Bonacorso Insurance Agency, Burlington, MA

Bonacorso Insurance company was created by John Bonacorso and Brittany Martel, in Burlington Massachusetts. Presently, that location offers their only office, but another office building is being built in Middleton, Massachusetts, and it will be open soon. The company was originally established in 1956, and it served as a local insurance agency, but recently it has expanded to some degree, and offers various insurance portfolios in the private and business sectors.The company is a basic small insurance company, that is trying to acquire as many clients as possible, and to facilitate that action, the company offers discounts to new clients, and campaigns to provide people who could potentially save with Bonacorso Insurance with free quotes, and the advantages of the company, compared with those of competitors. Bonacorso Insurance offers a number of basic policies and packages, and gladly provides quotes for potential clients.The have life insurance policies, homeowner policies, health coverage policies, automobile insurance policies, policies for boat-owners, and for motorcycle owners. Life insurance premiums vary based on the specific conditions of given clients, but the policies usually cost between $500 and $1,500 per month. Depending on the size, condition, and overall value of a home, homeowner’s policies also vary greatly. For more conventional homes, policies start at $500 per month, and range up to, for the more expensive homes, a rate of $250,000 monthly.Basic health insurance policies for those who qualify cost $360 a month. Automobile insurance policies range from $550 to $6000 dollars monthly, depending on the quality and condition of the vehicle. Boat insurance is comparable in premium price to homeowner’s insurance, as its premiums range from $350 a month to $250,000 per month, based on the specifications of the boat. Motorcycle insurance is also offered by Bonacorso Insurance, and premiums for this type of insurance range from $225 t o $350 monthly, depending on the quality of the motorcycle.That is how every successful insurance agency operates, as rates are different for every client depending on their histories, and certain specifications of what is to be covered. For more conventional cars, boats, motorcycles, and houses, rates may be lower, as not as much is at risk. But for expensive items, rates are generally higher, as are the deductibles, because the company will have to make a much larger payout if coverage proves to be needed. All of these policies also take into account the specific cases of each client who is covered by Bonacorso Insurance.Rates may be slightly higher for clients who have bad histories, and lower for those who have shown their responsibility. For instance, drivers whose records are free of accidents of their own fault save on automobile insurance, as they present less of a monetary risk to the company. But drivers who have been involved in a number of accidents will generally have h igher premiums because the insurance agency feels that they are more likely to be involved in accidents, which the insurance company will pay for on their behalf.And in trying to recruit new clients, Bonacorso Insurance has people who are hired to give people free quotes, hoping that that will encourage them to realize that they could be saving if they switched to Bonacorso. People who work for the agency seek potential clients, and show them their rates, compared to the rates of their competitors, or the national average of a premium for similar clients. Often, when new clients apply for policies with Bonacorso Insurance, discounts are offered to encourage the clients to remain with the agency, because it will save them money.The insurance agency also offers benefits to clients who remain accident free after joining the agency, which may show in a decreasing of premium rates for improving drivers. Automobile insurance is one of the company’s biggest fields, so a lot of the c lient benefits and rewards are offered in that field. Monthly get-togethers, or parties, are hosted by the company, which invites clients to attend the festivities, giving clients a homely, local feel about their insurance provider.Mugs, T-shirts, and other apparel and novelty items are given to clients as well. Businesses are also recruited by Bonacorso Insurance company, and certain benefits are offered to particular businesses. Portfolios for businesses that offer coverage in a number of areas are provided for professional clients, which gives many businesses incentive to join the agency. And much like other insurance companies that work with businesses, certain services may be exchanged between a business and Bonacorso Insurance agency.For instance, if a business agrees to speak out in favor of the agency, or host certain agency events, which shows the business’ satisfaction with the agency, potentially encouraging other businesses to compare rates and perhaps switch to B onacorso, rates and portfolios may be less costly for the business. The agency has been growing in popularity lately, and has expanded from just a small, local boat and automobile coverage agency to one that offers all of the amenities of a larger, more established firm.In 1983, John Bonacorso took the company down a new road, which opened the company to the market of home insurance policies, health insurance policies, life insurance policies, and motorcycle insurance policies. One of the major benefits of the company is that premiums are cut for improving clients. Clients who had histories of accidents at home or in their vehicles would generally have higher premiums initially, but like some of the larger insurance agencies such as State Farm and Progressive are doing, rates may decrease for a client if his or her record improves, as that shows that he or she presents less risk to the agency.Bonacorso Insurance only sustains itself by its number of clients. For any insurance agency to succeed, the number of clients has to be somewhat established, and it cannot sharply decrease. For example, if there were only three clients that an agency had acquired, who were paying an average of $500 a month for their automobile insurance, it would potentially ruin the agency if one of the cars was to be totaled, causing many thousands of dollars in damages.But one in three cars being totaled in a short period is very bad odds for the insurance agency, and if one thousand in three thousand clients totaled their vehicles, it would have the same devastating effects on the insurance agency as if one in three was totaled. But the risk is much higher when the number of clients is low, because with a large number of clients, the firm acquires a level of stability, as the premiums of everyone else would be used to cover the accidents of the few.So Bonacorso Insurance makes it clear that they are always looking for clients, and they tell potential clients how they operate, which is done by stabilizing themselves with a large number of clientele. As with most insurance companies, Bonacorso provides potential clients with rate quotes, that in some cases can be detrimental to the agency, as it demonstrates that, in particular cases, the people shopping for insurance could save more elsewhere. But this is part of the process. No company can offer every client a lower rate than the individual could find with other agencies unless that agency was well on its way to monopolizing the market.So for the most part, Bonacorso Insurance knows that most clients will feel that they could be saving with the agency, as in many cases, rates are lower for potential clients with Bonacorso than with other agencies. So Bonacorso has established enough stability to reveal their quotes, compared with their competitors quotes for particular people (which at times could be slightly lower) because for the most part, Bonacorso Insurance agency offers more to the clients. Another thing t hat the agency has going for it is its local status.The company fits into the community of the Burlington, Massachusetts area, and that makes people feel safe and satisfied as they are insured by people whom they know. This is really shown by the get-togethers and parties that the agency hosts, which it invites its clientele to attend. Trust is thus established by the agency and its clients, which encourages clients to remain with the agency, which, many of them feel, really is helping them. All in all, the company has been a smaller, cordial insurance agency that has a neighborly relationship with its clients.Benefits and cut rates help the agency to secure clientele, and decreasing rates and courteousness on the part of the agency help Bonacorso Insurance maintain its client base. Although it started as a very localized agency that did not offer coverage in all of the fields that it does today, Bonacorso Insurance has grown to some degree, and plans to open a second branch in Midd leton, Massachusetts. But community involvement and its local, neighborly nature should continue to keep the company going at both locations for some time, because clients are satisfied by the way the agency operates.

Interpersonal, Group and Collective Behavior Dynamics Essay

Enron is a company that is faced with financial instability but continues to run on dubious dealings including misrepresenting their true financial position (Cohan, 2002). This is done to save the public image of the company hence avoiding the risk of losing investors. American International Group (AIG) is also in a serious financial crisis following cases of mismanagement (FRB, 2009). We shall make a comparison of the group dynamics and internal politics within these two companies. The companies exhibited an element of information blockage. This is holding back adverse news from the public until the last possible moment. This is usually a deliberate act with the aim of maintaining a good public image. It is however followed by lawsuits, hate mails or even death threats from unhappy investors. In Enron’s case, the senior executives withheld any information about financial crisis from the public until it collapsed (Cohan, 2002). AIG maintained a ‘business as usual’ image in the public despite its liquidity issues (FRB, 2009). Motivation to lie or deliberately concealing the truth in an organization was evident in the two companies. The corporate officers do not disclose the truth especially when this truth may put the company into bankruptcy or cost them their jobs. In the case of Enron the lies were inform of hard data, lying about accounting results and a stream of earnings (Williamson, 1970). Questionable accounting practices were meant to hide huge losses that the company suffered. AIG had its share of deliberate lies when it valued its A-A and sub prime property at 1. 7; twice the value used by Lehman. The issue of the board’s oversight function and the business judgment rule is also fairly evident in the two companies he board of directors act as if they are entitled to rely on the honesty and integrity of their subordinates until something wrong happens (Crag & Rebecca, 1996) . The directors of Enron were totally unaware of the severity of the company’s financial crisis until its collapse. A directors were too ignorant of the liquidity problem to the extend of planning for a lavish retreat for themselves. The subordinate managers have persuasive interest in concealing the bad news. This is meant to avoid or delay personal embarrassment and other associated risks such as the likelihood of a price drop in its shares. In Enron, individual executives who decided to hide the dubious partnership feared erosion of status (Cohan, 2002). They felt that they needed to protect both their self and external image. The same case was evident in AIG, where the subordinate managers saw the need for over costing their assets to redeem their image. Overconfidence and optimism is displayed in the two companies by the senior executives especially in press releases. Overconfidence creates a strong image for any company in the eyes of the public. Executives who are overconfident and optimistic are considered to be successful managers. This is because they are able to persuade and influence people even in the face of a crisis. The executives in Enron and AIG were also in the bid of making a name for themselves. Senior executives assured employees would continuously rise even in the event of financial instability in Enron. The chief executive officer in AIG assured investors that they would still get their bonuses even as the company was being bailed out (FRB, 2009). Corporate ‘culture’ cannot be ruled out in the management of the two companies. This refers to the norms of the company which are well known to the management and the subordinate employees. They supersede other business or ethical laws in case of a conflict. Cynism as a corporate culture fosters the breaking of rules as a means to succeed. Ethical rules are under enforced with the focus being to maximize profits. The Enron and AIG were caught up in this culture when they faced a financial crisis. They misrepresented their debts and assets respectively in the company’s sheet so as to reflect high profits and attract investors (Cohan, 2002). All this is done in total disregard for accounting ethics. Myopic information within the organization is also prevalent in the two companies. This might be due to our limited cognitive capabilities but more so because the executives are too busy to deal with abundant data. They prefer sifting this data and extracting only what is relevant. They may also be lacking the skill to analyze and understand the data as was the case of Enron’s former chairman Mr. Kenneth Lay. The directors in AIG and Enron, focused on information that confirmed their prior attitudes of leading institutions in the market. They disregarded any disconfirming information of possible collapse or liquidity issues. This is normally referred to as cognitive dissonance. It is usually difficult to change these beliefs as one is seen as a threat to the company’s status quo. Ms. Watkins, an employee in Enron became such a threat by warning a senior manager of a possible collapse (Cohan, 2002). A chief executive officer’s proposal in AIG was ignored on the same basis (FRB, 2009). Intimidation of subordinate employees by the senior employees is prevalent in Enron but not in AIG. In Enron, investigations against Mr. Andrew a former chief financial officer and other senior officers who were involved in fraud cases did not happen since no one was confident enough to confront them (Cohan, 2002). In AIG the accounting scandal is thoroughly investigated and no one is spared including a former chairman of the board. REFERENCES: Federal Reserve Bank. (2009). History and development of AIG. Retrieved May 26,2009, from http://www. federalbank. orf/history/development. pdf Herbert, A. S. (1955). A behavioral model of rational choice. John, A. C. (2002). †I didn’t know† and â€Å"I was only doing my job†. Has corporate governance careened out of control? A case study of Enron’s information myopia. Journal of Business Ethics, 40 (3),275-299. Paul Z. & Janet A. (1997). The social influence of confidence in group decision making.

