A Dirty Job Chapter 9

9 THE DRAGON, THE BEAR, AND THE FISH In the hallway of the third floor of Charlie's building, a meeting was going on between the great powers of Asia: Mrs. Ling and Mrs. Korjev. Mrs. Ling, by holding Sophie, had the strategic advantage, while Mrs. Korjev, who was fully twice the size of Mrs. Ling, possessed the threat of massive retaliatory force. What they had in common, besides being widows and immigrants, was a deep love for little Sophie, a precarious grasp on the English language, and a passionate lack of confidence in Charlie Asher's ability to raise his daughter alone. â€Å"He is angry when he leave today. Like bear,† said Mrs. Korjev, who was possessed of an atavistic compulsion toward ursine simile. â€Å"He say no poke,† said Mrs. Ling, who limited herself to English verbs in the present tense only, as a devotion to her Chan Buddhist beliefs, or so she claimed. â€Å"Who give poke to baby?† â€Å"Pork is good for child. Make her grow strong,† said Mrs. Korjev, who then quickly added, â€Å"like bear.† â€Å"He say it turn her into shih tzu. Shih tzu is dog. What kind father think little girl turn into dog?† Mrs. Ling was especially protective of little girls, as she had grown up in a province of China where each morning a man with a cart came around to collect the bodies of baby girls who had been born during the night and hurled into the street. She was lucky that her own mother had spirited her away to the fields and refused to come home until the new daughter was accepted as part of the family. â€Å"Not shih tzu,† corrected Mrs. Korjev. â€Å"Shiksa.† â€Å"Okay, shiksa. Dog is dog,† said Mrs. Ling. â€Å"Is irresponsible.† Not once was the letter r heard in Mrs. Ling's pronunciation of irresponsible. â€Å"Is Yiddish word for not a Jew girl. Rachel is Jew, you know.† Mrs. Korjev, unlike most of the Russian immigrants left in the neighborhood, was not a Jew. Her people had come from the steppes of Russia, and she was, in fact, descended from Cossacks – not generally considered a Hebrew-friendly race. She atoned for the sins of her ancestors by being ferociously protective (not unlike a mother bear) of Rachel, and now Sophie. â€Å"The flowers need water today,† said Mrs. Korjev. At the end of the hallway was a large bay window that looked out on the building across the street and a window box full of red geraniums. On afternoons, the two great Asian powers would stand in the hallway, admire the flowers, talk of the cost of things, and complain about the increasing discomfort of their shoes. Neither dared start her own window box of geraniums, lest it appear that she had stolen the idea from across the street, and in the process set off an escalating window-box competition that could ultimately end in bloodshed. They agreed, tacitly, to admire – but not covet – the red flowers. Mrs. Korjev liked the very redness of them. She had always been angry that the Communists had co-opted that color, for otherwise it would have evoked an unbridled happiness in her. Then again, the Russian soul, conditioned by a thousand years of angst, really wasn't equipped for unbridled happiness, so it was probably for the best. Mrs. Ling was also taken with the red of the geraniums, for in her cosmology that color represented good fortune, prosperity, and long life. The very gates of the temples were painted that same color red, and so the red flowers represented one of the many paths to wu – eternity, enlightenment – essentially, the universe in a flower. She also thought that they would taste pretty good in soup. Sophie had only recently discovered color, and the red splashes against the gray shiplap was enough to put a toothless smile on her little face. So the three were staring into the joy of red flowers when the black bird hit the window, throwing a great spiderweb crack around it. But rather than fall away, the bird seemed to leak into the very crack, and spread, like black ink, across the window and in, onto the walls of the hallway. And the great powers of Asia fled to the stairway. Charlie was rubbing his left wrist where the plastic bag had been tied around it. â€Å"What, did your mother name you after a mouthwash ad?† Mr. Fresh, looking somewhat vulnerable for a man of his size, said, â€Å"Toothpaste, actually.† â€Å"Really?† â€Å"Yeah.† â€Å"Sorry, I didn't know,† Charlie said. â€Å"You could have changed it, right?† â€Å"Mr. Asher, you can resist who you are for only so long. Finally you decide to just go with fate. For me that has involved being black, being seven feet tall – yet not in the NBA – being named Minty Fresh, and being recruited as a Death Merchant.† He raised an eyebrow as if accusing Charlie. â€Å"I have learned to accept and embrace all of those things.† â€Å"I thought you were going to say gay,† Charlie said. â€Å"What? A man doesn't have to be gay to dress in mint green.† Charlie considered Mr. Fresh's mint-green suit – made from seersucker and entirely too light for the season – and felt a strange affinity for the refreshingly-named Death Merchant. Although he didn't know it, Charlie was recognizing the signs of another Beta Male. (Of course there are gay Betas: the Beta Male boyfriend is highly prized in the gay community because you can teach him how to dress yet you can remain relatively certain that he will never develop a fashion sense or be more fabulous than you.) Charlie said, â€Å"I suppose you're right, Mr. Fresh. I'm sorry if I made assumptions. My apologies.† â€Å"That's okay,† said Mr. Fresh. â€Å"But you really should go.† â€Å"No, I still don't understand, how do I know who the souls go to? I mean, after this happened, there were all kinds of soul vessels in my store I hadn't even known about. How do I know I didn't sell them to someone who already had one? What if someone has a set?† â€Å"That can't happen. At least as far as we know. Look, you'll just know. Take my word for it. When people are ready to receive the soul, they get it. Have you ever studied any of the Eastern religions?† â€Å"I live in Chinatown,† said Charlie, and although that was technically kinda-sorta true, he knew how to say exactly three things in Mandarin: Good day; light starch, please; and I am an ignorant white devil, all taught to him by Mrs. Ling. He believed the last to translate to â€Å"top of the morning to you.† â€Å"Let me rephrase that, then,† said Mr. Fresh. â€Å"Have you ever studied any of the Eastern religions?† â€Å"Oh, Eastern religions,† Charlie said, pretending he had just misinterpreted the question before. â€Å"Just Discovery Channel stuff – you know, Buddha, Shiva, Gandalf – the biggies.† â€Å"You understand the concept of karma? How unresolved lessons are re-presented to you in another life.† â€Å"Yes, of course. Duh.† Charlie rolled his eyes. â€Å"Well, think of yourself as a soul reassignment agent. We are agents of karma.† â€Å"Secret agents,† Charlie said wistfully. â€Å"Well, I hope it goes without saying,† said Mr. Fresh, â€Å"that you can't tell anyone what you are, so yes, I suppose we are secret agents of karma. We hold a soul until a person is ready to receive it.† Charlie shook his head as if trying to clear water from his ears. â€Å"So if someone walks into my store and buys a soul vessel, until then they've been going through life without a soul? That's awful.† â€Å"Really?† said Minty Fresh. â€Å"Do you know if you have a soul?† â€Å"Of course I do.† â€Å"Why do you say that?† â€Å"Because I'm me.† Charlie tapped his chest. â€Å"Here I am.† â€Å"That's just a personality,† said Minty, â€Å"and barely one. You could be an empty vessel, and you'd never know the difference. You may not have reached a point in life where you are ready to receive your soul.† â€Å"Huh?† â€Å"Your soul may be more evolved than you are right now. If a kid fails tenth grade, do you make him repeat grades K through nine?† â€Å"No, I guess not.† â€Å"No, you just make him start over at the beginning of tenth grade. Well, it's the same with souls. They only ascend. A person gets a soul when they can carry it to the next level, when they are ready to learn the next lesson.† â€Å"So if I sell one of those glowing objects to someone, they've been going through life without a soul?† â€Å"That's my theory,† said Minty Fresh. â€Å"I've read a lot on this subject over the years. Texts from every culture and religion, and this explains it better than anything else I can come up with.† â€Å"Then it's not all in the book you sent.† â€Å"That's just the practical instructions. There's no explanations. It's Dick-and-Jane simple. It says to get a calendar and put it next to your bed and the names will come to you. It doesn't tell you how you will find them, or what the object is, just that you have to find them. Get a day planner. That's what I use.† â€Å"But what about the number? When I would find a name written next to the bed, there was always a number next to it.† Mr. Fresh nodded and grinned a little sheepishly. â€Å"That's how many days you'll have to retrieve the soul vessel.† â€Å"You mean it's how long before the person dies? I don't want to know that.† â€Å"No, not how long before the person dies, how long you have to retrieve the vessel, how many days are left. I've been looking at this for a long time, and the number is never above forty-nine. I thought that might be significant, so I started looking for it in literature about death and dying. Forty-nine days just happens to be the number of days of bardo, the term used in the Tibetan Book of the Dead for the transition between life and death. Somehow, we Death Merchants are the medium for moving these souls, but we have to get there within the forty-nine days, that's my theory, anyway. Don't be surprised sometimes if the person has been dead for weeks before you get his name. You still have the number of days left in bardo to get the soul vessel.† â€Å"And if I don't make it in time?† Charlie asked. Minty Fresh shook his head dolefully. â€Å"Shades, ravens, dark shit rising from the Underworld – who knows? Thing is, you have to find it in time. And you will.† â€Å"How, if there's no address or instructions, like ‘it's under the mat.'† â€Å"Sometimes – most of the time, in fact – they come to you. Circumstances line up.† Charlie thought about the stunning redhead bringing him the silver cigarette case. â€Å"You said sometimes?† Fresh shrugged. â€Å"Sometimes you have to really search, find the person, go to their house – once I even hired a detective to help me find someone, but that started to bring the voices. You can tell if you're getting close by checking to see if people notice you.† â€Å"But I have to make a living. I have a kid – â€Å" â€Å"You'll do that, too, Charlie. The money comes as part of the job. You'll see.† Charlie did see. He had seen already: the Mainheart estate clothing – he'd make tens of thousands on it if he got it. â€Å"Now you have to go,† said Minty Fresh. He held out his hand to shake and a grin cut his face like a crescent moon in the night sky. Charlie took the tall man's hand, his own hand disappearing into the Death Merchant's grip. â€Å"I'm still sure I have questions. Can I call you?† â€Å"No,† said the mint one. â€Å"Okay, then, I'm going now,† Charlie said, not really moving. â€Å"Completely at the mercy of forces of the Underworld and stuff.† â€Å"You take care,† said Minty Fresh. â€Å"No idea what the hell I'm doing,† Charlie went on, taking tentative baby steps toward the door. â€Å"The weight of all of humanity on my shoulders.† â€Å"Yeah, make sure you stretch in the morning,† said the big man. â€Å"By the way,† Charlie said, out of rhythm with his whining, â€Å"are you gay?† â€Å"What I am,† said Minty Fresh, â€Å"is alone. Completely and entirely.† â€Å"Okay,† Charlie said. â€Å"I'm sorry.† â€Å"It's okay. I'm sorry I smacked you in the head.† Charlie nodded, grabbed his sword-cane from behind the counter, and walked out of Fresh Music into an overcast San Francisco day. Well, he wasn't exactly Death, but he wasn't Santa's helper, either. It didn't really matter that no one would believe him even if he told them. Death Merchant seemed a little dire, but he liked the idea of being a secret agent. An agent of KARMA – Karma Assessment Reassignment Murder and Ass – okay, he could work on the acronym later, but a secret agent nevertheless. Actually, although he didn't know it, Charlie was well suited to be a secret agent. Because they function below the radar, Beta Males make excellent spies. Not the â€Å"James Bond, Aston Martin with missiles, boning the beautiful Russian rocket scientist on an ermineskin bedspread† sort of spy – more the â€Å"bad comb-over, deep-cover bureaucrat fishing coffee-sodden documents out of a Dumpster† spy. His overt nonthreateningness allows him access to places and people that are closed to the Alpha Male, wearing his testosterone on his sleeve. The Beta male can, in fact, be dangerous, not so much in the â€Å"Jet Li entire body is a deadly weapon† way but more in the â€Å"drunk on the riding mower making a Luke Skywalker assault on the toolshed† sort of way. So, as Charlie headed for the streetcar stop on Market Street, he mentally tried on his new persona as a secret agent, and was feeling pretty good about it, when, as he passed a storm drain, he heard a female voice whisper harshly, â€Å"We'll get the little one. You'll see, fresh Meat. We'll have her soon.† As soon as Charlie walked into his store from the alley, Lily bolted into the back room to meet him. â€Å"That cop was here again. That guy died. Did you kill him?† To the machine-gun update she added, â€Å"Uh, sir?† Then she saluted, curtsied, then did a praying-hands Japanese bow thing. Charlie was thrown by all of it, coming as it did when he was in a panic about his daughter and had just driven across town like a madman. He was sure the gestures of respect were just some dark cover-up for a favor or a misdeed, or, as often was the case, the teenager was messing with him. So he sat down on one of the high hardwood stools near the desk and said, â€Å"Cop? Guy? ‘Splain, please. And I didn't kill anyone.† Lily took a deep breath. â€Å"That cop that was by here the other day came back. Turns out that guy you went up to see in Pacific Heights last week† – she looked at something she had written on her arm in red ink – â€Å"Michael Mainheart, killed himself. And he left a note to you. Saying that you were to take his and his wife's clothes and sell them at the market rate. And then he wrote† – and here she again referred to her ink-stained arm – â€Å"‘What about â€Å"I just want to die† did you not understand?'† Lily looked up. â€Å"That's what he said after I gave him CPR the other day,† Charlie said. â€Å"So, did you kill him? Or whatever you call it. You can tell me.† She curtsied again, which disturbed Charlie more than somewhat. He'd long ago defined his relationship with Lily as being built on a strong base of affectionate contempt, and this was throwing everything off. â€Å"No, I did not kill him. What kind of question is that?† â€Å"Did you kill the guy with the cigarette case?† â€Å"No! I never even saw that guy.† â€Å"You realize that I am your trusted minion,† Lily said, this time adding another bow. â€Å"Lily, what the hell is wrong with you?† â€Å"Nothing. There's nothing wrong at all, Mr. Asher – uh, Charles. Do you prefer Charles or Charlie?† â€Å"You're asking now? What else did the cop say?† â€Å"He wanted to talk to you. I guess they found that Mainheart guy dressed in his wife's clothing. He hadn't been home from the hospital for an hour before he sent the nurse away, got all cross-dressed up, then took a handful of painkillers.† Charlie nodded, thinking about how adamant Mainheart had been about having his wife's clothes out of the house. He was using any way he could to feel close to her, and it wasn't working. And when wearing her clothes didn't put him closer, he'd gone after her the only way he knew how, by joining her in death. Charlie understood. If it hadn't been for Sophie, he might have tried to join Rachel. â€Å"Pretty kinky, huh?† Lily said. â€Å"No!† Charlie barked. â€Å"No it's not, Lily. It's not like that at all. Don't even think that. Mr. Mainheart died of grief. It might look like something else, but that's what it was.† â€Å"Sorry,† Lily said. â€Å"You're the expert.† Charlie was staring at the floor, trying to put some sense to it all, wondering if his losing the fur coat that was Mrs. Mainheart's soul vessel meant that the couple would never be together again. Because of him. â€Å"Oh yeah,† Lily added. â€Å"Mrs. Ling called down all freaked out and yelling all Chinesey about a black bird smashing the window – â€Å" Charlie was off the stool and taking the stairs two at a time. â€Å"She's in your apartment,† Lily called after him. There was an orange slick of TV attorneys floating on the top of the fishbowl when Charlie got to his apartment. The Asian powers were standing in his kitchen, Mrs. Korjev was holding Sophie tight to her chest, and the infant was virtually swimming, trying to escape the giant marshmallowy canyon of protection between the massive Cossack fun bags. Charlie snatched his daughter as she was sinking into the cleavage for the third time and held her tight. â€Å"What happened?† he asked. There followed a barrage of Chinese and Russian mixed with the odd English word: bird, window, broken, black, and make shit on myself. â€Å"Stop!† Charlie held up a free hand. â€Å"Mrs. Ling, what happened?† Mrs. Ling had recovered from the bird hitting the window and the mad dash down the steps, but she was now showing an uncharacteristic shyness, afraid that Charlie might notice the damp spot in the pocket of her frock where the recently deceased Barnaby Jones lay orangely awaiting introduction to some wonton, green onions, a pinch of five spices, and her soup pot. â€Å"Fish is fish,† she said to herself when she squirreled that rascal away. There were, after all, five more dead attorneys in the bowl, who would miss one? â€Å"Oh, nothing,† said Mrs. Ling. â€Å"Bird break window and scare us. Not so bad now.† Charlie looked to Mrs. Korjev. â€Å"Where?† â€Å"On our floor. We are talking in hall. Speaking of what is best for Sophie, when boom, bird hits window and black ink run through window. We run here and lock door.† Both the widows had keys to Charlie's apartment. â€Å"I'll have it fixed tomorrow,† Charlie said. â€Å"But that's all. Nothing – no one came in?† â€Å"Is third floor, Charlie. No one comes in.† Charlie looked to the fishbowl. â€Å"What happened there?† Mrs. Ling's eyes went wide. â€Å"I have to go. Mah-jongg night at temple.† â€Å"We come in, lock door,† explained Mrs. Korjev. â€Å"Fish are fine. Put Sophie in car seat like always we are doing, then go look in hallway for coast to be clear. When Mrs. Ling look back, fish are dead.† â€Å"Not me! Is Russian who see dead fish,† said Mrs. Ling. â€Å"It's okay,† Charlie said. â€Å"Did you see any birds, anything dark in the apartment?† The two women shook their heads. â€Å"Only upstairs,† Mrs. Ling said. â€Å"Let's go look,† Charlie said, moving Sophie to his hip and picking up his sword-cane. He led the two women to the little elevator, did a quick assessment of Mrs. Korjev's size versus the cubic footage, and led them up the stairs. When he saw the broken bay window he felt a little weak in the knees. It wasn't so much the window, it was what was on the roof across the street. Refracted a thousand times in the spiderwebbed safety glass was the shadow of a woman that was cast on the building. He handed the baby to Mrs. Korjev, approached the window, and knocked a hole in the glass to see better. As he did, the shadow slid down the side of the building, across the sidewalk, and into the storm drain next to where a dozen tourists had just disembarked from a cable car. None of them appeared to have seen anything. It was just past one and the sun was casting shadows nearly straight down. He looked back at the two windows. â€Å"Did you see that?† â€Å"You mean break window?† Mrs. Ling said, slowly approaching the window and peering through the hole Charlie had made. â€Å"Oh no.† â€Å"What? What?† Mrs. Ling looked back at Mrs. Korjev. â€Å"You are right. Flowers need water.† Charlie looked through the hole in the window and saw that Mrs. Ling was referring to a window box full of dead, black geraniums. â€Å"Safety bars on all the windows. Tomorrow,† Charlie said. Not far away, as the crow flies, under Columbus Avenue, in a wide pipe junction where several storm sewers met, Orcus, the Ancient One, paced, bent over like a hunchback, the heavy spikes that jutted from his shoulders scraping the sides of the pipe, throwing off sparks and the smell of smoldering peat. â€Å"You're going to fuck up your spikes if you keep pacing like that,† said Babd. She was crouched in one of the smaller pipes to the side, next to her sisters, Nemain and Macha. Except for Nemain, who was beginning to show a gunmetal relief of bird feathers over her body, they were devoid of depth; flat absences of light, absolute black even in the gloom filtering down through the storm grates – shadows, silhouettes, really – the darker ancestors of the modern mud-flap girls. Shades: delicate and female and fierce. â€Å"Sit. Have a snack. What good to take the Above if you look like hell in the end?† Orcus growled and spun on the Morrigan, the three. â€Å"Too long out of the air! Too long.† From the basket on his belt he hooked a human skull on one of his claws, popped it in his mouth, and crunched down on it. The Morrigan laughed, sounding like wind through the pipes, pleased that he was enjoying their gift. They'd spent much of the day under San Francisco's graveyards digging out the skulls (Orcus liked them decoffinated) and polishing off the dirt and detritus until they shone like bone china. â€Å"We flew,† said Nemain. She took a moment to admire the blue-black feather shapes on her surface. â€Å"Above,† she added unnecessarily. â€Å"They are everywhere, like cherries waiting to be stolen.† â€Å"Not stolen,† said Orcus. â€Å"You think like a crow. They are ours for the taking.† â€Å"Oh yeah, well, where were you? I got these.† The shade held up William Creek's umbrella in one hand and the fur jacket she'd ripped away from Charlie Asher in the other. They still glowed red, but were rapidly dimming. â€Å"Because of these, I was Above. I flew.† When no one reacted, Nemain added, â€Å"Above.† â€Å"I flew, too,† said Babd timidly. â€Å"A little.† She was a tad self-conscious that she'd manifested no feather patterns or dimension. Orcus hung his great head. The Morrigan moved to his side and began stroking the long spikes that had once been wings. â€Å"We will all be Above, soon,† said Macha. â€Å"This new one doesn't know what he is doing. He will make it so we can all be Above. Look how far we've come – and we are so close now. Two Above in such a short time. This New Meat, this ignorant one, he may be all we need.† Orcus lifted his bull-like head and grinned, revealing a sawmill of teeth. â€Å"They will be like fruit for the picking.† â€Å"See,† said Nemain. â€Å"Like I said. Did you know that Above you can see really far? Miles. And the wonderful smells. I never realized how damp and musty it is down here. Is there any reason that we can't have a window?† â€Å"Shut up!† growled Orcus. â€Å"Jeez, bite my head off, why don't you.† â€Å"Don't tease,† said the bullheaded Death. He rose and led the other Deaths, the Morrigan, down the pipe toward the financial district, to the buried Gold Rush ship where they made their home.

