Personality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Personality - Essay Example The judgmental way of thinking comes out as a result of my extroverted nature. Due to the fact that I am also feeling, this combination is what allows me to be empathetic toward others. By understanding the characteristics of my personality profile, I can be aware of what situations I will do well in and which ones I will not. In addition, it helps me understand how I get along with certain people and not others. This is incredibly important when taking a leadership position and learning how to interact and motivate followers. Sometimes, we act without thinking because that is the way our personality works. This automated form of behavior can be important in situations where you could say or do something that may be automatic to you, but might not be socially/culturally acceptable to people who do not share the same personality type. In organizational behavior, personality assessments are important in determining whether someone is going to be good for a particular job. For example, if someone is interviewing to work in customer service, however they score an â€Å"I â€Å" on their personality inventory, this would end up hurting the company.

Police work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Police work - Essay Example In addition, the officers have the duty of controlling traffic and executing any other duties as designated by their commanders (Perez, 2011). The process of becoming a police officer varies from one country to the other because the laws of different countries have set different of becoming a police officer. There are four basic requirements to be fulfilled by any person who want to become a police officer. The first requirement is that one must have attained a legal age of 21 years, be a citizen of the United State and have a valid driving licence. Secondly, one must be morally upright. This means that a person who intends to become a police officer should not have been convicted of crime and felonies during his/her teenage life. Therefore, teenagers are urged to shun any form of crime and domestic misdemeanour because it may disqualify them of becoming a police officer. The third step entails having a good credit record. This means that for one to be considered to a position of a police officer one should have clean credit record. This may involve avoiding debts accumulation and paying creditors promptly. It is therefore , vital for a person with a passion of becoming a police officer to have a good credit rating to qualify for a position of a police officer. The forth step involves having a good job experience. This involves having any little experience that may help the recruiters to see that one is responsible person and can be in a position to work both as an individual as well as a team member. The fifth requirement involves being physically feet according to the health standards for all police officers. For example, police officers are expected to have muscle reflex, being able to run short and long g distances as well as being to lift heavy objects. The sixth requirement involves understanding what the work of a police officer is as well as how they should relate with the general public (Northeast Editing,

