin's claws and screamed. I still didn't entirely get why they fought for me, but I moved to help them, trying to get a good fix. Suddenly, as I approached, I heard a horrible, strangled cry from where Kiyo fought. I knew it wasn't the yeshin, but I couldn't turn around. I had the guards' yeshin in sight already and had started the words. Forcing myself to stay on task, I drove it from this world. The guards turned to me in surprise. â€Å"Thank you, your majesty,† one said gratefully. I didn't dwell on the fact that he wasn't thanking Dorian. The last yeshin was stalking away from an inert form – a fox-shaped form. My guards were on the cat in a flash, and it succumbed almost immediately. It had already been severely weakened. Jasmine, I barely noted, was nowhere in sight. Without giving her another thought, I fell to Kiyo's side. He wasn't moving. I rolled him over to his back, trying to feel a pulse or breath. Nothing. I screamed his name, wondering what to do. Could you perform CPR on a fox? Desperate and hysterical, I shook him, saying his name over and over. A hand reached out and took my arm, moving it away. â€Å"He's gone, Eugenie,† Dorian said quietly. Shaya knelt beside him, face sober. â€Å"No,† I whispered. â€Å"No.† â€Å"Can't you feel it? His spirit left this body. It travels to the next world.† I blinked, suddenly back in control. Traveling. Maybe not there yet. A banishing sent the spirit on instantly. Real death had a slight delay; that was how people had near-death experiences. â€Å"But not quite there,† I said, relaxing my body and clearing my mind. The butterfly burned as I reached out to Persephone. I was already in the Otherworld, one step closer than usual to the world beyond it. Dorian shot me a look of alarm, recognizing what I was doing. He reached for me. â€Å"Damn it, don't – â€Å" He stopped abruptly, realizing I was already gone. Disturbing me in that state would be deadly. I vaguely saw his hand drop as he stared helplessly at my entranced body, the body that no longer held my spirit. I had moved on – on to the land of death.