Expectations

Finally, the blade deepens and hits just right, the scar of what the doubtful and painful knife has left me insecure and filled with emptiness. The sparks of love I had was weak and burning low, it soon became a weapon that only caused me harm. This body soon became an empty vessel searching for a purpose in this constant non-fiction world. Tick tock, tick tock, the clock goes, teachers writing riddles on the board, speaking of a foreign language that I cannot comprehend. Various noises filled the classroom, speaking of gibberish as I sit in this isolated bubble of my own. Surviving in this vessel, searching for a purpose- no, but rather waiting to be re-wired and commanded day by day. I love the languages subjects so I am pretty good at it, but I hate maths and sciences, hence I am bad at it. With no further comments I scanned through the whiteboard, but everyday I worry on how people kept instructing me how to grow as a person; giving me options on what's right and wrong, but in the end, the things that I will choose will forever be false.Everyday, I noticed to have a work that is always incomplete; I stare at the blank piece of paper reflecting about my life. With not much personality as an individual, hence I do not find it as an inconvenience to survive in this school. As time continued to pass by, I realized that I'm currently stuck in a never ending cycle of hypnotism, staggering through the same hallways each day, and soon it feels as though everything is on repeat. In class again, questions and answers that are not even needed in my daily life, being drilled into my mind, as I flipped through the textbook, which contains no specific answer. â€Å"How are your grades?† you asked with a smile.I shrugged, â€Å"The same, I guess.†Piercing me with your eyes, reminding me of the â€Å"future† I will soon have. If my tears were colours, then my pillow would be painted with rainbows. Thus in the morning, I would wake up with dark rings around my eyes, taunting me every time I look at myreflection. I would try and cover it up so that they would be a shade lighter, but I know they can never completely disappear. Staggering through the same hallways, towards an empty seat, one far from the sunlight, but rays still reached, blinded me and left me a daze, as if it is trying to question me; â€Å"What were you expecting in life?† â€Å"What are your dreams?†Searching frantically for an answer in that textbook, I can't breathe, I'm choking and it hurts. The stares that they give, beating down my confidence and pride all over again, I tried to find an answer, but its all the same; still an empty white paper, reflecting about my accomplishment in life. â€Å"I can do this†¦Ã¢â‚¬ I keep repeating those words in my mind, as I stare at that incomplete work, reminding me about â€Å"responsibilities†, â€Å"success†, â€Å"achievements†, â€Å"grades†, and so on, and every time I climb back up, your words kept knocking down my stance, chaining me down, to expectations, that I cannot achieve. Expectations and dreams, which are so heavy chaining me, more than gravity ever will. â€Å"I've tried†¦I'm tired†¦It hurts†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Ã¢â‚¬ When will you ever grow up?† But let me ask, what is the meaning of â€Å"growing up† in the first place? If this is what's it feels like, then I just want to stop. The path they build for me is dictated to be perfect and filled with beautiful lies. Feeding me with expectations, rewiring my senses, choking me with perfection. I cannot breathe, I feel nauseous. My body cannot sustain it. Staggering to a mirror, I see the rings under my eyes, as a constant reminder the about those disappointing glares I noticed:†Ah†¦ they are getting darker.†

How to Quit Smoking: Helping Patients Kick the Habit Essay

Quitting smoking Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Smoking is an addictive behavior where an individual forms an uncontainable reliance on cigarettes to the point where quitting smoking becomes a problem. Cigarettes contain nicotine that is usually addictive. Nicotine craving can be very intense to the extent that people may find it hard to quit using just their willpower. Every individual knows how smoking is addictive and harmful, but only a few acknowledge how addictive and risky smoking is. There is a high likelihood that one out of three smokers who do not quit smoking will eventually die because of smoking. The reason many individuals fail to quit smoking is because they are addicted. The rationale of this paper is to outline the miniature changes in my lifestyle that I believe will help me quit smoking.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The main reason I decided to quit smoking is the facts associated to smoking and addiction. First, smoking-associated illnesses account for 440,000 deaths every year in America. Second, smoking also accounts for 87 percent of lung cancers and the most causal factors of chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Third, smoking is the leading cause of preventable death and disease in America. The other fact is that cigarettes contain more than 43 discrete cancer-causing chemicals. Nicotine is highly addictive as cocaine and heroin. The last fact is that the benefits of quitting smoking are realized 20 minutes of the last cigarette smoked. Smoking is not only an obsession, but it is also very costly. I spend around $7 every day. Quitting smoking will not only add healthy benefits, but it will also help me to save.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I have learnt a lot about my options for a long time as I plan to quit will make the quitting process effortless. An appropriate game plan according to my needs will help me control my cravings, smash the addiction, and join those who have kicked out the habit of smoking in their lives. I also acknowledge that it is hard to quit smoking since it is a behavior and physical addiction. An individual, who is in the process of quitting smoking, is likely to face cravings and withdrawal symptoms. The act of smoking is deeply-rooted as a daily habit. I also recognize that to be successful in my withdrawal endeavors, I have to consider the routines, habits and the addiction since they are entangled. A personal stop smoking plan is very essential since it help people to keep in track with the process of quitting smoking.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Quitting smoking starts with comprehending that it is an addictive behavior. The second thing is to cultivate inner feeling to quit smoking. I will develop inner motivation by highlighting the reasons that shore up my determination of quitting smoking such as smelling cigar everywhere and the fear of contracting cancer. The other strategy that will help me to quit smoking is being confident and positive that I will successfully quit smoking. I plan to use goal achievement procedures and frequent milestone incentives to stay committed and focused. I will always reward myself after some time. For instance, since I spend $7 every day, in six months I will have saved $294 or more. I will reward myself with this money. I will also choose a specific quitting date which will increase the chance of success. I will also try mixing different brands since research shows that different chemicals and flavors make smoking less enjoyable. Alternating bra nds also assists to de-automate smoking which will help me to successfully quit smoking. I also plan to put lighters, matches, and tobacco products from home away from my reach. Seeking doctor’s prescription is also an alternative strategy that I will consider in my plan of quitting smoking.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Changing my diet is another strategy that will help me to quit drugs. Research findings from US reveal that some foods such as meat makes cigarette more satisfying. Eating vegetables, cheese, and fruits make cigarettes taste appalling which is another small change that I will consider in my quitting plan. I will also change some drinks such as coffee, alcohol, and cola among other fizzy drinks that makes the cigarettes taste better. Instead, I will be taking more juice and water to ensure a successful quitting process. I will also drop smoking friends and also seek quitting support from family members and friends. I will also ensure that my mouth and hands are always busy for an effective stop smoking plan. The benefit of quitting smoking are: the blood pressure and heart rate will drop 20 minutes after quitting, the carbon monoxide intensity in the blood will drop to normal 12 hours after quitting, lung function and circulation improves 3 weeks after quitting, breathing problems and coughing decreases 9 months after quitting, coronary heart disease and risk of lung, bladder, mouth, esophagus and throat cancer decrease in 5-15 years after quitting.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The immediate rewards of quitting smoking are: social acceptance, reduced costs, improves health of others, leading an exemplary life as well as improvement in personal life. For example yellow fingers, stained teeth, and bad smells starts to disappear slowly. The other probable challenges that I expect in the quitting process include hunger in the first several weeks, fatigue and insomnia in the first month, lack of concentration, coughing and craving for cigarettes. The outcomes of quitting smoking are the rewards of quitting smoking where I will start to experience the good taste of food, a sense of smell will get back to normal, and bad smell in the house, clothes and mouth fades away. I will also be able to cut down the cost since smoking is very expensive. Quitting smoking will also help me to keep off dangerous chemicals such as cyanide and arsenic in cigarettes. I will always carry my stop smoking plan everywhere so that it can hel p me remember why I wish to achieve my goal.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In conclusion, quitting smoking can pose very hard since it is only 2.5% of smokers successfully quit smoking. The most initial step towards quitting smoking starts when an individual acknowledge that smoking is addictive. Cigarettes contain nicotine which is addictive just like cocaine and heroin. Quitting smoking will not only help me to save, but it will also help me to improve health. Quitting smoking will keep me off from lung cancer, heart diseases and other diseases associated with smoking. Personal stop smoking plan will greatly help me to keep on track and stay determined with the process of quitting. Diminutive changes such as seeking professional help from a doctor, making new non-smoker friends, changing my diet and drinks will be some of the strategies that I will utilize in the process of quitting. There are rewards of quitting smoking. However, there are challenges of quitting smoking especially being an addictive behavior. References Clancy, C. M. (2008). Quitting Smoking: Helping Patients Kick the Habit. Nursing for Women’s Health, 12(4), 282-284. How to Quit. (2014, July 2). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved September 3, 2014, from http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/quit_smoking/how_to_quit/index.htm?s_cid=fb_osh3 Reversal of risk after quitting smoking. (2007). Lyon: International Agency for Research on Cancer ;. What Is A Smoking Addiction?. (n.d.). ehealthMD. Retrieved September 3, 2014, from http://ehealthmd.com/content/what-smoking-addiction#axzz3CAJBQ4gj Source document

