You Suck: A Love Story Chapter 29~30

Chapter Twenty-nine Don't You Hate Running into Your Ex? As soon as she unlocked the new loft's security door from the street, Jody smelled blood, burned flesh, and shampoo. A case of the willies that felt like an electric serpent slithered up her spine. She went up the stairs, light on the balls of her feet, ready. She heard every tick in the apartment, the refrigerator motor, floorboards shifting, the huge cat Chet snoring in the bedroom, and, of course, someone breathing. The lights were off. He was sitting in a canvas sling-back chair, barefoot, in a pair of Tommy's jeans and a T-shirt, drying his hair with a towel. Jody stopped by the kitchen. â€Å"Fledgling,† said the vampire. â€Å"I'm always pleasantly surprised when I am reminded of how lovely you are. Surprises are rare at my age.† â€Å"Must have surprised the fuck out of you to have that Honda toast you, then, huh?† She felt herself tightening down, the electric jangle channeling itself into an awareness, an edge. It wasn't fear anymore, it was readiness. â€Å"An unpleasant one, yes. I assume your little servant is safe for now.† â€Å"Well, you know, she was winded for a few minutes from kicking your ass, but she is just a little girl.† The vampire laughed, and Jody couldn't help but smile. She went to the windows at the front of the loft and opened them. â€Å"Smells like burned meat in here.† â€Å"She'll have to go, you know,† said the vampire, still smiling. â€Å"No, she won't,† Jody turned on her heel. Faced him. â€Å"Of course she will. All of them but you. I'm quite tired of being alone, little one. You can come away with me, just as we planned.† Jody was stunned at his density. â€Å"I was lying to you, Elijah. I never intended to go away with you. I was just pretending to find out how to be a vampire.† â€Å"What were you going to do the next night, then – if your pet hadn't bronzed us, I mean?† â€Å"I thought I'd send you away.† â€Å"No you didn't.† â€Å"I thought I'd let the Animals kill you, like they were going to anyway.† â€Å"No you didn't.† â€Å"I don't know.† The edge was slipping. â€Å"I don't know.† Maybe she was going to go with him. She had felt so alone, so lost. â€Å"Ah, so here we are again. Let's pretend like all this unpleasantness hasn't happened, and it's the next night, and here we are, just the two of us. The only ones of our kind. What will you do, Jody?† â€Å"But we aren't the only ones of our kind.† â€Å"We are the only ones you need worry about. You do know that you are the first new vampire in a hundred years?† Jody tried not to show her surprise. â€Å"How lucky for me,† she said. â€Å"Oh, you're not the only one I've turned. I've turned many. You're the only one who could weather the change with her mind intact. The others had to be, well, decommissioned.† â€Å"You killed them?† â€Å"Yes. But not you. Help me clean up and then we'll leave, together.† â€Å"Clean up?† â€Å"There are certain rules, love. Rules that I set down myself, and the first of them is make no more vampires. Yet you've let loose a storm of fledglings, and they all have to be cleaned up, including your boy pet.† â€Å"Make no more? What about me? You made me.† â€Å"I didn't expect you to survive, love. I thought you would be an amusement, a break in monotony, an interlude, but you distinguished yourself.† â€Å"And now you want me to run off with you.† â€Å"We'll live like royalty. I have resources you couldn't imagine.† â€Å"You're wearing stolen jeans, sugar daddy.† â€Å"Well, yes, I will have to make my way to one of my caches.† â€Å"I have an idea,† Jody said, and this was really the reason she had come here, by herself, knowing that he would be here. Or at least hoping. â€Å"How about I give you enough money to get you out of town and you do that, just like we promised Rivera and Cavuto? You leave me alone, you leave Tommy alone, you just leave.† Elijah stood now, tossed the towel on the chair, and moved to her so quickly that she could barely even see him move. â€Å"Art, music, literature,† said Elijah. â€Å"Desire, passion, power – the best of man and the best of beast. Together. You would say no to that?† He put his hand on her cheek and she let him. â€Å"Love?† Jody said, looking into his eyes – they reflected like drops of mercury in her night vision. â€Å"For fairy tales. We are the stuff from which nightmares are made. Make nightmares with me.† â€Å"Wow, nice offer. Can't imagine why you haven't had any takers for a hundred years.† Jody grabbed his wrist. If he wouldn't leave, she could take him. She was a vampire, too. The vampire had been smiling, but his smile changed aspect, going from pleased to predatory. â€Å"So be it, then.† His hand was at her neck in an instant, she didn't see him move or have a chance to react. Suddenly she couldn't move her arms or legs, and there was an intense pain behind her ear and under her jaw. She screamed, releasing a sound she couldn't imagine coming out of a human, more like something you'd hear from a tortured cat. He clamped his other hand over her mouth. â€Å"I didn't teach you everything in our one night together, love.† She watched helplessly as he tossed his head back and his fangs unsheathed. Troy Lee squared off against Drew at the end of the dog-food aisle, two short fighting swords in hand. â€Å"Bring it, stoner,† Troy Lee said. He spun the swords. Drew fell into a crouch by the dishwashing liquids. â€Å"I'm fast now,† Drew said. â€Å"Uh-huh,† Troy said. He whipped the swords through the air in a deadly fanning motion. He'd been training since he was a child; he wasn't afraid, especially of Drew. â€Å"Hey,† came a woman's voice from right beside him. Troy Lee looked over, lightning quick, just in time to register what looked like a full moon coming at his face. There was a loud clang and Troy was nearly flipped over backwards when the iron skillet hit him in the forehead. Blue let it drop to her side and grinned at Drew. â€Å"I've always wanted to do that.† â€Å"Housewares used to be my aisle,† Drew said. â€Å"Take him,† said Blue. â€Å"Let him drink some of your blood before he dies.† She headed toward a commotion in the can aisle. â€Å"Save some, boys. Mama's got a broken nose that needs to heal.† Jody felt her own fangs extend and her kneecaps quiver as Elijah fed on her, but otherwise she couldn't move. How could she have been so stupid? He was eight hundred years old – of course he hadn't taught her everything. Of course he was stronger than she was – she was stronger than Tommy, and she had only been a vampire a couple of months longer than he had. If she could stay conscious, maybe when he stopped feeding she could make her move. Could he reduce her to dust like a human, or would he have to do something else? Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Why didn't she know all of this? Why wasn't she acting on instinct? Where was the predator mind when you needed it? Her vision started to tunnel down – she was losing consciousness. She could hear rapid footsteps outside, though. First below, then across the street, then below again. Elijah heard them, too, and he loosened his grip for an instant, but before she could twist away, his fingers dug into her neck and jaw again. Then a black blur flew through the window and she heard something thud on the floor over by the kitchen. There was another loud thud and Elijah released her and she fell to the floor. She tried to push herself up, but something was thrown over her and she heard a buzzing sound. She heard screaming and smelled burning flesh, glass breaking, then someone was lifting her, carrying her. She couldn't move or even fight anymore. She let go, let herself float away, but the last thing she heard was a girl's voice saying, â€Å"Did you feed Chet?† The Emperor sat on the dock of the St. Francis Yacht Club, watching the fog wash over the breakwater. He'd gone against the advice of the homicide detectives and had left the grocery store. It was his city, and it was his place to take the battle to its attackers. He had cowered in fear long enough. His wickedly pointed sword lay on the dock at his side. The men, Bummer and Lazarus, were sleeping in a fuzzy pile at his back. â€Å"Ah, gentle warriors, how do we engage in battle when our enemy moves with such elegant stealth? Perhaps we should return to the Safeway and help defend.† Bummer's left ear twitched, and he let out a muffled ruff in his sleep. A thick bank of fog was moving down from the opening in the breakwater and it caught the Emperor's attention because it appeared to be moving across the wind from the west. Yes, it was indeed – the cold breeze was coming straight over the breakwater from the north. The fog bank bubbled thick as it moved, tendrils reached out and then were reabsorbed like the false feet of some crawling creature. The Emperor climbed to his feet and roused the men, snatched Bummer up before the sleepy terrier could get his bearings, and headed toward the clubhouse with Lazarus at his heels. He crouched in a shadow by the entrance to the restrooms, holding the hounds as he watched. The fog bank enveloped the end of the dock, paused, then dissipated as if a fan had been turned on it, and three tall figures stood on the dock, a man and two women. They wore long coats, cashmere, the Emperor thought, but he couldn't for the life of him remember why he might know that. They moved down the dock toward him as if they were floating. The Emperor could see their outlines in the moonlight – jawlines and cheekbones that looked as if they'd been chiseled, square shoulders, and narrow hips. They might have been brother and sisters, except one of the women was of African descent, the other looked like she might be Italian or Greek. The man was a head taller than the women and looked Nordic, perhaps German, with close-cropped white hair. All were as pale as bleached bone. As they passed him the Emperor pulled the hounds closer and Bummer let out a threatening ruff. They stopped. The man turned. â€Å"How long have you been here?† he asked. â€Å"Forever, I think,† said the Emperor. The man smiled and nodded, then turned and was on his way. â€Å"I know how you feel,† he said without looking back. Gustavo and Jeff found Barry hiding in the shelves among the toilet-paper packages. When they got close, Barry burst out of the TP and made a run for the end of the aisle, pulling napkins, aluminum foil, garbage bags, and plastic silverware off the shelves as he went to slow his pursuers. Gustavo went down first, slipping on a package of plastic forks. Jeff high-stepped through the obstacles and was right on Barry's ass until he was almost to the end of the aisle and Lash stepped out holding one of Barry's spearguns. â€Å"Down!† Lash barked, and Barry hit the tile on his chest and slid. There was a pneumatic hiss and the heavy stainless spear thudded into Jeff's sternum and blew him back off his feet. â€Å"Ow, goddammit,† said the power forward, clutching at the spear and trying to pull it out of his chest. Gustavo climbed to his feet, ran to Jeff, and started yanking on the spear. Lash handed Barry a four-foot-long stick with a blunt metal tip on it and fitted another spear into the gun. â€Å"That the last one?† Barry asked. Lash nodded. â€Å"Where's Clint?† Just then the tall blond woman appeared at the far end of the aisle, dragging an unconscious Clint by his collar. A wide bloodstain ran from her chin to her crotch and they could see her fangs even from this distance. â€Å"Bad boys. Leaving your born-again lying on the floor where people can trip over him.† She dropped Clint on his face, and headed up the aisle toward them, in long, slow strides. Lash bolted, Barry right behind them, through the canvas doors into the back room, and into the walk-in dairy cooler. It was like a long hallway with plastic milk boxes stacked on one side and the glass dairy cases on the other. They pushed stacks of heavy one-gallon milk boxes in front of the door, then leaned with their backs against the back of the cooler, watching the store through the clear cooler doors in the dairy case, over the cartons of yogurt and cottage cheese. â€Å"What's that she's carrying?† Barry asked. â€Å"A frying pan,† Lash said. â€Å"Oh,† Barry said â€Å"Sorry I let her in. She was almost naked.† â€Å"How could you have known?† â€Å"Well, when she claimed she had a nooky-gram for my birthday, I should have figured something was up.† â€Å"Your birthday's like in March, isn't it?† â€Å"Yeah.† Lash slapped Barry hard once on his bare scalp, then re-aimed the speargun over the yogurts. â€Å"I deserved that,† Barry said. â€Å"Think that spear hit Jeff's heart?† â€Å"Had to. It's a foot through his sternum.