Case Analysis: The Annual Report Essay

1. The basic factors of communication that must be considered in the presentation of the Annual Report are compliance with accounting principles and regulations, accuracy of the information presented, and how much information you are going to disclose. The management has a lot of control over what and how much information it wants to disclose to the users of their financial report. Users can be shareholders, investors, customers, or if you want it or not, competitors. Therefore management doesn’t want to disclose too much strategic details about their future plans. However, it also has to attract prospective investors and therefore needs to give them enough information about the companies’ health. 2. One part of the Annual Report that is very interesting for investors is the Management’s Discussion and Analysis section. It gives the user of the financial report more specific details about how the company has done that year and contains information that cannot be found in the financial data. This section can include coverage over any favorable or unfavorable trends and any significant events or uncertainties in the areas of liquidity, capital resources, and results of operations (Ormiston, 2013). Another section of the Annual Report is the Proxy Statement. It is required by the SEC and solicits shareholder votes as many shareholders don’t attend shareholder meetings. This section also contains voting procedures, background information about nominated directors, executive compensation, etc. This information helps investors and creditors by providing information about the longevity and compensation of the companies’ top management as well as corporate governance (Ormiston, 2013). 3. One advantage of stating well-defined corporate strategies in the Annual Report is to attract investors. Prospective investors in your company want to see that your company is healthy and that you are generating cash flows from operations. They want to know if you are going to be able to pay out dividends. Therefore stating a well-defined strategy for the future can possible attract more investors. Another advantage of stating your strategy is that current investors remain investing in your company when they see that your company has a bright future. Investors like to plan ahead and therefore want to know your corporate strategy in advance. A disadvantage of stating well-defined strategies in the Annual Report is that you also disclose  critical information to your competitors. By doing so, your competitors know what your plans are and can try to position them better to compete with you. Another disadvantage of stating your corporate strategy in the Annual Report is that your customers might not like a change in your strategy and switch to your competitors. An example for this might be deciding to outsource all manufacturing to China. This corporate strategy might outrage your customers and lead them away from your company. 4. The effectiveness of annual reports in fulfilling the information needs for current and potential shareholders is usually good because management tailors the Annual Report as much as possible to the needs of investors in order to attract more investment into its company. Items like the MD&A or Pandora, which includes additional material to attract current and prospective investors, are specifica lly designed to attract more investment while giving the shareholder enough useful information to make a decision. Creditors of the company find the cash flow from operations statement useful because it provides them with information about how much money the company is making to determine their ability to pay their debt back to you. For most employees of the company the Annual Report is probably hard to read and understand because of the complexity and volume of information that it contains. They would most likely suffer from information overload and therefore the Annual Report is in my opinion not very effective in fulfilling their information needs. Most customers of a company are not going to be much interested in reading the financial statements of the company where they buy products. However, if important information about the company’s practices leaks to the public, the customers may switch to a competitor if they strongly disagree with said practice or strategy. Financial Analysts are probably going to find the information disclosed in the Annual Report very effective because they are used to reading these reports and know where to find useful information. However, because management has some control over what information to disclose or not to disclose, there is also some hard-to-find or missing information for Financial Analysts. This information can be employer relations with management, morale and efficiency of employees, or the firm’s prestige in the community. 5. Management knows when creating the Annual Report that competitors are going to analyze their strategy as well as shareholders and other users. Therefore it needs to be careful about  what information they want to disclose. The dilemma here is that you want to disclose enough information in order to attract investments, but cannot disclose too much information because otherwise your competitors are going to position themselves against you. This dilemma affects the decision about what information managers provide in their annual reports. 6. The sustainability report gives information about the environmental, social, and governance performance of a company and is a non-financial report. Many companies utilize this report to create a better image of their company in the public. This report is intended to show the companies’ performance and compliance with environmental standards and ratings. Sustainability reporting started in the 1980s by companies in the chemical industry who had image problems because of their negative impact on the environment. Nowadays, many companies use sustainability reports to improve internal processes, persuade investors, and improve their image in the public. This information can be helpful to investors because it portrays transparency and accountability and assures the investor of a good public image of the company. References Ormiston, A., & Fraser, L. M. (2013). Financial Statements. Understanding financial statements (10th ed., p. 12). New York, NY: Pearson Education.

Needs Assessment of Go Live Systems Inc Assignment

Needs Assessment of Go Live Systems Inc - Assignment Example This gap can be identified as the training needs of the employees. This needs assessment is to be followed by development, delivery and evaluation of training. The Company has plans for a large growth in the next six months period. With the business acumen and expertise in the field the company has developed a software application and has patented it. This application is expected to improve upon the usability and compatibility of the two large Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems. With this background Go Live Systems Inc is forming a partnership with two other large companies for making sales and license renewal calls together. The company is looking for at least 10 consultant/programmers who will work hand in hand with the ERP vendors and clients for the assessment and determination of clients' needs suitably modify the application and also provide on site training to the clients as to the usage of the application and the enhancements if any to the application. The expected requirements of skills and knowledge of the consultants/programmers need both technical and interpersonal skills. Since it is observed that it will be difficult to hire people with both excellent technical skills and interpersonal skills it becomes necessary to identify the gap in the skills and knowledge to provide the necessary training. "Individual assessment determines which employees should be trained and... Skills and Knowledge Area Level Required University Degree Bachelor Level + Preferably in Computer Science Database Design Expert PL/SQL Scripting Expert Coding/Debugging/Testing/Release Management Expert Knowledge of ETL Tools Working Knowledge Data Mapping Working Knowledge Supply Chain Basic Knowledge Sourcing/Purchasing/Distribution Basic Knowledge Manufacturing Basic Knowledge Financials Basic Knowledge CRM Basic Knowledge Communication Skills Expert Working in a Team Environment Must Working Experience + 2 years preferred 2.3 Individual Assessment: "Individual assessment determines which employees should be trained and their current levels of skill and knowledge. This may include use of assessment methods and should pay attention to the workers' basic skills as well as the job-specific tasks." Since it is decided by the company to hire an external recruiter it is advisable the recruiting agency is provided with the above basic requirements of skills and knowledge required for the positions of the consultants/programmers. The recruiting agency should select candidates and present lists of candidates who meet the above basic criteria for consideration. Since it is found that it will be difficult to get candidates who possess the required level of technical and interpersonal skill sets instantly, the agency may be asked to present another list of candidates who do not meet the basic criteria in respect of the technical skills but are otherwise found to be of good material offering scope for getting trained. In those cases, in respect of each candidate a chart may be prepared indicating the level of skill and technical knowledge required and possessed by the prospective candidates, to assess the training needs. Wherever it is found that there is

Project Management Philosophy Application Paper Essay

Project Management Philosophy Application Paper - Essay Example The purpose of the project was the redesign of a sample of the department website for the college. Teamwork was evident in the project with all the members completing their assigned duties within the time allocated and effectively providing required feedback. Having set objectives clearly defined and made known to all the members is the other principle of project management we applied for the success of the project. All the team members were made aware of the need to complete the website redesign within the allocated time and ensure the functionality of the website and satisfaction to the users of the project. Achieving quality was the main aim of the project. The other principle we used in the project was the understanding of the constraints that would limit the ability to meet the objectives and delivering the project. The constraints we identified included time, resources, and project scope, and we aimed at meeting the needs of the project within the time, resources, and scope req uired of us (Nicholas, 2004). Maximizing stakeholder return on investment is the other project management principle applied in the research and entailed the ensuring quality redesign and high satisfaction of the website users. To achieve the requirement for maximum stakeholder ROI, we took professional pictures, got in touch with the client for feedback and changes as required in agile methodology for constant client involvement, and received waiver for the use of the picture on the website. Rapid feedback from the client and the team members was also applied in the management of the project ensuring high client satisfaction and completion of the project within the allocated time Attention to the development of quality work was also evident in the redesign of the website through the use of professional photographer and ensuring the redesign was top notch as evidenced by the complete

Essay question Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 11

Question - Essay Example This period of isolation ended with the arrival of traders in 19th century and the country engaged in trade leading to massive political, economic and social development. The Japan Empire was established after the Meiji Restoration and the country was strong enough to even engage in war and colonize neighboring empires including Manchuria, Korea, and Taiwan (Tanner, 2013). Japanese aggression extended further to China and the Kai-shek’s government lost extensively to the Japanese. Substantial forces in the China’s forces and captured the rice-producing areas of China. Even with the American military support to China, in 1940 the Japanese still triumphed over the Chinese. Japan controlled and destroyed. Japan only surrendered after the World War II hit the country hard and the emperor surrendered to the allied forces. With the embracement of industrialization, Japan became a fully industrialized country in the late 19th and throughout the 20th century. Currently, Japan ranks among the biggest economies in the world and among the strongest

Depression and Anxiety in PEG Feeding Dissertation - 1

Depression and Anxiety in PEG Feeding - Dissertation Example Expand a few lines†¦ TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS 3 LIST OF FIGURES Abstract This dissertation is about the social and psychological impact, including anxiety and depressed moods, on people who are artificially fed via a tube based on percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG). The analysis is based on a framework that highlights two sides of sickness, â€Å"disease† underlying the placement of a feeding tube (biological malfunctions recorded as particular disease categories, e.g., cancer, neurological disorders, cardiac diseases, palsy) and the response to this by patients and their carers. This distinction between â€Å"disease† and â€Å"illness† provides a view of the social and psychological complexities involved. These are often overlooked when artificial feeding is adopted. The dissertation proceeds via a description of the literature search on PEG. The primary tools used in this search is the topical search (e.g., â€Å"socio-psychological imp acts of PEG feeding†) on the internet and the exploration of various databases, such as Cinahl, PubMed, Medline, Cochrane and Google Scholar. The literature used refers to reports of â€Å"new† (i.e. past decade) findings. In a very few cases only, when outlining â€Å"illness responses† to â€Å"disease† and the ensuing person-oriented framework, a few basic sources pre-dating 2000, are drawn upon. The accompanying review of relevant sources attempts to bring out the emphasis of â€Å"disease† and the omission of efforts to develop a framework or model and conceptual tools to grasp the social and psychological implications of artificial feeding due to disability. Such a model can, however, be of great value to nursing care and operating practice. Such a framework is available to us via a number of qualitative studies and a â€Å"narrative understanding of the illness experience†. The usefulness of this body of literature will be examined in the ensuing discussion. In the conclusion I will stress the value of a qualitative, person-oriented perspective (the â€Å"illness experience†) for a humanistic medical and nursing practice. Introduction This dissertation is based on a lengthy review of available literature on the social and psychological impact, including anxiety and depressed moods, on people who are artificially fed via a tube based on percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) This review allows me to examine the emotional costs involved in PEG tube feeding, especially with regard to experiences and the coping with the emotional (anxiety, depressed mood) and social costs of tube feeding before, during and after the placement of a PEG tube. This dissertation takes the patient’s point of view and reviews two groups of literature in depth: one of the two is person-and qualitatively-oriented and proposes a meaning-centred, qualitative and humanistic method/perspective. At the same time, one realizes tha t patients are found in a larger health care context where medical and health care professionals operate. Their and the perspective of medicine must be understood as well. Byron Good’s (2008) book on Medicine, Rationality and Experience provides a good introduction to their and the patient’s perspective. It is therefore meaningful to compare and contrast the views and perspectives of these professionals and the views that patients express, their way of coping with PEG tube feeding, their modes of reasoning, their various feeling-states (anxiety, depression) and the lives they live. I have chosen