Business and Corporate Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Business and Corporate Law - Essay Example Both offer and acceptance constitute a part of an agreement, which is in turn an element of a contract. An offer can be defined as an option given by an individual which he has agreed to and would not revoke until a specified set of period (Evans p. 145). In order to facilitate the order of business in the market, the parties involved sign a contract based on mutual consent and understanding. The agreement over the contract, however, relates to the offer and agreement and only on the accumulation of both can a successful agreement be reached. Generally, the offeror begins with decision so as to make an offer, after which he deems necessary to communicate it to the relevant party. Then, the offeree may accept the offer after which it is necessary for him to communicate the acceptance. However, the acceptance occurs formally only when the offeror receives the acceptance. In the middle of such scenarios, there may be many different technicalities, where the offeree may also request to m ake changes in the offer, or may even ask for further information. Other parties may also be involved for smooth disposal of agreement. However, in the context of the issue being discussed, the child or an under-age individual is an offeree, and the author is arguing over the situational contexts where the section 7 could be applied. In the view of the author, the offer must not be made to an under-age individuals in any case, not even when he acts of someone else`s behalf to accept an offer. Thus, in any case, any individual under the age of 18 must not enter into a transaction of sale otherwise banned to him; otherwise it would be breach of the law. Furthermore, prior to understanding the argument, there must be a discussion over the Section 7 of the Children and Young Persons Act of Parliament, which solely focuses on the rules of business regarding the sale of tobacco

Philosophy- READ THE INSTRUCTIONS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Philosophy- READ THE INSTRUCTIONS - Essay Example The theory of empiricism says that we get knowledge through experiences. We acquire our experiences making use of senses. We know that there is a constant change in our experience. Therefore, whenever our knowledge is a subject of changes we cannot depend upon sense knowledge ultimately. I think that rationalism is the best way of viewing things. There are so many reasons to say rationalism is the best way. We can sea, hear, taste, smell, feel things. These are called experience in general. In view of neuro physiology limbic system, amygdale and hypothalamus are the responsible organs to get experience. But even a simple chemical change or damage to these organs can cause difference in experiences. Therefore, the stability of knowledge through this way is questioned. Whenever we feel the instability in knowledge, we fail to say about anything firmly that this is. So, rational knowledge is correct and superior to any other knowledge. We use our rationale to solve the problems. In mathematics we find the result through reasoning. One plus one is two. It is true and it cannot be any other number. Therefore it is a fact of necessity it cannot be gone wrongly. So we can tell that whatever conclusion may we infer through rationalizing is right knowledge. This is also an argument for stating that rational knowledge is accurate. All men are mortal, Joseph is a man, and therefore Joseph is mortal. This fact is logically proved and so it cannot be fallible. In logic we come to the conclusion through reasoning. Therefore we tell that rationalism is the accurate and correct theory. In our daily experiences we realize that many of our observations go wrong. We misunderstand things. Sometimes we misperceive things around us like seeing coir we perceive it as snake. Likewise, there are a number of such instances even in the science. At first we imagined that our world is flat but in the long run the science proved that world is oval shaped. Therefore, we

International trade law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

International trade law - Essay Example There are three different ways that the transfer of risk may occur. The first is at the time of the conclusion of the contract for sale, the time of passing of the property in goods, and the time of the delivery of the goods. These rules may only come into effect when the parties did not contract for the transfer of risk, as is the case here. Furthermore, while the parties typically have insurance, which mitigates the risk of loss, it is still important to determine who bears the risk of loss, as the party who bears the risk of the loss is the party who is responsible for turning the loss into the insurance company, as well as await settlement from the insurance company and mitigate the damages. While risk may come from many different sources, the example in this case is political risk, which covers the risk regarding war. Assume that the contract is cif Calais The Vienna Convention Rules and the English Rules regarding cif are both relevant here, as France has ratified the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale Of Goods, also known as the Vienna Convention. The Vienna Convention states that, in cif contracts, the risk of loss passes from the seller to the buyer when the goods are loaded on the ship for transit, and this covers loss that occurred during the loading process. Thus, as soon as the carrier takes control of the goods, the shipper's obligation is satisfied. In this case, the buyer in Calais would have had the risk transferred, and the buyer in Calais would have to turn the claim into the insurance company, wait for settlement and mitigate his damages. ... be covered by insurance at this point.9 This is the case in Wuensche Handelsgesellschaft International GmbH v Tai Ping Insurance Co Ltd10 in which it was decided that, in a case where cans coming from China to Germany were dented before being put upon the ship, that the seller, and the seller's insurance, assumed the risk during the pre-shipment period of time. Other rules regarding cif contracts regard the transfer of the risk once the ship is afloat. The standard English rule regarding this is that, when the goods are specific or have been appropriated, the seller may tender the documents regarding the goods to the buyer, even when the seller knows that the goods have been totally lost- therefore, at the time that the documents are tendered, the risk would pass from the seller to the buyer.11 As long as the goods were in conformity with the contract at the time that the seller shipped them, then the buyer may not reject these documents.12 This is the English Rule, and is exemplifie d in the case of The Kronprinsessen Margareta.13 In that case, the court stated that if the seller would have taken the bills of lading to their own order, then the risk would have passed to the buyer for the loss, without question. However, they did not, and the bills of lading were retained by the seller, so the case was more complicated. The Convention Rule, while not specifically addressing cif contracts regarding goods which are lost at sea, nevertheless states that risk passes from the conclusion of the contract. In this case, the retrospective transfer, which means that the risk transfers upon shipment, may only be possible when the circumstances indicate (such as the parties bargained for this, or the insurance covers this specifically), and the seller did not know that the goods

Credit cards can be a blessing and curse Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Credit cards can be a blessing and curse - Essay Example The monthly statement of your expenditures can allow individuals to keep a record about their expenditures. It allows one to trace that where he is spending more. In addition, credit cards are also a quick source of emerging cash at the times of need but are dependent on the credit line of the customer. If the individual makes monthly payment on time it can build credit rating. On the contrary, credit card has enormous of disadvantages. In the contemporary times, high inflation rates and strict monetary policies have made credits expensive. A certain amount of interest is charged on every purchase, which eventually increases the price of the commodity more. In addition, the easy excess to borrowing allows one to spend more than his or her limits. This shows that individuals spend more than their capacity and this eventually lead people to face credit issues that can also influence reputation. In case of the monthly payments being delayed, a penalty fee is charged on the late payment. This penalty becomes burden for the person who is already facing issues to pay off his or her pervious debts. Moreover, the interest rate that is being charged on the credit card is a lot, the lowest interest card rate is about 11.18 percent, which goes up to a high of 23.95 percent in current times. This means that purchases on credit cards are far expensive than purchases ma de with cash or debit cards. In case, if your credit card is lost or stolen the others can misuse it. The misuse of the credit card can lead an individual to face certain legal issues till they are cleared. Furthermore, banks charge additional amount of about $50 for the lost or stolen of the credit card. As monthly payments on time can improve your credit rating, contrarily in case of late payments credit bureaus reduce your credit rating that can be a major obstacle for the approvals of future loans. Credit cards

Journal Article Review Factors Motivating College Students to Learn Essay

Journal Article Review Factors Motivating College Students to Learn - Essay Example Halawah’s (2011) journal entails works researched by diverse researchers and analysts. Nonetheless, I am not conversant with any of the establishments referenced in this work. From the compilations, I would contentedly argue that, a huge percentage of these authors have spent a lot of their time in the educational sector, by and large as educators in renowned universities. Brophy, one of the cited authors has also made a lot of contributions in making the work on ‘Enhancing Adult Motivation to Learn’ a successful and useful piece in the educational context. On the other hand, the article and textbook refer to two different works by the author. Other works by Halawah Halawah (2006) has published other works like ‘The impact of student-faculty informal interpersonal relationships on intellectual and personal development’ a college Student Journal besides the work on ‘Students’ motivation to learn from students’ perspective’, that focuses on conducting research on the contribution of students’ unofficial interpersonal relations on the development of learners’ intellectual and personal development. The work is a recent piece that was published in 2006; thus, useful in the study of learners and their development. Additionally, Halawah (2006) has yet another 2006 journal publication on ‘The effect of motivation, family environment, and student characteristics on academic achievement’, which aims at analyzing the impact of motivation, the learners’ home environment and the learner attributes on their academic achievement. Halawah (2005) is also the publisher of the work, ‘T he relationship between effective communication of high school principal and school climate’ of 2005. This work outlines the attributes of an effective and successful principal in a school setting. The key attribute emphasized in this article is the need for cultivating communication for a conducive learning environment. Research findings versus the results The research findings indeed follow logically from the findings as described in the article. The findings concur with the studies conducted on the 232 participants who took part in the study (Halawah, 2011). From the findings, it is evident that all the factors that contribute to motivation of the learners have been analyzed one by one. The concepts that relate to teacher personality and classroom management have been studied through the responses of the learners. For instance, the ability of the teacher to create a conducive environment to take place has been described in the findings with the mean standing at 4.6 for les sons well planned; thus, motivate learners. Results from the findings also include the teacher creating an open atmosphere for learning that motivates learners. Collaborative effort between teachers and the learners has also been described in the learning setting as an aspect that leads to motivation among the learners. Other aspects that relate to the learners have been discussed in the results section, like setting of considerable goals, increasing the esteem of learners, having a positive rapport with the learners amongst others are linked with the research conducted in the study. In this case, it is justified to argue that the research findings follow logically from the results discussed in the article. Sample selection The study conducted by Halawah

