Iron Jawed Angels Essay

For Americans, the right to vote is so taken for granted I have especially seen this recently with the amount of people who have decided to just not vote. It’s hard to believe it was unavailable to the country’s women until 1920, and not until after quite a fight and yet we still have so many people who take the responsibility to vote so lightly. Iron Jawed Angels is a movie that I had previously heard about and was on my list of movies I wanted to watch. I was excited that we had the opportunity to view it during this class. Before I had only heard in brief what women did to earn the right to vote but this movie gave me a new insight on how hard the actual struggle for the equality we now enjoy and the rights such as voting and making our own decisions. Instead of just hearing about it during a history lesson I was able to put myself in the situation and reflect on what I would do if I lived during that time period. My favorite part of the movie so far has been the section where the women are picketing in front of the White House. I was very moving how they all decided to go in together through the rough time even when they were thrown into prison. I was especially moved during the movie to see the lengths these women would go to in order to get their right to vote as well as women all throughout the United States of America which included starving themselves to make a point. I am excited to see how the rest of the movie will end and I must say this is one of the better movies I have seen in a while. The actresses in this movie are fantastic and I believe they all do a great job of representing the different women that must have come together to find success in this battle for equality.

Time Warner Analysis

BUSINESS CASE ASSIGNMENT 1 Jie Tian Zhaopeng Li A. As part of strategic planning exercise, describe and analyze the vision and mission statements of Time Warner Inc. There is no explicit vision or mission statements on Time Warner’s website. But according to the description of vision and mission statements on class the â€Å"ABOUT US† statement on the company’s website resembles the mission statement and the â€Å"OUR VALUES† statement fits the definition of vision statement. The â€Å"ABOUT US† statement describes that Time Warner Inc. a global leader in media and entertainment with businesses in television networks, film and TV entertainment and publishing, uses its industry-leading operating scale and brands to create, package and deliver high-quality content worldwide through multiple distribution outlets. First off, this mission statement is a product-oriented mission because it states what products and services it serves its customers. Second, the statement emphasizes that Time Warner is a global leader and provide services worldwide. It shows the scope and domain of the organization is around the globe.And it also clearly describes the organization’s purpose is to create, package and deliver high-quality content through multiple distribution outlets. The â€Å"OUR VALUES† on the website describes that the company encourages risk-taking and divergent voices, makes the highest quality premium content available on every device, creates value by working together within and across our business, upholds editorial independence and artistic expression, attracts and develops the world’s best talent and takes pride in serving the public interest.The â€Å"OUR VALUES† statement falls into seven categories which are creativity, customer focus, agility, teamwork, integrity, diversity and responsibility. The statements show the ambitious long-terms goals of the organization such as recruiting the worldâ₠¬â„¢s best talent and making its content available on every device. It also mentions how the organization will generate value for the future through effective teamwork, innovation and originality and embracing changes and opportunities B. Explain, in detail, its basis of competitive advantages using Porter’s generic strategies (show how this is supported through the firm’s value hain activities) Time Warner has four main subsidiaries which are Turner Broadcasting System, Warner Bros. Entertainment, Home Box Office, and Time Inc. Turner’s entertainment networks include TBS, TNT, Cartoon Network, tru TV, Turner Classic Movies and Boomerang. Turner’s news networks consist of CNN and HLN. Each of the subsidiaries of Turner has their own specialties for example that TBS focus on contemporary comedies like The Big Bang Theory, TNT focus on drama, tru TV focus on real-life stories from a first-person perspective.Warner Bros. Entertainment include Warner Bros. wh ich produces and distributes feature films, Warner Bros. Television Group which develops, produces and distributes television series, reality-based entertainment shows and animation programs for the Company’s network and third parties. Other subsidiaries under Warner Bros. Entertainment are Warner Bros. Animation Inc. , Warner Home Video, Warner Bros. Digital Distribution, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, Warner Bros. Consumer Products Inc. and DC Entertainment.The third segment of the organization is Time Inc. which is the largest magazine publisher in the U. S. based on commercial avenue and published 21 magazines in print in U. S. and over 70 magazines out of U. S. which covers the topic of style and entertainment, lifestyle, news and sports. Time/Warner Retail Sales & Marketing Inc. is also a subsidiary under Time Inc.. Home Box Office (HBO) is the nation’s most widely distributed multi-channel premium pay television service which consists of recently releas ed uncut and uncensored theatrical motion pictures.Based upon the brief introduction of various segments in the organization above it can be concluded that the competitive advantage of Time Warner is founded on differentiation. Porter suggested that a firm could only apply one of the three generic strategies or the company could be â€Å"stuck in the middle† and will not achieve a competitive advantage. However, he also argued that firms could only succeed at multiple strategies by creating separate business units for each strategy.In Time Warner case differentiation strategy and differentiation focus strategy are both applied in achieve its competitive strategy. For networks and film business the company is competing with other film production and network companies. Television programming, feature films and news are the products of these industries which always have a massive audience scope and the companies try to differentiate themselves from competitors. The uniqueness of the product is the key in the competition that customers would like to pay a premium price for the products.Time Warner exploits its brand recognition and embraces innovation and creativity to product various different focused programs and movies to distinguish itself from its competitors. The competitive advantage is achieved through differentiation focus for HBO and magazines business because of their narrow market focus. Magazines like Essence and Golf face targeted audience instead of the broad scope audience. Time Warner has its own well developed distribution channel and sales& marketing company.Therefore, its differentiation could be effectively supported by the outbound logistics and Sales &Marketing sections in the value chain. C. Mintzberg’s family of strategies. Time Warner is involved in both the midstream and downstream business because it develops, produces and distributes feature films, TV programming and magazines. Time Warner distinguishes itself in achievin g competitive advantage through differentiation strategy and differentiation focus strategy. Time Warner elaborates its core business by market development strategy and diversification strategy.Time Warner develops its market mainly by geographic expansion and technology expansion. For example, Turner distributed 57 networks of it regional entertainment brands in over 200 countries. Time Inc. made all of its’ U. S. magazines available at tablet editions. The CW broadcast network cooperated with Netflix. Inc. and Hulu to expand its distribution channel. Time Warner extends its core business by the strategies of entry and control and listening. The 50-50 joint venture between Warner Bros. and CBS Corporation created the CW broadcast network.