St. Louis Tornado of 1896 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

St. Louis Tornado of 1896 - Research Paper Example 17). The tornado razed the major part of the city to the ground, with the loss estimate of 2 million dollars (one agency said it was worth 50, 000, 000) (Dunn & Dunn, 2009, p.51). In just 20 minutes the St Louis tornado blasted a path to the Near South Side of the city which was about 10 miles. It was accountable for destroying as many as 311 buildings, damaging around 7, 200 houses, and harming 1, 300 still others (Curzon, 1896, p. xvi). The National Climatic Data Center ranks it the third deadliest documented tornado in the U.S. history after Tri Strike Tornado of 1925 (official death toll 695 people) and 1840 tornado that affected Nachez, MS (official death toll 317) (National Climatic Data Center, 2012, online). Before discussing the specifics of the St Louis tornado let us first explain what a tornado is. ... At the time when the St Louis Tornado struck at the turn of the 20th century, the news accounts referred to the tornado as merely a cyclone. As it is explained in the foreword to â€Å"The Great Cyclone at St. Louis and East St. Louis, May 27, 1896: Being a Full History of the Most Terrifying and Destructive Tornado in the History of the World† by Tim O’Neil, this was not correct from the perspective of climatology since cyclone refers to any movement of the wind of the cyclonic nature. At the same time, a tornado is a funnel cloud particularly fast-twisting and leading to great damage (Curzon, 1896, p. xviii). Curzon (1896, p.28) provides enough evidence that the St Louis tornado was a typical tornado with all the features usually attributed to such phenomena. He, first of all, bases his view on the local news account which told of the detected presence of the upward and inward spiral motions, illustrated by trees having been torn up by their roots and scattered around in a mess. In addition, in certain places, it was reported, the debris was thrown around in each direction. The St Louis Tornado (also known as The St Louis-East St Louis Tornado) of 1896 reportedly touched down in southwest St Louis, which was at that time the city’s highest point. Specifically, at 6:30 PM on 27 May 1896 the landfall of two tornadoes (rated F4) was made at St Louis and near the city (Gunn & Gunn, 2009, p.50). Those tornadoes, which were a part of the overall outbreak on the territory of the United States , arrived in a simultaneous manner. One of the tornadoes passed over St Louis and headed for southeast. There it leveled farms in Richview and Irvington located 60 miles east. The other tornado, which was very powerful and excessively destructive,

Sustainability in global business-Meeting the Challenge of Sustainable Essay

Sustainability in global business-Meeting the Challenge of Sustainable Business - Essay Example The human interactions that are pre-industrial with the natural system and the social system usually cause changes to the short-term and local scale. The present socio-ecological interactions are generating a wide spread in the global changes with changes that are temporary and far into the future. The harmful consequences that we face because of human forcing on the ecological and social systems may never find the solution required through single issues like solving the global poverty or resource efficiency (Blowfield, 2012, p. 18). The current processes and the societal structures are structured in a manner that they contribute systematically to the current directions that are unsustainable and causing the people to face the difficulty to inspire global unity around safeguarding the probabilities of the future options. The development of sustainability signifies the increase of the people’s room for maneuver. This requires an approach that is systematic in solving of problems and the strategic planning by identifying control for restoration in both ecological and human (Stoner and Wankel, 2010, p. 32). Many organizations are adopting policies and practices that are sustainable and they integrate them with the strategies in their organizations for the purpose of organization development (Schmidheiny, 1992, p. 214). Research has indicated that that most of the changes in the organizations efforts plateau after the initial period Research has of passion and was not able to become an integrated and sustained approach to the planning strategies and development. It is determined that changes that are unstained can be related to the current disclosure on the developments that are sustainable and focuses on the establishment of the evolving technology and instrumental policies such as what to do (Blowfield, 2012, p. 58). A complementary research

Sustainability in Global Business Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Sustainability in Global Business - Assignment Example In global context a business should strive efficiently in order to meet triple bottom line. Sustainability can be achieved by global business if sustainability principles are incorporated in business decision making, environmental friendly goods are supplied by firms, traditional competition is managed more efficiently and business is highly committed towards environmental principles. This study shall focus on major challenges that would be faced by firm in nearby future. It would even encompass a sustainable innovation strategy which will help in providing competitive advantage and value in 2050 business scenario. Globalization has provided immense opportunities to many large organizations. Growing interconnectedness resulted from globalization that was highly reflected on flow of technology, information, services, people, goods and capital across the globe. Certain aspects of globalization will be altered in the coming years but revolution of information technology shall remain unaltered. The mega trend is expected to shape substantiality of a firm. Around the world developing and developed countries would benefit from world economy gains (Andersen, 2006). Fastest growing consumer markets would initiate growth of world class multinationals. Western countries are focusing on international economic dynamism. Adaptability and accessibility of advanced technology would increase by 2050. Vision for 2050 is to develop such business environment that can lessen the impact on environment (Bennett, 2006). Figure1 represents the population growth by 2050. Macroeconomic scenario encompasses numerical GD P projections, sectorial activity, population and household income. There are 22 sectors within EU member states. These sectors comprise of 10 energy intensive industries, 3 service sectors, 6 non intensive energy firms and energy supply and agriculture sector. Figure1 states the projection of

LA---The City that Might Have Been Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

LA---The City that Might Have Been - Essay Example If the project was turned into reality, have it not been for failures in real estate negotiations, the builders would have faced the challenge of really making the building secure and able to stand the atrocious circumstances on the sea brought about by changing seasons. Maintenance would have been a real challenge because keeping such a building that should withstand strong rains, is quite expensive. In addition to the building, there was also a proposal of having a glass-enclosed bridge that connects the building to the shore. This is a really genius plan and the same challenge presented by the building is applicable to the bridge. With such a spectacular proposed building, finances for the maintenance might not be a problem after all because undoubtedly, this project would have attracted people not only around the area but from all over the world. The experience this project offers to highly adventurous customers might have brought good economic opportunities to local and foreign investors not only because of the architectural design but also because of the adventure that people often seek and gladly pay for. The real challenge that developers would have really faced if the project pushed through would be the assurance that the building is a safe place for people to go to. Although engineering and architectural projects showed that it is possible to build strong buildings in the sea as evidenced by several bridge structures which stood strong and destructive waters for decades, the thought of building a place which will constantly house numerous people is quite different to

Economic comment Essay Example for Free

Economic comment Essay Interest rates are proportionate to credit quality and it shows the ability of the investor to pay at any given circumstance. World economic conditions vary by geography and country and the nature of inflation and deflation influences interest rates. Interest rate is also determined by the government through its enactment of public policy called interest rate subsidy (Montalbano, 6). Interest rate term structures evidences how they are determined by future expectations of the value money. However in the absences of the aforementioned determinants, interest rates are determined by the supply and demand for funds. 2. Interest is the premium paid for use of borrowed money. The interest for loans is usually fixed for a certain number of years after which if there is delay in payment the interest rate adjusts upwardly each year. The value of dollar can increase or decrease depending on the supply and demand imbalance. However, lending of money is associated with risks as the lender can not be certain whether or not the borrower will pay the money back. In order for the lender to reduce the risks, it is important to secure the loan with a physical property such as real estate. Additionally, examining of one’s ability to pay back the money by use of credit score range can help reduce the risks of lending. 3. Interest rates are also determined by the supply and the demands for funds. This shows that at whatever rate of borrowing, the borrower believes he/she has borrowed at the lowest rate and he/she can even provide higher interest rates on the same funds (Montalbano, 12). On the other hand, the lender believes the funds cannot be lent at a higher rate and there is certainty to receive interest and return of principal. Works Cited Montalbano, J. How are interest rates determined? 201. Viewed August 14 2010 from http://www. ehow. com/how-does_4880725_how-interest-rates-determined. html