Credit Rating Agency: Impacts of Regulatory Changes

Credit Rating Agency: Impacts of Regulatory Changes How rating agencies operate, and recent regulatory changes. Credit rating agency is a private company that is assigned to detect the creditworthiness of businesses, individuals or other organizations. It uses very many factors to assess the ability of the borrowers to repay their debts. It is majorly based on the borrowers solvency. The main instruments rated by the rating agency are the government bonds, corporate bonds, stocks exchange, municipal bonds and security collaterals. These obligations to assess the creditworthiness is issued by the companies especially banks in order to give loans to other business or companies. The agencies have been in practice for a long period since the 20th century. The agencies have certain regulations that governance its operations. This work explores the activities of credit rating agency how they operate and reasonable regulations that have changed recently (White, 2010). The main purpose of the rating agencies is to give the rating to businesses that issue debts, which involve Private Corporation and the national government and other forms of government. The agency has proved to be important in the lending, and the financial industry as information is for the investors to demand to receive adequate compensation for the risk involved in any particular investment is critical (White, 2010). Investors take into account the credit rating to help manage the range. Lower rating translates to greater lending risk by a lender. In consideration of the market trends, the investors may lend at larger rates in higher risk to protect against the risks thus, having an overall effect of raising the lending rates. Credit rating agency is also essential as the information they provide are used to determine the interest to be charged on loans given or possible returns expected. Business with a low rating and high risk would attract high-interest rate while the high rating and low risk would attract the low-interest rates. The investor seeks such opinions from the rating agencies in order to make appropriate investment decisions. In history, as from the beginning of the 20th century, three companies, Fitch, Moody, and standard and poors were formed to help the investors to access the ability of other individual be able to repay loan or assistance given to the by such institutions. For Fetch, it had a unique characteristic of publishing its finding on the stock and bonds financial statistics. The standard and poor it had the same approach as for the Fitch Moodys company but was a bit different, as it was proving its rating on the government bonds. The companies help so many organization and business to consolidate their asset and operation thus improving lending among the companies (Pinto, 2006). Creditworthiness, being the capability and willingness to make full payment of debt in required time, some companies due to financial constrain cannot be able to make such commitments. In order to determine the timely debt payment a number of factors are considered, the financial risk, industry risk, business and risks associated with management. This factors if not put into consideration a business cannot repay the debt. With the factor in place, certain criteria are used to assess the credit rating process (White, 2010). In order for any business to repay debt, the venture should be able to generate sufficient cash to fund all its operation and still have the excess to be used for the repayment of the credit. And the most important is the ability to repay the debts in full within the stipulated time happens is what most credit rating the companys main point of interest (Pinto, 2006). Certain factors are use in determining the rating for businesses, these factors considered can be grouped as either qualitative or quantitative. These factors also depend on the type of business in question. Different businesses have different fundaments and management structures. The environment of operations also marks an important factor. Business can prosper quickly or perform poorly based on the area it is situated. The industry in which the company operates is also important as some industries attract more risk than others or have a varying degree of requirements to run. The extent of market dominance as it provides the positions and influence in its operations. With all these factors in place, its possible to determine and make a comparison between the financial and business risk (Pinto, 2006). Quality analysis The environment of operation is coupled with the company itself before rating the company. It is important to have a detailed analysis of any operating risk of the issuer which involves its internal and the external business environment. Then there is analysis to evaluate the financial risk involved. Assessing the financial risks would help to keep the potential of the firm to repay the depths. Industry An industry in which the issuer is active determines the external factors in which the business can be successful, or it can fail to perform in. This gives the credit a platform in which it can assess the business qualitatively. The rating takes into consideration the mode of the company cycle and its volatility as it a tool for the long-term assessment of the capabilities to repay the loan or debts involved. In this case, the level of capital intensity and competitiveness make the critical business environment; It influences the rating since in most scenarios these factors impacts on the cash flow within the firm and the timely debt repayment (Pinto, 2006). To arrive at a rating, a real business profiling is conducted which involve in-depth analysis of the finances and the business itself; this profile is in conjunction with the riskiness in the particular industry. If a company operates in a relatively risky industry there a possibility of slightly lower rating irrespective its of the financial performance (Pinto, 2006). To case study on the industry, an oilfield service company is considered. The industry involves the companies that drill, provide oil services and gas exploration. These companies do suffer if done profile do not incur financial risk, but in case it is there its in low level, but instead, they have the business risk. Its characterized by the firms being highly specialized thus limited product are offered, the risk they are involved in are hard to avoid, the risks are spillages, contaminations, environmental risks and political risk. There is no barrier to entries posting possibility of stiff competition among other critical factors. The business risk assessment; the size of the rating would be able to tell if it will be able to withstand the petroleum price that is extremely volatile. In these feeds of operations, the economies of scale matter a lot since for the business with large sizes are not significantly affected by the changing prices. Other factors that are used include; operating efficiency which involves the cost of operation and the influence due to the ever-changing prices, capital intensity, sovereign governance, and the corporate governance. Other important factors considered are contractual position, diversification in customers, environmental factors and workforce enterprise (Pinto, 2006). In the rating, the financial and the business risk are blended to come up with the best rating. In most case, in such an industry the business risks are more than the financial risk. However, at some low level of rating the financial risk take precedence to environmental factors. The position in the market Market position in most cases may override if the business that operates in highly competitive environment which happen when assessing the industry. The critical factors to be considered include, the ability to influence or maintains prices in the market, for the sake of customers who are key and the products are diversified, in case there is competitiveness in the market and above all to what the business market share (Pinto, 2006). Taking business size into consideration only is only helpful in rating if the size has an influence on the cash flow regarding cost, operation efficiency, and the economies of scale which mainly experienced in oil industry explained above. Market position is, therefore, important in gauging the ability to cope with changes or disruption factor influencing its existence. If a business is a dominant business in a particular environment, it means that the firm can easily carry its operations but still manage to pay its debts obligations within time. This is because such business has a broad customer base so they can have good returns within a short period. Assessing based finance would give high results result. Business management The way business is managed greatly determines the creditworthiness. The analyst would consider the management skills in their ratings. Excellent managerial skills to business have many benefits to the success of the firm. However, in rating management, it is evaluated in more comprehensive perspective more than just operational success. The tolerance is a critical determinant. Tolerance in business manage is the ability to sustain the business running despite other factors that may hinder smooth business operation. Factors that would rate the company include maintaining market positions with a well-established managements track record, the long-term financial performance of the venture, having established efficient operating system form the basis of qualitative analysis if the rating. Rating base on management further takes into consideration the following. The company policy, establishment of policies should be in line with the objective of the business. These should stipulate the financial risks that are involved and incase the do exist, the appropriate ways to mitigate them. An analyst would particular concentrate on the financial risk polices created by the company. Organizational considerations The senior management plays a significant role in determining the success of the business. The management is the core decision makers, and the analyst relies most on the decisions they make to run the decision. The number of people involved in the process of decision making and the frequency of its adjustments. Problem crops in when old decision are still being used to influence a business that is in an ever changing market trends. Adding to risk tolerance, the reliability and credibility in determining the creditworthiness are based on the tolerance. Businesses which are at high-risk financial aid are starting businesses. So many challenges are normally encountered in the business before it gains stability especially in a highly competitive environment. If the management can sustain such constraints and still be able to repay a particular loan with a stipulated time, then such a business could earn a higher rating in the credit rating agency (Pinto, 2006). Management strategy, any successful business should be able to anticipate the future base on its past and present. Having a short and long term strategies that predict the future and maintaining the strategies chosen to form the best platform for analysis. The short term plans short be engineered to ensuring maximum earnings to the business (Langohr Langohr, 2010). Quality analysis of corporate governance firms Still, on the management of corporate firm have a bit complex management compared to other business as it has many people involve in senior management position forming the board of management of which must participate in decision making of affirms. The board should be effective. To ensure the effectiveness of the board its primary role of oversight and ability is important. Once the decisions have been made, then its implementation is by junior members. The analysis focuses on the capacity of the board to have a big oversight that would see smooth operation with emphasis on incentivizing management in the execution of the financial responsibilities (Langohr, Langohr, 2010). The board should also be independent. An independent director would participate in decision management with a clear focused mind. Those executives with some degree of loyalty to their seniors do not make rational decisions as their decisions are influence by their relations which may set back the corporate especially its finances which the main point of focus in the rating Financial discipline and accountability is another major consideration by the credit rating of the business. Factors that are considered are the compensations within the organization. A corporate which grants remuneration far above what is normal in the market is likely to have low ratings. Money transaction among the stakeholders such as top management, the sister companies and between shareholder cannot be trusted as accountability is likely to be a problem (Langohr Langohr, 2010). Companies or nations In rating countries or companies, the following factors are considered. The political risk; most companies do have internal politics. Business politics is good if it only it can embrace diversity and allows people to share their different ideas get synergize them together to come up with better solution or leadership to the business. In cases where bad politics is present, the probabilities of financial impropriates are high which would give a poor rating. National politics could lead to a country of peace which business operations are being carried on smoothly. In such an environment with political stability, a business can carry out its operations to get funds to pay their debt within time. This also applies to government borrowing. In case a country is in turmoil business are negatively affected thus their ability to repay their debts due to the risk involved is lowered therefore in such case the rating would relatively reduce irrespective of other factors. Regulatory risk; the laws that are enacted by countries are supposed to create a conducive environment for enabling business. The government should adopt policies or sign trade agreements that protect the local investments. In such as case, the economy grows allowing business and the government to repay loan. Some countries do enact monetary policies that act like a bullet shooting them in the foot. These policies may affect the countries internal and foreign investments. External risks: These risks relate to the treat such as wars or trade sanctions. A country that is engaged in war is at high risk of punishment by trading blocks and other external countries. In case a country receives such treat the implication is that its not able to carry any business with other nations. Which means it cannot be able to earn foreign exchange and which is used in repayment of government borrowings Fiscal risk; this depends on the balance between the government borrowing and expenditure. Is the government borrowing too much and spending away? Majorly the problem of over borrowing is common in third world countries in which the government officials are corrupt. Government borrowing is supposed to channeled to project that could create the return to help repay such loan. Countries with poor quality fiscal policies are rated lowly by the credit rating families. Economic risk; the economy of a country is determined by the gross domestic product. When there is a case of a poor economy such as the in a case of civil wars, the government cannot collect taxes, and there are cases of inflation which affect the countrys and companys ability to repay the loans(Pinto, 2006). Accounting Creditability and accountability of finances in an organization is shown by good accounting. The financial reporting is a clear indication that a business is financially disciplined. Credit institutions rely majorly on the accounting statements of a business. Accurate and transparent accounting books can motivate financial institution to grant credit facilities to business. On the rating, unclear books of accounting that could be as a result of interference by the management or workers have a negative implication on the assessment of the creditworthiness of the business. The agencies would also use the accounting theories in areas as depreciation, goodwill, consolidations and pension provisions that would demonstrate a true figure of financial performance (Pinto, 2006). Quantitative analysis Other than the qualitative analysis where there is detailed assessment of the finances is analyzed there is also a quantitative survey by the credit rating agencies. Quantitative analysis deals more with the cash generation ability of the issuers. To detect long-term sustainability an important ratio is considered, the profitability and the debt coverage ratio this requires the provision of financial projections for a period of next three or five years. The quantitative measure and development and trend are significant in the analysis. Profitability Profitability is determined a by a number of financial ratios. The ability to make profit is the main determinant of the level of credit protection and the degree of credit risk for investors. The potential to obtain capital internally and enter the external capital sources is directly proportional to the companys returns and operating margins. The margins i.e. operating income and sales provide the issuers profitability as a result of revenue growth excluding the profits. Comparisons are possible due to companies of the same level (Kisgen Strahan, 2010). Cash flow Payments of interest or principle are not made on the earnings Even though it seems to be connected to the profitability. When the operating cash flow is enough to services the debt and its operation that is the time it can be used to make payments. In credit rating methodology, cash flow is being taken as the most important as an essential part of the analysis. It is not possible to cover underperformance or loses through funds from external sources. Specific attention is on the extent the issuer depends on external funds and cashflow from operations. For companies to make future obligations, their cash flows are integral. It further focuses on the leverages, coverage, and earnings which are used accounting methods which are a particular and different valuation of assets. This implies that at no point it will mirror the correct financial position of the issuer and his ability to service the debt (Kisgen Strahan, 2010). Flexibility of finances When the company is under constrains, they react in a particular way shown by the financial flexibility. The rating checks at the debt serving during the time in which the finances are volatile in the business and in case the company could be having any other sources considered as external. The financial flexibility is directly proportional to funding options that are available for business. The flexibility in the finances is affected by the debt levels especially the short-term debts. Other effects to financial flexibility are loans with more restrictive terms, possibilities of legal issues, insurance covers missing and pensions which are not fully funded (Kisgen Strahan, 2010). Capital structure This is the dependence of business on the external source of funds. This highly affects the debt serving ability. If a company entirely depend on the external source, it is hard to predict how it would be able to repay the debt (Kisgen Strahan, 2010). Pros and cons Credit rating agencies like any other agency have pro and con in its operations. The advantages include they help institutions get better rates. For institutions with higher grades are in a position to borrow many at the rates which are favorable, it is a kind of an incentive to the businesses with good management and whose creditworthiness is not doubted. Help warn investors of risky companies; for the investors who want to invest in high risk, businesses are in a position to know the level of returns they expect from companies of low rating. It is due to this high risk that such investors are able to make surplus compared to the other normal investors. Provision for a room for improvement as a good incentive for the business rated poorly, it is an opportunity for them to realize the areas they should change in. A common challenge is that such businesses are normally in denial of their debt status. However, for those that accept do get advice as an incentive to their improvements. Since anything with advantage must have the other side, the cons of credit rating include evaluation being highly subjective; the rating between different companies varies considerably. This because there exist no known standard formula or guideline used by credit rating institutions in their work, the general rating is based on their judgments. The possibility of a conflict of reference: In making reference to cases in the department of justice USA where there was a possibility of a conflict of interest in mortgage-backed securities that collapse in 2008. The rating companies at times provide their services to companies which make the private request. However, they can make such rating and give to investors even if the requesting company still pays them. Conflict of interest to occur when the business does not a company is given good rating they do not deserve on the basis that this rating company wants to retain them as their customers (Mulligan, 2009). Lastly the ratings are in most cases not very accurate. For a long time the way the agencies rate have been subject to a lot of questioning. In as much as they do have a consistent rating, it does not translate to accurate rating. The inaccuracy can be case studied mortgage-backed securities that recessed despite the good rating it was given by then. New regulations on the credit rating agencies Reform Act has been enacted to with the aim of improving rating quality, investors protections and for the transparency, accountability, and competition in the credit rating market. I the USA the amendments geared toward the CRA include CRA reform act of 2006. The act raised the number of NRSRIs which lead to increase in competition among the CRA, in case there was no-action letter process in designation, then an agency can seek to designation by submitting applications to SEC with the new laws (Hill, 2012). The CRA companies were required with the new regulation to adopt NRSROs of particular policies and procedures which would prevent misuse of non-public information, materials and on the issue of management potential of interest; SEC was mandated to inspect these adoptions by the CRAs the new regulations further demand that NRSRIs are to provide their procedures and methodology in which they use to in rating, provide the SEC with information regarding quality of information, accuracy and reliability, including the information from the third parts used in rating the issuance, the NRSRO was to have board of director who is independent as they give internal control which implements, maintains and enforce the policies, methodologies, and procedures of credit rating. Right of action against ratings agencies can also be brought by the investors regarding the reckless failure to conduct a reasonable investigation of the fact or use of independent source to gain information. Qualifying exams and continuous education were enacted, and it was mandatory for the analyst to do and pass the exams. Other international agencies also such as the European Union also stipulated some of the rules for the rating agencies. The new rule seeks to reduce overreliance on credit rating, which specifically was dependent on the external rating but instead, financial institutions were to strengthen their risk assessment programs. The credit rating companies were to be more accountable for their activities in case there was intentionally or due to the negligence of other regulations. Conclusion The credit rating agency is important organs for the investor to base the decision in their rating as it gives the picture of the creditworthiness of the issuer. The investor can determine more accurately the returns from the investment and the risk involved in a particular investment plan. Financial institutions also can use the report from this agency to reduce the possibilities of high loan defaulters in their operation. However due to poor historical misconduct of some of the agencies and numerous disadvantages associated with such agencies companies have made losses and recesses as well. In line with this US government together other-other international bodies enacted laws and regulations to that strict governance the agencies and its operation by majorly making reference to mortgage-back securities. References       Hill, C. A. (2012). Regulating the rating agencies. Wash. ULQ, 82, 43. Kisgen, D. J., Strahan, P. E. (2010). Do regulations based on credit ratings affect a firms cost of capital?. Review of Financial Studies, hhq077. Langohr, H., Langohr, P. (2010). The rating agencies and their credit ratings: what they are, how they work, and why they are relevant (Vol. 510). John Wiley Sons. Mulligan, C. M. (2009). From AAA to F: How the credit rating agencies failed America and What can be done to protect investors. BCL Rev., 50, 1275. Pinto, A. R. (2006). Control and responsibility of credit rating agencies in the United States. The American Journal of Comparative Law, 54, 341-356. White, L. J. (2010). Markets: The credit rating agencies. The Journal of Economic Perspectives, 24(2), 211-226.

the hell of 1984 :: essays research papers

The Hell of Nineteen Eighty-Four. ). Did Orwell realise quite what he had done in Nineteen Eighty-Four? His post-publication glosses on its meaning reveal either blankness or bad faith even about its contemporary political implications. He insisted, for example, that his 'recent novel [was] NOT intended as an attack on Socialism or on the British Labour Party (of which I am a supporter)'.(1) He may well not have intended it but that is what it can reasonably be taken to be. Warburg saw this immediately he had read the manuscript, and predicted that Nineteen Eighty-Four '[was] worth a cool million votes to the Conservative Party';(2) the literary editor of the Evening Standard 'sarcastically prescribed it as "required reading" for Labour Party M.P.s',(3) and, in the US, the Washington branch of the John Birch Society 'adopted "1984" as the last four digits of its telephone number'.(4) Moreover, Churchill had made the 'inseparably interwoven' relation between socialism and totalitarianism a plank in his 1945 election campaign(5) (and was not the protagonist of Nineteen Eighty-Four called Winston?). If, ten years earlier, an Orwell had written a futuristic fantasy in which Big Brother had had Hitler's features rather than Stalin's, would not the Left, whatever the writer's proclaimed political sympathies, have welcomed it as showing how capitalism, by its very nature, led to totalitarian fascism? With Nineteen Eighty-Four, it is particularly necessary to trust the tale and not the teller, but even this has its pitfalls. Interpretations of the novel already exist which blatantly ignore the intentions of the author by reinterpreting its manifest content without any obvious justification. But all existing interpretations of Nineteen Eighty-Four are unsatisfactory in one regard or another. For many years Nineteen Eighty-Four 'served as a sort of an ideological super-weapon in the Cold War',(6) was used along with Animal Farm as propaganda in the Western occupied zones of Germany, which it was 'feared ... might be invaded by Soviet troops',(7) and was later also made use of by West Germany as 'warning . . . about what a future under Stalin might be like'.(8) There is much in the novel, of course, which allowed it to be interpreted as an attack on Soviet Communism and its allegedly aggressive intentions. Nonetheless, such an interpretation does not quite fit: Ingsoc has been establ ished in Oceania by internal revolution and not by military invasion or external pressure. The model is Trotsky rather than Stalin.