A Proposed Computerized Payroll System Essay

Chapter I INTRODUCTION Electricity is a naturally occurring force that exists everywhere and it is used to power many things that are used in our everyday life. Without electricity, people’s lives would be very different and in many cases more difficult. There are many ways to generate electricity; one way in producing electricity is the use of solar cells. Solar cells or photovoltaic cells are made of semiconductor materials such as silicon and designed to convert light energy into electrical energy by the photovoltaic effect. Photovoltaic effect is the basic physical process through which a solar cell converts light into electricity. Light is one of the most abundant forms of energies and by using this energy in a proper way an eco-friendly form of energy can be produced. When light energy strikes, it absorbs photons of light and releases electrons these free electrons then forms an electric current that can be used to power a load. According to The World Factbook, the world has over 5 billion mob ile phone users. In the Philippines alone, there are 92,227,000 mobile cellular telephone subscribers, placing the country in the 11th position of most number of mobile phone users in the year 2010. This fact shows that mobile phones are essential therefore the batteries are needed to be charged and one way to charge it, is through solar energy. For its commercial purpose, the solar powered mobile phone charger is designed to have a coin timer that will recognize the coin to activate the timer and the mobile phone charger. The time that it will take for the mobile phone to charge depends on the amount of money that will be inserted in the device. Through this, the materials used for the machine, like the solar calls, will be recovered. The convenience of the machine lies in its capability to be installed either indoor or outdoor locations as long as there is light that can be absorbed by the photovoltaic cells. Background of the Study From the survey given randomly to some students and employee’s most of them frequently use†¦. try dn to.. From the survey that was gathered, most people frequently usetheir mobile phones and sometimes forget to charge their phones at home; such causes them to run out of battery charge when they need  to use it outside, especially in emergency purposes. The places where they need to charge their phones the most in case of emergency are schools, hospital, mall, offices, bus stations and other terminals. For the past years, a mobile phone charger coin-operated machine already exists in the Philippines and this was stated from the article of Rey Gamboa from Philippine Star. However, this machine is usually available on public and indoor places like Ministop and 7-eleven and are powered by power grids. Therefore, the proposed design is a mobile phone charger vending machine that uses solar cells to produce electricity that will power the device without the need for outlet plugging(the power in the outlet†¦ try to†¦ ). It can be used on both indoors and outdoors as long as light is available.It may also payback the expense of the material used and the good thing is that the time span of a solar cell is about 30 years according to the studies done in 2007 by International Journal of Environmental Technology and Management. It may also payback the expenses for the materials used in having solar cells and it has a time span of more than thirty years according to the studies of the International Journal of Environmental Technology and Management in the year of 2007. trydn†¦ Statement of the Problem This project study dealt in the development of using free energy caused by light that produces electricity for the mobile phone charger. This form of transforming energy will help lessen the environmental problem such as pollution, global warming, acid rain or smog.At the same time, it paybacks the causeof the solar cells itself by using it as a solar powered mobile phone chargervending machine. The study specifically aims to answer the following questions: 1. What type and how many solar cells are needed to produce electricity that is enough to power the mobile phone charger vending machine? 2. How to design the power supply circuit necessary to power the mobile phone charger vending machine? 3. What is the position and alignment of the solar cells and also the time in which it can produce electricity efficiently? 4. How to design and develop the mobile phone charger circuit that can accommodate 2 units of mobile phones? 5. Howlong is the payback time in using solar cells to power t he mobile phone charger vending machine? Objectives of the Study The researchers’ main objective is to design and develop a solar powered mobile phone charger vending machinethat can maximize the profit of the investors that operates it. This means that this device can be installed in any areas as long as the solar cells can be exposed to sunlight which will eliminate the need of an outlet.In order to address the main objective, the following also need to be achieved: 1. To determine the type and number of solar cells needed to produce electricity that is enough to power the mobile phone charger vending machine. 2. To design the power supply circuit necessary to power the mobile phone charger vending machine. 3. To determine the position and alignment of the solar cells and also the time in which it can produce electricity efficiently. 4. To design and develop the mobile phone charger circuit that can accommodate 2 units of mobile phone. 