Argument essay on achievement gap Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Argument on achievement gap - Essay Example The issue needs to be resolved because despite of many efforts, an analysis of the different states in 2011 revealed that there were still five states in America where this achievement gap had increased since 2003. This analysis explained that an effective policy for overcoming this issue is needed in the country (Johnson 11; Lynch). The achievement gap is a matter of concern as it affects a large number of American students and this issue needs to be addressed with strong and effective strategies for the improvement of the educational system of the country. The achievement gap has been observed not only in primary and secondary schools but it has also been seen in children during their kindergarten years. A further analysis of achievement gap in minority groups has revealed that this gap is known to exist in schools even if the economic status of the all the students is the same. This means that each cause of an achievement gap is independent and it is not essential that students co ming from good economic backgrounds would be saved from this issue (Williams 26,27). According to an analysis done by the National Assessment of Educational Progress in 2007, it was seen that white students were better achievers in reading and math tests which were conducted in the fourth and eighth grade (Lynch). Thus, these surveys and reports indicate that the achievement gap is a grave issue and needs a thorough assessment. This is because considering the statistics of the immigrants in the country; it can be judged that this gap would rise if it is not tackled. This can be assessed as statistics reveal that from the year 2000 till the year 2050, the number of whites would reduce in the United States to 49 percent from 68 percent and the Latinos would form 40 percent of the America population. In a similar trend, the African Americans would rise by 1 percent whereas the Asian population would surge by four percent (Haller). The optimal way to overcome this achievement gap in the country is the formulation of effective instructions and interventions for the students. The achievement gap reduction can be achieved by providing improvement at three levels. These include classroom interventions, targeted interventions and intensive interventions. The most important of these is the classroom intervention where eighty percent of the students of the class learn. The students should be encouraged to learn and study and should be motivated to avoid failing in class. With this, the other interventions should also run side by side for students who are in need of them. For example targeted interventions should be carried out for approximately fifteen percent of the students who have failed to achieve good grades due to their socioeconomic status or due to having difficulties in learning English and reading. Intensive interventions should be saved for students who are not motivated despite of classroom and targeted interventions and do not seem to be interested towards the improvement of their education. These students should be handled individually by a team of instructors and psychologists. This three level process is the most optimal way to overcome the achievement gap in the country (Johnson 12,13). The program focusing upon interventions has not been practiced in the United Sta

The criminal mind Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The criminal mind - Essay Example Three features distinguish crime science from criminology: it embraces the physical, computer and engineering sciences as well as the social; it focuses on crime rather than criminals, and it is single-minded about cutting crime, rather than studying it for its own sake. Crime science was conceived by the British broadcaster Nick Ross in the late 1990s in order to recruit scientific methods to crime prevention, with encouragement from the then Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, Sir John Stevens and Professor Ken Pease. Situations have not been entirely ignored in criminology. Birkbeck3 and LaFree (1993) and Sampson and Lauritsen (1994) have reviewed various situational approaches to crime, deviance, and violence, including the work of symbolic integrationists, opportunity and routine activity theorists, and those who advocate the study of criminal events. Most empirical research on situations, however, has involved the event as the unit of analysis, with no link to individual histories or individual patterns of behavior. To study the behavior situation relations advocated by Mischel and Shoda (1995)4, we would need to study the same individuals across multiple situations or contexts. To proceed with such an approach, we must define situations. From the various situational perspectives on crime there has not as yet emerged a consensus as to how situations should be conceptualized. Let us turn back to the summer camp study (Shoda et al., 1994) for a possible model. In that study the researchers observed behavior occurring within different levels, which they referred to as ecological settings, nominal situations, and interpersonal situations. Table 1 provides examples of these different levels. The ecological settings represented are camp, school, and home. Within each ecological setting are nominal situations, which they describe as â€Å"dictated by the structure of the particular ecology (the setting)† (Shoda et al., 1994: 675). Thus, at

Greek tragedies Essay Example for Free

Greek tragedies Essay Explore how Arthur Miller develops the character of Eddie Carbone in three key episodes in A View from the Bridge Arthur Miller worked on the Brooklyn docks amongst many longshoremen and dockers such as Eddie Carbone. Working on the docks was a significant time in Arthur Millers life because thats where he met Italian American immigrants which inspired him to write A View from the Bridge. Arthur Miller creates Eddie Carbones character like a Modern Greek Tragic hero because when the play starts the audience respects and admires his character. He is loving to his wife and protective of his niece. But as the play continues you start to see the real Eddie Carbone unfold. The audiences first impression of Eddie Carbone is a very honourable person who has pride in his niece. He is quite concerned about her sexuality, for example he says to her your walkin wavy and heads are turning like windmills. He is concerned because he wants to protect Catherine and feels that she is sexually vulnerable. Eddie also demonstrates concern for his wife. He says that she has too big a heart. The audience would be quite impressed with his sense of responsibility. Moreover Eddie seems very keen to help the fellow Italians on their arrival. He insists that they behave very discreetly for example when he is describing to Catherine and Beatrice the dangers of holding illegal immigrants he says You dont know nothing! They got stool pigeons all over this neighbourhood. By saying this, the audience would probably think he is very loyal. However, Eddie can be seen to reveal a frailty in his character very early on. He clearly shows some paranoia and over-protectiveness for his niece. You can tell this when he complains to her why didnt you ask me before you got a job. Eddie is asking for too much control over Catherine. Like a tragic hero, he is honourable but there is something unsettling about his character. Also his reaction after Catherine lights his cigar could interpret this over-protectiveness he shows for her could in fact be a disturbing feature in his character. We can see character and weaknesses unfolding at the end of Act One. Eddie Carbones character at the end of Act One becomes more open about his hatred for Rodolpho. He demonstrates his lack of control over his emotions, also starts to act sarcastically and mockingly for example, he says I know lemons are green for Christs sake. Arguing with Rodolpho and resenting his comments shows his desire to provoke conflict. He also mocks Rodolpho about his femininity. He announces to everyone if I could sing, I wouldnt be on the water front, I would be in a dress store. He is trying to make Catherine think twice about Rodolphos sexuality. In doing so, he is also asserting his own masculinity in an attempt to warn off others and impress Catherine. In this scene Eddie is beginning to feel quite powerless in his own house since Marco and Rodolphos arrival. He has lost control over Catherine, which considering his obsessive protectiveness he cannot bear. The last scene of Act One Miller also establishes a very dramatic atmosphere. Because of Eddies increasingly frenzied personality it makes the other characters wary of him, for example he keeps on repeating himself which could be a sign of madness his psychological breakdown. It unsettles and alarms the other characters. We have a constant sense that he is volatile and unpredictable. Furthermore, when Marco raises the chair like a weapon above his head Miller symbolises Eddies loss of power and control. It is clear that another man has entered his house and beaten him at his own game. At the start of Act Two you can clearly see how Miller has chosen to develop Eddies flaws. He portrays Eddies hatred for Rodolpho as he says to Catherine that she cannot leave the apartment with that indicating Rodolpho. Referring to Rodolpho as that implies that he thinks he is superior to Rodolpho just because hes an illegal Immigrant. Furthermore, the use of the word that suggests he is only a detestable object. Eddie also says watch your step submarine. By rights they oughta throw you back in the water. This is a direct threat towards Rodolpho that he might inform the Immigration Bureau of his illegal entry into the country. It is also an assertion of his power over Rodolpho. Eddies attempts to humiliate Rodolpho fail thoroughly when he kisses him. Eddie pins his arms laughing and suddenly kisses him. Eddie thinks by emasculating Rodolpho, Catherine can see what Eddie is seeing, but all shes can see is that Eddie has lost control of himself under the influence of alcohol and pitiful repressed feelings. His actions in this scene suggest he is far from the respectable individual he was at the start. Moreover, he becomes quite pathetic in the eyes of the audience. However we interpretate the kiss, whether he is demonstrating repressed homosexuality, insecure masculinity or just immaturity and drunkenness, the audience think less of him. Moreover, the other characters must be really shocked by Eddies ghastly behaviour. He sits, still panting for breath, and they watch him helplessly. This suggests that they are confused and worried by his outburst. At this moment in time the sympathy from the audience for Eddie would have been washed away since the start of the play. Now the audience would be more sympathetic for Catherine because it looks as if shes being imprisoned and controlled. You can tell this when she says to Rodolpho suppose I wanted to live in Italy. She is trying to get as far as possible from Eddie. The stage direction as she strives to free herself is symbol of her of her imprisonment. The start of Act One is also the first time the audience realise that Eddies obsession for Catherine is actually sexual. You can tell this when Eddie comes home drunk he sees Catherine come out of the bedroom adjusting her skirt and then Rodolpho walks out behind her. As soon as Eddie realises what they were doing he slightly jerks his arms, it shows what he now understands is unbearable to him. In conclusion, Arthur Miller could have developed Eddies character for a didactic purpose. Most Greek tragedies have a didactic purpose to show the audience to never reveal our deepest desires and to maintain our composure. You can tell that Eddie could be a didactic figure because in Alfieris last speech he states most of the time now we settle for half. He could be saying that Eddie was asking for too much from Catherine, but Alfieri could mean that we shouldnt ask for too much when we cant be satisfied so we should just settle for half. However, in Greek tragedies the tragic hero commits an offence and is supposed to learn from his mistake but still suffers from it, therefore moral order is restored. In the last scene this was very strongly portrayed, as it was his own knife, in his own hands that was plunged into his chest. This shows that all the things he done wrong was of his own doing.