† â€Å"He doesn't seem dead.† â€Å"Guess that means head shot.† Barry shook his head. â€Å"You want me to try?† â€Å"Nah, if I miss, you have the bang stick.† Lash nodded at the long stick Barry was holding at port arms. Essentially it was a twelve-gauge shotgun shell on the end of a stick, used for killing sharks. You poked them with it and the shotgun shell fired into them at point-blank range. â€Å"I'll bet she doesn't even know what it is.† â€Å"Get it right,† Lash said. â€Å"Blow her fucking brains out.† They looked at each other as they heard the refrigeration compressors and fans wind down. Then the lights went out. â€Å"We're fucked,† Lash said. â€Å"Yep,† Barry agreed. Chapter Thirty Being the Chronicles of Abby Normal: Dark and Mysterious Goddess of Forbidden Love Don't judge me. I have looked death in the face and made him my bitch! I did what I did out of love, and I don't want to sound conceited, but OMG, we are heroes! And when I say we, I mean us. Had I told you before, you would have called me â€Å"losah!† pronounced me perky and cute beyond redemption, but now that I am secure in my own nefarious love lair and whatnot, I can at last confess, that in my naive youth, my favorite literary character was not the tentacled horror Cthulu from Lovecraft as I previously stated in AP English 235, but, in fact, Pippi Longstocking. Before you condemn me for my Pippism, check it out: Pippi drank a lot of coffee. (Because, like me, she was wise.) Pippi had unnaturally red hair (as I, myself have had, upon occasion). Pippi often wore long, stripy socks (as yours truly has been known to do). Pippi had superhuman strength. (It could happen.) Pippi kicked ass. (Not unlike your humble narrator.) Pippi was a kid who lived without parents in her own house. (Go, girl!) With a monkey. (Haven't you always wanted a monkey?) What Longstockings did not have, was the coolest cyber-ninja-sex-magic boyfriend to ever save the world and whatnot. (Props to Pip, but girlfriend needed some yang to rock her yin.) Steve. My darling, my love, My heart is aflame But OMFG, Steve, I grieve, That you're name Is so fucking lame. I call him Foo Dog, because he guards the gate of my temple, if you know what I mean. I'm wearing the jacket he made me right now. I had it on when they came for me, but that's not the thing. The thing is, I didn't save myself, I saved love. So, that night, after I told the Countess how my sweet Foo Dog saved me from the vampyre, the Countess said she was going to go back to the loft to get some money and feed Chet and get the last of William's blood for Lord Flood, for their love is truly eternal. And Jared and I were like, â€Å"We'll go, too,† but the Countess sent us back to liberate the vampyre Flood from Jared's basement and his hideous family. So we were all, â€Å"Well, okay.† But when we got to Jared's house, Flood was totally gone. And then Steve – I mean Foo Dog – called me and he was all, â€Å"I'm getting off work early, I don't want to leave you out there unprotected.† So I told him where we were. Then Lord Flood comes walking out of the dark and he's all, â€Å"What? What? What?† And I'm all, â€Å"The Countess went back to the loft.† And he's all, â€Å"She is in danger. We must away.† And I was like, â€Å"Chill thee thus, for my sweet love-ninja is on the way in his fly ride.† So Flood was like, † ‘Kay.† I see now that my attraction to the vampyre Flood was nothing more than childish infatuation, never to be requited, because he had eyes only for the Countess. So it was a little awkward when Steve showed up and I had to chill the Lord Flood and make him sit in the backseat to show that my real affections were with Foo Dog, who was formerly known as Steve. And when we got to the loft, the windows were open, but there were no lights on. And Flood had us drive a block past, then we got out and he walked back. Then he runs up and he's like, â€Å"Elijah's up there. He's got her.† And I'm all, â€Å"Then go get her.† And Steve is like, â€Å"No, I'll go get her.† And he pulls this long coat out of the trunk. It's all covered with warts or something, and I'm like, â€Å"Nice coat, but you know, vampyre†¦Ã¢â‚¬  And Steve is like, â€Å"They're UV LEDs. Like the lights we burned the vampires with before.† And I'm like, â€Å"Sweet!† So Steve starts to put the coat on and Flood stops him and goes, â€Å"He'll hear you coming up the stairs. I'll go.† And Steve is all, â€Å"You can't. It will burn you, too.† And Flood is all, â€Å"No it won't.† So they are like five minutes behind the car putting together this ber-cool ensem of like an old gas mask, and a hoodie, and full-on gloves and everything, until Flood is totally covered, wearing the long coat with the glass warts all over it, looking like one of the cenobites from Hellraiser. And Steve is like, â€Å"Don't hit the switch until you know she's covered.† And he hands Flood like a black rubber tarp and a baseball bat, which totally sucked the cool right out of the ensem, but I guess was necessary. Then, just when I'm about to ask how he's going to get in without being heard, we hear the Countess scream, and Flood runs across the street and about halfway up the side of the building, then turns and runs down it, then across the street, up the side of his building, and goes through the window feet fucking first. And I'm like, â€Å"Whoa.† And Steve and Jared are like, â€Å"Whoa.† And a second later we hear a thumping, and purple light comes on in the loft windows and the old vampyre comes crashing through the windows on fucking fire, falling like a comet! And he lands on his feet in the middle of the street, hisses once and looks at us, and that's when Steve holds up one of his UV floodlights, and the vampyre fucking scrams down the alley across the street so fast that he was just a blur. Next thing, Flood is coming out of the building carrying the Countess, who is wrapped in the black rubber tarp and is totally roofied like a limp rag. And Steve's all, â€Å"Get her in the car.† And I'm like, â€Å"Did you feed Chet?† And Jared is like, â€Å"Hello, Abby, the other vampyres.† So I'm like, â€Å"Shut up. I know.† So we all piled into Steve's car and we took Flood and the Countess to a hotel off up on Van Ness, which Steve paid for with his Visa, which was generous and mature of him. It was one of those motels where you have your own entrance to the parking lot so they don't see you in the hallway, so Flood carried the Countess up to the room, and we carried some stuff that Steve had packed up in the trunk of his car. It was so sad. Flood just stroked the Countess's cheek and tried to get her to wake up, but she wouldn't. And he was all, â€Å"Abby, she needs to feed. I wouldn't ask, but he's done something to her, she's hurt.† And I would have totally done it, but Steve pulled me back, and he picks up this playmate cooler that he had us bring up, and he pulls out these pouches of blood. And he hands them to Flood and says, â€Å"I took them from the university hospital. They could kick me out of school for this.† And Flood is all, â€Å"Thanks.† And he bites a hole in one of the pouches and squeezes it on the Countess's lips and that's when I started to cry. There were like four pouches, and when he was going for the last one, Steve was like, â€Å"You need to drink that one.† And Flood was like, â€Å"No way, it's for her.† And Steve was like, â€Å"You know you do.† So Flood like nodded and drank the last one himself, and then he just sat there by her, stroking her hair. Then Steve was like, â€Å"Tommy, you know I can reverse your vampirism. I'm pretty sure the process works.† And Flood just looked at him and nodded. It was so sad. And then the Countess started to moan, and she opened her eyes and she saw the vampyre Flood and she was all, â€Å"Hey, baby.† Just like that. And I started crying again like a big wuss and Steve took Jared and me out to the car to give them some space. And Steve was like, â€Å"I made this for you from my jacket.† And he put this leather motorcycle jacket on me that was covered with those glass LED thingies. It was kinda heavy, because there were batteries built into the padding, but cool. And he was all, â€Å"This will keep you safe. The switch is in the snap on the left cuff. Just squeeze it and the lights will come on. They won't hurt you, but you should wear sunglasses to protect your retinas.† Then he put a pair of totally cyber wraparound sunglasses on me and kissed me. And I kissed him back, hard, with major tongue, and finally he pulled away, as gentle as a butterfly. So then I slapped him, so he wouldn't think I was a slut. But so he wouldn't think I was being frigid, I sort of jumped on him and wrapped my legs around him and sort of accidentally rode him to the ground and was accidentally kind of dry-humping him on the pavement when the lights on my jacket came on and people looked out their hotel windows a nd whatnot, so Jared ended our special romantic moment by hitting my light switch and dragging me off. And I was all, â€Å"You are THE MAN, Foo!† And he was all, â€Å"Huh?† Because I hadn't told him yet that his new name was Foo Dog. But then he said he actually had to get home and check in or his parents would freak out. And said to watch the masters until I got back, if I got a chance try to talk them into being converted. So we made out on the hood of the Honda for a while and he drove off into night's cold loneliness like the superhero that he is. (The effect was ruined, kind of, in that Jared caught a ride with him.) So I went back upstairs and sat at the foot of the masters' bed, keeping guard and listening to them. They were talking softly, but I could hear them. The vampyre Flood was all, â€Å"Maybe we should give it a try.† And the Countess was all, â€Å"What, the cure? Tommy, it can't work. You've seen what I can do, you know what you can do. This isn't biology, this is magic.† â€Å"Maybe it's not. Maybe it's science we don't know yet.† â€Å"It doesn't matter. We don't even know if it works.† â€Å"We should try.† â€Å"Why would we try, Tommy? You've only been immortal for a couple of weeks. Do you want to give up the power, the – I don't know – the command over your world?† â€Å"Well – yes.† â€Å"You do?† â€Å"Yeah. I don't like it, Jody. I don't like being afraid all the time. I don't like being alone. I don't like being a killer.† â€Å"That woman was torturing you, Tommy. That's never going to happen again.† â€Å"That's wasn't the problem. I'd get over her. The problem was that I liked it. I liked it.† Then the Countess was quiet for a while, and I thought it might be dawn or something, but I peeked over the edge of the bed and she was just staring into his eyes. She looked over at me. â€Å"Hey, girlie girl,† the Countess said, and she smiled at me and it felt like a gift or something. It was like, real. Then she took her watch off and threw it to me at the end of the bed. â€Å"That has an automatic almanac in it – how about you set the alarm to go off about twenty minutes before sunset, so you don't get caught out again, okay?† And I was going to tell her about the jacket that Foo made for me, but I kind of couldn't talk, so I just nodded and put the watch on and slid back down to the floor. Then I heard the Countess go, â€Å"You aren't alone. I'm here. We can go where no one knows us, no one is chasing us, and I'll always be here for you.† And he goes, â€Å"I know. I mean alone from everyone else. Separate. I want to be human, not some foul dead thing.† â€Å"I thought you wanted to be special.† â€Å"I do, but I want to be human special – because of something I did.† Then it was quiet for a while, and finally the Countess goes, â€Å"I love it, Tommy. I'm not afraid all the time like you; just the opposite. I didn't realize how afraid I used to be until I became like this. I like walking the street knowing that I'm the Alpha animal, hearing and seeing and smelling everything, being part of everything. I like it. I wanted to share that with you.† â€Å"It's okay. You couldn't have known.† â€Å"I don't want to be alone either. That's why I turned you. I love you.† Then the alarm went off on Lord Flood's watch, and he shut it off. Then he's all, â€Å"We can't go back to the way it was, before, I mean? Where I look after you?† â€Å"It's not the same world, Tommy. You know that now. We were in the same room in different worlds.† â€Å"Okay then. I love you, Jody.† â€Å"I love you, too,† goes the Countess. Then they didn't say anything for a long time, and when my new watch showed that the sun was up, I looked, and they were lying there, holding each other, and I could see the red stains on the pillow from their tears. And I was like, â€Å"Oh, hell no!†