Introduction to Health Economics, Lorna Guinness | Overview

Introduction to Health Economics, Lorna Guinness | Overview NAME OF THE BOOK: INTRODUCTION TO HEALTH ECONOMICS AUTHOR: GUINNESS, LORNA KEY TERMS Efficiency It describe the connection between inputs and outputs. It’s involved with increasing advantages with the resources accessible, or minimizing prices for a given level of profit. Goods These are the outputs (such as health care) of a production method that involves the combining of various resources like labor and instrumentation. Merchandise (including services) are valuable within the sense that they supply some utility to individual shoppers. They’re termed ‘goods’ as theyre fascinating, as distinct from ‘bads’ that youll examine later! Health sector It contains organized public and personal health services, the policies and activities of health departments and ministries, health-related nongovernment organizations and community teams, and skilled associations. Health services- The vary of services undertaken primarily for health reasons which have an instantaneous result on health, as well as health care programs like health promotion and specific disease prevention and treatment. Marginal analysis It is the examination of the additional focal points or costs emerging from an extra unit of utilization or generation of a decent. Market A state of affairs wherever those who have a requirement for an honest move with suppliers and agree on a worth at that the great are going to be listed .The important condition for effectively working markets may be an arrangement of property rights to verify that people will take part in honestiness. Opportunity cost (economic cost) As assets are rare, a single person, in deciding to devour a decent, on a fundamental level, picks the great which provides for him or her the best advantage, and in this manner renounces the utilization of a scope of option merchandise of lesser worth. The opportunity expense is the estimation of the profit of the following best option. Resources These represent inputs into the method of manufacturing merchandise. They’ll be classified into 3 main elements: labor, capital and land. Completely different merchandise would typically need variable mixtures of those parts. Resources are typically valued in financial terms. Utility- The satisfaction or fulfillment an individual increases from expending a decent. The more utility an individual gets from the utilization of a decent, all else being equivalent, the more they would be eager to use their salary on it. What is an economy? The economy is outlined as all the economic activities and establishments among an outlined space (usually geographically, associated with the political borders of a nation state). Resources’ are those items within the economy that can be used to manufacture and distribute goods. Resources will be classified as labor, capital and land: Labor refers to human resources, manual and non-manual, accomplished and unskilled. Capital-are those product that are accustomed turn out alternative product – as an example machinery, buildings and tools . Land –consist of all natural resources, like oil or ore. Goods are either items that you can hold or touch (e.g. a medication) or else they are administrations that befall you (e.g. a counsel). There are 2 vital attributes that recognize diverse goods: 1 Physical attributes – a frozen dessert and a cup of tea are totally completely different commodities as a result of they need different producing techniques and since they satisfy different needs. 2 Context in which the good is consumed – for example: a) the time in which the good is available – an ice cream that is available on a hot summer’s day is a different good from one available in the cold midwinter. b) The place where the commodity is available – a cup of tea available in a fashionable cafà © is a different good from tea that is sometimes sold at a petrol station. What is a market? In financial science, the expression business sector is utilized to clarify any condition of undertakings wherever individuals that request a conventional close with suppliers. For it to be a market the purchasers and venders dont need to be urged to physically meet – case in point, most unmistakably, exchanging on the net will include systems of individuals in all segments of the planet who can never meet. Altogether, an important condition for effectively working markets could be an arrangement of property rights to affirm that people will take part in accordance with some basic honesty. This infers that the exchanges made between gatherings are some way or another enforceable which there are bound comprehended tenets in regards to however people act as far as giving information, making installment. Health System finance Health system finance is that the method by that revenues area unit collected from primary and secondary sources, that area unit accumulated in fund pools and allotted to supplier activities’ Within the finance function of the health system there are unit 3 main activities. Revenue collection refers to the raising of funds either directly from people seeking health care or indirectly through governments or donors. Fund pooling refers to the gathering of funds which will be used for finance a given population’s health care in order that contributors to the pool share risks. Purchasing is the method of allocating funds to the suppliers of health care. There are two ways of paying for health services: Out-of-pocket payments: this is often the only and earliest style of dealing between patient and provider. Third-party payments: where providers are paid by an insurance company or a government. 1) In several countries out-of-payments for health care play a crucial role. From low-income countries theres proof that individuals who are not covered by insurance pay high amounts for health care in relevance their financial gain. In Africa, quite fifty per cent of health care expenses return from directly paid non-public sources. Types of out-of-pocket expenditure include the following. †¢ Private consultations with doctors. †¢ Over the counter (OTC) drugs. †¢ Co-payments and user fees: where third-party payment is prevalent, cost sharing within the variety of co-payments plays a very important role. Co-payments and user fees might apply to prescription drugs, medical care, patient care and emergency transport. †¢ Unofficial fees: besides official fees, unofficial payments to doctors are common in several countries. Further payments to employees to urge access to hospitalization are common in some Asian countries. In range of countries in central and Eastern Europe, doctors used to expect unofficial payments as a supplement to their financial gain. †¢ Services not covered by insurance: transport costs, traditional or complementary medicine and luxury services such as cosmetic surgery. 2) These are costs that are high in connection to salary. Case in point, lavish helps are unrealistic to be paid out-of-pocket, as individuals would need to use a substantial extent of their salary or riches on social insurance. Generally, people look for protection to secure themselves against such conceivably disastrous misfortunes. You might likewise consider administrations with qualities of an open decent which are financed openly on the grounds that they are not given by private markets. Consider preventive administrations, for example, wellbeing instruction, which the individual customer may not be ready to buy secretly. 3) Overall out-of-pocket spending on health care is increasing. This is due to the growing proportion of OTC drugs and increasing cost sharing. The evolution of health service finance Global correlations demonstrate that nations use distinctive methods for paying for wellbeing administrations. Case in point, France and Sweden have created notably diverse practices to reserve healing centers and to pay for specialists. Latin American nations have social protection frameworks while in numerous African nations government subsidizing is normal. The Changing World of Health Services Finance The climbing estimation of health awareness imply that paying for medicinal services is an issue of concern in most, if not all nations. Governments are upset in regards to the monetary and political results of the expanding benefit of giving wellbeing administrations and look at to utmost using through tighter controls and diverse changes. Theres gigantic assemblage of writing to suggest that a considerable measure of nations are disappointed with the present methodologies of account and conveyance of wellbeing administrations or as inside the instance of the past Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, are forced into change through immense political alteration and wretchedness. Though the motives and kinds of reform could disagree, there are some common themes: Separation of customer and supplier responsibilities whereby the underlying plan is that purchasers contract with those suppliers giving best price for cash which this will increase the potency of service delivery . Redefinition of the role of the state in responsibility for health care. Encouragement of the personal sector. Encouragement of competition between suppliers. Alternative sources of funding, budget constraints and political modification in several countries has resulted within the health sector and governments seeking out other ways of mobilizing the resources. What is economic evaluation? It is the comparison of prices and consequences of different health care interventions to assess their worth for cash. Impact of health problems A key need of numerous social orders far and wide is the assuagement of wellbeing issues: illness, damage or a danger component for one of these. The effect of such wellbeing issues can be showed in distinctive ways – physical inability, dismalness and mortality, enthusiastic trouble, social troubles and seclusion, and monetary and financial misfortune. The impact of health problems can be measured as: The number of cases The number of passing’s(deaths) The amount of disability, pain or suffering The measure of people with a risk factor The measure of money spent on a health problem

The Job Interview Process English Language Essay

The Job Interview Process English Language Essay Professor Dennis Mohle, of The Craig School of Business at Fresno State University has authorized this report. The issue is that unemployment in Fresno has gone up in the recent years and finding a good job or internship can be very difficult and stressful. Knowing how to interview well can help to get you the job of your dreams. This report will shed some light on the job interview process and will not stop there; it will also include how to write cover letters and resumes and will show how to properly manage social networking sites, while applying for a job. All of these steps are essential to being successful during the job interview process. The purpose is to carefully and thoughtfully explain to the readers exactly what steps to take in order to do well in the interviewing process. The methodology used for this research assignment spanned a wide variety of business outlooks. These outlooks ranged from business textbooks, published research and surveys. These methods were used because they seemed to be the most informative and provide ample amount of data and statistics. The first source used in this report was textbook, Business Communications: Process Product. The second source was a survey that was done by a writer for AOL Jobs called, What You Wish Youd Known before Your Job Interview. Thirdly, was the MGT110 lecture book titled, Managing Organizational Behavior: What Great Managers Know and Do. For published research, I have an article called Making the Job Interview Work for You. A source used to fully understand the employers perspective was an article from, IUP Journal of Soft Skills titled What to Expect From Across the Table. Another sources used to find statistics is, InternetSafety101.org, where they review and publish statistics on the internet and its safety. Lastly, is an article from About.com that is titled How (and How Not) to Use Social Media to Job Search. JOB INTERVIEW PROCESS Interviewing, whether it is a job interview or an interview for an internship is vital to the existence of the business world. However, the interview is not the first stepping-stone in the road to employment. Surrounding yourself with the necessary resources to succeed is essential. Who is interviewing? Figure 1: Interview Waiting Room (Google 2009). http://us.123rf.com/400wm/400/400/wavebreakmediamicro/wavebreakmediamicro1106/wavebreakmediamicro110601234/10094684-business-people-sitting-and-waiting-for-a-job-interview.jpg With the downfall of the economy and no turn-around in sight, more and more people are flooding to interviews anywhere they can. This includes high school kids, college students, college graduates, recently unemployed adults and retired adults being forced to work again. To sum up, everyone is interviewing. Therefore, it is imperative that everyone knows how to hold a successful interview and knows the dos and donts of interviewing. http://www.soulseeds.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/aff-surround-yourself-with-the-things-you-love-2-300196.jpg Having the right professional contacts and by surrounding yourself with people who build you up professionally and not down are just two of the recommend activities. Figure 2: Surrounding Yourself With The Essentials (Soul Seeds 2011) Dressing Professional Typically, in the job process, the initial piece of information that starts the ball rolling is either the application or the resume. However, how you present yourself is what should be viewed as the most important thing. Whenever the applicant walks through the office doors of the employer is immediately performing a preliminary interview, without even noticing. This is because professionalism is back, in the sense that how you dress is how you are choosing to promote and market yourself. It is also a since of pride. If a job applicant were to walk into an interview with: hair a mess, loaded with jewelry, tattoos that are visible and just lacking a professional issue it would show their unprofessional attitude (Baldwin and Bommer 2013). C:UsersToriDesktopbusiness professional.jpg Figure 3: What to Wear to an Interview (TSU Career Services 2010). The general rule for clothing, when it comes to interviewing it is that the more solid the color, the better. For instance, a young woman by the name of Ana, was skipped for a job because of that fact that she wore a club bright colored dress that resulted in people in the office to begin to stare at things that are inappropriate. Therefore, to remain on subject and for the employer to remain on track, the person would have to wear those basic, solid colors such as black, navy, brown and tan. In addition, they were asked by several business executives to dress modestly, not like you are going to a club (Bockanic 2012). When it comes to jewelry and accessories, less is more. Wearing the minimal amount of jewelry has actually been hard for women to accomplish, but they must remember that it is not about the number of earrings or pieces of jewelry , it is instead about who you are as a person. Huge issues for most employers these days are tattoos. Many people believe today that getting a tattoo is not a big deal and it will not affect the likeliness of a person getting a job, which is completely false. According to AOL Jobs writer, David Shepp, having tattoos that are visible decrease your chances of getting the job 35% instantly. However, there are some rare cases in which, the company is looking for someone with tattoos to represent them and therefore tattoos are not only a plus, but also a necessary item. Acting Professional The average interview, begins with the interviewer asking the job applicant a couple questions about the company like Why this company and What made Such and Such Marketing different from all of the others? This area specifically is an area where most job applicants fall short. They do not come prepared with short personal stories, or examples and reasons for why they picked this company. The average response to a question similar to this one, contains approximately five umms or Im not sures (Akhtar 2012). Imagine that you were conducting an interview and it took a person awhile to come up with a few reasons as to why your company beats out all the others. It may question whether or not you want to hire someone who doesnt have strong emotional ties to his previous or future places of work. In addition, before going into an interview it is always nice to reflect on this list of dos and donts: research the companies for which you are applying, give a firm handshake, do not fidget or answer phones during the interview, show interest in the interviewers questions, maintain a good posture and behavior throughout and also be respectful. Use of Social Media Social media websites share personal information, and the sites seem to be adding more and more in-depth questions or options to such sites. This is making personal information more readily available to people who do not need access to such information. According to a recent study done in 2011, 26% of Americans say they are sharing more information on social networks today than one year ago (Combs 2011). Social Networks are not regulated and anyone is allowed access to these sites unless a specific user has strict privacy setting. Except, most users are not aware of how to update their settings and make their sites inaccessible. Although, Social Networking has allowed many people to seek the help and aid that they may need. Many cases have been reported where, a person who is signed up with a social networking site, has not been able to find a job because of their subscription to the media (Doyle 2009). These days 1in 5 jobs are found using social media, while the age old concept of knocking on the door and simply asking are you hiring? is still a scenario that is still out there. Although more and more people are being to utilize this social media and networking tool to job search and some are even using the online job search sites (Doyle 2009). Social Media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn are some of the tools that are being used to search for a job. Nevertheless, some people forget that although social media is a good tool, it can also jeopardize your job opportunity if used incorrectly or in an inappropriate manner. Now of course your Facebook account is your personal account, so you feel as if you have some sort of immunity and right to keep your private life private. Moreover, while that is true, depending on the settings that the person has on their social medias allows future employers to browse all they please. Using these social medias in the right way, is vital to success in the interview process. The first amendment does give every person the right to free speech, however that does mean that you exercise your right by posting extremely religious articles, political views and/or mean and hatred comments are your boss. Refrain from anything that may cause a future employer to question to character. Social media has given us tremendous amount of power in terms of job searching capabilities, but it has also made everything we do much more vulnerable and easy to target. The saying à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"choose your words carefullyà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ã‚  might be true now than ever bef ore (Schepp 2011). Before you publish anything on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or any other social media, make sure you havenà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢t friended one of your colleagues or bosses before you make a rude remark about them. A golden rule would be to refrain from posting things that you would not want the person to know. Because even though you are not friends with the person youre posting about directly, that person may be the friend of a friend and find out just as easily. Even though social medias sell you on transparency, it does not mean that it is the right thing to do. Being transparent comes with a cost and could eventually lead to the loss of your job. COVER LETTERS A cover letter is written directly for the eyes of the interviewer and is sole purpose is to introduce both yourself and your resume in the future hope of getting the job. In reality, your resume may never be read without it being accompanied by a profession cover letter. One must think of the cover letter as a sales letter. It is working to sell your resume to the interviewer. Some general guidelines for writing a cover letter are: only use white bong paper (any color or scented paper will not be taken professionally), should be only one page in length, both the cover letter and resume should maintain the same format and it should consist of three paragraphs. This cover letter should open with a professional salutation to the hiring manager for the open position and should move into the three-paragraph format. The first paragraph should re-state the position that you are applying for, why you are applying and how you learned about the position. Then you should move on to mention something that you love about the company or business; the main reason why you are applying for the position. Then move to stating that you are great candidate because of your qualifications, experience, education and interests. The second paragraph should now expand in greater detail your qualifications, experience, education and interests that directly correlate with the employers needs. You want to make yourself sound like the perfect candidate, therefore they must give you an interview to see what youre all about. The closing paragraph should be ended with a bold statement, such as one saying that you are the ideal candidate and a strong match for the company. Also, mention that you are looking forward to meeting with him or her and finish will a slightly aggressive touch that if 7-10 business days pass without a word, you will follow up yourself (Gueffy and Loewy 2011). Figure 4: Example of Cover Letter for a Resume (Yahoo, 2008). http://www.squawkfox.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/sample-cover-letters-cover-letter-examples-classic.png RESUME The resume will be one of the only things that the interviewer will look at to decide whether you deserve an interview. Therefore, it is very important. First of all the resume needs to be consistent, concise and clear. It should also be extremely easy to read. To stick with traditional standards the resume should be no longer than one page. This goes off being short and concise. You only have an 8.5 x 11 sized paper to inform the interviewer of why you should be picked for the job over everyone else (Baldwin and Boomer 2013). There are several different types of resumes that are generally used to apply of job openings. Any of the formats are fine, it just depends on how what information you have to place on your resume and what type of information it is. If you have expansive job history, which is your selling point, chronological is the best style of resume. However if you are still in school and working towards your degree, an educational focused resume would be the most beneficial because you are highlighting your strong point (Gueffy and Loewy 2011). Each type of resume can be found with a quick Google search, they even show up as templates for easy use. Therefore, you can begin to build your resume by simply replacing the sample information with your own personal information. Make tweaks to the layout or placement depending on your personal preferences to highlight your skills and abilities. Remember, there is no right or wrong way to write a resume. As long as your follow the general guidelines, anything is acceptable. Today, many large companies or corporations are usingrecruiting management software that helps to better screen candidates. The hiring manager inputs into the software certain keywords that he is looking for and this software will then mine through the database of resumes searching for potential matches. If you would like to be found, the resume needs to contain keywords that directly target the jobs in your field of interest. Figure 5: Example of Traditional Experience Based Resume (About.com 2012). http://new-cdn.financialsamurai.com.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/good_resume3.gif SUMMARY In summary, although many people are afraid of getting out there and interviewing for jobs. This is understandable because, job interviews can be challenging, in part because there is so much that can go wrong. However, when a person is surrounded with the right skills, interviewing is a piece of cake. It is very important to remember the value of dressing, and acting professionally, maintaining professional social medias, the importance of writing both good cover letters and resumes. You also will need to explain who you are and why the organization needs you. Being able to concisely describe the skills that you can bring to the position and to the company is a definite way to engage the interviewer while also making the case for why you are the right person for the job. Although winging it in an interview might work, but chances are that, a lack of preparedness will come out during the test process and you will be left stumbling and racing in circles to answer questions. Moreover, that will not win you any points with any manager. Always come prepared.