Large classes Essay Example for Free

Large classes Essay When students are in large classes it is very hard for the teacher to give every student individual attention. What can educational authorities do about this? It is quite obvious that when the students are in very large numbers in a class, the teacher can’t pay individual attention. I think as far as students are attentive in the class, teachers attention to individual hardly matters. Not all students in a class need personal attention, because they are smart and grasp the lessons quickly by themselves. However some of the students who are a little weak can surely get personal attention of the teachers. Nevertheless for the teacher to be able to monitor progress of all students of a class, it is necessary that proper student teacher ratio is adhered to. Student-Teacher ratio refers to the number of teachers in a school or university with respect to the number of students who attend the school or university. For example, a student teacher ratio of 10:1 means that there are 10 students for every one teacher available. The term can also be reversed to be teacher-student ratio. If one classroom has a 30:1 ratio and the other has a 10:1 ratio, the school could claim to have a 20:1 ratio overall. But if the ratio is 50:1, the school needs to hire more teachers. In a way 40:1 is the ideal ratio where all students can get proper attention of the teacher. Summarizing, this is the responsibility of the educational authorities to inspect schools and universities periodically to ensure a right student-teacher ratio and in the event of this ratio changing due to greater number of students, educational authorities must strictly advice schools to hire more teachers and maintain appropriate student – teacher ratio. This shall help all students get better attention of the teachers if not individual attention.