The Primary Cause Of the FAilure

1. Do you think the primary cause of the failure of the two companies that led to the bailout was a management failure, a worker failure, a shareholder or customer failure, some other reason, or a combination of the above? Why is that the case? General Motors was founded by William â€Å"Billy† Durant on September 16, 1908 and has several brands under names such as Chevrolet, Cadillac, and Buick. Chrysler was founded by Walter Chrysler in 1925 and it also has many brands such as Jeep, Dodge, Ram, and Fiat. These are two of the biggest American carmakers in the United States and their demise was hard to comprehend. I think there are many reasons that collectively led to the failure of both GM and Chrysler. One of the causes for the demise of both companies was management failure. Management is supposed to lead by making the right choices for themselves and their customers. Management failed to set up financial policies that would benefit their companies in the long run. The financial meltdown of Wall Street led to a national crisis, which made GM and Chrysler unable to borrow money to keep them afloat. The financial meltdown trickled down to consumers who were not able to get loans either to purchase or lease cars. The financial meltdown and car sales having been at their lowest point in a decade is the reason that GM and Chrysler had to file for bankruptcy. GM and Chrysler’s management also failed to anticipate the rise of energy prices. Gas prices skyrocketed to almost four dollars a gallon and with the fragile state of the economy, it made people very conservative about their driving. The rise of gas prices was almost like a death sentence to Chrysler and GM. They have relied on the sales of sport utility vehicles or SUVs as their main source of income. The sport utility vehicles carry an already high price tag and when you add the gas prices you get vehicles that nobody wants to purchase. People wanted to get rid of their SUVs because they just cost too much money to operate. Customers switched to smaller more fuel-efficient vehicles because it became more of a necessity than a choice. Unfortunately GM and Chrysler were not ready to meet the new demand for fuel-efficient vehicles. The cars that GM and Chrysler had on the market were not as fuel efficient as their foreign counterparts, which made the financial stability for the American carmakers uncertain at best. GM and Chrysler’s management failed to acknowledge competition and innovation. Carmakers like Toyota have for many years tried to stay innovative and ahead of the competition by taking risks and investing in research and development. Toyota developed one of the best selling cars in American history called the â€Å"Prius†, which is a very fuel-efficient car. On the other hand GM and Chrysler are just starting to develop electric and hybrid cars. Unfortunately foreign carmakers have the market cornered because neither GM nor Chrysler succeeded in forecasting the needs and wants of the American People. GM and Chrysler still have a bad reputation for the quality of their cars. Nowadays when people think of reliable, fuel-efficient and quality cars most people think of foreign carmakers. GM and Chrysler are trying to change the perception of the quality of their cars, but when a company takes this long to try to change it is very hard to win back some of their customers. I would personally hesitate to buy a car from either company because of what friends and family have said about the problems they have encountered with their cars. I believe it is the management of both companies’ fault that led to their financial demise. Like any other company in the world, it is the people at the top who have the control, knowledge, and resources to make the tough choices and right decisions. I just do not see how it could be the fault of workers who just follow orders and have no say about the management of the company. It cannot be the fault of the customers because most people would not buy a product of poor quality or from a bankrupt company. One of the largest shareholders for GM at the time was Jerry York. He begged the board of directors to take drastic measures to save the company and they decided to ignore him. Now, they are doing some of the things Jerry York suggested because the federal government is forcing them. According to my research, most people feel that it was the poor management that led the American carmakers to bankruptcy and the need for the federal government to bail them out. Citations Seven reasons GM is headed to bankruptcy http://www. usatoday. com/money/autos/2009-05-31-gm-mistakes-bankruptcy_N. htm After 101 years, why GM failed http://www. bspcn. com/2009/06/01/after-101-years-why-gm-failed/ GM in Crisis—5 Reasons Why America's Largest Car Company Teeters on the Edge http://www. popularmechanics. com/cars/news/industry/4292379

International Marketing-Core Assessment Term Paper

International Marketing-Core Assessment - Term Paper Example The reduction of the outlet performance due to overcrowding is evident is some parts of the US while in other towns it does not exist making the process complex because of reduced performance of the outlets. In fact, the creation of many outlets in an area reduced the incomes of the outlets by sharing the market among the outlets. The faster rate of growth was affected by the global financial crisis which affected the buying power of the consumers. The development of a strong brand presence and image improved its market share. The green and white package makes Starbucks product identification simple and attractive (Allen, 2010, p. 56). Some customers in the survey of the product indicated their purchase is based on package and not the contents. The provision of diverse range of beverage products offered a platform for growth and expansion. Consequently, the performance of the outlets has increased over the last decade making Starbucks the fastest growing brand in the market. The anal ysis of the company will cover issues of emerging markets, growth strategies, and regional economic and political integration. Likewise, the issues of culture in business performance will be addressed in the process to establish the best possible expansion criteria or process to be employed by the company. The use of expansion strategies such as mergers, acquisition, franchising and exporting will be evaluated to offer recommendations for change and development. Emerging markets After the global financial crisis experienced in 2007 to 2009, changes have been instituted in the financial and banking sectors. The revenue collection of the club was affected by the crisis resulting in the change of taxation. Increase in tax results, in reduction of profit margins of the company. The change in economic growth affects the performance of all the business firms regardless of the specialization. The financial crisis witnessed in the past two years led to closure and withdrawal of companies fr om initially entered markets. The financial crisis brought the need for financial regulation. Higher Interest rates affect the performance of the company by deterring investments. Economic change can have adverse change in the performance of any business. Inflation leads to increase in higher wages due to increased living standards (Shaw, 2011, p. 67). Strong currency conversion affects exportation of products. In the next three years, the company will face the entire economic factor at varying degree. The most significant one is the increasing inflation which leads to rising of the wage level thus increasing the production costs of the company. Despite the negative effect of inflation, it is worth mentioning that the financial report provided indicates, there will be an increase in the living standard resulting, in the increase in purchasing power of the population. The organization has a strategic review and planning will be able to benefit from the focused improvement in the nati onal earnings. The strategic direction chosen by the management will facilitate growth because it takes into consideration the issues that can negatively affect the business performance. The global market is an external factor affecting the business. Yips global strategy frame work deals with the evaluation of the potential market and constraints of the global market. The frame work developed by Yip includes the analysis of position and resources of the