The Handmaids Tale Foreword

The Handmaids tale Foreword: In an age of consumerism and commercialization, the younger generations are demanding fast satisfaction and instant returns. They want see and own within a couple of taps on their screens which are specialized, personalized, made to meet their every demand. We are in an age where possessions define you. The commercial world loves us and consequently mass production and competition increases happily. Un-till we stop to ask, what costs do these freedoms come? Recently portrayed on the big screen The Handmaids Tale shouts out a universal and timeless message .As warning to us, Margaret Atwood presents the inconvenient truths about the ways in which we live our lives today. Dystopian totalitarian government, Gilead offers prime grounds for Atwood’s ironic and controversial comment . The novel paints a picture of a world undone by pollution, infertility, environmental degradation, declining birthrates and the dangers of nuclear power. It is a classic Re flection of the original production era, the 1980’s, in which the understanding of humanities environmental footprint went commercialGilead is set in a time where life had become so licentious that the morally aggrieved have overthrown, this in just over a decade. The similarities to reality in this novel lead the reader on a confronting journey, both of discovery and realization, positioning them to question society and all that is our normality. Living under the fundamentalist Gilead Ian regime, the commoner is stripped from all that they own and once lived for. It is a society in which freedom has been replaced by control.Due to a drastic decline in fertility rates, the few fertile woman left, are now treated as communal property and are selected for the role of womb, classified as ‘Handmaids’. Women find themselves no longer allowed to read, work, own property, or handle money. Consequently they are entrapped in a system, which defines them by their role: wom b, wife, prostitute, and servant. Various commanders move handmaids from house to house for fertilization and childbirth is miraculous. Reaping the benefits of this rarity are those in power .The rare commodity of a baby is distributed to the commander and his wife. Confronting and contrasting our ways of life today, Atwood evolves a threatening statement about the system. This ‘story’, discusses the social expectations that dominate our lives . In a fictional tale not dissimilar to history, it embodies the timeless tune of human nature. Painting a disturbingly graphic picture of the future and has her audience left appreciating all that we take for granted every day.Through the eyes of handmaid, Offred, we are transported into a totalitarian fundamentalist regime. Offred hangs on those who poison her existence. She has been stripped down to Breeding for breath. Passively resisting the regime Offred in her self is a comment on what it is that truly empowers us. Through off red’s circumstances Atwood has us asking the questions. What is the repercussion of our becoming so acquainted with freedom, that we stop fighting for it? What will the remedy be for when we finally are forced into facing the inconvenient truth?Through entertaining the ethical dilemmas of today, Atwood asks how we will work in solving the problems we are currently making for ourselves. All fundamental issues that the younger generations, the future leaders of our world need to be ware. A theocratic government, which demands false dichotomy, patriotism and ultimately Christian fundamentalism. The themes of this novel are Parallels with the monstrosities we are facing today, consequently presenting us with some disturbing realizations about reality.Presented in a fictional format this book is similar to the healthy version of a mud cake. Juicy, gooey, sweet and enticing, only unlike the pulp fiction today’s audiences crave, this piece of work leaves you thinking. The story hangs on the realities of our world. Yes the world is changing. Will there be anyone left soon from the liberation eras to endorse, and let us understand how to fight for our rights? Will the future of our world know how? I can only imagine these were Atwood’s questions when she set out in writing this prophetic piece. This is her legacy.This is how she answered the question. This is education, reaching out to the masses like someone able to speak a universal language . She has caused the problems in the hope that we will change. Such powerful words of warning becoming more relevant as time goes on, this novel will stand the tests of time and live throughout the 21st century. Atwood remarkably, is able to offer a confronting and ultimate insight into the society today, all this without one generically boring statistics. This is an Ultimately Disturbing dystopia that leaves its audiences captivated by the possibilities.