The Sale Of Burmah Castrol To Bp Amoco Commerce Essay

The Sale Of Burmah Castrol To Bp Amoco Commerce Essay This case study focuses on the detailed analysis of business environment, resources of the organisation, organisational structure and corporate parenting of sale of Burmah Castrol to BP Amoco case. This case study identifies different methodology of why Burmah Castrol sells its plants to BP Amoco. The Burmah Oil Company was founded in 1886 by Scottish entrepreneurs interested in exploiting newly found oil deposits in Burma. Burmah held a major shareholding in BP right through until the early 1970s. Indeed, after a long period operating effectively as an inter- mediate holding company for BP shares, the management of Burmah in the 1960s used the value of the shares as collateral to embark on an ambitious plan to turn Burmah into both a fully integrated oil company and a substantial conglomerate group. This analysis will contain a layout which will examine Burmah Castrol performance and their ultimate consequences through a step by step approach. An introduction has been given on Burmah Castrol sale to BP Amoco, a detailed analysis on performance gap such as goals and objectives, leadership, culture, organisational structure, corporate parenting, business environment of the company. Under each structural reform there in an explanation on what lead Burmah to sell it plants to BP Amoco, what are the characteristics of each structure and what lead to its failure. After the critical analysis of structure I will be mentioning the critical issue at Sony. In order to justify my argument I will be using strategic management models and theories such as, 5 forces model, GAP analysis, 7S matrix, SWOT analysis, PEST analysis, corporate parenting, value chain analysis and finally triple loop learning method. A separate segment of this report will target on answering the question is Castrol a growing company, and recommendation that have to be considered by them. After concluding the analysis I will deliver my recommendation for BP and it will be followed by a suggestion suggested for BP Amoco to buy Burmah Castrol. Finally an action plan is developed for what has to be done by the companies where I have concentrated on three main aspects, namely, marketing, structural reforms and cost effectiveness of the company. Critical issues The Burmah Oil Company is a Scottish entrepreneur company founded in 1886 with interested in exploiting newly found oil deposits in Burma. On establishing success was followed by a milestone investment in an exploration concession across a substantial area of Iran acquired from the Shah. Indeed, after a long period operating effectively as an inter- mediate holding company for BP shares, the management of Burmah in the 1960s used the value of the shares as collateral to embark on an ambitious plan to turn Burmah into both a fully integrated oil company and a substantial conglomerate group. The management ay Castrol are with skills in spotting both good managers and sound investment opportunities: the combination would enable all the Groups businesses to prosper and grow. There was sufficient similarity in terms of key factors for success between Castrol and the Chemicals businesses to enable senior management to add value across the portfolio. At late 80s there was an uncertainty, about where the Group was headed over the medium to long run. This has led them to search for moves that might provide such balance. The opportunity arose from Foseco after taking over its management; due to its depressed share price. There were also other issues to sort out in the Chemicals businesses where some were underperforming: work needed to be done to improve their overall operating efficiency. That was a task that was successfully set about and delivered: signi ¬Ã‚ cantly improved ratios were achieved through cost cutting and effective focus. In mid 1990s Burmah Castrol consisted of Castrol, blending and marketing lubricants; and Chemicals with a residual Fuels retailing business effectively the final relic of the past which was in the process of being sold off. The strategic review identi ¬Ã‚ ed an underlying theme of industrial marketing and quality service as the core competences of the successful chemicals businesses. ( Appendix 1) Castrols 75 per cent of its total profit came from passenger car engine oil business, faced the prospect of more efficient engines requiring longer and longer gaps between oil changes; and therefore of potential long-term volume decline. It has many strengths and weakness with is explained in appendix 2. In 1996, they had a difficult in North America after a run of consistently good volume and pro ¬Ã‚ t growth; and simultaneously we started to develop worries about long-run developments in the passenger car engine oil business in Europe. A problem was that some of the areas of business were suffering because of the dominant culture of the passenger car engine oil business. Castrol share price reached  £10 in the early 1990s and hadnt really moved from that level. It moved to  £13 at one point and down to  £7 at another, but these were the extremes of a dull range. Having split out the industrial business from the passenger car engine oil business, it further highlighted, for example, that there might be more similarities between the industrial lubricants business and the foundry chemicals business than there were between. Castrol its brand and marketing culture would represent a great prize to a number of the major oil companies because of economies of scale and the broader coverage of the lubricants market that it would provide. At a point they had some lack of belief internally, lack of belief externally and a possibly time-limited opportunity as a result of oil industry consolidation. In addition, one of their non-executives argued consistently at board meetings that there was indeed a time-limited opportunity to release value to shareholders. Therefore the critical issue is that Castrol should build up a model which is compatible with environmental changes in the shorter and the long run. Critical evaluation In strategic analysis it is important for Castrol to identify the current environment which the oil industry operates. In mid 1990s Burmah Castrol consisted of Castrol, blending and marketing lubricants; and Chemicals with a residual Fuels retailing business effectively the final relic of the past which was in the process of being sold off. The rapid fall in the sales revenue and the profitability of the Castrol due to poor management and severe competitions the management of the Castrol have been planning to restructure its business. They had a major drawback in management as they had some lack of belief internally, lack of belief externally and a possibly time-limited opportunity as a result of oil industry consolidation. Castrol must plan to face the rivalry and threat from other competitors such as BP which is one of the main competitors to Toyota. The bargaining power of the buyers can be reduced if the supplies of Castrol product are low. So Castrol should have strategy to maintain demand since it was the time of recession. The bargaining power of suppliers can be adjusted by having competitive buying from different suppliers of good needed for oil industries. (Refer appendix 3) During the financial year 1995-1999 the Castrol Corporation spent a massive amount to maintain its position in this competitive market spending more than 1000 million euro on restructuring of its strategy. However in 1999 the profit has decline largely comparing to previous year due to high interest payment and long term creditors to the company. The Castrol is facing many political, economical issues and mostly threats from American and Dubai oil industry with create a major uncertainly of Castrol survival in the market. Castrol environment has been analgised using PEST (Refer appendix 4). Castrol is in an uncertainty position to maintain price stability by differentiation of its own from others. Being close to the customers has also allowed them to segment the market effectively. Castrol adopted an organisational structure that was significantly different from a traditional approach to reflect the new business environment in the mid 1997s. Unlike the structure of many modern structure oil companies they have adapted to their traditional approach because of it convenience. The Tim Steven at the companys level holds a position as the CEO of Board of Directors, and the manager was in charge of all other functions at Castrol. All functional heads at Castrol also hold the position of party secretary at that function. These, to a great degree, facilitate the coordination between the CEO and management at Castrol, particularly at the functional level. (Refer appendix 5) Competitor analysis The oil industry is boiling over with changes. Deregulation, new opportunities in foreign fields and markets and environmental challenges are rushing together head-on to shape the energy and utilities business of the future. Castrol is facing threats from many foreign competitors producing vehicle oil. And whilst they have been very successful in developing world position, particularly in Asia Paci ¬Ã‚ c, that was unlikely to offer sufficient to offset the difficulties that might be going to encounter over a  ¬Ã‚ ve-year run absent of action in the bigger developed markets in Europe and North America. This had let to re-think what may happen to their passenger engine oil business and how competitor may take advantage over this situation. Further the Castrol group must increase its quality control procedure to avoid competitors defects in the production stage to avoid losses and meet competition effectively. Managing change The alternative which management developed, in considerable detail, involved is breaking the Group up. This acknowledged market skepticism about the coherence of the portfolio. Although the need for radical restructuring was accepted, an issue which management did not fully resolve at this point in the process concerned how the slicing should be carried out. The restructuring would not give the expected results unless the employees are satisfied with the changes. So Castrol should take measures to create confidence in the minds of the employee with regarding to changes. The employee participation in changes will make them success. In other word it should reduce resistance and increase cooperation within organisation. The management should increase two way communications from the top to bottom level of the hierarchy in order to implement the strategic changes successfully. Value chain analysis (Appendix6), balance score card (Appendix7) and cultural webs (Appendix8) are given in the Appendixes, which could be integrated in to Castrol organisation system to yield better results. Financial performance of Castrol The financial performance at Castrol during 1999 was very poor; either a lost or just break-even. This was attributed to several factors: high financial costs, low -margin product lines, poor sales, high interest rates and high procurement costs. (Gerry, n.d) Conclusion The case study evaluated by this report concentrates on different restructuring strategy and structure processors under taken by Castrol during the period of 1995-1999. In this analysis I have taken each structure one by one and commented on factors which led Castrol to do each restructuring process, characteristics of each structure and elements which led each structure to its failure. I have the identified the critical issue that are faced by Castrol as the lack of focus into future in making organizational structures for the corporation. In order to evaluate this case from a strategic management perspective I have used different models such as 5 forces model, 7S matrix, SWOT analysis, PEST analysis and Cultural web. Introduction has been given to each model applied and how it can be related to Castrol Company. Future Castrol is also looking towards further development of the engine oil business, possibly restructuring its strategy or by joint venture to survive in the competitor edge. Therefore I concluded that the success of most of the businesses was based on competences to do with high levels of service rooted in localized knowledge of how their product applications could meet customer need. Success was not so much based on the technical aspect of product as on industrial marketing and service on a local basis. An important exception to this pattern was that part of the passenger car lubricants business which involved sale of product through retail channels. After critically examining the company I will be giving my recommendation for Castrol and a proposed action plan for the required period. Recommendation The success of these businesses was much more to do with understanding customer needs than the production of oil. Therefore moving into much greater focus on devolution of responsibility to the market-facing business units is recommended. And Castrol was using the old approach which was not going to enable them to continue to grow the business at the previous rate of strategic plan. So its recommended for Castrol to develop a new strategy for their business in order to compete in this environmental market. They should also look at the other business such as the industrial lubricants business, the marine lubricants business and the commercial lubricants business which can be the key factor to survive in the market. Since their internal structure for managing the global Castrol lubricants business was no longer appropriate they have to re-structure the organisational structure if they want to optimize their position in each of the four markets. To reach that to optimize performance over the whole business, and to achieve economies of scale, they have to move away from a geographic structure to one focusing on each of the four areas of Castrol as global businesses in their own right. The old structure had been immensely successful. It had enabled a very strong ethic of customer focus and a strong esprit de corps. So its recommended to fellow as overall it benefiting the company. As an executive team they have to explore what opportunities there were for us to play a part in the process of consolidation. It concluded that the success of most of the businesses was based on competences to do with high levels of service rooted in localized knowledge of how their product applications could meet customer need. Similar to the earlier exercise on the Chemicals businesses, the conclusion was that success was not so much based on the technical aspect of product as on industrial marketing and service on a local basis. An important exception to this pattern was that part of the passenger car lubricants business which involved sale of product through retail channels. Justification Castrol is well recognized engine oil manufacture in the world have established in worldwide counties. Since there was a management deficiencies, the performance of the Castrol have reduced. Therefore practicing traditional approach as it helps the Castrol it is recommended to above so in case of problem in future the company can adopt old strategy to sustain its position in the market. As recommended above, moving into much greater focus on devolution of responsibility to the market-facing business units as the success of these businesses was much more to do with understanding customer needs than the production of oil. And Castrol was using the old approach which was not going to enable them to continue to grow the business at the previous rate of strategic plan. So it has been recommended for Castrol to develop a new strategy for their business in order to compete in this environmental market. By having tight relationship with customer can help Castrol to perform effective and efficiently by segment its product according to the need of the customers. And also having a well defined marketing strategy would increase the market share and the revenue of the company. Thus Castrol should make a long range plan to satisfy the needs of the two segments through increased product plan, research and development. References Hubbard, G. Rice, J. Beamish, P. (2005). Strategic management thinking analysis action. (3rd ed) .Pearson education Australia Johnson, Gerry (n.d). The sale of Burmah Castrol to BP Amoco.Exploring Corporate Strategy Kotelnikov, Vadim (Shared Values).