Revenue Math Problem Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Revenue - Math Problem Example Even though the property has never been renovated none of the hotels in its rating category has any advantages over it and changing the decor on a regular basis can be a means of making the place continually attractive to its clients. The hotel is close to public transportation which means that its guests do not have to go very far or get lost in order to obtain transportation. Additionally, there is direct access from the street to its food and beverage facility which means that this aspect of the business will be more successful than its competitors. It is expected that the food and beverage aspect of the business will provide similar level of revenue or probably more based on recent restaurant closures and the location of the facility. The hotel expects to have an above-fair market room share which means that its occupancy levels will be above the market average. Revenue generation This property has a number of avenues at its disposal to generate revenue. They include rooms, food and beverage, parking, laundry, telephone, entertainment and room service. This information is highlighted in the appendix. With an occupancy level of 60% and an ADR of $152 the property would be able to generate revenues from rooms of $705,580. This calculation takes into account rooms sold on week days (W/D) and weekends (W/E). Information gathered indicates that during quarter 1 of the previous years more leisure was demanded on weekends than on week days and so the rates were set higher on weekends than on week days. In the case of business the rates were higher on weekdays since this is usually the time when certain types of business like banks and service operations carry out their major activities. Corporate rates were also higher on weekdays than on weekends and so the information on occupancy and market mix was useful in this regard. The projections takes into account the maximize occupancy strategy. The use of this strategy will draw guests from other properties to this on e. Additionally, guests will get value for money and will return based on the distinctive characteristics of the property that sets it apart from the competition. The food and beverage facilities on the property should benefit tremendously from its proximity to public transportation and its access from the street. It has adequate space for the advertisement of the facilities. A guest survey that was done last year indicated that advertising was of great importance to all types of customers except tour groups. This would definitely help to boost not only the room revenue but food and beverage as well. Some restaurants recently closed their doors and this property stands to benefit from the lower number of restaurants in the area and the fact that none is scheduled to be built in the short term. Additionally, a number of corporate offices are opening in the area and this property stands tall with its distinct facilities which set it apart from its competitors. The property is expected to see approximately 700 additional persons for breakfast each day and this is considered very conservative, approximately 8,000 for lunch and 6,000 for dinner. This projection is based on the foregoing information as well as information obtained from the food and beverage performance and price points. Dinner followed by lunch is expected to be the main revenue generator. In terms of beverage from the bar there should be quite a bit of persons

A SWOT Analysis of the Bird Company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

A SWOT Analysis of the Bird Company - Essay Example New entrants in the motor vehicle industry have changed the game with the tide swinging to the newcomers who enter with new vehicle designs and modern technology features. The company management blamed the current decline in sales to increasing competition and client prevalence for more comfort while preferring to pay less for the vehicles. In addition, high fuel prices and environmental concerns have driven clients to prefer vehicles that consume less fuel while emitting fewer exhaust fumes. While addressing the lost market share, management has held a number of meetings of which the resolution’s implementation started immediately. Some of the factors the management identified in relation to the operation include the following; High quality: Bird boasts of manufacturing high-quality vehicles that many buyers prefer. The vehicles have low breakdown rates with the heaviness contributing to stability. In addition, the cars can move at high speeds with a large angle of tilt. Cheap prices: Bird vehicles are manufactured with the low-end customers’ budget in mind. The vehicles have standard features but go for a relatively cheap price. As a result, the vehicles compete favorably with other brands in the market. Supportive to CSR: Bird Company believes in giving back to the society as a way of creating awareness on various matters. The company has been active in planting trees and among other conservation measures meant to create clean environments. Experience: Having stayed in the industry for a long time, the company has known how to react to customer requests by modifying specific parts that could increase the vehicle value. The company has invested in research and innovation with aims of remaining relevant while beating the competition. Dominance: Bird is the leading supplier of sedan cars in the world with a significant market share of 30%.

Human Cognition and the Brain Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Human Cognition and the Brain - Case Study Example Phineas P. Gage was a railroad employee who went through a serious brain damage when metal pierced through his head, destroying the frontal lobe areas of his mind. This brain damage was expected to impose severe impacts on his feelings, attitudes and behaviors, transforming him in a wild and unstable level, so intense so that his friends even mentioned that he was not even the person he once was prior to the accident. At the time that this happened to the medical world, Gage's situation resulted to developments in the medical belief of the operations and portions of the human brain concerning the human feelings and behaviors. Gage's situation is mentioned as among the initial proof recommending that serious injury to the frontal lobes of the human brain could change elements of attitudes and behavior and will have an impact on the communicative abilities. Prior to this case the frontal lobes were commonly perceived to possess very minimal responsibilities in attitudes (Fleischman, 2004). With respect to current medical research, a serious injury to the brain especially in the frontal area by an object that has dimensions of more than an inch in diameter and has a weight of more than ten pounds, would definitely make living impossible for the person, since this would mean a lethal destruction to essential brain parts, which include the superior sagittal sinus. Nonetheless, Gage was able to make it through the serious accident and added miseries because of an infection developed. Gage was eventually discovered to have exhibited radical shifts in attitudes and perceptions. Gage's situation is mentioned as among the initial proof recommending that serious injury to the frontal lobes of the brain could change elements of human behavior and have an adverse impact in the proper communication between people. Prior to this situation the frontal lobes were generally perceived to have very minimal responsibilities in human attitudes. Medical expert Antonio Damasio has studied thoroughly on the case of Gage, and including other people he has devoted his time which, in his own opinion, had the same brain damages. In an idea he pertained to as the somatic marker theory, Damasio recommends a connection between the frontal lobes, human behavior and logical choices of a person. He views Gage's situation as having an essential responsibility in the field of nerve science, stating that Gage's case was the essential foundation of the field of the scientific foundations of human attitudes. While researches by Hanna Damasio and his assistants recommended a serious damage to the frontal lobes, a recent research by Ratiu and his assistants formulated on a scan of Gage's head implies that the degree of Gage's brain damage must have been not so serious at all as what is known today (Bradberry, 2005). It is normally recommended that Gage's situation hastened the improvement of a medical procedure called frontal lobotomy, currently a rare medical operation that results to an erratic behavioral response and attitude developments. Nevertheless, past research investigation does not look very positive to validate this hypothesis. It looks like that perception of Gage's brain d

Finish homework Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Finish homework - Assignment Example This essay is a rhetorical analysis of the 2013 documentary,Blackfish. Production of the documentary Blackfish intended to show the dangers of placing in captivity of clever and emotional creatures such as whales. To achieve this, Blackfish shows a series of mistreatments of whales in captivity in various performing parks around the world, concentrating on the devastating incidents that led to the death of four people. This documentary mainly uses a killer whale known as Tilikum due to his involvement in three of the four deaths. Since Tilikum cannot tell the story, a collection of former orca trainers particularly those who worked with Tilikum are used. The use of orca trainers as the narrators, places their stories above those of Tilikum. This way, Blackfish turns out to be a narrative with two main points. The first point is that the idea of keeping killer whales in captivity is wrong and the second point is that the abuse of whales by fellow whales whiles in captivity maybe the reason some of them become hostile. Blackfish director Gabriela Cowperthwaite excelled in this documentary particularly the perfect visual work. The documentary uses skilled cinematography to blend interviews with actual shots of the animals and parks, and the occasional pieces of created shots for instance the animations employed in presentation of courtroom transcriptions. This makes Blackfish a stunning work of visual art that most people will enjoy watching and since it provides fresh content in a rare form of cinematography. The soundtrack by Jeff Beal in this documentary greatly improves the visual power of the film by heightening the documentary’s emotional thrust. This masterful soundtrack therefore, helps the documentary in successful manipulation of the audience’s emotions. Blackfish however fails to align its ideas in a manner that clearly

Marketing Study on Apple Company Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5500 words

Marketing Study on Apple Company - Assignment Example The computer industry incorporates a broad range of products, from mp3 players / iPods and printers to â€Å"personal computers and powerful servers† (Linzmayer, 2004, P. 103). Businesses have difficulty working in the computer industry, specifically because of the active environment of technology. In accordance to Moore’s law, the â€Å"numbers of transistors per square inch on integrated circuits will double every 18 months† (Linzmayer, 2004, P. 103), and costs will be decreased. This indicates that even the leading companies are required to stay very active and updated, as the industry is persistently changing and redefining its parameters. Apple Inc. has lately made headlines by penetrating into the cell phone market with its launch of the Apple iPhone. Apple as well has an extensive range of computer products together with personal computers, â€Å"computer accessories, servers, networking solutions, and software packages† (Linzmayer, 2004, P. 103). Presently having a market share of 58 percent among the cell phone market, and staying on a profitable 5 percent of the personal computer market, Apple has constantly maintains its name within the industry by keeping an eye for aesthetics as well as inventiveness, together with ‘easy to use’, pioneering products. Apple has most successfully developed the competitive strategies that let businesses in this industry to stay lucrative. Apple is renowned for its distinguished as well as innovative products, and dependable customer base. This joined with the halo effect from iPhone sales is likely to boost general market share and enhanced position Apple to remove market share from its rivals. In addition, Apple presents the maximum percentage of its sales to Research and Development, which better positions itself to have the benefit of primary mover benefit with the introduction of latest products. Apple has the maximum gross profit margin among its rivals because of its higher costs, and is only in charge for letting Apple to stay afloat within the personal computer market by a meager 4 percent market share. On the other hand, â€Å"Apple’s spare no expense philosophy in producing high quality differentiated goods drastically reduces its ability to translate a larger portion of gross prof it into net profit† (Cruikshank, 2005, p. 72). Apple has the utmost operating expense ratio in addition to the lowest net profit margin with its rivals. If Apple is capable of cutting down on operating cost and make use of a few of the standard policies used by Dell, they will be capable of converting additional profits into earnings per share Apple has many internal strong pints that make it a triumphant as well as competitive business. Apple has a dominant foothold within the personal computer marketplace by being different with its pioneering approach and user-friendliness. Its operating system is created domestically, keeping it free from