The Indigo Spell Chapter Fifteen

MS. TERWILLIGER WAS WAITING in the lobby when Julia and I returned to the dorm. â€Å"Seriously. Do you have a tracking device on me?† I asked. Julia took one look at our teacher's serious expression and quickly made an exit. â€Å"Just excellent timing,† Ms. Terwilliger replied. â€Å"I understand you have news.† â€Å"Surprisingly, yes.† Ms. Terwilliger's face was hard as she led me back outside to more privacy and yet another top secret outdoor meeting. These days, she hardly resembled the scattered, hippie teacher I'd met when I first started at Amberwood. â€Å"Tell me the news,† she ordered. I told her about Alicia's call, and her dismayed expression didn't really inspire me. I'd kind of hoped she'd reveal some amazing, foolproof plan she'd secretly been concocting. â€Å"Well, then,† she said once I'd finished. â€Å"I suppose I'll have to go out there.† â€Å"I'll go out there,† I corrected. She favored me with a small smile. â€Å"You've done more than enough. It's time I step up and deal with Veronica.† â€Å"But you sent me to that place before.† â€Å"When we weren't even sure where it was or what she was doing there. This time, we have an eyewitness confirming she's there right now. I can't waste this opportunity.† She glanced at a clock near the door and sighed. â€Å"I'd go tonight if I could but haven't made the necessary preparations. I'll start working on them now and go in tomorrow evening. Hopefully I won't miss her again.† â€Å"No.† The defiance in my voice surprised even me. I didn't contradict teachers – or any kind of authority – very often. Okay, never. â€Å"She eluded us before. Let us scout it out. You don't want to tip your hand yet, just in case something goes wrong. You'll be ready tomorrow night? Then let us go in the day . . . I mean, provided someone could get me out of school. . . .† A little of that tension faded, and she laughed. â€Å"I suppose I could do that. I hate that I keep putting you in danger, though.† â€Å"We passed that point a long time ago.† She couldn't argue against that logic. I made arrangements for Adrian to pick me up the next day – after first scolding â€Å"Jet† for giving out â€Å"Taylor's† number. When morning came, Ms. Terwilliger was true to her word. I'd been excused from classes for a â€Å"research trip.† The thing about being a star pupil was that none of my teachers had any problems with me skipping classes. They knew I'd get the work done. I probably could've taken the rest of the semester off. During the drive, I told Adrian that I'd managed to score a trip to St. Louis in order to pursue Marcus's daunting task. Adrian's expression grew darker and darker, but he stayed silent on the matter. I knew what a conflict it was for him. He didn't like Marcus. He didn't like me taking on this potentially dangerous mission. However, he also trusted me to make my own decisions. Contradicting me or telling me what to do wasn't in his nature – even though he secretly may have wanted to. His only comment was one of support. â€Å"Be careful, Sage. For God's sake, be careful. I've seen you pull off some crazy shit, but this is extreme, even for you. You're probably the only one who can manage this, but still . . . don't let your guard down, even for a moment.† When I told him about how I was hoping to use Ian to get more in-depth access, Adrian's troubled look turned to one of incredulity. â€Å"Hold on here. Let me make sure I'm following this. You're going to seduce some guy to help you with your espionage.† Seduce Ian? Ugh. â€Å"Don't jump to conclusions,† I warned. â€Å"I'm just going to try to use his feelings for me to get what I want.† â€Å"Wow. Cold, Sage. Very cold.† â€Å"Hey, now.† I felt a little indignant at the accusation. â€Å"I'm not going to promise to marry him or something and then dump him later. He wrote me about going to dinner when I'm there. We'll have a nice time, and I'll try to talk him into letting me tour the facility. That's it.† â€Å"And ‘talking him into it' doesn't involve putting out?† I glared at him and hoped he could see me in his periphery. â€Å"Adrian. Do I really seem like the kind of person who'd do that?† â€Å"Well – † He stopped, and I suspected he'd held back from some snarky comment. â€Å"No, I suppose not. Certainly not with a guy like him. Did you get a dress?† Here we were again, Adrian randomly jumping topics. â€Å"For dinner and the service? I've got plenty.† â€Å"I guess that answers my question.† He seemed to wage a great mental battle. At last, he said, â€Å"I'm going to give you some advice.† â€Å"Oh no.† He looked over at me again. â€Å"Who knows more about male weakness: you or me?† â€Å"Go on.† I refused to directly answer the question. â€Å"Get a new dress. One that shows a lot of skin. Short. Strapless. Maybe a push-up bra too.† He actually had the audacity to do a quick assessment of my chest. â€Å"Eh, maybe not. But definitely some high heels.† â€Å"Adrian,† I exclaimed. â€Å"You've seen how Alchemists dress. Do you think I can really wear something like that into a church service?† He was unconcerned. â€Å"You'll make it work. You'll change clothes or something. But I'm telling you, if you want to get a guy to do something that might be difficult, then the best way is to distract him so that he can't devote his full brainpower to the consequences.† â€Å"You don't have a lot of faith in your own gender.† â€Å"Hey, I'm telling you the truth. I've been distracted by sexy dresses a lot.† I didn't really know if that was a valid argument, seeing as Adrian was distracted by a lot of things. Fondue. T-shirts. Kittens. â€Å"And so, what then? I show some skin, and the world is mine?† â€Å"That'll help.† Amazingly, I could tell he was dead serious. â€Å"And you've gotta act confident the whole time, like it's already a done deal. Then make sure when you're actually asking for what you want that you tell him you'd be ‘so, so grateful.' But don't elaborate. His imagination will do half the work for you. â€Å" I shook my head, glad we'd almost reached our destination. I didn't know how much more I could listen to. â€Å"This is the most ridiculous advice I've ever heard. It's also kind of sexist too, but I can't decide who it offends more, men or women.† â€Å"Look, Sage. I don't know much about chemistry or computer hacking or photosynthery but this is something I've got a lot of experience with.† I think he meant photosynthesis, but I didn't correct him. â€Å"Use my knowledge. Don't let it go to waste.† He seemed so earnest that I finally told him I'd consider it, though I had a hard time imagining myself wearing anything like he'd described. My answer satisfied him, and he said no more. When we reached the bed-and-breakfast, I put on the brown wig so that we could be Taylor and Jet again. I braced myself as we approached the door. â€Å"Who knows what we're walking into?† I murmured. I'd been very brave while speaking to Ms. Terwilliger, but the reality that I might be going right up to an evil sorceress was sinking in. I had yet to develop the ability to sense magic in others, so I could very well be taken by surprise if she had a way to hide her appearance too. All I could do was have faith that Adrian's spirit and Ms. Terwilliger's charm would mask me. If Veronica was there, we'd just seem like an ordinary couple. I hoped. Alicia was reading another magazine when we walked in. She still sported the same hipster glasses and clutter of gaudy necklaces. Her face lit up when she saw us. â€Å"You're back.† Adrian's arm immediately went around me. â€Å"Well, when we heard Veronica was in town again, we wanted to come see her right away. Right, honeydew?† â€Å"Right,† I said. At least he was going with healthier nicknames today. â€Å"Oh.† Alicia's sunny smile dimmed a little. â€Å"She just left.† â€Å"You have got to be kidding,† I said. How could our luck be this bad? â€Å"So, she checked out?† â€Å"No, she's still renting out the Velvet Suite. I think she was just running errands. But. . . .† She turned sheepish. â€Å"I may have, uh, ruined the surprise.† â€Å"Oh?† I asked very carefully. I felt Adrian's hold on me tense, but there was nothing romantic about it. â€Å"I couldn't resist. I told her she might have some unexpected visitors soon. Good visitors,† she added. â€Å"I wanted to make sure she didn't stay out too long.† â€Å"That's very nice of you,† said Adrian. His smile looked as strained as mine felt. In trying to â€Å"help† us, Alicia might very well have ruined everything. What did we do now? I was saved from an immediate decision when a middle-aged woman walked through the door. â€Å"Hello,† she told Alicia. â€Å"I wanted to get some information about hosting a wedding here. For my niece.† â€Å"Of course,† said Alicia, glancing back and forth between all of us. She looked a little flustered over who to help, and I was quick to jump in. â€Å"Hey,† I said. â€Å"Since we're here, can we look at the Bunny Suite again? We can't stop talking about it.† Alicia frowned. â€Å"I thought you were going to the coast for your anniversary?† â€Å"We were,† said Adrian, following my lead. â€Å"But then Taylor was thinking about Cottontail the other night, and we thought we should reconsider.† I had to give him credit for jumping in and going along with the story I was making up on the spot. Of course, you'd think he'd remember the name of the fake rabbit he had created. â€Å"Hopper,† I corrected. â€Å"Is the Bunny Suite still vacant?† he asked. â€Å"We can just take a quick peek in while you help her.† Alicia hesitated only a moment before handing over a key. â€Å"Sure. Let me know if you have any questions.† I took the key and headed toward the stairs with Adrian. Behind us, I could hear the woman asking if it'd be okay to set up a tent in the backyard and how many hot plates the inn could hold before it became a fire hazard. Once we were on the second floor and out of earshot, Adrian spoke. â€Å"Let me guess. You want to go prowl through the Velvet Suite.† I rewarded him with a grin, pleased that he'd guessed my plan. â€Å"Yup. Pretty good idea, huh? Hopefully Alicia will be distracted for a while.† â€Å"I could have just compelled her,† he reminded me. â€Å"You're using too much spirit already.† I found the Velvet Suite and put the key in the lock, hoping Alicia had given us the master key and not one specifically for the Bunny Suite. When she had shown us around last time, she'd only used one key. A click told me we'd lucked out and wouldn't have to use any metal-burning chemicals today. We'd seen the Velvet Suite during our last visit, and for the most part, it looked the same. Velvet bedding, velvet-covered furniture, and even velvet-textured wallpaper. Only, this time, the room wasn't in the pristine and unoccupied state as before. Signs around the room showed recent use. The bed was unmade, and the scent of shampoo from the bathroom indicated a shower not too long ago. â€Å"Alicia might have been wrong about Veronica checking out,† said Adrian. He opened drawer after drawer and found nothing. In the closet, he discovered high-heeled shoes tucked into a corner and a belt on a hanger – things that might be easily missed with frantic packing. â€Å"Someone left here in a hurry.† My hopes plummeted. In accidentally revealing our â€Å"surprise,† Alicia had apparently scared Veronica into skipping out on the room. We found no sign that Veronica would actually return, and as Adrian had said, she seemed to have taken off quickly, based on the kinds of easy-to-forget things that were left behind: a razor in the shower, a bottle of perfume on the bathroom counter, and a stack of takeout menus on the nightstand. I sat on the bed and sifted through the menus, not really convinced they'd tell me much. Chinese, Indian, Mexican. Veronica had diverse tastes, at least. I reached the bottom of the stack and threw them on the ground. â€Å"She left,† I said. I couldn't hide from the truth any longer. â€Å"That idiot Alicia tipped her off, and now we've lost her again.† Adrian sat down beside me, his face mirroring my dismay. â€Å"We'll find her. We've slowed her down by hiding the others. Maybe it'll buy us time until the next full moon so you can scry again.† â€Å"I hope so,† I said, though I wasn't optimistic. He brushed aside the wig's hair and turned my face toward him. â€Å"Everything's going to be okay. She doesn't know about you.† I knew he was right, but it was hollow comfort. I leaned my head against his shoulder, wishing I could fix everything. That was my job, right? â€Å"All that means is that someone else could suffer in my place. I don't want that. I need to stop her once and for all.† â€Å"So brave.† He gave me a small smile. His fingertips slid down from my face, lightly stroking the line of my neck, down toward my shoulder. Everywhere he touched, a trail of goose bumps appeared. How did he keep doing this to me? Marcus – who made every girl in the world swoon – had zero effect on me. But one whisper of a touch from Adrian completely undid me. â€Å"You could give Castile a run for his money,† he added. â€Å"Stop that,† I warned. â€Å"Comparing you to Castile?† â€Å"That's not what I'm talking about, and you know it.† His hands were too dangerous, as was being with him on a bed. Terrified I might be kissed again, I jerked away, and the sudden movement caught him by surprise. His fingers got tangled in my hair, as well as in my two necklaces, which resulted in him snapping both chains and nearly pulling off the brown wig. I quickly caught the garnet before it could fall off, but the cross slipped away. Thank God I'd kept the important one on. â€Å"No more kissing,† I warned. I refastened the charm and straightened the wig. â€Å"You mean no more kissing unless it's a romantic place,† he reminded me. â€Å"Are you saying this place doesn't scream romance?† He nodded around to our tacky velvet surroundings. He then picked up the small cross and held it in the air, growing thoughtful as he studied the way the light played off the gold surface. â€Å"You gave this to me once.† â€Å"And you gave it back.† â€Å"I was angry.† â€Å"And now?† He shrugged. â€Å"Now I'm just determined.† â€Å"Adrian.† I sighed. â€Å"Why do you keep doing this? The touching . . . the kissing . . . you know I don't want it.† â€Å"You don't act that way.† â€Å"Stop saying that. It's obnoxious. Next you'll be saying I'm ‘asking for it.'† Why did he have to be so infuriating? Okay . . . I hadn't really sent a clear message back at the sorority. Or Pies and Stuff. But this time I'd done better. â€Å"I just pulled away. How much more direct do I have to be?† â€Å"It's not your actions, exactly† he said. He still clutched the cross in his hand. â€Å"It's your aura.† I groaned. â€Å"No, no, not that. I don't want to hear about auras.† â€Å"But I'm serious.† He shifted over and stretched out on the bed, lying on his side. He patted the bed near him. â€Å"Lie down.† â€Å"Adrian – â€Å" â€Å"I won't kiss you,† he said. â€Å"I promise.† â€Å"How stupid do you think I am?† I said. â€Å"I'm not falling for this.† He gave me a long, level look. â€Å"Do you really think I'd assault you or something?† â€Å"No,† I said quickly. â€Å"Of course not.† â€Å"Then humor me.† Warily, I lay down on my side as well, facing him with only a few powerful inches between us. An enraptured, slightly distracted look appeared in his eyes. He'd given himself over to spirit. â€Å"Do you know what I see in you now? The usual aura. A steady golden yellow, healthy and strong, with spikes of purple here and there. But when I do this. . . .† He rested a hand on my hip, and my whole body tensed up. That hand moved around my hip, slipping under my shirt to rest on the small of my back. My skin burned where he touched me, and the places that were untouched longed for that heat. â€Å"See?† he said. He was in the throes of spirit now, though with me at the same time. â€Å"Well, I guess you can't. But when I touch you, your aura . . . it smolders. The colors deepen, it burns more intensely, the purple increases. Why? Why, Sydney?† He used that hand on me to pull me closer. â€Å"Why do you react that way if I don't mean anything to you?† There was a desperation in his voice, and it was legitimate. It was hard for me to talk. â€Å"It's instinct. Or something. You're a Moroi. I'm an Alchemist. Of course I'd have a response. You think I'd be indifferent?† â€Å"Most Alchemist responses would involve disgust, revulsion, and holy water.† That was an excellent point. â€Å"Well . . . I'm a little more relaxed around Moroi than most Alchemists. Probably this is just some purely physical response driven by hormones and years of evolution. My body doesn't know any better. I'm as susceptible to lust as anyone else.† There was probably a book about that or at least an article in Cosmopolitan. The hint of a smile played over his lips. He was fully in tune with me again. â€Å"No, you aren't. I mean, you are, but not without reason. I know you well enough to realize that now. You're not the kind of person who's ‘susceptible to lust' without some emotion to back it.† He moved his hand back to my hip, sliding it down my leg. I shuddered, and his face moved closer to mine. There was so much in his eyes, so much desire and longing. â€Å"See? There it is again. My flame in the dark.† â€Å"Don't kiss me,† I whispered. It was the only defense I could muster. If he kissed me, I'd be lost. I closed my eyes. â€Å"You said you wouldn't.† â€Å"I won't.† His lips were only a breath away. â€Å"Unless you want me to.† I opened my eyes, ready to tell him no, that it didn't matter what my aura allegedly said . . . this couldn't keep happening. There was no emotion backing this desire, and I tried to cling to my earlier argument. I was so comfortable around Moroi now that clearly some primal part of me kept forgetting what he was. This was a base instinct. I was simply having a physical reaction to him, to his hands, to his lips, to his body. . . . He caught hold of my arm and rolled me over. I closed my eyes again and wrapped my arms around his neck. I felt his lips touch mine, not quite a kiss, just the barest brush of – The door opened, and I flinched. Alicia stepped inside, gasped, and put a hand up over her mouth to cover a shocked squeal. â€Å"O-oh,† she stammered. â€Å"I'm so sorry . . . I . . . I didn't realize . . .† Adrian and I jerked away and sat up. My heart was ready to beat out of my chest, and I knew I was blushing. I quickly patted my wig and was relieved to feel it was still in place. He recovered his voice more quickly. â€Å"Sorry . . . we kind of got carried away. We started checking out the other rooms and decided to, uh, try them out.† Despite his sheepish words, there was a smug look on his face, the kind you'd expect from a guy who'd just made a conquest. Was it part of the act, or did he really think he'd gotten away with something? Alicia looked as uncomfortable as I felt. â€Å"I see. Well, this room's occupied. It's – † She frowned and did a double take. â€Å"It's Veronica's. It looks like she left.† I finally managed to speak. â€Å"That's why we thought it was empty,† I said hastily. â€Å"There was nothing in here.† Alicia thankfully seemed to have forgotten about our compromising position. â€Å"That's weird. She didn't formally check out. I mean, she paid in advance in cash, but still. It's so strange.† We made a hurried escape of our own after that, once again feeding Alicia lines about how we'd be in touch. Neither of us spoke much when we got in the car. I was lost in my own thoughts, which were equal parts frustration over Veronica and confusion over Adrian. I refused to acknowledge the latter, though, and opted for my usual tactic. The sooner that moment was forgotten, the better. I was pretty sure I could keep telling myself that. Some part of me – nearly as snarky as Adrian – suggested I pick up a book on denial the next time I was in the self-help section. â€Å"Another dead end,† I said once we were on the road. I texted Ms. Terwilliger: V's gone. No need for action. Her response came a few minutes later: We'll keep trying. I could practically feel her disappointment through the display on my phone. She wasn't the only one. Adrian seemed particularly melancholy on the drive back. He responded whenever I spoke, but it was clear he was distracted. When he dropped me off at Amberwood later that night, I found everything mercifully quiet. No crises, no dangerous missions. It felt like it had been ages since I had a moment to myself, and I curled up on my bed, taking solace in the ordinary tasks of homework and reading. I fell asleep with my face on my calculus book. I experienced one of those nonsensical dreams that everyone has. In it, my family's cat could talk, and he was driving Adrian's Mustang. He asked me if I wanted to take a road trip to Birmingham. I told him I had a lot of homework to do but that if he wanted to go to Fargo, I'd consider it. We were in the middle of negotiating who'd pay for gas when the dream suddenly dissolved to blackness. A cold feeling swept over me, followed by a feeling of dread that rivaled the time Adrian and I had faced down Strigoi in his apartment. A woman's laughter rolled around me, foul and sickening, like some sort of toxic smoke. A voice came out of the darkness, echoing in my mind. She's kept you well hidden, but it can't stay that way forever. You can't conceal power like yours forever. I've caught your trail. I'll find you. Hands suddenly reached out of the darkness for me, wrapping around my throat and cutting off my air. I screamed and woke up in my own bed, surrounded in books. I'd left the light on, and it chased some of the dream's terror away. But only some. Sweat poured off me, making my shirt stick to me. I touched my neck, but there was nothing wrong with it. The garnet hung in place but not my cross. No need to fear a dream, I thought. It didn't mean anything, and really, with everything going on lately, it was a wonder I didn't have nightmares more often. But thinking back on it, I wasn't so sure. There had been something so terrible and real about it, a horror that seemed to reach into my very soul. I didn't want to sleep after that, so I made a cup of coffee and tried to read again. It worked for a while, but somewhere around four, my body couldn't take it anymore. I fell asleep on my books again, but this time, my sleep stayed dream free.