[ n.d] retrived January 18, 2010 from http://www.1000ventures.com/business_guide/crosscuttings/shared_values.html. Plunkett (Business Information) [December 01, 2008]. retrived on January 22, 2010 from http://www.alacrastore.com/storecontent/Plunkett_Research-Energy_Industry_Market_Research_and_Competitive_Analysis_2009_from_Plunkett_Research-2082-13. Viljoen, J. Dann, S. (2003). Strategic management (4th ed.). Frenchs Forest, New South Wales: Pearson Education Pty Ltd. Appendixes APPENDIX 1 MC KINSEYS 7SMATRIX http://www.vectorstudy.com/management_theories/img/mckinsey_7s.jpg Strategy The strategy of the Castrol Corporation was to continue to develop as a very successful global business with an increasingly powerful brand, motivate functional managers to take part in corporate decisions making in order to improve performance and to meet competition efficiently. It is through this vision the whole organization should perform and it takes the leading role in getting other elements of the 7S matrix to follow in order to achieve those targets. Structure The structure of Castrol company had been a geographically based model, with four regional directors, the line managers responsible for over 50 country managers who ran their country businesses, very successfully hitherto, like individual freedoms. Traditional flat structure, where there were two way communications between the top management and the functional management. However by restructuring each department was converted into autonomous cellular structure where the C.E.O of each company was responsible for his own company. Systems Systems can be regarded as day today ongoing processors of the any company, thus these can vary from Human Resource procedures, accounting procedures, production lines, documentation etc. Castrol should try their best to make their systems more effective through innovations and management layouts. Style Castrol company had a straight span of management with most of the decision was made at the top level of management since it was vested with CEO of that company. This represented a autocratic style of leadership but under the restructuring Castrol can change its decision making style which was previously was under CEO and staffs can be encourage to make decision in critical situations. Staff Organizations are made up of humans and its the people who make the real difference to the success of the organization in the increasingly dynamic knowledge-based environments. The importance of human resources has thus got the central position in the strategy of the organization. This involves the methods how businesses develop employees to shape up value to improve performance. The two way feedback introduced after the restructured programmes improved the communication between the top management and the subordinate staff. Shared Values Shared values are what engender trust and link an organization together. Shared values are also the identity by which an organization is known throughout its business areas. These values must be stated as both corporate objectives and individual values.   (Vadim Kotelnikov, nd) All the employees of the Castrol should be encouraged to take the in the strategic implementation process. Skills Skills of staff member are not sufficient for Castrol since they had lack of trust internally with hindered the company performance. But after that restructuring and reconsidering strategy the company can improve its performance since present year profit have declined comparing to previous year profit.. This can be solved by training and educational programmes for the staff paradigm of operation, recruitments of young, dynamic, innovative technical staff to infuse organisational culture. Appendix 2 SWOT Analysis Strengths The Burmah Oil Company was founded in 1886 by Scottish entrepreneurs. Operates petrochemical businesses worldwide through the network of its subsidiaries and retail brands The passenger car engine oil business, which represented 75 per cent of total profits faced the prospect of more efficient engines oil suppliersCastrol strong brand loyalty for oil Very successful developing world position, particularly in Asia Paci ¬Ã‚ c. Weaknesses Castrol had some lack of belief internally, lack of belief externally and a possibly time-limited opportunity as a result of oil industry consolidation. Some of the areas of business were suffering because of the dominant culture of the passenger car engine oil business. Reduce in share price of Castrol Opportunities The strategic review identi ¬Ã‚ ed an underlying theme of industrial marketing and quality service as the core competences of the successful chemicals businesses. Extension of strategic oil and gas acquisitions in North Sea area; Launch of more flexible price policy to compete main rivals.   Threats Environmentally unsound policies due to oil and toxic spills; Possibilities for rendering the Chemicals portfolio as a whole more substantial and therefore more able to sit comfortably alongside Castrol Ceasing operations in a number of potential locations   with their further re-branding (Conoco); Sale of corporate-owned stations; Share price was sliced down to  £7 which was the extremes of a dull range. Since the passenger car engine oil business, which represented 75 per cent of total pro ¬Ã‚ ts, faced the prospect of more efficient engines requiring longer and longer gaps between oil changes; and therefore of potential long-term volume decline. Further lawsuits considering the companys ecological activities. Appendix 3 Industrial Environment analysis of Castrol by using Porters Five Forces model The strongest competitive force or forces determine the profitability of an industry and become the most important to strategy formulation (Porter .M,2008). Analysis by Porters five forces can be said that threat of new entrants is low due to huge capital and cutting-edge technology. Suppliers are weak because they are spread all over the world and cannot easily forward integrate. Buyers are weak due to low demand for non-consumer goods and high switching costs; moreover, buyers are not able to backward integrate. Substitutes are moderately strong due to different and less-expensive transportation facilities. On the other hand, intensity of rivalry is strong because of major players are dominant in the market by nearly same technology and manufacturing processes, suppliers relationship and distribution systems. Treat from New entrance Bargaining Power of Buyers Bargaining Power of Suppliers Revelry among Competitors Treat from Substitutes Threat of New Entrants- The expansion of foreign competitors began to decrease the market of car companies. As the world is experiencing economic downturn there is a great opportunity for the low cost customers to enter into the market. The conference of customers towards the brand is the only barrier to entry the market. Power of Suppliers A lot of suppliers depend on a certain oil companies to buy a majority of their products. If Castrol decided to change suppliers it could be the end of the suppliers business. Consequently, suppliers have little power.  Castrol should have a tightly bound network of suppliers, and partly to hedge against the loss of key suppliers. Threat from substitutes- There are oil companies such as BP, Shell, reliance etc which are the major competitor in the oil business market. Switching cost, change in buyers preferences and qualities of supply all create threat to Castrol Company. Power of buyers Castrol bargaining power of buyers, is quiet weak for Castrol and the entire automobile industry with a large number of alternative suppliers, hence, the aggressive pricing strategy. The five forces analysis gives an improved understanding of the degree of competition within the business environment. The analysis shows that the automotive industry is highly competitive, with buyers possessing and exerting a very powerful influence to the large number of substitute brands available to them. Appendix 4 PEST Analysis POLITICAL World energy markets are becoming more volatile due to the threat of geopolitical instability. Greater climate destabilisations from CO2 emissions are leading governments to encourage more sustainable forms of energy. World energy markets are becoming more volatile due to the growing oil requirements of a buoyant Chinese economy, creating tension between nations   Ã‚  ECONOMIC Economy is underpinned by its energy Energy markets will see demand increasing by almost 60 percent, with fossil fuels meeting most of this, and nuclear and renewable energy markets having limited relative contribution Alternative energy sources as a percentage of total energy supply are increasing and are expected to continue to do so. SOCIAL Kyoto Agreement, signed in 1992, has led to carbon funds (World Bank,) and emission trading in Europe and around the world, which is becoming a legal requirement. Peoples worldview is starting to change to a concern over the sustainability of the future, although this is not expected to change dramatically to justify widespread changes to energy use for some time.   TECHNOLOGY The International Energy Agency states that alternative energy markets will be underpinned by technological breakthroughs. Research shows technology is the key to competitiveness in the alternative energy industry; whilst alternative energy technologies are underpinned by 48 critical success factors across technological, commercial, socio-political and organisational categories. Appendix 5 Organisational structure Castrol adopted an organisational structure that was significantly different from a traditional approach to reflect the new business environment in the mid 1997s. Unlike the structure of many modern structure oil companies they have adapted to their tradional approach because of it convenience. The Tim Steven at the companys level holds a position as the CEO of Board of Directors, and the manager was in charge of all other functions at Castrol. All functional heads at Castrol also hold the position of party secretary at that function. These, to a great degree, facilitate the coordination between the CEO and management at Castrol, particularly at the functional level. The organisational structure that created for Castrol is shown in this figure, CEO Vice President (Production) Vice President (Technology) Vice President (Equipment) oil making oil rolling Production office Technology Automation Quality inspection Equipment Maintenance Planning Accounting Materials Supply Personnel Chairman Board of directors 50 country managers Line manager Regional director Regional director sident Regional director Regional director Appendix 6 Value Chain analysis Firm Infrastructure (Administration, Salaries and Wages, Assets of BMW, After sale services) Technology Development (New models, Development of new technological programs) Human Resource Management ( Recruitment and selection of qualified engineers and general managers, continuous training and development/ supervision) Procurement (Increase output of new models such as mini and Road rover) Inbound Logistic Getting contact with new supplier for back up and production of new models to attract different groups of customers Operation Carrying out activities such as acquiring technology and employing skill workers Outbound Logistic consumer loyalty created by quality Marketing and Sales Marketing is done by providing a Effective branding and establishes emotional contacts to the customers of Toyota Appendix 7 Balance score card of Castrol FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE How should we appear to our shareholders? Vision and strategy LEARNING AND GROWTH PERPECTIVE: To achieve our vision how should we sustain our ability to challenge improve? CUSTOMER FOCUS: How should we appear to our customers? OPERATINGPERFORMANCE: What business processes must we excel at? The balanced scorecard is a performance measurement and management tool which is gaining in popularity and which is particularly useful for the implementation and assessment of strategy. The balanced scorecard is a comprehensive framework that translates an organizations vision into a coherent set of strategic initiatives and performance measures. Financial perspective Burmah Castrol is in fact very much more than one homogenous business and indeed the Castrol Lubes business extends across a number of segments, each quite different in nature. Each business group is run independently from the others in Burmah Castrol and we have a strong tradition of local operating unit autonomy. Indeed, it is fair to say that we never operate as a centralized business and the size of our operating units runs right across the spectrum from the very small to the very large, as this chart of annual turnover illustrates. It have got 109 units, with an annual turnover of less than  £5m and then move down the scale; 26 less than  £10m; 20 at less than  £15m; etc. And then go right up the scale and there is what we would see as mega units: 1 at  £100m; 1 in the  £200m range; and 2 in the  £300m range. Customer perspective Castrol Consumer is world leader in the supply of car and motorcycle lubricants and services, marketing to workshops and retail chains, auto accessory stores and petrol stations. Principal products are engine oils, e.g. GTX, transmission  ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡uids and brake  ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡uids. To establish in todays market its vital for every company to establish a strong relationship between customer and the company. Complete customer satisfaction is what is needed to achieve this relationship. Castrol should build a strong relationship that reflects their values as individuals and members of the society. And they always try to build relationships with customers based on mutual trust and loyalty. Internal business process perspective Castrol Commercial provides products and services principally to on and off-road vehicle  ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡eets. Off-road business includes vehi