Investment Analysis of Vegetarian Restaurant Essay

Investment Analysis of Vegetarian Restaurant - Essay Example Political Environment and Regulations Political Stability Political environment of the place in which the business has to be established plays a very important role for any business; restaurant business is not exception to this rule (Teresa Williams, 1997). United Kingdom in general and London in particular is considered to have a very stable political system in place. UK’s regulatory system is one of the best in the world and very business friendly. A recent assessment of 183 countries by World Bank ranked United Kingdom 4th for ‘ease of doing business’ (Investment, 2011). The UK offers a competitive tax environment with one of the lowest corporate tax rates and one of the lowest personal income tax rates in Europe (UK Tax system and Environment , 2006). Most of the authorities responsible for checking the fitness of restaurant will visit the premises themselves and inform the owners of the things that need to be done in order to bring the restaurant in line with regulations. It takes only about 13 days for a business to start in UK against an average of 32 days in the rest of Europe (Colin Barrow, 2011). Regulations Regarding Restaurant Business The first thing to be considered while opening any business are the various laws and regulations of the agencies that have to be followed. The main laws dealing with restaurant business in UK are Food Safety Act 1990 , Food Premises(Registration)Regulations 1991 , Food Safety (General Food Hygiene) 1995 and the Food Safety(Temperature Control) Regulations 1995(Bridget M.Hutter & Tola Amodu , 2008). Food Premises (Registration) Regulations 1991 require any new food catering... This study looks into a vegetarian Restaurant in Edgware, London. The restaurant will be started near the Broad Walk which is a prominent shopping centre of Edgware. Political environment of the place in which the business has to be established plays a very important role for any business; restaurant business is not exception to this rule. The first thing to be considered while opening any business are the various laws and regulations of the agencies that have to be followed. It is a legal requirement to have the restaurant insured. Three different kinds of insurance which can be done for a restaurant are liability insurance , contents insurance and business interruption insurance. The UK hospitality and restaurant industry is one of the leading industries in UK. We will analyse the contribution of the industry towards the UK economy and also the current economic trends in London which are likely to affect the business to be set up. In the social environment factors we will analyse t he demographics of Edgware as well other macro factors which are likely to affect the opening of a new restaurant. Social environment in which the business operates is an important factor for deciding the business strategy. The hospitality industry in general and the restaurant industry in specific are highly competitive in nature. In the Edgware area there are many restaurants which serve vegetarian food. Some of the prominent restaurants are The Regency Club, Satyam and Handi.

Mterials & manufacture 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Mterials & manufacture 2 - Essay Example Metal matrix composites have been receiving significant attention in recent years, particularly in the area of processing techniques. In many instances the properties of a reinforced metal have been shown to provide a performance advantage over monolithic metal, but the high cost of producing the composite has prohibited widespread commercial use. Of the many potential metal matrix systems, aluminum alloy matrix composites have been the object of much research, primarily due to the light weight, low cost, and ease of fabrication of aluminum. Within the class of Aluminum alloy matrix composites there exist two distinct material systems, namely (i) discontinuously reinforced composites, with the reinforcement taking the form of a particle, a platelet, a whisker, or a chopped fiber, and (ii) continuously reinforced composites, with the reinforcement being a unidirectional or a multidirectional array of continuous fibers. Discontinuously reinforced aluminum alloys have been fabricated by various means, including solidstate processes, such as powder metallurgy techniques (blending of metal and ceramic powders followed by hot pressing) [2], and liquid-state processes, such as compocasting (blending ceramic powder and molten aluminium, agitating and casting) and pressurized liquid-metal infiltration. During this practice work, we had study a Metal Matrix Composite (MMC). This MMC contains 10% of Aluminium oxide or Alumina (reinforcement) and 90% of Aluminium alloy matrix (2618A). The aim of MMC is to improve the properties of this material. Indeed, Aluminium is ductile and Alumina (Al203) is stiff and strong. When we combine these two materials we obtain a composite with better properties. The aim of this laboratory it’s to compare the â€Å"green† density with the sintered density. Moreover, we can see the different structures, between â€Å"green† and sintered density, by an electron microscope available in the