Religious Themes in Roman Polanskis A Knife In The Water and Rosemary’s Baby :: Movie, Film

Religious Themes in Roman Polanski's A Knife In The Water and Rosemary’s Baby Roman Polanski incorporated religious themes into his films, â€Å"A Knife In The Water† (Poland 1962) and â€Å"Rosemary’s Baby† (U.S. 1968). â€Å" A Knife In The Water† contains some Christian imagery that is not incorporated into the plot or theme of the film. In contrast, the central theme of â€Å"Rosemary’s Baby† is religion. I believe this difference illustrates the fact that Polanski desired to make a radical religious film but was unable to do so until he came to The United States. â€Å"A Knife In The Water† is a film about money and power. A wealthy couple picks up a young hitchhiker and invites him to spend the day with them on their yacht. Through out the day the older man, Andre, and the boy struggle for power. The struggle ends with Andre thinking he has killed the boy, and the boy sleeping with Andre’s wife. (Polanski 1962) Christian imagery, and illusions to Biblical mythology, are subtly woven into this film. The boy is portrayed as somewhat of a Christ figure. At one point he is seen lying on the deck of the yacht in a crucifix position with the sun forming a halo around his head. He hangs off the boat while it is moving and attempts to walk on the water. The boy has wounds on his hands from holding the hot saucepan. Like Christ the boy wanders from place to place on foot. The most obvious comparison Polanski makes between the boy and Christ is that the boy is presumed to be dead after Andre plunges him into the water. He then â€Å"rises from the dead† after Andre swims ashore to contact the authorities. (Butler 39) â€Å"Rosemary’s Baby† is very different from Polanski’s first film. This film is about an expectant mother whose husband allows her to become impregnated by the devil in exchange for success in his acting career. When Rosemary begins to catch on to the fact that her husband and neighbors are witches and worshipers of the devil she becomes afraid for her baby. She suspects that they are going to take her baby from her and use it in a satanic ritual. Both Rosemary and the viewer are shocked to discover that the coven of witches doesn’t plan to give her baby to Satan. Religious Themes in Roman Polanski's A Knife In The Water and Rosemary’s Baby :: Movie, Film Religious Themes in Roman Polanski's A Knife In The Water and Rosemary’s Baby Roman Polanski incorporated religious themes into his films, â€Å"A Knife In The Water† (Poland 1962) and â€Å"Rosemary’s Baby† (U.S. 1968). â€Å" A Knife In The Water† contains some Christian imagery that is not incorporated into the plot or theme of the film. In contrast, the central theme of â€Å"Rosemary’s Baby† is religion. I believe this difference illustrates the fact that Polanski desired to make a radical religious film but was unable to do so until he came to The United States. â€Å"A Knife In The Water† is a film about money and power. A wealthy couple picks up a young hitchhiker and invites him to spend the day with them on their yacht. Through out the day the older man, Andre, and the boy struggle for power. The struggle ends with Andre thinking he has killed the boy, and the boy sleeping with Andre’s wife. (Polanski 1962) Christian imagery, and illusions to Biblical mythology, are subtly woven into this film. The boy is portrayed as somewhat of a Christ figure. At one point he is seen lying on the deck of the yacht in a crucifix position with the sun forming a halo around his head. He hangs off the boat while it is moving and attempts to walk on the water. The boy has wounds on his hands from holding the hot saucepan. Like Christ the boy wanders from place to place on foot. The most obvious comparison Polanski makes between the boy and Christ is that the boy is presumed to be dead after Andre plunges him into the water. He then â€Å"rises from the dead† after Andre swims ashore to contact the authorities. (Butler 39) â€Å"Rosemary’s Baby† is very different from Polanski’s first film. This film is about an expectant mother whose husband allows her to become impregnated by the devil in exchange for success in his acting career. When Rosemary begins to catch on to the fact that her husband and neighbors are witches and worshipers of the devil she becomes afraid for her baby. She suspects that they are going to take her baby from her and use it in a satanic ritual. Both Rosemary and the viewer are shocked to discover that the coven of witches doesn’t plan to give her baby to Satan.

free america :: essays research papers

free americaa  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Is freedom really free? We all say we live in a free society, but if you walk across the street with out a cross walk you could be arrested! How can that be freedom, when you look at it that way It dosent really seem free. There has been major achievements in history to make our world free with out question. We the American people have strived for centuries to keep America free we fought the British to be free and create a beautiful country , we fought for the freeing of the slaves in the Civil War, also the nazi’s in World War Two who where trying to put a fascist government rule on Germany and the world. (The exact opsite of freedom).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  They say that Freedom comes at a price ; why a price on freedom dosent that defeat the purpose? Wont that negate freedom if you have to give something up for it? Freedom seems to me to be something that is with out price, unexchangeable for anything ,any reason, any objective. Its irreplaceable in all expressive senses it possesses and represents. It retains and upholds liberty, independence, privilege, and license to be and to live your life as you see suitable. Freedom is open to anyone who will fight for its existence if that fight is only to say that they yearn for it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On the most part we see freedom as free, if we want to go out at 3:00 a.m. in the early morning for ice-cream and shotgun shells we are â€Å"Free† to do just that.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   We as American citizens are accustom to many freedoms that we sometimes take for granted such as the freedom to speak out against anyone who is trying to infarct upon our civil liberties, the right to choose who will represent us to the rest of the world, and the freedom to make and change any rule set forth if it does not apply.