Current Research on a New Spacecraft Autonomy Architecture named Remote

Remote Agent Part 1: Introduction to Spacecraft Autonomy Abstract This first paper of a two-part series introduces current research on a new spacecraft autonomy architecture, named Remote Agent, which applies artificial intelligence techniques to spacecraft control functions. The necessity for autonomy technology is nowhere greater than in deep space missions. Remote Agent is a model-based autonomous system being developed in a collaborative effort between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Ames Research Center. This spacecraft control scheme is composed of three parts that work together: 1) the Planner-Scheduler, 2) Mode Identification and Recovery, and 3) the Smart Executive. Models of the spacecraft's components and environment are given to Remote Agent and it figures out the necessary detailed operating procedures on its own. Because autonomy improves mission performance and reduces costs, autonomously controlled spacecraft will become more prominent in future space missions. Introduction The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is being confronted with the challenge to perform more frequent and intensive space-exploration missions at greatly reduced cost. Nowhere is this more crucial than among robotic planetary exploration missions that the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) conducts for NASA. This paper describes current research on a new spacecraft autonomy architecture using artificial intelligence (AI) techniques to challenging computational problems in planning and scheduling, and real-time monitoring and control. Work on this software package combines research from diverse areas of AI such as model-based reasoning, qualitative reasoning, planning an... ...-122. 2. "Automata Theory", The New Encyclopedia Brittanica , Vol. 14, 1987 ed., pp 520-28. 3. Williams, Brian C., and P. Pandurang Nayak, Immobile Robots: AI in the New Millennium , AI Magazine, Fall 1996, pp. 16-35. 4. Wan, D., Braspenning, P., and G. Vreeswijk, Limits to Ground Control in Autonomous Spacecraft , Telematics and Infomatics, Vol. 12, No. 3/4, pp 247-59. 5. Schilling, K., De LaFontaine, J., and H. Roth, Autonomy Capabilities of European Deep Space Probes , Autonomous Robots, Vol. 3, No. 1, 1996, pp 19-30. 6. NASA New Millennium Program website, [ http://nmp.jpl.nasa.gov/News/press/01_09_97.html ] 7. Hanson, Mark L., and Lorraine M. Fesq, A Software Architecture for Next Generation Satellites , TRW Space and Electronics Group, Redondo Beach, CA, Presented at the 1997 Highly Autonomous Systems Workshop, Pasadena, CA, April 10-11, 1997.

The Homeless †Mentally Ill, or Just Lazy? Essay -- Exploratory Essays

The Homeless – Mentally Ill, or Just Lazy? What causes homelessness? Is homelessness the result of job loss? Does it result from drug and alcohol addiction? Just who are the homeless? The homeless are a mixture of people with many different problems. Many of them are mentally ill patients released from institutions. Some are single women with children. As John Grisham stated, 40% are substance abusers (Grisham 14). Some of the homeless want and need help, but to others being homeless is a conscious choice. The choices a person makes will largely determine what kind of life he or she has. Outside factors, such as unexpected job loss, may drastically alter a person’s lifestyle for a while, but most people get back on their feet before long. As the GM worker said in Roger and Me, "It’s never pleasant when something like this comes to an end, but life goes on." The majority of people will make the choice to look for another job, no matter what they have to do to get one. This may include moving to another part of the state or country (the lady at the Flint post office said they had 82,000 address changes). It may also result in a cut in pay. Most workers are willing to make the sacrifices it takes to continue to be employed. Yet there are others who decide to give up, start to drink, or take drugs, and end up on the street. Watching Roger and Me in 2004 does not have the same impact it had in 1989. GM was one of the first companies to "downsize," and it was a big shock to everyone when it happened. Since then downsizing has become a trend with thousands of companies, and people nowadays are not surprised when they are laid off. Roger Smith is only one of many CEO’s who make millions while lower employees lose their jo... ...ay find themselves jobless and homeless. Everyone faces obstacles in their life. How one chooses to deal with them - to fight or to give up - will determine the quality of life he or she will have. Works Cited Crimmins, James C.   The American Promise.   San Francisco: KQED Books,   1995.    Grisham, John.   "Somewhere for Everyone."   Newsweek February 9, 1998: 14.    Marin, Peter.   "Helping and Hating the Homeless:   The Struggle at the Margins of America." Writing For Change: A Community Reader.   Ed.   Ann Watters and Marjorie Ford. NY McGraw-Hill, Inc., 1995.   270-283.    Moore, Michael, Dir.   Roger & Me.   Videocassette.   Dog Eat Dog/Warner Bros., 1989.   VHS.   Ã‚   83 min.    Terkel, Studs.   "Mike LeFevre:   Who Built the Pyramids?"   Writing For Change - A Community Reader.   Ed.   Ann Watters and Marjorie Ford.   NY McGraw-Hill, Inc., 1995.   209-216.