5. To determine thepayback time in using solar cells to power the mobile phone charger vending machine. Significance of the Study People who are using mobile phones frequently are the main recipients of the benefits in this study. The need of people to charge their mobile phone because of work, emergency, or any other condition will lead them to find a mobile phone charging station. Hence, a mobile phone charging station that is powered by light energy will be a good way to harness energy from light efficiently and productively. For the environment, the device uses only the photons of light to produce electricity which means that it doesn’t need to be plugged into a power source. It can also be used inside anenclosed area where there is artificial light like bulbs or fluorescent light. However, for higher gain of electricity and efficiency it is recommended to harness sunlight’s energy because it is brighter than any other artificial light that is common in commercial and public areas. For the investors, after the device is produced, it in itself will produce electricity for it to work. Consequently,the device doesn’t need intensive maintenance, and the cost of maintenance will be less. For the future researchers, energy sources has so many forms; the way of harnessing it to its’ full potential is the only difference. This device is an example of harnessing light energy in a way that will help the producer, consumer and environment. This will help future researchers to think of topics that will not only benefit one party, but all  those who are going be involved or affected by their proposed project. For the researcher, this device is another innovation in the field of harnessing solar energy. This simply shows that solar energy can be used as an alternative source of energy in many ways. Scope and Limitations of the Study The researchers’ main concern is to design a solar powered mobile phone charger vending machine that is efficient on harnessing solar energy and can convert it to electrical energy to charge mobile phones. The device must be economically sound in a way that when it has achieved its payback period, the only thing that must be put into concern is the cost of maintenance. Since solar cells are easy to maintain, the maintenance cost is not high. The devices’ main part is the power supply that will act as the source of electricity for the device. Solar cells effective life span is 25-30 years, which makes it a very good alternative source of energy for the device to work. To design the devices’ main part, the position and slope of the solar cells must be considered depending on the location where it will be installed so that the solar cells can produce the maximum amount of electricity. This is because the amount of electricity that a solar cell can produce depends on the intensity of sunlight that is being absorbed within the semiconductor material. The number of solar cells must also be enough to produce electricity that is needed to power the device. The rated total power output of all the solar cells must also be sufficient for the mobile phone vending machine. It must also be placed on top of a roof or any high position so that shadowing, vandalism and stealing can be prevented. A battery will serve as a storage device so that the electricity that will be generated by the solar cells will be stored whenever it is not in use and the electricity that will charge the mobile phones will be constant and not fluctuate. The power supply circuit will regulate the voltage and current to its rated value that the mobile phone charger vending machine needs. The devices’ second main part is the mobile phone charger vending machine. This is composed of a mechanism that recognizes the coin that is inserted and starts the process of charging the mobile phone and also the timer. It recognizes the diameter, thickness and weight of the coin so that it can distinguish the value of the coin. The timer is programmed to start whenever a coin is inserted and it depends on the value of the coin that is inserted  on how many minutes the timer will countdown. At the same time, the charger will start charging the mobile phone until the timer ends the countdown. The devices’ third main part is the mobile phone charger circuit. This charger can charge multiple mobile phones at the same time. It is composed of different plug-ins that is commonly used for the user to choose of the plug-in that fits in his/her mobile phone. It is operated by the timer so when the timer starts to countdown, it starts to get electricity from the power supply. Theamount of voltage and current output that is needed to charge the mobile phones is suitable for nearly all brands of mobile phones. Limitations of the study The device is subjected to the following limitations: 1. In outdoors, the device only operates during daytime, approximately 6:30am – 5:30pm depending on the location as long as sunlight is available. 2. It can also be used inside a mall or commercial area that has artificial lighting system,however the amount of electricity that the solar cell can produce is not as high compared to what sunlightcan produce. 3. The plug-in that will be used to charge the mobile phones are those of Nokia. 4. Since the device only recognizes 1Php and 5Php, it can only be used in the Philippines. 5. It cannot be used outdoors when sunlight is not present specifically during rainy days or in cases when the clouds are very gloomy. 6. It cannot be used outdoors when there is a natural catastrophe or disaster. 7. The researchers will not consider the charging time of the Deep cycle battery. 8. The researcher will not consider if the mobile phone user doesn’t ends the countdown of charging his/her mobile phone.