Economic Urban Renewal Essay Example for Free

Economic Urban Renewal Essay During Urban renewal, what is in the best interest of the city is sometimes not in the best interest of many people in the City. And what is in the interest of the People is often not in the best interest of the City. Cities, or their disparate parts at varying rates, are always in one natural state of evolution or another: decline or renewal. Community organizations and individuals who have no expertise or experience in modern urban design and renewal have no place influencing the renewal agenda from an official capacity any more than a lawyer should be telling a doctor how to do neurosurgery on a sick patient. Urban Renewal and Design is a challenging and daunting endeavor even for the experts. Modern Renewal does not appease or allow a sense of entitlement by amateurs to meddle in the process from appointed political positions. Community groups with a sophisticated culture of urban economics and design should be invited into the process. A good example of this type of community group is the Design Advocacy Group in Philadelphia. Urban renewal is not a social welfare program. Social programs are already abundantly in existence for the needy in every City. Urban Renewal programs are special events. Urban Renewal programs co-opted by social activists will fail. Social programs masquerading as Renewal will eventually be exposed for what they are, with negative ramifications to follow, possibly inhibiting consideration of another renewal try any time in the foreseeable future. The same goes for political and institutional pork barrel projects masquerading as Renewal or Economic Recovery projects. Usually, the make up of the renewal board itself is a strong predictor of its direction, whether its makeup is weighted in favor of social community activists, politicians or known political cronies, representatives of major city institutions by proxy, or outside experts with no current or previous political or business ties to the region, no local constituency to appease, and with no continuing participation after achieving benchmarks. Even a so-called balanced board, that is, one that gives a seat to a representative of each of the citys major constituent groups, such as the major ethnic, political, business, religious, housing, social categories etc. may be cause for suspicion. These type of boards are mainly constituted to see that each gets its share of the pie, proclaiming unity while each pursues their own vision, going in separate directions while protecting their turf. A balanced board tends to neutralize, diminish and dilute the effectiveness of good plans in the compromising process of wheeling and dealing between groups. A balanced board that provides seats of influence to entitled non-experts is bound to fail. Body Urban renewal programs are historically almost orgiastic opportunities of cronyism and pork barrel corruption. Citizens, the Law and the Press must apply the highest scrutiny. Urban renewal is not a social experiment but a pro-business, free market enabler that attracts new businesses and residents, facilitated by physical redesign. Incentives intended to attract business into a renewal zone that contain local hiring requirements will find limited appeal, since the overwhelming majority of businesses want to be free to hire People based on their qualifications rather than their address. Urbanists recognize that individual economic and residential decisions are based on self-interest, and that successful renewal depends on the cumulative effect of thousands of individual decisions. Cities where community activists have a reputation for strong-arming new businesses will have a difficult time of renewal. The existing state of the City asks at any given moment, Why would anyone choose to live or operate a business here when they have the option to choose another locale? The City may ask the question, but only outside stakeholders can answer it. Urbanists need to identify outside stakeholders and get an accurate picture of what it will take for them to move into the City. Renewal planners must constantly adjust their plans to appease stakeholders outside the City as information suggests. Urban renewal is the removing of blight and creating high density, safe attractive walkable new neighborhoods and shopping districts through policy and design. It is for the immediate benefit of middle and upper class business owners and individuals who will settle and create a sufficient tax base to provide services in the future for all residents. These are shoppers, business owners and residents who do not yet have any presence in the City. In other words, present City residents and businesses must bite the bullet and make sacrifices for current outsiders to accrue future benefits. Every move in this direction speeds up the renewal process. The immediate target constituency for urban renewal programs lay outside the City, not in it. Todays residents will receive future benefits through others that cannot come to fruition any other way. Territorial attitudes and a sense of entitlement that attempt to keep outsiders at bay and keep benefits in will generate no benefits and further isolate Inner City poor from mainstream opportunities. Urban renewal efforts influenced by social service and affordable housing providers will come to resemble a social service program and be a complete turn-off to the regions middle and upper class. Renewal leaders who as politicians had a history of applying short term patches to long term problems, or who have a prior or newly established business relationship with large institutional beneficiaries of renewal funds, will find it hard to build trust with skeptical stakeholders, especially prominent business People with honed analytical skills. The history, business and political ties of Renewal leaders will play a large role as to informing stakeholders’ decisions. Without attracting a viable upper class from the region urban renewal is dead. Often used specious arguments by community activists such as we stayed and stood by the City during its hard times, now we deserve something†¦ is a thinly disguised parasitic, something for nothing attitude. People do not hesitate to move to a better neighborhood when they can. Renewal leaders who succumb to this victimology do the City and its good people a disservice while repelling desirable potential inhabitants. While large historical forces have shaped the American ghetto, this is the context in which some must deal with their problems, not an excuse for failure or benefits beyond the social sector. Life can be hard and harder for some, but Urban Renewal funds are not to be used as welfare funds or for public housing. That is what the local housing and welfare boards, with their separate and historical funding sources are for. Church and state are separate, the effects are happy, and they do not at all interfere with each other: but where they have been confounded together, no tongue nor pen can fully describe the mischiefs that have ensued (McAteer, 1975). No matter how many People attend church or work hard in some cites, it is a lack of architectural cohesion, wasted space in the form of parking lots and vacant lots, vandalism and other property crimes, burglary and thefts, the preponderance of illegal drug markets, violence, blight, rampant anti-social behaviors, tacky shoddy retail shops, gangs, unruly teenagers, school violence, illegitimacy and lack of a skilled and employable populace that creates the profile of a worst case inner City needing attention. These problems in turn lead to a lack of economic and social capital. Churches are valuable institutions in their historical role as spiritual guides, facilitators of personal transformation and, in urban areas, the delivery of social services. Serious Urbanists must ferret out the challenges of a city, divide them between the predictable and fixable (design) and the theoretical (social) and work on them separately, considering the two processes operate on wholly different timelines and practices. Social challenges, whose solutions are purely theoretical with no predictable outcome based on past history, are on a timeline of 20 years ( one generation) to infinity, ( or never, since poverty and its associated pathologies have been in existence on this planet since the beginning of mankind, despite the best intentions of policy makers throughout history. Urbanists should work on what is known and doable within the allotted time, and not engage in risky experimentation that may ruin a window of opportunity, leaving the larger social problems, those beyond which soundly designed built environments can positively effectuate to social theorists. Urban design and physical development is a proven methodology of urban change within a specified period. Desirable outside stakeholders are, almost by definition not in need of church social services. Therefore, churches should be considered in the social and theoretical People side of the renewal equation. Urbanists must be careful to avoid The Seattle Process, that is, the civic inclination to seek so much public input and consider so many sides of an argument that nothing actually gets done. A good Urbanist begins an operation with the same singular confidence of a surgeon opening a patient’s chest. Like a good doctor, a good Urbanist persuades a patient as to what is necessary for health, does not let the patient write his own prescriptions, and gains the patients trust and cooperation for the patients own good. Church organizations often become a default local government in dysfunctional cities, securing government and philanthropic contracts and fees to provide social services. Rather than being content with the compensation and intrinsic rewards for doing good works, when renewal funds become available, churches often subsume renewal efforts into their mission, demanding a cut of the economic pie, a seat at the political table, and influence to engineer social outcomes through shaky experimental theories. Too often opportunistic ministers, both storefront and traditional, subordinate their historical role to become real estate developers in the profitable non-profit housing industry. Successful at supplanting market oriented Licensed Planners in master-planning neighborhoods, whole areas are taken off the market and are assigned for low-income housing development and rehabilitation to benefit owners and tenants who cannot afford or dont maintain their properties. This does not correct the underlying problem, the inability of poor residents to maintain their properties, and resets to the beginning the deterioration cycle, which leads inevitably to another tax payer bailout. Churches also attempt to insert themselves as the moral arbiters of what the City should be, conflicting with equally legitimate visions of other stakeholders. Urbanist should not mediate the competing visions of others, but should know what the course of action is and concentrate on their own vision. Urbanist must take command of the situation. Only church organizations that understand the economics and design necessary to attract outsiders into the City should be part of the renewal team. No more than one, if any, church seat on the board should be allowed, which represents the aggregate voice of the City religious institutions, and only those institutions that understand outside stakeholder interests. This is a concept familiar to all People of faith and can contribute to renewal success. The board presence and influence of City churches without any renewal expertise beyond low-income housing services should be as limited as their experience. Urban renewal is difficult enough without allowing fake experts on board. A healthy adversarial relationship between social activists and Urbanists should be acknowledged. The basis for this differentiation is the recognition that the City also consists of buildings, streets, infrastructure, related public services and utilities such as street and sewer service, architecture, physical neighborhood design cohesion and allure, special districts, location and transportation assets, zoning laws, tax assessment considerations, finance, business attraction strategies, public relations, marketing activities and more that are far and away outside the purview and expertise of social scientists subsidized housing activists and theorists. The best organizational chart would group these varied disciplines into appropriate categories receiving specialized representation into People (Social) and City (Renewal). Let the chips fall where they may. Ubiquitous poverty is repellent to members of the Middle and Upper Class. To find themselves surrounded by poverty and blight is their worst nightmare. Urbanists must avoid including any plans or designs that provide or support poverty programs. This should be left to the social activists. Urbanists should not over-reach and attempt to do more than they are qualified for or have the resources to do, especially when duplicating existing organizations servicing that need. Urbanists should refrain from incorporating fuzzy social goals or any other programs that rely on rosy predictions that are hard to objectively justify. Whenever possible, Urbanists should present appropriately analogous models to support their position. Unlike Social Theory, which has applied uncountable programs, ideas and billions of dollars to distressed urban cores, the great majority of which have failed, it has been proven that graphic urban design codes serve as predictable guides for change. Intrusive blight and poverty, and its associated social pathologies are the overwhelming reason Isolated City renewal efforts fail. Isolated City in this context can be defined as a City that has no existing viable and attractive residential, commercial or arts areas to build out from. Isolated Cities are the least likely to have a successful renewal and must pull out all the stops in areas of design and incentives to attract outside stakeholders (Lees, 1985). Regional poor move to areas that have a culture of the poor, where they feel less stigmatized and self-conscious, and can find and bond comfortably with others in familiar situations. The abundance of support services for the poor further encourages settlement. Above all, poor people gravitate to areas where they can afford to live, bringing with them all the psychological and social pathologies of such a tough and sad existence. Concentrations of poverty also are, to a great degree, the end result of old racist traditions, expressed in public policies and business practices decades earlier. Zoning laws, and the open discriminatory practice of suburban real estate agents refusing to sell to minorities, post WWII through the 1970s, established the present ethnic and socio-economic configuration of urban areas and suburbs. This law contains loopholes for developers and communities with an anti low income housing bias. In light of history and current practices, a solid argument can be made for compensation to certain classes and groups who have inherited the terrible ramifications of this process. However, Renewal Funds and plans are an inappropriate source. No Urban Renewal effort has ever received enough funding to do as much as is needed, and cannot take on the added burden of compensating for societys misdeeds. Failed urban renewal cycles are more the rule than the exception, and the heavy and counter-productive hand of poverty services has played a major part in their failures. In some cities however, with every cycle they have become more expert in inserting themselves into the mix. With such limited vision partners unschooled in economics as gate-keepers, it is no wonder that the full complexity, serendipity and dynamics of market forces, investors, individual visions, entrepreneurial endeavors and regional participation rarely gets a shot at involvement before the renewal steam runs out. Social activists truly committed to helping the urban poor should consider helping them relocate out of distressed cities and into settings more conducive to pursuing life, liberty and happiness. Where life is risky, and crime reduces liberty, pursuit of happiness is severely hampered. It is time to form a moral argument free of bile and acrimony and take it to the outlying regions that owe their lifestyles to regional social problem repositories in urban areas. If troubled cities are to make a comeback, the outward migration of urban poor must begin, coinciding with an inflow of self-reliant urban pioneers. Nothing less than a 1960s style movement in scope and argument will do. Considering the historic resistance to minorities and the poor in the suburbs, the argument should be taken to suburban churches first. Presented with a compelling and irrefutable moral argument, these churches must accept it or reveal a moral, ethical and religious hypocrisy. Here, urban community development activists and church organizations have an important role. In a best case scenario, the suburban churches will spearhead the drive for the end of segregation and integration into their neighborhoods (Davis, 2000). Urbanites in communities with strong values should not fear their values will be overpowered by the pathologies of poverty, but instead will be a powerful influence for good to all who are exposed to them. Any City with a publicly assisted populace of more than 20% must create programs to promote an outflow to the suburbs to have any chance of renewal. Cities can begin by freezing growth of the poverty service industry. Inner City residents who move to stable communities can immediately enjoy the benefits of mainstream American life and its opportunities for building social capital, instead of waiting and taking the risk that renewal benefits, years off into the future, may not materialize at all. Minorities can be assured that modern day discrimination is relatively weak, and is based more on behavior than race. No City can accomplish operational self-sufficiency with a subsidized population exceeding 20%. Courts and legislative bodies recognize the deleterious and burdensome effects of a low income housing market above 20%, by capping obligations at this point. The questionable history of subsidized housings premier programs and experienced practitioners should be enough to scare off Urbanists from getting caught up in it. HUD program known as Section 108 which allows block-grant communities to raise money for loans by floating HUD-backed notes, has a staggering 59 percent default rate. Although government programs are expected to make riskier bets than private banks (whose loan-default rates are typically in the low single digits), the stratospheric failure rate of HUD loans amounts to a squandering of millions of taxpayer dollars, since taxpayers are on the hook for these loan guarantees. It is a rare suburb that has a subsidized housing population approaching anywhere near 20%. The higher a Citys low income housing stock, the less the area appeals to potential newcomers who do not depend on public assistance. Helping as many poor to move out of the City and into better neighborhoods is an important social mission that should endure through all times. It is a mission separate from Urban renewal and should not be commingled.

Assess the idea that globalisation leads Essay Example for Free

Assess the idea that globalisation leads Essay Globalisation leads to transnational organisations such as the European Union and the United Nations. Also transnational companies such as Nike. Globalisation also leads to the developments in new technologies such as internet, fibre optics, and jet planes, this means there can be an instant link between one person searching on the internet about one specific culture and finding out everything they need to know whereas before this was not possible. This leads to the relativity of truth, the decline in Meta narratives and also mass tourism. These transnational companies such as Nike, Ford, Enron etc all cause developments around the world due to the fact that they can move around freely around the globe. This is called industrial migration. Big companies such as these move to places where labour is cheap and they build big, new developments such as city centres with big industrial buildings, and mines where they can exploit the local cultures. An example of this would be the kayapo, where they found that a gold mine was situated on their land and so they group was therefore split in two as one group wanted to sell the gold to the big corporations and get wealth for it, whereas the other half did not want to sell their land to the foreigners and so the culture of the kayapo was destroyed and the industrial companies exploited the native kayapos for their surplus value. These developments also spread to places such as conservation parks such as in Peru where the sacred ground of the michu pichu was made into a world heritage site and so the michu pichus could not afford the entry price and so could not worship or pay their respect, even on a Sunday when the entry prices are taken away there is no silence and so they cannot pray still. Therefore this meant that the culture of the michu pichus has broken down and the main beliefs of their culture have been taken away from them and so leading to the slow eradication of that culture. A similar thing has happened in the safari parks in Botswana where bushmen where pushed off their lands unfairly to make room for rich upper class tourists who want to hunt ‘big game’. So the Bushmen who lived in peace with the animals were forced to work for the safari park as rangers and guides for the tourists who pushed the natives off their land changing their culture from hunter gatherers to capitalistic workers. A similar thing has happened to ayers rock in Australia where for sixty thousand years the native aborigines paid their respect to the rock, where they believed that it is where the souls of their ancestors go after they die and the rock has been turned into another world heritage area where many tourists come to see and disrespect the rock by climbing all over it. This has made it increasingly difficult for the aborigine people to pay their respect to their ancestors as there are many people around all the time and disrespecting it often. The masaai Mara where hired by the mayers to perform their native dances for the mayers regular guests. The Mayers founded the group to show the masaai in their traditional culture, houses, and dress ware, but were severely exploited by the Mayers for their surplus value as they were not paid properly instead were given food and told that the food that they eat and the fact that they live in the Mayers residence was payment enough. The Mayers hired the masaai as the western tourists wanted to see firsthand the cultural beliefs, and also rituals in a traditional manner, even when it was their ancestors who had intentionally destroyed the culture of the masaai. The Mayers residence was closed down as the government thought that the Mayers were exploiting the masaai far too badly and so closed them down. The exploitation of the masaai is imperialism as the masaai people were hired as pretty much slaves and made to work for the people who had taken away their culture in the first place but made the masaai men and women show their traditional dances and lifestyle.