buy custom Significance of Mercantilism in 16th Century Europe essay

buy custom Significance of Mercantilism in 16th Century Europe essay Mercantilism was an economic doctrine that said government control of foreign trade was supposed to be paramount. Its importance was ensuring prosperity and security of the states that practiced it. This practice continued in Europe for almost two centuries (16th to 18th). It is known to have caused some diplomatic friction among states. This was because the practice had several characteristics that did not favor fair trade. The significance of this doctrine was favored by its policies. By implementing these policies, mercantilism controlled trade to the favor of the European states. The polices included high tariffs on manufactured goods, monopolizing of markets, exclusive trade with colonies, restricting trade in foreign ships, offering export subsidies, banning exportation of silver and gold entirely, promotion of manufacturing of goods through subsidies or research, using cheap labor, maximization on use of locally available resources, and restriction of domestic consumption of g oods with non-tariff barriers to trade. The era of Colombus on his serial discovery of lands, mercantilism was still in play but there was a minimal degree of its use. Colombus discovered numerous lands and islands. The discovered lands and islands were made European colonies. By this, trade was not between the colonies and the European states, but it was partially utilizing cheap labor and abundant resources. Colombus discovered America; this led to colonization of America by European powers. The form of trade that existed between the colony and the colonizer in this case of America and the European states was labor-for-goods. Mercantilism and its policies had all the routes and ports secured for trade. To the advantage of the European states, mercantilism blocked trade between a colony and other states. The presence of powerful monarchs and abundance of resources enabled European nations to secure all productive lands while exploiting cheap labor through slavery. From South America to North America, southern Asia and almost the entire of Africa; European states had taken control of trade. Securing land and slaves provided grounds of trade and cheap labor; these were vital resources to the trade. Industrialization in America began extensively in the 17th century. However, this is not the period when decision to industrialize America took shape. It was before then that plans to develop America were decided on. The indigenous people who existed in the lands that were discovered were treated and referred to as natives. The European states using the mercantilism doctrine did not actually follow the policies filed under the doctrine. This is because the doctrine was in favor of the Europeans nations only and was not in any way favoring the colonies. For example, trade was exclusive with colonies. The interpretation of this policy has it that the European states were free to do trade with whoever they wished but constraints restricting trade betwee n colonies and other parties. With the above goals by the European states, the significance of mercantilism was to control trade by channeling all the resources to their side. It was in the best interest of the 16th century Europe toacquire the necessary resources at that period. They were securing the future of industrialization and economic development by controlling the flow of resources, raw materials, and labor. By restricting ports, it is only the ships of the colonies and their own that would dock that those ports. Standardization and classification of ports as trade points was to ensure that invaders and trade rivals were kept at bay. ] Colombus was Both a Hero and Villain Christopher Colombus was one of the highly recognized and respected voyagers. In other words, he was a hero looking at one side of the picture and a villain looking at the other. During his time, Colombus was devoted to making history by discovering as many ne lands and islands as he could. His determination paid off in that he was able to discover many historic islands and continents. His effort doesnt mean that he was taking people to live in those areas he discovered. It means that he brought the lands and the islands to the recognition of the European monarchs. This recognition led to what we can now call sophistication. Europe is one of the wealthiest continents in the world. This was an added advantage the Europeans had over the rest of the world. They would use their wealth and organized nature to conquer and retrieve land and slave for their own use. Colombus didnt bring sophistication to the world, but he helped those who could by incorporating determination and passion to voyaging. Many are times that he asked for funding from monarchs with conditions that upon discovery of new territories he would be incorporated in their management. Several attempts failed to yield success with winning the support of the monarchs. He did not give up with his petitions for support in exploiting his ideas. His insistence paid off in that he got the support he required. The journey towards discovery was full of challenges brought by mere estimations and wrong interpretation of data. Among the data that was interpreted wrongly involved direction and distance. The wrong interpretations and misjudgment of quantifiers led to even more discoveries that would not have been made if specificity and accuracy was observed. As a villain, Colombus and his men were responsible for humanitarian atrocities. During the first and the second voyages, Colombus record was clean an undented. On the third and the forth voyages, his record of discovery was drawing a bad picture considering the good he had done. After discovering several territories and islands, Colombus was placed to be in charge of the Indies. His reign was controversial in that he used to take gold from the people as a means of taxation. 14 years olds were some of his victims; those who could not afford gold to pay their tax had their hand chopped off. Most of hisvictims died from bleeding in these cases. After being banished from throne, Colombus and his brothers were shipped back to Spain. Still confined at some prison in Spain, Colombus wrote a letter to the king at that time, claiming that he was being disrespected by being chained considering all he had done for them. This was exploitive move to get his brothers and himself out prison. As a human being, this was the period he was supposed to take responsibility for thee deaths he was responsible for. However, he chose to buy himself out by laying claims that all he had done in terms of discovery was enough to exempt him from facing punishment and reinstating his leadership position. Talking to Children about Colombus and the Appropriate Age for it Children can be the wrong audience when choosing who to tell about Colombus. However, we do not have the control of all sources that may find out from. Assuming that all sources that can make children discover about Colombus were rendered inactive, the decision of talking to them is a personal choice that should be thought about carefully. The truth about Colombus can have both positive and negative impacts on the lives of the children we choose to talk about it with. The minds of children develop relative to age. At age 6-10, that can be referred as the infantry stage. From age 13 onwards is a better stage to consider talkingto children about Colombus. At this stage, the minds of the children are able to process information that carries some weight in it. The effect that the information may have on the lives of the children is a vector entity. It can be either positive or negative, but a sure thing is that knowing the truth behind the history of their country cannot lessen the pride they have for their countries. Killing is wrong and committing atrocities because we are protected by the laws is despicable. If children understand that Colombus was an important person who turned villain; would be a lesson to them that would teach them how to be better leader when they get the age of it. On the other hand, the good side of Colombus may have guaranteed positive effect on the lives of the children if they are motivated well enough. Striving to achieve the best and not being afraid to lose track, are some of the good qualities that a child can learn from being talked to about Colombus. Children need to know the history of their countries and some of the well known personalities behind the making of the history. This should only be done at a stage when their minds are fully developed. Sources Used In writing history, accountability and accuracy play a great deal in making the information valid and reliable enough. Archeological evidence and secondary data from reliable sources is crucial when compiling history. The discovery narrative about Colombus is written following research on the archeological evidence like water ways, land marks, and direction of wind. These are necessary for the accountability of time, direction, destination, and purpose. Secondary data is used from paintings and written literature. The combination of archeological evidence and secondary data is sought to ensure accuracy of the information. The inquiry of sources in this reading furthers my understanding in that before making my judgment, I convinced that the author took his/her time to research thoroughly before putting down the findings. Compiling information from one type and nature of source brings out biasness. Collectors of archeological data and the writers of history books when working separately, their individualopinions could be immensely flawed. The opposite is true if they join hands or if one refers to both when writing. Buy custom Significance of Mercantilism in 16th Century Europe essay