An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestley Coursework

An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestley - Coursework Example The entire play, based on three acts, takes place on the same evening of 1912 at the Birling residence in Brumley, which is described as ‘an industrial city in the north Midlands’. The Birlings are having dinner when they are interrupted by an Inspector Goole who insinuates that they are responsible for causing the death of a young working class woman called Eva Smith. In the interim there are many instances where we get an insight into the nature and attitudes of the characters, which the playwright has so cleverly indicated as he intersperses events with anecdotes about them. Thesis Statement Priestley’s play ‘An Inspector Calls’ gives a good glimpse into the decadent values and attitudes held by British society. He underscores the differences between the erudite facade of composure they maintain while they are really at ill-ease with themselves and their place in society. In other words, they are more concerned with outward appearances, while this masks and hides many a skeleton in their closet. The differences between the social classes are clearly indicated, and the apparent superiority of the Birling household is ridiculed. Discussion The real significance of Priestley’s ‘An Inspector Calls’ is not really in the plot, but in the story that unfolds between the lines. Priestley has aimed his salvos here at upper class British society, mainly the nouveau-rich social strata like the Birlings. It appears that the Birlings have indeed come into contact with Eva at various junctures in the recent past and all of this is recollected as the play unfolds. Their attitude in dealing with Eva on these occasions in fact reflects on their own character and values as well-â€Å"†¦what happened to her then may have determined what happened to her afterwards, and what happened to her afterwards may have driven her to suicide. A chain of events† (Inspector Goole: Act One)1. The patriarch of the family, Mr. Art hur Birling is described as a ‘heavy looking, rather portentous man in his 50s’. He is the picture of the capitalist, and loves to describe himself as a ‘hard headed businessman.’ As would be expected of this character type, Birling is arrogant and self centered, while being morally blind as well. At no point in the play do we find him repentant or soul searching. He dismisses any inclination of guilt or blame in Eva’s death, although he recalls that he had dismissed her about 18 months ago for stirring up trouble at his mill. He was concerned with quelling dissent and lowering labor costs at the factory, both of which were accomplished by Eva’s dismissal. Arthur is displeased with Inspector Goole’s visit, this having materialized just when they were celebrating the engagement of his daughter Eva to Gerald Croft, the son of a business competitor. This he is overly concerned with his family’s social standing and cannot stand to se e it tarnished by Goole’s accusations. The last thing he wants is a public scandal†¦ â€Å"You'll apologize at once ... I'm a public man† (Mr. Birling: Act Two)2. Sybil Birling is Arthur’s wife and comes from a higher social status than her husband. As the head of a women’s charitable organization, she looks down upon the working class and regards the deceased Eva and her ilk as being dishonest, greedy and immoral. She also stands by her husband’s side and tries to protect the family name. On the last occasion she saw Eva, the latter had been