Methods Used to Evaluate Investment Projects

Methods Used to Evaluate Investment Projects Evaluation of the attractiveness of an investment proposal, using methods such as average rate of return, internal rate of return (IRR), net present value (NPV), or payback period. Investment appraisal is an integral part of capital budgeting (see capital budget), and is applicable to areas even where the returns may not be easily quantifiable such as personnel, marketing, and training Average Rate of Return (ARR) Definition: Method of investment appraisal which determines return on investment by totalling the cash flows (over the years for which the money was invested) and dividing that amount by the number of years Internal Rate of Return (IRR) Definition: One of the two discounted cash flow (DCF) techniques (the other is net present value or NPV) used in comparative appraisal of investment proposals where the flow of income varies over time. IRR is the average annual return earned through the life of an investment and is computed in several ways. Depending on the method used, it can either be the effective rate of interest on a deposit or loan, or the discount rate that reduces to zero the net present value of a stream of income inflows and outflows. If the IRR is higher than the desired rate of return on investment, then the project is a desirable one. However, it is a mechanical method (computed usually with a spreadsheet formula) and not a consistent principle. It can give wrong or misleading answers, especially where two mutually-exclusive projects are to be appraised. Also called dollar weighted rate of return Net Present Value (NPV) Definition: NPV is the difference between the present value (PV) of the future cash flows from an investment and the amount of investment. Present value of the expected cash flows is computed by discounting them at the required rate of return (also called minimum rate of return) For example, an investment of $1,000 today at 10 percent will yield $1,100 at the end of the year; therefore, the present value of $1,100 at the desired rate of return (10 percent) is $1,000. The amount of investment ($1,000 in this example) is deducted from this figure to arrive at NPV which here is zero ($1,000-$1,000). A zero NPV means the project repays original investment plus the required rate of return. A positive NPV means a better return, and a negative NPV means a worse return, than the return from zero NPV. It is one of the two discounted cash flow (DCF) techniques (the other is internal rate of return) used in comparative appraisal of investment proposals where the flow of income varies over time Payback Period Definition: Time required to recover an investment or loan. INVESTMENT APPRAISAL One of the key areas of long-term decision-making that firms must tackle is that of investment the need to commit funds by purchasing land, buildings, machinery and so on, in anticipation of being able to earn an income greater than the funds committed. In order to handle these decisions, firms have to make an assessment of the size of the outflows and inflows of funds, the lifespan of the investment, the degree of risk attached and the cost of obtaining funds. The main stages in the capital budgeting cycle can be summarised as follows: Forecasting investment needs. Identifying project(s) to meet needs. Appraising the alternatives. Selecting the best alternatives. Making the expenditure. Monitoring project(s). Looking at investment appraisal involves us in stage 3 and 4 of this cycle. We can classify capital expenditure projects into four broad categories: Maintenance replacing old or obsolete assets for example. Profitability quality, productivity or location improvement for example. Expansion new products, markets and so on. Indirect social and welfare facilities. Even the projects that are unlikely to generate profits should be subjected to investment appraisal. This should help to identify the best way of achieving the projects aims. So investment appraisal may help to find the cheapest way to provide a new staff restaurant, even though such a project may be unlikely to earn profits for the company. Investment appraisal methods: One of the most important steps in the capital budgeting cycle is working out if the benefits of investing large capital sums outweigh the costs of these investments. The range of methods that business organisations use can be categorised one of two ways: traditional methods and discounted cash flow techniques. Traditional methods include the Average Rate of Return (ARR) and the Payback method; discounted cash flow (DCF) methods use Net Present Value (NPV) and Internal Rate of Return techniques. Traditional Methods Payback: This is literally the amount of time required for the cash inflows from a capital investment project to equal the cash outflows. The usual way that firms deal with deciding between two or more competing projects is to accept the project that has the shortest payback period. Payback is often used as an initial screening method. Payback period = Initial payment / Annual cash inflow So, if  £4 million is invested with the aim of earning  £500 000 per year (net cash earnings), the payback period is calculated thus: P =  £4 000 000 /  £500 000 = 8 years This all looks fairly easy! But what if the project has more uneven cash inflows? Then we need to work out the payback period on the cumulative cash flow over the duration of the project as a whole. Payback with uneven cash flows: Of course, in the real world, investment projects by business organisations dont yield even cash flows. Have a look at the following projects cash flows (with an initial investment in year 0 of  £4 000): The payback period is precisely 5 years. The shorter the payback period, the better the investment, under the payback method. We can appreciate the problems of this method when we consider appraising several projects alongside each other. But, here we must face the real problem posed by payback: the time value of income flows. Put simply, this issue relates to the sacrifice made as a result of having to wait to receive the funds. In economic terms, this is known as the opportunity cost. More on this point follows later. So, because there is a time value constraint here, the payback method can become complicated. In this case, the earlier flow of revenue is a key factor. Also if post-payback revenues occur earlier in the lives of competing projects, that can be a decisive factor. OK, so its clear that the payback method is a bit of a blunt instrument. So why use it? Arguments in favour of payback Firstly, it is popular because of its simplicity. Research over the years has shown that UK firms favour it and perhaps this is understandable given how easy it is to calculate. Secondly, in a business environment of rapid technological change, new plant and machinery may need to be replaced sooner than in the past, so a quick payback on investment is essential. Thirdly, the investment climate in the UK in particular, demands that investors are rewarded with fast returns. Many profitable opportunities for long-term investment are overlooked because they involve a longer wait for revenues to flow. Arguments against payback It lacks objectivity. Who decides the length of optimal payback time? No one does it is decided by pitting one investment opportunity against another. Cash flows are regarded as either pre-payback or post-payback , but the latter tend to be ignored. Payback takes no account of the effect on business profitability. Its sole concern is cash flow. Payback summary It is probably best to regard payback as one of the first methods you use to assess competing projects. It could be used as an initial screening tool, but it is inappropriate as a basis for sophisticated investment decisions. Average Rate of Return: The average rate of return expresses the profits arising from a project as a percentage of the initial capital cost. However the definition of profits and capital cost are different depending on which textbook you use. For instance, the profits may be taken to include depreciation, or they may not. One of the most common approaches is as follows: ARR = (Average annual revenue / Initial capital costs) * 100 Lets use this simple example to illustrate the ARR: A project to replace an item of machinery is being appraised. The machine will cost  £240 000 and is expected to generate total revenues of  £45 000 over the projects five year life. What is the ARR for this project? ARR = ( £45 000 / 5) / 240 000 * 100 = ( £9 000) / 240 000 * 100 = 3.75% Advantages of ARR As with the Payback method, the chief advantage with ARR is its simplicity. This makes it relatively easy to understand. There is also a link with some accounting measures that are commonly used. The Average Rate of Return is similar to the Return on Capital Employed in its construction; this may make the ARR easier for business planners to understand. The ARR is expressed in percentage terms and this, again, may make it easier for managers to use. There are several criticisms of ARR which raise questions about its practical application: Arguments against ARR Firstly, the ARR doesnt take account of the project duration or the timing of cash flows over the course of the project. Secondly, the concept of profit can be very subjective, varying with specific accounting practice and the capitalisation of project costs. As a result, the ARR calculation for identical projects would be likely to result in different outcomes from business to business. Thirdly, there is no definitive signal given by the ARR to help managers decide whether or not to invest. This lack of a guide for decision making means that investment decisions remain subjective.

Natue of Science :: essays research papers

Science Report (Nature of Science) Aim To find out the effect of the thickness of a biscuit on the ability of the biscuit to support a finite amount of weights Apparatus o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Weights o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Biscuits o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Thread Background Information â€Å"Biscuits are designed to be strong so that they do not crumble easily.† (http://www.nzmaths.co.nz/Number/CrossStrand/biscuits.htm) A biscuit consists of flour, oil and other ingredients, which are packed together into a brittle solid. Therefore, biscuits can stand up to a finite amount of weight before it breaks. Hypothesis The thicker a biscuit, the more weights it can support. Variables Independent o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Increment of Thickness o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Method of applying weights o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Type of Biscuit o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  How the Biscuit/Biscuits are placed Method of Control (Independent Variables) o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Increment of Thickness – Regular increment of 1 biscuit thickness o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Method of applying the weights – Placing the weights gently onto the biscuits, increasing the weight by 100g each time, until the crackers break. o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Type of Biscuit – Use identical Khong Guan Cheese Crackers o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  How the Biscuit/Biscuits are placed – The biscuits will be strung tightly together and hung on a hook. (Refer to diagram 1.1) Dependent o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The number of weights that can be hung on the biscuits Procedure 1)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Drill a hole in the middle of the biscuit with a needle. 2)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hang the weight holder on the biscuit. 3)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Place 100g weights one by one, until the biscuit breaks (Refer to diagram 1.1) 4)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Repeat the experiment with 2,3,4 and 5 biscuits 5)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Repeat the experiment 3 times 6)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Calculate the average weight required to break the biscuits of different thickness 7)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Plot a graph to identify the main trend of this experiment. 8)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Formulate a conclusion from the results. Margin of Error As the weights obtained are 100g weights, they are not precise. Therefore, if a biscuit breaks when a 200g weight is hung on it, it does not mean that the biscuit breaks at 200g. It is just an approximate amount. To utilize a spring balance would have caused the results to be more accurate. Secondly, whenever a new weight is added to the weight holder, the position of the set-up shifts a little. Natue of Science :: essays research papers Science Report (Nature of Science) Aim To find out the effect of the thickness of a biscuit on the ability of the biscuit to support a finite amount of weights Apparatus o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Weights o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Biscuits o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Thread Background Information â€Å"Biscuits are designed to be strong so that they do not crumble easily.† (http://www.nzmaths.co.nz/Number/CrossStrand/biscuits.htm) A biscuit consists of flour, oil and other ingredients, which are packed together into a brittle solid. Therefore, biscuits can stand up to a finite amount of weight before it breaks. Hypothesis The thicker a biscuit, the more weights it can support. Variables Independent o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Increment of Thickness o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Method of applying weights o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Type of Biscuit o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  How the Biscuit/Biscuits are placed Method of Control (Independent Variables) o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Increment of Thickness – Regular increment of 1 biscuit thickness o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Method of applying the weights – Placing the weights gently onto the biscuits, increasing the weight by 100g each time, until the crackers break. o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Type of Biscuit – Use identical Khong Guan Cheese Crackers o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  How the Biscuit/Biscuits are placed – The biscuits will be strung tightly together and hung on a hook. (Refer to diagram 1.1) Dependent o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The number of weights that can be hung on the biscuits Procedure 1)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Drill a hole in the middle of the biscuit with a needle. 2)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hang the weight holder on the biscuit. 3)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Place 100g weights one by one, until the biscuit breaks (Refer to diagram 1.1) 4)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Repeat the experiment with 2,3,4 and 5 biscuits 5)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Repeat the experiment 3 times 6)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Calculate the average weight required to break the biscuits of different thickness 7)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Plot a graph to identify the main trend of this experiment. 8)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Formulate a conclusion from the results. Margin of Error As the weights obtained are 100g weights, they are not precise. Therefore, if a biscuit breaks when a 200g weight is hung on it, it does not mean that the biscuit breaks at 200g. It is just an approximate amount. To utilize a spring balance would have caused the results to be more accurate. Secondly, whenever a new weight is added to the weight holder, the position of the set-up shifts a little.