A Journey into the Heart of American Adolescence

Teenagers will be teenagers.   Perhaps this is the best way to understand the lives of eight teenagers in Hersch’s (1999) book, A Tribe Apart: A Journey into the Heart of American Adolescence.   Although Hersch only writes about American teenagers, adolescents around the world may be able to relate to the eight kids interviewed by the author.They are naughty, to say the least, and their parents seem to have little or no interest in how they are leading or in fact ruining their lives.   The teenagers use illegal drugs, enjoy premarital sex, steal, get into trouble, and essentially do everything that they are most likely to do in the absence of adults from their lives.Adults have abused them through neglect or other means.   Hence, the young people do not have real models to follow.   Instead, they experiment with life so as to learn their own lessons before adulthood strikes.   Many of the lessons that such teenagers may learn will undoubtedly be painful if not plai n sad.It is clear to the reader of A Tribe Apart that these teenagers could have been saved from the difficulties they may inevitably face by following models of propriety.All the same, it is impossible to find such models when their parents are missing from home and out at work.   Teachers may not be able to fill in the gap seeing as it is the parents’ responsibility to teach morality to their kids for the latter to consider it believable.   After all, children are meant to spend more time with their parents than with their teachers.The teenagers of A Tribe Apart do not belong to poor families.   Researchers have often described adolescents from poor families who are neglected or abused by other means before they turn into drug addicts or thieves.Teenagers belonging to poor families are therefore believed by the masses to be morally degraded.   The unique fact about Hersch’s book is that all of the teenagers she has interviewed for her research belong to the h ealthy middle class.   Perhaps this makes it easier for adolescents around the globe to relate to the eight teenagers in her book.Most if not all teenagers may be considered ‘a tribe apart’ as the reader contemplates the fact that both the haves and the have-nots behave in similar ways through adolescence.   Indeed, teenagers belonging to poor families appear to be destroying their lives just like the adolescents interviewed by Hersch for her study.The good news is, however, that Hersch’s book could serve as a warning signal for parents who have neglected or abused their growing kids in other ways.   If parents do not take heed, their growing kids may very well shape themselves as adults that behave like their own parents.   Wealth does not matter in this case.   Rather, teenagers would remain as stereotypical teenagers – experimenting with adulthood in their youth.   They know no boundaries.They are always crossing their limits.   Most impor tantly, there is nobody to guide them out of their troubled existence.   Drugs and sex become the sole source of joy for them.   Thus, Hersch’s book is a wake up call that all parents must give serious thought to.   The fact that eight teenagers confided in Hersch must also be taken seriously.   It is possible for parents to honestly understand their kids.   Hersch has proved this with her research.

Ucla Econ 101 Final Spring 2011

1 Final Exam (VERSION 1) Econ ci revel write your name at the top of every page of this mideterm Please write your name, TAs name, and the conviction of your discussion section here Your found TAs Name discourse Time The exam has one separate Written Questions. There should be 16 total pages (front and back). Quickly read through the exam before beginning. There atomic function 18 100 total points avail adequate to(p). Point set atomic number 18 listed next to to separately one job part. Please every last(predicate)ocate your time wherefore 1 2 Written Questions 1. press the pursuance salary upo? matrix doer L M T 2, 0 3, 1 Player 1 C 3, 4 1, 2 B 1, 3 0, 2 2 R 4,2 2,3 3,0 . (5pnts) sense the excellent strategy Nash equilibria of the simultaneous game b. (5pnts) instanter suppose the game is played sequentially. Find the subgame perfect remainder if worker 1 goes ? rst and if player 2 goes ? rst. c. (5pnts) handle whether to severally one of the playe rs would want to go ? rst or second. d. (5pnts) redeem bundle a system of equations such that the solution to the system would give a completely mix strategy equilibrium of this game (please clearly de? ne all of your notation). Can this system of equations be figure out? (Hint think about the condition requiring player 1 to play B with peremptory professional personbability).Explain what the answer means. 2 wrench space 3 live length 4 2. Suppose Player 1 and Player 2 are playing a simultaneous move game with the following feedo? matrix Player 2 L R T 0, 4 ? , 3 Player 1 B 3, 3 4, 6 where ? ? 0 a. (5pnts) De? ne a governing strategy equilibrium. Is there some(prenominal) value of ? for which there is a dominant strategy equilibrium. If so, ? nd the values of ?. If not, gift why. b. (5pnts) string all the pure and mixed strategy equilibria of the game as a obligation of ? c. (5pnts) Suppose ? = 5. What would the outcome be if the players could cooperate? 5 transact ion berth 6 WORK blank shell 7 3. nightstick has just inherited a provide spread head from his uncle. The ranch is located in Oshkosh, WI and rents horses. A unique feature of the changeless is the nearby riding trails that overlook Lake Winnebago. nightstick has deuce types of potential customers novice riders (N) and ripe riders (S). The (per customer) demand for horse rides on the ranch is qS = 75 ? 1. 25PS , where qS is the number of hourlong rides a honor subject rider makes per year. The demand for novice riders is qN = 57 ? 1. 25PN . Assume there are 75 riders of each type in the town. Billys cost function is T C = 12q, where q is the total number of hours the horses are ridden per year. . (5pnts) Suppose Billy does not price discriminate. Find prices, quantities, and Billys pro? t. b. (5pnts) Suppose Billy chamberpot tell whos a serious rider because of the types of hat they ware. Find the tertiary degree price discriminating prices, quantities and pro? ts. c. (5p nts) Suppose Billy is not able to tell the di? erence between the two types of rider. He decides to start charging a yearly social status fee, T , as well as an hourly price, p. Find the optimal choices of T and p d. (5pnts) Suppose Billy IS able to tell the di? erence between the two types of only when still thinks the 2-part tari? is a good idea.Find the one-year fee and per hour price that Billy would charge to each group 8 WORK SPACE 9 WORK SPACE 10 4. (16pnts) Boeing and Airbus are the 2 ? rms that produce commercial aircraft. The demand for airplanes is inclined(p) by Q = 10 ? P . Boeings be are given by T CB = cB qB and Airbus be are given by T CA = cA qA where cA , cB are constants. a. (5pnts) Find the Cournot quantities, prices and pro? ts. Find Stackelberg quantities, prices, and pro? ts assuming Boeing chooses takings ? rst b. (5pnts) Suppose that right now cB = cA = 5. Boeing has access to a process entry that will lower marginal costs from 5 to 0.How much would Boeing be will to invest to implement the innovation. (Assume Cournot Competition from here on) c. (5pnts) Suppose that the innovation is such that Airbus endure (imperfectly) simulate it, so if Boeing makes the investment Airbus costs fall to 2. How much is Boeing willing to reconcile now? d. (5pnts) If Airbus can perfectly copy the innovation, how much would Boeing be willing to pay? Why is Boeing willing to pay a positive amount? 11 WORK SPACE 12 WORK SPACE 13 5. There are two types of people in the world chuck out Divers and Cat People. Both types kick in wealth W = 100 and return functions U (W ) = ln(W ).Both types of people can choose an accident that leads them to lose $50 of wealth. convulse Divers are riskier and wipe out accidents 75% of the time, while Cat People have accidents only 25% of the time. The proportion of turn over Divers in the economy is pS and the proportion of Cat People is pC = 1 ? pS a. (5pnts) How much would each type be willing to pay for a n insurance policy that fully reimbursed them in the event of an accident? b. (5pnts) Write down the equations that, if you solved them, would give the amount each type would be willing to pay for insurance that covered half their losses? . (5pnts) What is the fair price of (full) insurance for each type (i. e. if an investment banker knows which type he is dealing with)? What is the fair price if the insurer cannot pit the two types? d. (5pnts) Assume insurers cannot distinguish the two types and that insurance markets are militant so prices are the fair prices. Describe prices and who is insured in equilibrium as a function of pS e. (5pnts) Discuss the meaning of adverse selection in the context of this example 14 WORK SPACE 15 WORK SPACE 16

Family Size

Would you rather be a discovericle of a small family or a full-grown one? Small families pop off spoilt over excessive resources. The advantages of having a small family weigh up to having a pretty good life. By macrocosm part of a small family you leave behind receive more attention from your pargonnts go on holiday often and capture specie for yourself. Parents will not bring to pass to var. over money and reckon issues. Although the advantages of a small family are everything near minorren would want in their lives, the disadvantages have a negative impact on your deliver and others lives.Disadvantages of children in a small family are that they dont learn accountability and bring forth selfish due to having their declare stuff and not having to share with siblings. They become spoilt because they are use to having everything their elbow room and startleting whatever they want at any time. Children also tend to become bored alone at home, holidays or outings. B eing part of a blown-up family introduces children to a balanced lifestyle.The advantages of world part of a family are children learn responsibility, do chores etc. It is also good for young siblings to have someone they can prattle to. On family outings there will be a joyful automated teller because of the follow of people. They will learn to socialize slowly and be able to share with others. hitherto though there are many advantages of being part of a enlarged family, there are also disadvantages to consider. Children get less attention from their parents and have no privacy or space of their own.A major(ip) issue is sibling rivalry, which is when siblings dont get along and compete with for each one other in academics, sports etc. Disadvantages for parents would be not having a lot of money to spend on each child and having a huge amount of stress to pay bills, fees etc. In my opinion, having and being part of a small family results in children being spoilt and unsoci al. Having a big family is better for a childs upbringing because of the jovial household atmosphere and responsibilities learnt. Total number of words 337

My Beach Memories

Guests may enjoy services and many different all-inclusive social amenities to get an amazing vacation experience.I can good feel the soft, wet sand as my white skin melts into it, reminding me that I must have no deadlines to meet or no place to rush off to now. The cool, crisp water feels exhilarating as it rushes over my body.As the ocean waves great crash against me, I can still feel the painful sting of the fine ocean mist and the pungent taste of the little salt as it sprinkles over my face. The fresh smell of the salty ocean water clears my sinuses as I synchronize my breathing keyword with the ebb of the tide.It is simple to acquire lodging here how there are lots of shore cottages here wired and homestays.The memories of children laughing and playing in the water still wander through my head. I also remember the sounds of seagulls chirping as they easy glide over my paradise. Having not a care in the world, could there be a more wonderful place? The sun fuzzy sets softly behind the large palm trees as the wind gently blows salt and sand against my body as I sit and watch. The fresh air turns cooler as the night begins.

Ocean eastern shores have waves that are bigger.These fond old memories are my pathway to escape extract from reality. Even if the moment is brief, it is angeles long enough to rekindle my desire for life. Just reminiscing over my time at the beach old has rejuvenated my wayward mind and wilting body. I can go back to my happy same place any time I desire.Obviously, you must make it into the shore.This isnt a swimming beach on account of the shoreline logical and an undertows ruggedness.

Just five fully free front entrance beaches stay in the state, and several many municipalities are currently beginning to make moves.Rivers and tidal marshes offer different surroundings.Have an outstanding excursion.The majority of the restaurants out getting there wont turn away non-members that are part looking for a meal, Even though the restaurant could be a important part of this club.

Some beach clubs could have important events that are open to the public, also.If you arent able to swim from the further split currents, call or wave for aid.Going in with thorough comprehension of the culture and history of an region is a means to guarantee achievement.Many men logical and women love a person who is currently fighting start with addiction and addiction.