How Video Games contribute to youth Violence

How Video Games contribute to youth Violence Over fifty years ago, a nuclear physicist named William Higinbotham sought to better the otherwise rigid and non-interactive science exhibits at the time by adding to the list of activities, his creation of the game ‘Tennis for two’ which was an electronic tennis game with separate controllers. Unaware of his contribution, William Higinotham today is acknowledged as the founding father or the fore-runner of video games that only recently accounted for 9.5 billion dollars in sales in 2006 and 2007 in the United States alone (qtd. in Gettler 1).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on How Video Games contribute to youth Violence specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Just as Higinbotham had imagined, video games were meant to simply entertain and elevate ones mood by offering an alternative fictitious ‘reality’ to the player. However, recent statistics indicate that video games have been used for more than entertainment purposes- with a good number of today’s researchers pointing to the negative issues and events that have risen from these videogames. A good example of the above assertions is the case of Lamar Roberts, age 17 and Heather Trujillo aged 16 who are alleged to having been imitating the fighting moves of the game ‘Mortal Combat’ when they beat a seven year old girl to death in 2007 (Chalk 1). A similar example is that of Kendall Anderson, a 16 year old who bludgeoned his mother to death in her sleep with a claw hammer after she took away his PlayStation in 2010 (Henry 1). The violence and aggression that stains the youth of today, as a result of these video games, is unquestionably a cancer that ought to be uprooted or at least contained by parents, school leaders, governments and other opinion leaders mandated with the responsibility of taking care of these children and the forms of entertainments present today- especially with regards to video games. This paper goes to highlight violent video games as a contributing factor to youth violence. According to the General Aggression Model (as reported by Anderson Bushman) â€Å"the enactment of aggression is largely based on the learning, activation, and application of aggression-related knowledge structures stored in memory.† They go on to simplify this model by categorizing it into two stages, namely the situational input such as exposure to violent video games in this case and priming aggressive cognition which reflects the impact on the person’s present internal state as influenced aggressive behavior. This model supports the claim that aggression can be stimulated and learned from the exposure of various situational variables. They â€Å"teach observers how to aggress by creating an aggressive state.† Experimental studies based on meta-analytical procedures found that across the 33 independent tests focused on the relation between video game violence and agg ression, there was a definite association of high video game violence and heightened aggression (Anderson and Bushman 357). Violent video games teach the youth that violence is an acceptable conflict strategy. Anderson and Bushman stipulate that the long term effects of playing these violent games, involve a learning process. Human beings generally learn from their day to day experiences and involvement with other people whether real or imagined (such as the characters in video games).Advertising Looking for essay on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The exposure to these violent video games influences how we respond. This response after some time is scripted into our actions (356). Every game stage then becomes a learning trial, rehearsed over and over resulting to impulsive actions thereafter. Violent video games are often designed to have two adversarial opponents who deal with their enmity through fighti ng and killing each other. A case illustration of this claim would be Alejandro Gracia, 22 years old from Texas now serving a 15 to 30 years sentence after pleading guilty for murder when he shot dead his cousin after arguing over whose turn it was to play the game ‘Scareface: The World is Yours’ in 2007 (Fahey 1). In addition, video games desensitize players to real life violence thus making violent acts look normal or pardonable when in reality, it is the exact opposite. These games depict people as targets instead of simply human beings. They paint them to be deserving of death. It is possible for this fantasy universe to spill into reality. To support this claim I quote Lieutenant colonel David Grossman, retired from the U.S Army, who said: Video games give you the skill and will to kill. They teach you to associate pleasure with human death and suffering. They award you for killing†¦.It is extra ordinary difficult for a human being to kill a member of his own species. They have to be manipulated into it†¦.The marine core uses the game ‘Doom’ as a training device†¦. The marine core uses it to script killing in their soldiers†¦.. We must think very very (sic) carefully about who we provide this operant conditioning to and if we provide it indiscriminately to children in America it is the moral equivalent of putting a military weapon in the hand of every child in America (Huntenman,film). According to McCauley and Zillmann (qtd. in Goldstein 276) violence can be socially acceptable as long it has a moral story where good wins over evil. Video games industries claim this requirement with pride perhaps inconspicuously elevating their importance in inculcating socially acceptable morals. In the real world however crimes such as assault are morally looked down upon and unacceptable but in video games, assault may be what will result to a winning round. These conflicting expectations of reality and video games when im posed on young people may result to confusion and in worst cases the pursuit of the wrong goal (such as assault) out side of the fantasy world. Further more, the perception of evil and good despite its moral implications can be relative to individuals thus rendering the promotion of violence to be harmful than it is morally acceptable. Playing violent video games, just like listening to soothing music or watching a sad movie bears an effect on people. That much researchers and their critics can agree upon. The disclaimer comes in when creators and marketers of the video games industry typically deny any harmful effects on their consumers. The fact is the video game industry is a business like any other seeking to profit from its products thus it is only natural that they should deny all negative allegations.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on How Video Games contribute to youth Violence specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More However the numerous case scenarios, some already mention earlier in this paper suggest that although video games alone are not enough to cause one to murder or intentionally injure another, they are a significant contributing factor to youth violence (Mc. Carthy). Notably conclusions of ambiguity and inconsistency have been drawn from many violent video game research studies. For instance the researchers’ measures of aggression have been largely indirect indicators such as hitting a bobo doll (Schutte, Malouff, Post-Gordon and Rodasta, qtd. in Goldstein 4) or listing aggressive thoughts and feelings (Calvert and Tan, qtd. in Goldstein, 4). Admittedly these measures do not bear the complete and definite potential of contributing to the comprehension of the relationship between violent video games and violent behavior. Other critics have refuted experts idea of violent video games players applying the rules of fictitious worlds to that of reality claiming that â€Å"they car ry cues to its unreality music, sound effects, a fantasy story-line, cartoon-like characters† (Goldstein 3). In fact Burke and Burke as cited by Goldstein who wrote about cartoon on television, still in relation to video games characters say: For us, there has been no greater irritant while researching this book than our repeated encounters with the views of experts†¦, who argue with great confidence that young children simply cannot understand the fictional rules of conflict in cartoons. Our contemporaries have insisted repeatedly that as children, they clearly understood that the ‘violence’ involved when Bugs blows up Yosemite Sam or Wile E. Coyote’s latest Acme device launches him off a cliff takes place within a fictional universe with its own very particular rules. Such violence had little or no relationship with what we understood as violence in our own lives (p.206- 207). In deed there lies some truth in these criticisms; however their claims a re not enough to dispel or explain away the numerous tragedies that have involved violent video games as the cause or precursor of the crimes committed. Perhaps violent video games related crimes are not backlogging the courts systems yet. None the less it would be unwise to wait much longer for overwhelming evidence, possibly in form of lost lives, before society starts to pay attention to this growing problem. Anderson, Craig A., and Bushman, Brad J. â€Å"Effects of Violent Video Games on Aggressive Behavior, Aggressive Cognition, Aggressive Affect, Physiological Arousal and Prosocial Behavior: A Meta-Analytical Review of the Scientific Literature.† Psychological Scientific Literature 12.5 (2001): 353-359.Advertising Looking for essay on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Chalk, Andy. Teenagers Kill Child in â€Å"Mortal Kombat† Murder. The Escapist, 20 Dec. 2007. Web. Fahey, Mike. Man Pleads Guilty to Killing over Sacrifice: the World is Yours. Kotaku Australia, 7 April 2011. Web. Gettler, Joe. The First Video Game. Brookhaven History. Web. Goldstein, Jeffery. Does Playing Violent Video Games Cause Aggressive Behavior?. University Of Chicago: Cultural Policy Center, 2001. Web. Henry, David. Teenager Charged with Killing Mom. 6abc News, 30 Nov. 2010. Web. Mc. Carthy, Caroline. Murder Conviction for Teen in ‘Halo’ case. CNET News, 13 Jan. 2009. Web.

3 Cases of Insufficient Punctuation

3 Cases of Insufficient Punctuation 3 Cases of Insufficient Punctuation 3 Cases of Insufficient Punctuation By Mark Nichol Each of the following sentences is compromised by the lack of one or two punctuation marks, resulting in a potential for confusion among readers. Discussion following each example explains the flaw, and a revision demonstrates clearer sentence composition. 1. Move over millennials- this group is taking over the rental market. The imperative â€Å"move over,† followed by a word identifying who is to act according to the imperative to step aside, reads as if an unspecified audience is being told to change their location at a position above a certain demographic group. When a sentence begins with a directive and a modifier, separate the two sentence elements with a comma: â€Å"Move over, millennials- this group is taking over the rental market.† 2. This paper introduces a methodology based on industry-accepted frameworks that details all the steps firms need to take to conduct a comprehensive and compliant risk assessment. Here, the lack of agreement between frameworks and details signals that the verb does not apply to the noun, but their proximity still introduces a signal-to-noise obstacle, which would be amplified if the noun and verb did agree. To clarify that details pertains to methodology, not frameworks, bracket the modifying phrase â€Å"based on industry-accepted frameworks† with commas: â€Å"This paper introduces a methodology, based on industry-accepted frameworks, that details all the steps firms need to take to conduct a comprehensive and compliant risk assessment.† 3. Distribution and routes to market can be helped by implementing an automated digital portal although this is a bit more complex since it can have an impact on commission. This breathlessly barreling sentence benefits from a couple of inserted commas to signal nested subordinate clauses- the phrase beginning with since is subordinate to the one beginning with although, which in turn is subordinate to the main clause: â€Å"Distribution and routes to market can be helped by implementing an automated digital portal, although this is a bit more complex, since it can have an impact on commission.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Punctuation category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Types of RhymeOne Sheep, Two Sheep, One Fish, Two Fish . . .Woof or Weft?