Comparing John Smith’s A Description of New England and William Bradfor

Comparing John Smith’s A Description of New England and William Bradford’s Of Plymouth Plantation When the first American settlement on Roanoke Island was established in 1585 it’s primary force, Sir Walter Raleigh, had no idea that this â€Å"New World† would evolve into one of the most powerful voices in the modern world. But before it developed it would have to shaped by it’s founders from the Western world. Two of the largest voices in America’s early development are John Smith, who with a group of English merchants, hoped to get rich in this new land, and William Bradford, a puritan farmer who was one of the most influential men involved with the Mayflower compact. In their two pieces they both convey America as a place to escape but fail to reach many other similar conclusions on what America was like at this time. In John Smith’s A Description of New England he portrays early American life as a place for great opportunities to start over, live easily, and to turn small fortunes into a great wealth. Smith earned credibility for making these statements by leading many expeditions in America such as Jamestown. An example of Smith attempting to persuade the reader into believing that America was a place for rebirth he stated â€Å"What please could be more than recreate themselves before their own doors.† Smith obviously believes that the potential settlers would find it easy to drastically adjust their lifestyle in this new world. Another common theme in Smith’s piece is that he states America is an easy place to live. â€Å"... is it no pretty sport to pull up two pence, six pence, and twelve pence as fast as you can haul and veer a line?† Smith stated when describing how easy it would be to take in money by being an angler in this ... ...criptions of the new world that is caused by Smith hoping to convince settlers to move to the â€Å"New World† and Bradford describes it as a savage place that only the strong will survive. William Bradford and John Smith’s two pieces both convey America as a place to escape the European world but completely fail to contain congruency on what early America was like in this time period. Sources Bradford, William, Of Plymouth Plantation:1620-1647, ed. by Samuel E. Morison (1952); A Description of New England: or The Observations, and Discoveries, of Captain John Smith (Admiral of that Country), in the North of America, in the year of our Lord, 1614; London, 1616. Reprinted in: Dow, George Francis (1921). Two Centuries of Travel in Essex County Massachusetts: A Collection of Narratives and Observations Made by Travelers 1605-1799. The Perkins Press, Topsfield.

Fading Away :: Short Stories Anorexia Eating Disorders Essays

Fading Away "Maddie, are you sure you don't want anything more? You didn't eat much," Mrs. Whitman turned from her dishes to ask her daughter. "I'm fine. I'll eat a big lunch," Stacie said, gulping down her last bit of water. "Maybe you do. But I never see you eat much. For breakfast it's a pancake with jam. Even if you did eat all your lunch like you say you do, when it comes to dinner time, you eat like a bird. Stacie, I think you need to eat more," Mrs. Whitman told her daughter, relieved that she had finally confronted her about her meals. "I eat enough. You don't see me all day long. I eat at other times during the day, too. Just because I don't eat chips when I come home from school or snack on cookies. Just because I'm trying to be healthy, you criticize me for making an effort," Stacie defended, raising her voice. "It's not about choosing healthy foods to eat. I admire your self control. I really do. You know I have difficulty saying no to deserts and different things. But Stacie, I can see you're not eating enough. Those jeans you're wearing, they fit you perfectly when you picked them out this summer but now you need a smaller size. I understood that you wanted to lose a few pounds; all of us can stand to shed a few pounds. But you've kept losing. You look good, I admit. You look very good but I'm worried. You need to eat more. You're so active, running every morning, school, volleyball. You need food to keep you going," Mrs. Whitman explained. Her heart was beating quickly now and her body became warm. Tears welled up in her eyes but she continued gazing at her daughter, hoping she had made a connection, a break through. "I said I eat enough!" Stacie shot back angrily. "I am fine. I've lost weight and thank you for noticing. Something you've never been able to do. You and your stupid Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers and diet pills and every other dumb T.V. trash diet you send away for. You're really going to lose weight when you eat out and catch fast food all the time! I heard Big Macs do wonders! 'Just eat these pills and they'll give you all the nutrients you need and reduce your appetite too, '" Stacie mocked.

Ronald Reagan – Psychological Eval

He has been called the most significant President of the 20th century. Ronald Reagan’s devotion to the American people and his unwavering commitment to managing both domestic and foreign affairs with sincerity, composure and efficiency provided a beacon of hope in an era that was marked by economic turmoil on the homefront and an impending threat of nuclear war. An analysis of Reagan’s life history, from a psychological standpoint, seeks to reveal the significant factors and influential events that may shed light on how he acquired the distinctive characteristics and how the interplay of how these factors subsequently shaped the extraordinary person he became. It is necessary to consider the influence of heredity, certain family issues, social systems and environment on psychological development. Ronald Reagan was born on February 6, 1911 in the small midwestern town of Tampico, Illinois to Nell (mother) and Jack (father) and older brother Neil. Jack Reagan was a salesman, a staunch Irish- Catholic, a Democrat, despised bigotry and racial discrimination, supported blue collar workers and instilled in his sons the same values. Possibly more influential to Ronald’s psychological development was that his father was also an alcoholic (Gilbert, 2007). This was very difficult aspect of Reagan’s childhood and he struggled to cope with his reality and make sense of his father’s behavior. Ronald's mother, Nelle was a very patient and nurturing woman who doted on her sons. She can be credited for familiarizing Ronald to theater and the stage by sharing with him her love of acting, as she was an actress herself. Being on stage and performing proved to be enjoyable for Ronald, so much so that he went on to star in various Hollywood movies. He even confessed that, â€Å"for a kid suffering childhood pangs of insecurity, the applause was music† (Will, 1990). She made a concerted effort to help them recognize that their fathers alcoholism, while upsetting and hard to understand, was a disease. Nelle was sympathetic in helping her sons deal with their father’s affliction and urged them not to blame their father for succumbing to the disease. She functioned as the constant source of unconditional loving care that seemed to lessen, though not completely diminish, the impact of Jack’s disease (Gilbert, 2007). She reminded her sons how evident their father’s love was when he was not drinking and helped them to maintain love and respect for their father in spite of his weakness. Nelle was a faithfully eligious woman and frequently made visits to families in need, the sick and went out of her way to lend a helping hand to anyone she was able help. Her generosity, kindness and unconditional love had a profound impact on her sons and masked some of the pain and disillusionment associated with their fathers’ alcoholism (Gilbert, 2007). For Reagan, growing up in an environment marked by the staggering paradox of his parents left an indelible impact on his life. His mother was the dependable parent who provided consistent love and guidance. In contrast, Jack Reagan’s alcoholism caused his sons considerable grief and confusion as to why he was unable to conquer his disease. Nelle Reagan wanted to protect her sons by rationalizing Jack’s behavior hoping they would not develop resentment towards their father. These efforts by Nelle, while well intentioned, served to create the illusion that the Reagan home environment was less dysfunctional than it truly was. According to Psychodynamic Theory, her behavior could be interpreted as reflective of an unconscious need to protect her children. Making a consistent effort to assure her sons that their father was the victim of a disease and powerless against his alcoholism could be classified as an illustration of both denial and rationalization. Denial is defined as, â€Å"the persons refusal to acknowledge external realities or emotions† (Kowalski and Westen, 2009). Rationalization can be identified as, â€Å"explaining away actions in a seemingly logical way to avoid uncomfortable feelings† (Kowalski and Westen, 2009). The Reagan family moved many times as a result of Jack’s inability to maintain work. This made it difficult for Ronald to build friendships which inevitably took a toll on his social skills as a boy and his ability to have meaningful relationships as an adult. As a child, Ronald Reagan was an introverted child with low self esteem (Gilbert, 2007). This is highly characteristic of children with alcoholic parents. Many individuals in Reagan’s close knit inner circle observed his reluctance, even inability, to sustain intimate and meaningful relationships with very many individuals. This is consistent to what research suggests about children who grow up in families in which at least one of the parents is an alcoholic. According to an article in the International Journal of Social Sciences and General Studies, â€Å"since the family is the context in which children usually learn to express their feelings, to love and express affection and to trust and share intimate aspects of their lives; it is understandable that many adult children of alcoholics have significant problems with psychosocial adjustment. They show extreme difficulty in sharing themselves in intimate ways with other people† (2010). It seems unlikely that Ronald Reagan, or any child who endures such unfortunate experiences, would ultimately be an actor or the president of the United States! However, the attention that Reagan sought was passive attention. He did not necessarily have to interact with audience members or constituents on a level that forced him to create any intimate, personal bond with these persons. Rather, he was able to operate from a secluded platform where he was able to control people’s perceptions of him. While he proved to be an effective leader and loved President, his childhood and subsequent development were certainly noticeable and undoubtedly affected how he operated as the leader of the free world.