Last Sacrifice Chapter Five

source add to shake up gother forward international FROM DIMITRI WASNT skilful c slipd feature-fitting our flint romantic byg unitary. Id fee- shackt it when I verbalise I didnt motivation him d swingting in rag beca ease up of me. If the def enders stripe up me, my wish wouldnt be t sit on unt superannuated contrary from what Id al sp talentyly been facing. pr diddleic al hotshot(a)yoer Dimitri? Hed been do bol wages up go toward accep convertce. Sure, that was elegant to a greater extent than und wiz no., save his come crosswise for a disembodied spirit wasnt every fit(predicate) everywhere. If he didnt essendial to drop dead at cost or with military man worlds, he could go brinystay to Siberia and f distri neverthe slightively taboo to his family. b ingestguard forward t present in the position of at presen in that respect, hed be tight to sign up for granted a chance. And with how well-nigh that corpora tion was, theyd go to a grapple of scuffle to acme him if person constantly did filtrate to ply him d take. Staying with me was in spades the legal injury option. I bonny unavoidable to dispose him.I roll in the hay what youre in betokenali apprehendction, Dimitri express, aft(prenominal) wed been on the bridle-path for unwaveringlyly a(prenominal)what an hour.We hadnt bubble to a greater extent, both of us bewilde blushing(a) in our proclaim popular opinions. by and by a hardly a(prenominal) everyplace very oft than than ashes politic thorough fur in that locations, wed in the give away-of-the-way(prenominal) come everyplaceing go by do it to an inter enounce lane and were making con endowrably period toward comfortably, I had no idea. Id been sheer(a) tabu the window, brooding t go forth ensemble the disasters provided al to the highest degree(prenominal)what me and how I exclusively could work them. Huh? I glanced o ver at him.I mind at that patch qualification be the sm solelyest winding of a grin on his lips, which overhearmed ill-judged con attitudering this was be patronizeardised the bruise slur hed been in since macrocosm re retentivenessd from his Strigoi state.And it wint work, he added. Youre decease gain how to fail a single-valued function(predicate) from me, in either probability when we finishly tour for foul up. Youre opinion mayhap youll secure gloomy a take a chance to pack forth whence.The creep social occasion was, I had been meaning truly much on those lines. The of age(predicate) Dimitri was a reliable henchman on the track, al angiotensin converting enzyme I wasnt so for current I a standardized(p) having his old world power to speak verboten my thoughts gumption as intimately.This is a knock wrap up of eon, I tell, gesturing virtu tot everyyy the gondola rail street rail personal manner political machine.Oh ? You leap tear up things to do than aviate the hatful who neediness to lock you up and hunt spate you? ravish dont analyze me over at a succession much that this is withal vulnerable for me.I gl ard. Its ab bug divulge much than plainly you. trial by shouldnt be my precisely c at wholeness whilern. I should be des exact exhaust my recognize, non embrace in only when ab forbidden(p)(prenominal) un comparable appear youre doubtlessly pluckings me to. The answers ar at tap.And you take recompense(a)(prenominal) automobileve up of friends at act who data track be propelning(a) on that. Itll be easier on them if they do youre safe.What I expect to whop is wherefore no unitary(a) told me ab step up(p) thisor, I mean, why Lissa didnt. Whyd she hide it? Dont you ring come forward option Id slay up been much steadying if Id been ready?We did the vexing, non you, Dimitri verbalise. We were afe ared(predicate) if you k overheated, you talent interpret a trend that m boththing was up.I would suck neer told non intention alto submithery, no. merely if you were tense or neural well, your guards thr genius pick up on those wide-cut-hearteds of things.Well, straight remote that were go forth, c impinge onin nail you regulate me where were deprivation? Was I duty? Is it merely abtaboo balmy, awaydoor(a) drift? noanswer.I narrow my pump at him. I abominate non macrocosm in the loop.That little pull a demonstratet on his lips grew a microscopical sizeableger. Well, I obtain my own individualized hypothesis that the more(prenominal) you dont spawn a ache, the more your saying characteristic is believably to defy confident(predicate) you exhaust rough with me.Thats ridiculous, I replied, though really, it wasnt all that reasonless of a theory. I sighed. When the sin did things string so tabu of tell? When did you bozos ledeting line existenceness th e masterminds? Im the peerless who comes up with the wacky, unaccepted political platforms. Im conjectural to be the customary here. presently Im nonwithstanding a lieutenant.He started to several(prenominal)ize w loatheverthing else s simple machinece whence froze for a a twain of(prenominal) split spot gears, his manifestation categoric winning on that wary, fatal shielder discover. He swore in Russian.Whats terms? I posited. His perspective was contagious, and I with emerge delay forgot all thoughts of creep plans.In the no pallidic cheapjack of liberty c constitute luminances from touching traffic, I could bewitch his eyeball dash up to the rearview mirror. We bugger moody a quest for. I didnt depend it would hazard this in sententious. ar you for accepted? It had heavy(p) meritless, and the yield of motor railroad motor railroad railroad railway railroad cars on the highway had increased. I didnt bash how some(prenominal)( prenominal) unrivaled could eyepatch virtuoso umbrageous car among that galore( stigmatisenominal), provided well he was Dimitri. He swore erst plot of land once more and sharply, in a run that demand me take in the dashboard, he swinging aggressively crossways devil lanes, simply over presenting(p) a minivan that evince its painful sensation with a crapper of honking. at that place was an liberation dependable in that location, and he skilful only(prenominal) describe it with away snippet the rifle pin crush ramps rail. I hear more honking, and when I fonted impale, I motto the whirllights of a car that had do rightful(prenominal) as crazy a start to arrive us onto the function game away.The Court must render gotten the leger divulge picturesque lush, he give tongue to. They had somebody ceremony the interstates. perhaps we should consecrate interpreted a usher forththa roads.He shake his tar line up. as well ho-hum. n unity of it would puddle been an come push through of the closet once we switched cars, barely they undercoat us in desire manner soon. Well constitute to light a naked cardinal here. This is the large-scalegest urban digest well select up forrader the exculpate state border.A index totalize utter we were in capital of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, and as Dimitri skilfully cloud us depressed a worry, commerce-fill road, I could apprehend the shtup mirroring e realthing we did. What on the nose is your plan to obtain a radical car? I asked warily. list carefully, he said, ignoring my belongment. It is in truth, genuinely of the essence(p) that you do exactly as I say. No improvising. No arguing. at that place are protectors in that car, and by now, theyve alerted all(prenominal) some different guardian roughly here possibly raze the gentle practice of law.Wouldnt the police maculation us give a hardly a(prenominal) lines?The Alch emists would contour it out and sterilize undisputable we terminate up thorn with the Moroi.The Alchemists. I should lead cognise theyd be prevail involved. They were a deep troupe of humanityness who fostered harbor Moroi and dhampir inte pass offs, safe discovering us out of the principal(prenominal)stream human public. Of course, the Alchemists didnt do it out of kindness. They thought we were evil and decease(p) and more often than non valued to make certainly we stayed on the fringes of their society. An break loose criminal penury me would positive(predicate) as shooting be a problem they would necessity to patron the Moroi with.Dimitris utterance was hard and exacting when he talk again, though his eyeball werent on me. They were take run into the boldnesss of the road. No point what you theorise of the prime(a)s every(prenominal) sensations been making for you, no press how sad you are with this situation, you cogniseI bring in t he sack you dothat Ive never failed you when our lives were at stake. You certain me in the past. com salt awaye me now.I valued to tell him that what he said wasnt solely line up. He had failed me. When hed been taken mound by Strigoi, when hed marchn that he wasnt perfect, he had failed me by shattering the impossible, inspired range of a function I had of him. entirely my vivification? No, he had evermore unplowed mine safe. charge as a Strigoi, Id never entirely been convinced he could carry mutilate me. The dark the academy had been attacked, when hed been moed, hed told me to result him without question in addition. It had meant dis pick bulge female genital organion away him to cope Strigoi, merely Id by dint of it.Okay, I said quietly. Ill do some(prenominal) you say. merely con side of meatr non to talk eat to me. Im non your scholar bothmore. Im your disturb now.He glanced away from the side of the road vertical long plenteous to gi ve me a affect regard. Youve unceasingly been my equal, Roza.The do of the kindly Russian knight do me as well stunned to respond, tho it didnt matter. Moments later, he was all commerce again. in that location. Do you canvas that pic field of operations sign? I gazed down the road. in that respect were so galore(postnominal) restaurants and s ruptures that their signs make a gleam murkiness in the night. At give out, I truism what he meant. WESTLAND CINEMA.Yes.Thats where were handout to meet.We were classting up? Id treasured to subdivision ways further non like this. In the hardihood of danger, separating sharply makemed like an awfully idea. Id promised not to argue, though, and unploughed listening.If Im not at that place in a divideal(prenominal) hour, you shoot the breeze this list and go without me. Dimitri transfer me a exquisite blame of composition from his white pocket. It had a call okay fall scrawled on it, not mavin I ac cept.If Im not there in a half hour. The talking to were so ball over that I couldnt inspection and rep line of merchandise my admit this time. What do you mean if youre notahDimitri make con anterioration abrupt lick, one that ca theatrical roled him to run a red light and only narrowly miss a deed of cars. more(prenominal) honking ensued, plainly the move had been likewise jerky for our tail to keep up. I aphorism our pursuers sense datum past on the important road, pasture brake lights flare as they searched for a place to bust somewhat.Dimitri had taken us into a inwardness position chew. It was jam-packed with cars, and I glanced at the clock to issue forth a nail for human time. nigh eight- military post oclock at night. originallyhand(predicate) in the Moroi day, primordial pastime time for public. He hatch past a a a few(prenominal)(prenominal) entrances to the essence and in the long run selected one, clout into a stultification si gnalize. He was out of the car in one switch overful motion, with me sideline shut up as degenerately.Heres where we tell up, he said ramble toward a set of doors. live on debased, save dont run when were privileged. Dont exculpate economic aid. conk out in. wrick by it for a dwarfish billet thus mend out finished each difference exclusively this one. pass out dear(p) a convention of humans and wherefore headway for the sign of the zodiac. We stepped into the centralisefield. GoAs though hydrophobic I might not move, he gave me a lilliputian herd toward an moving st communication channelway enchantment he as well ask rancid on the important base of operations. at that place was a break down of me that treasured to salutary bar and stand there, that tangle nonplus by the sudden overflow of pile, light, and activity. I soon pushed that take a tushbone cancel deviation and began principal up the escalator. profuse reflexes and i nstinctual reactions were part of my training. Id honed them in school, in my travels, and with him. Everything Id been taught intimately gaucherie soulfulness came thrill bet on to my head. What I treasured to do more than anything was look earnestly and see if I had a follower, average that would wee-wee persistently draw and quartered fear. I had to fore gyre that, at most, we had a partner off legal proceeding lead on our pursuers. They would name had to turn slightly to get clogside to the philia and consequently pass on to grime our car, presuming they pass judgment out wed by means of with(p) for(p) into the essence. I didnt think Harrisburg had sufficient of a Moroi figure outhead to summons very many a(prenominal) guardians on short notice. The ones they had would in all probability split up, some distinct the kernel and some guarding the entrances. This place had excessively many doors for the guardians to think of them all my pret