International Business Environment Coursework Essay

International Business Environment Coursework - Essay Example While international business has been there for a long time, it has never been as intense as it is today. Yet, it has not reached its peak. In the future, conditions are going to make it easier, an also necessary for businesses to look at global opportunities. International business is therefore going to be more intensified as time goes on. Although more and more opportunities continue to increase, there are also some challenges that continue to show up in the international business environment. In this appear both challenges and the opportunities that will grace the international business environment have been identified. Of course, globalization is the biggest factor that has to be considered with regard to international business. Globalization is the unification of the global community made of nations, countries and regions, as they share various aspects of culture such as goods and services, language, ideas, education and even world views. Globalization has been made possible by the introduction of better communication and transport infrastructure which makes these things to be easily moved from one region to the other. Other factors also make globalization a necessity in the long run. With globalization, the world continues to be flatter with every technology that that comes up. The flatness of the world refers to the fact that things can be done around the globe in much more efficient and flexible way than they were done in the past. As the world gets flatter, it will mean that the market will respond equally to all types, sizes and even sources of competition. In a fact, world, all competitors have the same opportunity and some traditional factors that used to be the factors determining who dominates the market will cease to be important. Although this has been achieved in a number of ways, it is going to be even more so in the next decade. The

Summary 4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Summary 4 - Essay Example It goes without saying that the story of the life and deeds of this great man are now intermingled with numerous mysteries and myths. Thus, it is still unknown when St. Benedict was born, though â€Å"tradition teaches† that he was born in 480 and died in 547.1 According to Gregory the Great, who was St. Benedict’s biographer, the saint lived from 480 up to 543.2 St. Benedict was born in â€Å"the province of Nursia of honourable parentage and sent to Rome to study the liberal sciences†.3 However, at the age of fourteen Benedict abandons the school and starts his glorious way of a virtuous man and spiritual shepherd.4 He starts living in solitude in one of the caves of the mountains not far from Rome. Soon he starts living in monasteries where he inspires other monks (and other people) by his virtues. Admittedly, the life in monasteries was the necessary background for the creation of his code of rules. It is noteworthy that he could read Latin which made it poss ible for him to get acquainted with works of Cassian and other prominent monastic writings.5 At this point it is necessary to point out that in his biography Gregory the Great also mentions numerous miracles worked by St. Benedict. Of course, this cannot be regarded as facts from the saint’s biography. ... d and God has not abandoned his people; he continues to bless them with holy persons†.6 It goes without saying that Benedict did lead a virtuous life and made a lot of rightful things to become such a symbol for millions of people. He established 12 monasteries and never stopped teaching monks and other people to live rightfully. However, the major work of St. Benedict is his Rule which he, presumably, wrote in Monte Cassino.7 The Rule contains the major guideline for monasticism which â€Å"was and is still used in many monasteries and convents† worldwide.8 The reason why the Rule has become the guideline for millions is quite simple. The principles articulated by St. Benedict were simple and rightful. The Rule is properly structured and is written in a form of preaching, or rather exhortation. In the first place, Benedict reveals the aims he is eager to achieve in his Rule. In the Prologue he states that only obedience and rightful work can bring monks to their Holy Fa ther. In the Prologue Benedict calls monks for changes: â€Å"It is now the hour for us to rise from sleep†.9 Thus, St. Benedict claims that there is a need to change some wrongful ways and turn to God. It is important to note that in his Rule Benedict points out some misdeeds. For instance, he warns abbots of â€Å"more care for fleeting, worldly things†.10 The major reason why Benedict’s Rule has been accepted in the entire western world is that it promulgated basic principles of Christianity. The Rule shows the way to make Christian monasticism rightful. Notably, St. Benedict pays much attention to the role of the Abbot. In fact, St. Benedict depicts the â€Å"rightful† Abbot, who is patient, reasonable, and virtuous. According to Benedict the rightful Abbot should inspire his disciples by his deeds,