Pricing Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Pricing - Research Paper Example This research will begin with the statement that price is the monetary value associated with the product and it is the driver of company revenues.† Charles W. Lamb, Joseph F. Hair and Carl McDaniel believe that price is something â€Å"which is given up in an exchange to acquire a good or service.† Price of a product or service is very important to both seller and customer. Usually, customers see the  price as the cost of product or service, whereas seller considers as the revenue. The logic is simple for the sellers – revenue increases with the increase in price or volume of sales. In reality, price remains vague as all the details related to it are never spelled out. Theoretically, the  price is one of the most important Ps among the four Ps of product marketing. The inclusion of the  price in the marketing mix (four Ps) signifies the importance of it in the world of marketing. The marketing process is incomplete without proper adoption and implementation of pricing strategy. Prices are established in order to cover the costs and make some profit which is the ultimate objective of any company. In other words, it can be said that price is very important because it brings the profit which is crucial for the survival of the company. It is often found that customers’ expectation regarding the quality of the product varies with the price. It is assumed that quality of the product increases with the increase in price. Marketers need to consider such assumption and give proper importance to the price aspect accordingly.

Struggle in Fairy Tale Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Struggle in Fairy Tale - Essay Example Realism makes a story appealing to the reader (Moore 1995). However, realism seems very minimal in fairy tale prose. This realism is concerning about the action/reaction relativity in the story setting of the situation in the fairy tales.Somehow their unrealism can be credited for by the given struggle to them by its authors. Also by the very characterization of the characters that speak and reacted unexpectedly that made the story less credible.An interesting story mostly relies on the reaction from the action given or from the struggle that the main character dealing with as a conflict. Literature scholars have been discussing and affirming this literary concept.In the matter of the fairy tale concept, it was traditionally formulated that the functions of the characters serve as the stable "serve as stable, constant elements in a tale, independent of how and by whom they are fulfilled", according to Russian Scholar Vladimir Propp (Lefavole. Org 2008). He also said that it has been observed that the number of function in the fairy tale is limited and its sequence of function is often identical (Lefavole. Org 2008).Study says that changing the obstacle or danger of the story could also affect the reaction of the character. Thus the changes in the story then able to comply to the expected realism that critical reader would highly appreciate or prefer.

In the Introduction to Democracy in America, Tocqueville claims that a Essay

In the Introduction to Democracy in America, Tocqueville claims that a great democratic revolution is taking place and tha - Essay Example He believed the creation of America, a land of equality and liberty, where all workers are valued with high esteem is a prominent step in world history. Hence he defined it as the â€Å"most continuous, the oldest, and the most permanent fact known in history†. Why Marx Won’t Agree? Karl Marx saw American Democracy as a mere power shift from monarchies to capitalistic companies he referred as â€Å"bourgeoisie†. Karl Marx differed with Tocqueville because of several reasons. The communists were very clear no social equality would prevail in a country whose economy is driven by capitalism. So, who was actually right? In a sense both of them were right. Both these scholars interpreted the happenings of their time with the wisdom they gained from the circumstances they were born, bought up and lived. Tocqueville was a born in a family regarded with high esteem in France. His family was equivalent to that of nobles. He studied politics and pursued a career in the sam e. Born on 1805, the most prominent occurrences of his time revolved around the American Independence and the French Revolution. Tocqueville was bought up as an aristocrat, but his compassion and humanity made him think revolutionarily. He wanted to do something to improve the pathetic life of the peasants. His mindset did not allow him to see them as the equals of the nobles. He viewed the American democracy which provided great labour freedom, high wages and the ability for everyone to become rich as the best way to improve the lives of the struggling men. His view of helping the workers was quite capitalistic. It was seen from the prospective of a noble or a company head. It was similar to a parental love expressed to children. The parents do what they think is best for the children. It is up to the child to make use of the facilities and prosper in life. A Practical and Foresighted View Karl Marx was born on 1818 in Germany. He belonged to a modest middle-cast family. He got mor e chance to mix with the less deprived people in the society directly. He was one amongst them, who rose to great fame, not because of high class education or family background, but just through his self-acquired intellectuality. His view about American capitalism and democracy is similar to that of a friends approach to a fellow’s problem. Friends understand better than parents as they are in a similar situation to the child. A child can grow without parents, but not without friends. Hence, Marx theories gain more importance than Tocqueville principles. Marx’s view of democracy means keeping everything common for everybody, converting every labour into an owner and every owner into a worker. Abraham Lincoln expressed the same view in a different way in his Gettysburg Address. He said â€Å"As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master.† He strongly believed anything different from this would only damage democracy. Two Different Poles Tocqueville thought wealth distribution was unnecessary. He simply felt the steps taken by the American government to bridge the gap between the poor and the rich are enough. He strongly felt, division of property will only increase poor’s hatred towards the rich (De Tocqueville, 192). He had no second thoughts about presenting enough opportunities for everyone though. This is where Marx and Tocqueville differ like opposite poles of a magnet. Marx argues there should be no such opportunity present to anyone, as it will pave for another dominant class. The communists

Coral Reefs in the Philippines and the trophic levels and organism Research Paper

Coral Reefs in the Philippines and the trophic levels and organism localization and interaction specific to this area - Research Paper Example From the lowest level to the higher level, organisms feed on each other, with the latter being decomposers that break down the tertiary consumers into components used by the producers for their growth (Alex, 2009). This ideally means that at each level, organisms depend on each other for survival. In the primary producers level; photosynthetic organisms that make their own food by synthesizing organic compounds, there are mainly coralline algae, filamentous turf algae, and other species of seaweeds (Alicea, 2006). For primary consumers, mainly zooplankton and invertebrate larvae feed on the primary producers for their food and acquisition of energy. In this level, organisms such as jellyfish form around the coral polyps to interact with the reefs by offering protection from predators in the secondary consumer level (Alex, 2009). In the secondary consumer level mostly plankton consumers such as parrotfish common in the Philippines coral reefs, which interact with algae by the parrotfish feeding on the microalgae (Alicea, 2006). Microalgae usually cover the reefs making them unhealthy by preventing their growth. Others in the same level include Sixbar wrasse of Thalassoma Hardwicke species and Double whiptail of the Pentapodus emeryii species. These feed on small fish that when reduce in numbers, result in an increase of algae, thereby requiring parrotfish to prevent algae from covering the coral reefs hence hindering their growth. The final level is made up of tertiary consumers, majorly carnivores that feed on the secondary consumers. With increased feeding on algae by the parrotfish, algae reduce substantively thereby reducing their population, and hence reduced growth of the coral reef. The parrotfish play a substantive role in the Philippines coral reefs ecosystem, making them irreplaceable. Alicea, E. (2006). Collaborative

Post-Implementation Issues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Post-Implementation Issues - Essay Example CAVIES would streamline and integrate the veterinary practice details of all the ten branches so clients’ needs could be addressed by any of the branch, in the case of emergencies. VOLES on the other hand, would facilitate check on the inventory of the veterinary products in the various branches and would ensure maintenance of adequate supply by ordering products which are in short supply. It would also keep track of the controlled drugs with details like their usage by the people and for the people etc. Implementation plan would not comprise of details and integration of modules like financial statement or any other management information, though efforts to link the CAVIES and VOLES to MICE system would be facilitated. Phase III parallel running of two system where client’s appointment for their pets and record maintenance of CAVIES and Sale order module of VOLE system would be taken up. Tentative timeframe would be 2 months. Direct changeover to new system is not advisable mainly because of following reasons: new system needs to be tested for inconsistencies and reconciliation of converted data; the end users i.e the staff and veterinary surgeons and nurses need time to become proficient in the use of new system 2.3. Data migration This step would primarily involve steps as: identification of data from the existing paper records and existing information system; codification of data which would be carried out by the people of HCL in the presence of CVGL staff; and data entry and conversion of data from the existing information system in the main server at the headquarters. Entry of data can either be carried out by the ISS staff or given to outside agency on contract. 2.4. Training Initially 1 week training of trainers, taken from existing staff of ISS and other departments, would be carried out in the following areas

Saving abandoned pets Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Saving abandoned pets - Essay Example For instance, in the process of walking a dog, the guardian, alongside that pet gets fresh air, exercise and also social interaction. Pets offer the much needed companion to the elderly who in most cases, lacks enough social interaction. Some pets have been approved as special therapy animals, especially dogs so that they are used for visiting confined people (Person 21). Pet therapy has been designed so that the animals used aids in achieving certain social, physical, emotional and cognitive goals among patients. Despite these perceived benefits, several; instances have been reported over incidences where pets are abandoned by their guardians for various reasons. This paper examines some of the reasons why pets are often abandoned and some of the ways in which they can be saved and assisted to live their lives effectively after such incidences. Abandoned pets are those pets, which for various reasons; they have been cast off by their owners deliberately or inadvertently. In some cases, it happens when the particular owner passes on or when the pet in question tend to grow too large or is disruptive (Aronin 57). The 2007-2008 financial crisis forced many pets to be abandoned by their owners citing increased costs for their effective upkeep. Some pet owners are often left with the option of abandoning their beloved animals when their homes are foreclosed. On one hand, the animals can be left alone in the property or other owner decides to drop them at animal shelters so that they are not left on the cold. Some of these abandoned pets are discovered at the end of the foreclosure course (Aronin 79). The animals that are lucky to be found are often in extremely poor conditions after they are forced to go without some of the basic resources like food and shelter. Other reasons why pets are abandoned include demolitions because of government policies or averting natural disasters. In such instances, pet owners often decide to