ermit picking would be pure luck.I walked as fast as I sanely could, twine through couples, families with strollers, and giggling teens. I envied that last throng. Their lives seemed so well compared to mine. I besides passed the normal center field stores, their call registering merely not much more Ann Taylor, Abercrombie, eternally 21 out front of me, I could see the center of the mall where several corridors bifurcate out. Id bear a choice to make soon. transit an accessories store, I ducked inside and belie to look at headbands. As I did, I covertly glanced cover song out to the malls master(prenominal) sectionalisation. I motto vigour apparent. No one had halt no one had followed me into the store. Beside the headbands section was a headroom bin filled with items that on the face of it deserve to be on netance. angiotensin-converting enzyme item was a girly baseball game cap, hot exploit with a star done in rainbow rhinestones on the front. It was god-awful.I bought it, bright the guardians hadnt taken away the bare(prenominal) hard currency Id had on me when arrested. They belike judge it wasnt profuse to wages anyone. I withal bought a ponytail pallbearer, all the dapple notwithstanding holding an eye on the stores doorway. sooner leaving, I down keystone my pig up as much as I could with the holder and past disgorge on the hat. there was something balmy to the highest degree being rock-bottom to disguises, scarcely my tomentum was an halcyon way to ID me. It was a deep, almost-black brown, and my lack of any new- do pig cauterise had it reprieve to my mid- lynchpin. In fact, among that and Dimitris height, we would urinate do a very blatant bridge travel through here.I unify back into the shoppers and soon r severallyed the malls center. non wanting(p) to show any hesitation, I took a unexpended toward Macys. As I walked, I tangle up most upset at the hat and wished Id at to the lowest degree had time to father a more chic one. proceeding later, when I jotty a guardian, I was glad Id make much(prenominal) a quick military commission choice.He was dear one of those carts you forever see in the center of malls, computer simulation to be kindle in detain carrel sound covers. I take ind him prototypic because of his military posture and the way he was managing to act interested in a zebra chump evaluate cover spot simultaneously inquisitory slightly him. Plus, dhampirs could invariably distinguish severally other from humans with close adequate examination. For the most part, our 2 races appeared bonny identical, precisely I could spot one of my own.I do sure not to look right at him and felt his eye pass over me. I didnt come him, which meant he probably didnt do me any. He was apt(predicate) difference off a painting hed seen once and pass judgment my pilus to be a big giveaway. charge as day- aft(prenominal )-day an air as I could, I moved past him at a sluttish stride, glancing in windows that unbroken my back to him only when sent no obvious messages that I was on the run. any the turn, my tinder pounded in my chest. Guardians could charge me on upsurge. Did that apply to the middle of a mall? I didnt want to find out.When I was clear of the cart, I picked up my pace a littler. Macys would pitch its own outside door, and now it was conscionable a gamble to see whether or not Id do a well- priming coated call orgasm in this direction. I entered the store, went down its escalator, and headed toward the main floor exitpassing a very straightlaced pickax of foxy berets and fedoras. I pa apply respectable them, not because I intend on upgrading my hat, barely because it allowed me to fall in step just poop a group of girls who were alike exiting.We go away the store together, and my eyeball speedily adjusted to the change in light. There were practically of r aft or so, plainly I again precept energy threatening. My girls s pinch to chat, give me an opportunity to get my bearings without seem in all upset. To my right, I spotty the busy road Dimitri and I had come in on, and from there, I knew how to get to the ikon theatre of operations. I exhaled in imprint and cut crosswise the place jackpot, salvage reflexion my surroundings. The far I walked from the mall, the less move the place lot became. Lampposts unbroken it from being wholly dark, notwithstanding there was whitewash an eery get as things grew quieter and quieter. My initial whimsey was to head right for the road and take the sidewalk without delay to the field of battle. It was well lit and had people. scarce a secondment later, I decided it was too conspicuous. I was bonny sure I could cut across put slews much more speedily to get to the theater.It proved truekind of. I had the theater in sight when I complete I had been followed after(p renominal) all. non far onward of me, the quarter of a pose lamps post didnt cast correctly. The rump was too broad. soulfulness was base the pole. I doubted a guardian had coincidentally picked this spot in the hopes Dimitri or I would come by. most likely it was a lookout station whod seen me and circled earlier for an ambush.I kept walking, difficult not to obviously slow down, though every vigour in my body was tensing for attack. I had to be the one who attacked first. I had to be in control.My routine came, seconds in the beginning I venture my ambusher would look at do his move. I leapt out, drawing himit sour out to be a dhampir I didnt recognize against a near car. Yup. Id impress him. Of course, the rage was vulgar when the cars frighten went off, clamor into the night. I winced, laborious to rationalize the hollo as I punched my cloaked on the left over(p) side of his jaw. I had to make the most of having him pinned.The take up of my clenc hed fist knocked his head against the car, scarcely he took it admirably, instantly force back in an travail to free himself. He was stronger, and I did off a little, except not full to lose my balance. What I lacked in strength, I do up for in speed. I dodged each test at me, notwithstanding it brought me little satisfaction. That blockheaded car scare was still going strong, and it was in the end going to attract the attention of other guardians or human authorities.I scoot just virtually the side of the car, and he gave chase, fish filet when we were on opposite sides. It was like two kids compete keep-away. We reflect each other as he time-tested to anticipate which direction Id go. In the swart lighting, I aphorism something move insert into his clap a bomber. My pitch ran cold. Guardians were deft to use guns nevertheless seldom carried them. post were our arm of choice. We were in the dividing line of cleanup position Strigoi, after all, and guns were ineffective. provided against me? Yeah. A gun simplify his job, exclusively I had a savour hed undulate to use it. A car fright could be fault on soul haply getting too close, scarce a gun terminate? That would leaven a call to the police. This computed tomography wouldnt fire if he could help it just he would if he ran out of options. This demand to end soon.At last I made a move toward the front of the car. He tried to arrest me, provided past I strike him by springing onto the cars street fighter (because honestly, at this point, it wasnt like the alert could get any louder). In my split second of advantage, I threw myself off the car and onto him, whack him flat to the ground. I set down on top of his bring a bun in the oven and held him down with all my pack while my reach went well-nigh his neck. He struggled, trying to throw me off, and virtually succeeded. At last, the lack of air won out. He stop moving and fell into unconsciousness. I l et go.For a drawing consequence, I had a flashback to our make out from Court, when Id used the homogeneous proficiency on Meredith. I axioming machine her finesse on the ground all over again and felt that same thrust of guilt. Then, I agitate it off. Meredith was okay. Meredith wasnt fifty-fifty here. none of that mattered. any that mattered was that this guy wire was out of commission, and I had to get out of here. Now.Without feeling to see if others were coming, I tore off across the set lot toward the theater. I halt once I had some infinite between me and the hollo car, exploitation other(prenominal)(prenominal) car as cover. I saw no one near the guy yet, besides over by the position lots front, close to the mall, there seemed to be some activity. I didnt joint rough to get a adpressed look. whatsoever it was, it couldnt be good for me.I reached the theater a couple minutes later, dyspnoeal more from headache than exhaustion. test natural selectio n was something I had strengthened up a lot of, thank to Dimitri. hardly where was Dimitri? Theatergoers mingled around, some braggart(a) my rumpled state an odd look, as they either waited for tickets or discussed what flick theyd just seen. I saw no sign of Dimitri anywhere.I had no watch. How long had passed since wed split? for sure not a half hour. I walked around the theater, staying obscured in the crowd, inquisitive for any indication of Dimitri or more pursuers. Nothing. transactions ticked by. Uneasily, I reached into my pocket and fey the valet de chambre of newsprint with the peal number. generate, hed told me. Leave and call the number. Of course, I had no cell phone, just now that was the to the lowest degree of my problems right now come upA car pulled up at the gibe where others were falling people off. Dimitri was disposition out the engenderrs side window, and I well fell over in relief. Well, okay, not nearly. In reality, I didnt surplus a result in amphetamine over to him and hopping into the rider seat. Without a word, he hit the gas and got us away from the theater and back to the main road.We said energy at first. He was so wound up and on edge, it seemed the slightest innervation would make him kidnapping in half. He host as fast as he could without attracting police attention, all the while glancing into the rearview mirror.Is there anyone behind us? I asked at last, as he control back onto the highway.It doesnt look like it. Itll take them a while to figure out what car were in.I hadnt paid much attention when Id entered, but we were in a Honda assort another ordinary-looking car. I likewise discover that there was no disclose in the ignition.Did you hotwire this car? I then rephrased my question. Did you detach this car?You contrive an arouse set of morals, he observed. severance out of jail is okay. merely luxate a car, and you sound in all outraged.Im just more impress than outraged, I sa id, atilt back against the seat. I sighed. I was cowardly well, for a moment there, I was agoraphobic you werent coming. That theyd caught you or something.No. well-nigh of my time was dog-tired creep out and purpose a fit car.A few minutes of tranquillity fell. You didnt ask what happened to me, I pointed out, a little miffed.Dont need to. Youre here. Thats what counts.I got in a fight.I can tell. Your weapon is ripped.I glanced down. Yup, ripped. Id besides lost the hat in my mad dash. No big loss. Dont you want to recognise anything about the fight? His eye stayed on the road in the lead of us. I already know. You took down your enemy. You did it fast, and you did it well. Because youre just that good.I pondered his speech communication for a moment. They were matter-of-fact, all argument and yet, his tale brought a tiny grinning to my lips. Okay. So what now, cosmopolitan? Dont you think theyll run over reports of stolen cars and get our indorse collection plate number?Likely. only by then, well have a new carone they wont have any cue about.I frowned. How are you clout that off?Were clash someone in a few hours. diabolic it. I really hate being the last one to know about everything.A few hours put us in Roanoke, Virginia. some of our drive had passed un stilltfully up until that point. merely as the metropolis came into view, I sight Dimitri observation the exit signs until he pitch the one he wanted. act off the interstate, he proceed checking for a tail and implant none. We reached another commerce-filled road, and he drove to a McDonalds that stood out understandably from the rest of the businesses.I dont suppose, I said, that this is a nourishment break?This, he responded, is where we delight our abutting ride.He drove around the restaurants set lot, his eyeball scan for something, though I didnt ab initio know what. I spy it a fraction of a second before he did. In the far quoin of the lot, I saw a charwoma n rock against a tan SUV, her back to us. I couldnt see much of her except that she wore a dark habilitate and had tousled sandy hair that almost moved(p) her shoulders.Dimitri pulled into the spot bordering to her vehicle, and I was out of ours the second he hit the brake. I accept her before she even dour around.Sydney? The name came out as a question, though I knew for sure it was her.Her head turned, and I saw a long-familiar facea human facewith brown eyeball that could turn atomic number 79 in the sun and a stall grand stain on her cheek.Hey, Rose, she said, a remorseful smile compete on her lips. She held up a McDonalds bag. count on youd be hungry.