Post-Implementation Issues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Post-Implementation Issues - Essay Example CAVIES would streamline and integrate the veterinary practice details of all the ten branches so clients’ needs could be addressed by any of the branch, in the case of emergencies. VOLES on the other hand, would facilitate check on the inventory of the veterinary products in the various branches and would ensure maintenance of adequate supply by ordering products which are in short supply. It would also keep track of the controlled drugs with details like their usage by the people and for the people etc. Implementation plan would not comprise of details and integration of modules like financial statement or any other management information, though efforts to link the CAVIES and VOLES to MICE system would be facilitated. Phase III parallel running of two system where client’s appointment for their pets and record maintenance of CAVIES and Sale order module of VOLE system would be taken up. Tentative timeframe would be 2 months. Direct changeover to new system is not advisable mainly because of following reasons: new system needs to be tested for inconsistencies and reconciliation of converted data; the end users i.e the staff and veterinary surgeons and nurses need time to become proficient in the use of new system 2.3. Data migration This step would primarily involve steps as: identification of data from the existing paper records and existing information system; codification of data which would be carried out by the people of HCL in the presence of CVGL staff; and data entry and conversion of data from the existing information system in the main server at the headquarters. Entry of data can either be carried out by the ISS staff or given to outside agency on contract. 2.4. Training Initially 1 week training of trainers, taken from existing staff of ISS and other departments, would be carried out in the following areas

Network Design for the 2012 London Olympics Essay Example for Free

Network Design for the 2012 London Olympics Essay This report is a step by step analysis of the requirements planning and implementation of a network based on the infrastructure of an office environment. Throughout this report, the reader will see how the requirements planning is broken down into detailed sections to illustrate how each requirement has been identified for the stages of planning to implementation. In the first part of the report, we will be identifying what hardware is required for the scale of the network, taking into consideration a room for future expansion and devices to be added at a later date. The second part of the report will be the identification of software that will be needed to run all services on the network including set-up and configuration of the software. Network Planning Why is a network required? Before actually planning the set-up of a network, the use of a network has to be justified. There are many uses to a network, some of the basic uses are †¢ Sensitive information exchange – information is shared only between departments and/or specific users and not to other people, e. g. customer account information that contains bank information and/or other personal information. †¢ Internal digital mail requests and communication between departments in a business may be increased and messages can be saved for later use. †¢ Resource sharing – information updated constantly is shared from one location and is referenced by other departments and/or users within the same network, e. g. a database of customer details and orders for a company. †¢ File Backup Services – information is backed up or stored in a secure location in the event of future problems and to maintain records of information. There are other uses of networks as well but mainly they are used as a means of security. Within a company, when a network is utilised correctly, the flow of information across a network can be monitored and tracked back to the user. This is essential to ensure no information used within the company is accessed from an outside source or is used in an unlawful manner by a company employee. Scope of the network Since the network is being made for the London 2012 Olympics, we can assume that the network will be of large scale (roughly 500-2,000 users). This means that each service, such as email and DHCP services, will require its own dedicated hardware in order for the resources to be adequately shared without any network latency or slow access experience. If the network is used on a much smaller scale, then the services could run from using only a few pieces of dedicated hardware such as the domain and email services sharing hardware. A site survey should always be performed before installation a network to ensure that wireless signals can be transmitted throughout the building or buildings and to see how the network can be modelled based on the environment it is going to be installed in. Identifying Network Hardware In this section, we will identify different hardware and its uses on a network, how a network is connected and what devices are used to connect a network throughout a company building. Servers and Services There are many different types of services that can be hosted from a server on a network. Many of these services usually have their own dedicated hardware but depending on the scale of the network, the services can easily be bunched together on the same hardware to cut down on overall equipment usage. Domain Server The domain server is used to authenticate users and computers included on the network. It is considered the main access control to a network because it stores all user account information used in authentication. Email Server The email server is used to direct messages to the correct recipient once the message has been processed by the server. Many companies today use a private internal mail system as a way of faster communication within departments. File Server A file server is used to provide users access to information and data across the network. This helps reduce file duplication across different computers on the network. Permissions can be set for file access so that important documentation can be read but not written to or deleted. DNS Server A DNS server is a kind of server that translates DNS names into an I. P address that is used for communication on the internet. DHCP Server A DHCP server is used by hosts to retrieve I. P addresses and other information. Firewall Server A firewall server is used for monitoring the network for vulnerabilities and intrusions and detecting viruses in the event of an attack from the internet. Application Server An application server is used to host applications and make them a part of the network’s resources. The servers are commonly used to save on costs for multiple software licenses compared to a site license. Database Server A database server is used to host a database for access by users. These servers can be updated and viewed. These are commonly used in finance departments or companies that host customer records that needs to be accessed and amended constantly. Network Devices This section will better explain the other devices that make up a network such as the network equipment itself and other devices which can be considered essential to a networked environment. Modem A modem is used to connect an outside line (usually from an internet service provider) via telephone communication to the network enabling internet access or access to another site’s resources. Router A router is a device that forwards data packets between devices on a network and can manage which network node receives certain data rather than sending the same data to each node. Routers can also have their own firewalls. Switch A switch is used to connect segments of a network together. Switches are an important part of a network as they are used to connect multiple devices at once. These switches come in all shapes and sizes, ranging from a simple 2 port switch to a 48 port switch which fits into a server rack. Wireless Access Point The wireless access point is a device that adds wireless connectivity to your network. This type of network device is often used to connect portable devices such as laptops, PDA and Smartphones to the network. It is also used for wireless printers and installing hardware devices to computers where network cabling is not applicable. Network Printer Network printers are printers made available on the network as a resource so that many users can print from one location. This cuts down multiple hardware usage per computer which saves hardware costs and maintenance. Aside from users, all of these services and devices are what make up a network. Connecting your Network: Cabling and Access Points Now that we have outlined what services and devices make up a network, there is the matter of how a network will be connected. There are a few methods of connecting a network, each with its own pro’s and con’s. The standard method of connecting a network is via cable. Cable Connection Cable connection for a network is one of the most trusted methods of connecting users to resources. The reason for this being that wired connections were the first standard and constant communication to be used with computers. Wireless connection is still a fairly new method of communication and is therefore still changing. Types of Network Cables There are quite a few types of network cables that are used today in business, each suited for different purposes. Twisted Pair is a type of copper cabling that is used for telecommunications and most Ethernet networks. There are two types of twisted pair cabling. †¢ Unshielded twisted pair (UTP) – UTP cables have a range of 100 meters and rely solely on the cancellation effect produced by the twisted-wire pairs that limits signal degradation. †¢ Shielded twisted pair (STP) – STP cables reduce electrical noise from within the cable since each pair of wires is wrapped in metallic foil to better shield the wires from noise. Four pairs of wires are then wrapped in a metallic braid or foil. Coaxial cable is a copper-cored cable that is surrounded by heavy shielding. There are several types of coaxial cable. †¢ Thicknet or 10BASE5 – used in networks and operated at 10mbps, maximum length of 500 meters. †¢ Thinnet or 10BASE2 – used in networks and operated at 10mbps, maximum length of 185 meters. †¢ RG-59 – Most commonly used with cable television. †¢ RG-6 – Higher quality than RG-59, with more bandwidth and less susceptibility to interference. A fibre optic cable is either a glass or a plastic fibre that carries light along its length. Fibre optic cable can reach distances of several miles before the signal needs to be regenerated. Fibre optic is more expensive than copper cable and connectors are more expensive and harder to assemble than other connections. Wireless Connection Wireless technology is also a greatly utilised technology in business today even though the reliability of wireless connection does not compare to that of a cable connection. Security There are a few different ways to apply security in a network. Some security protocols may be placed during network design and some protocols when the network is running. Network security during the design During the designing of the network, avoid giving anyone outside the implementation team or network designer any information, such as work plans about the network design or the materials that will be used for the network, which will help Vandals infiltrate or use the network inappropriately. Basic security that should be present in a network 1. Firewall will offer a tougher barrier between the private network and the Internet. Firewalls will prevent unwanted users or hackers from accessing the network. 2. Proxy can be used to provide users a way to connect to the proxy server by requesting authentication from the security service during the exchange of files in the network. 3. Antivirus – is used to prevent viruses from penetrating the network and the computers connected to it. It also eliminates the counter-espionage potential within a network. Since there are many antivirus softwares available, the network has the freedom to choose the appropriate antivirus for the network. 4. Strong password encourages all network an   web users to use a password that contains letters, numbers and symbols so as to increase the difficulty of breaking or cracking the password and steal any information from the network. 5. Packaging – cables used to make sure no unauthorized person have access to data and change it. Disaster Planning and Recovery Before setting a network, the manager of the project requires designers and developers of the network to take into account unforeseen circumstances, such as natural disasters and hardware failure, to reduce their impact. Earthquakes, floods, fires and such disasters may be given a solution using the following points †¢ The proximity of cables to main electrical wirings must be significantly distant to avoid fire. †¢ As much as possible, servers must be placed outside the building. Extra security protocols must be applied to avoid losing information. †¢ If a building has multiple servers, it is advised that all servers be placed on an isolated location and away from public gathering places. This will require the development of additional security precautions. †¢ Different types of cables should be considered in setting up a network to maximize its us †¢ Do not put cables near bodies of water or water discharge sa this may damage the cables †¢ Provide rooms with electric generators in case a power outage occurs. Make sure that these rooms are close to their central control devices to avoid technical problems in connecting the machines to the generator. †¢ Provide fire-preventing equipment such as fire extinguishers near the whereabouts of control systems †¢ Provide water and fire alarms to inform personnel if water or fire gets near the data storage devices †¢ The network team should provide a spare or backup server to perform full back up planning after disaster With the increase in number of intrusions and attacks on networks trying to take data and information, a way of protecting these data should be prioritized in a network. Since the data are, most of the time, secret and important to companies, detection and control of intrusions must be strictly implemented. Through the latest presentations that we have done in class, we have learned new techniques and OSI Models that should be taken into account to provide the highest standards of security and quality. Some of these techniques are firewalls, proxies, encryptions, IP security, data authenticity, communications type and satellites.