Cultural studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Cultural studies - Essay Example Representation of males in the advertisements is also related to American symbols. The taste of this cigarette may be heavy. Only men could enjoy such heavy tastes. That is the reason for using male models. The connotation or idea behind the slogan come to Marlboro country has double meanings. They are the western countryside and America itself. This truly resembles American identity (Wang. 1998.). The advertisement of parliament cigarettes contains some symbolic as well as subliminal message. This type of message is transmitted through plainly visible images as well as objects. These messages aim to appeal the basic instincts of customers. Of course these advertisements have multiple meanings. One view of this ad is that the presence of a female holding a cigarette packet, depicts the importance of smoking in the lives of men is in par of woman. Cigarettes and women have some common case of attraction in the perspective of men. The other meaning could be that parliament cigarettes are not as heavy as other cigarettes. This is evident due to presence of woman in the advertisement. The main difference between the two advertisements is that, the first one depicts masculinity. It is totally male oriented advertisement. The advertisement shows hardness of the situation. However the second ad is not too hard and masculine when compared with the first one. The presence of a woman and a formally dressed gentleman clearly gives the idea that it is lighter in its context as well as attractive to all genders (Ad Analysis Parliament Cigarettes). In politics the chances of err and lie committed by people are quite high. Such behaviour is instrumentally as well as epistemically rational in nature. The practices that are followed in liberal democracy are difficult to improve so that the above mentioned problem can be overtaken. The contemporary political philosophy is an unsuccessful attempt to vindicate on moral and symbolic grounds

Foundations of Criminal Law-resit journal article analysis Coursework

Foundations of Criminal Law-resit journal article analysis - Coursework Example The house of Lords held that allowing the appeal, that the word reckless, in S.1 of the Criminal Damage Act 1971 was not intended by parliament to change the law in respect of the mens rea, required for the offence of recklessly causing damage to property, thus foresight of consequences remained a necessary ingredient of recklessness in the context of S.1 offence. Such a construction which made no allowance for the defendant’s youth or mental capacity when assessing the obviousness of the risk of the property was a misinterpretation of S.1; was offensive in principle, and was apt to cause injustice and offend against a jury’s sense of fairness. Thus, the need to correct the misinterpretation was compelling.1 The very high threshold of departing from a previous decision of the House of Lords had been satisfied. In order to convict an offence under S.1 of the 1971 Act, it must be proved that a person acted Crim.L.R.370 recklessly to: (a) a situation when he was familiar w ith the danger that it existed or could exist; (b) an outcome when he is mindful of the danger that it will happen, and it is in the factors known to him, nonsensical to take the danger. But if a defendant, due to his age and personal characteristics, genuinely did not appreciate or foresee the risk involved in the actions, then he could not be regarded as culpable so as to be guilty of an offence under S.1. 1Cath Crosby, â€Å"Recklessness – the Continuing Search for a Definition† The Journal of Criminal Law (2008) 313 -334 Accordingly in the instant case, the judge’s directions, which were based on a previous decision of the House of Lords, now departed from, were incorrect, and the conviction of the defendants would be quashed. The House of Lords departed from an earlier ruling i.e. R.vs Caldwell (James) {1982} A.C 341(HL). This ruling provided an objective definition of â€Å"recklessness†. Lord Diplock held that a person would be reckless under the C riminal Damage Act 1971 if: (1) He does a demonstration which truth be told makes a plain hazard that property could be crushed or harmed; (2) whenever he does an enactment that he either has not given any thought for the conceivability of there being any such hazard or he has distinguished that there was some hazard included, and has none the less gone ahead to do it. Lord Diplock’s assertion postulates that, the very definition of â€Å"recklessness,† is conceived on an objective criterion or test, which ultimately was/is based upon the ordinary prudent individual’s state of mind. In R vs. G, the main point of departure at least according to Lord Bingham of Cornhill, was the â€Å"state of mind† of the individual found culpable to have committed a criminal act.2 According to Lord Bingham, â€Å"The most clearly at fault state of brain is doubtlessly an aim to create the harmful effect. However, knowing negligence of a prized and unsatisfactory danger o f bringing on a harmful effect or a purposeful shutting of the personality to such hazard could be promptly embraced as at fault moreover. It is unmistakably accountable to take a clear and critical danger of creating damage to a different one. Anyhow, it is not plainly reprehensible to do something including a danger of damage to a different if†¦ â€Å"One really does not recognize the danger. Quite an impressive individual may reasonably be blamed

Differences between a felony and a misdemeanor Assignment

Differences between a felony and a misdemeanor - Assignment Example The researcher states that there are significant differences between a felony offense and a misdemeanor offense. According to Currier and Eimermann, understanding these differences is important because it helps in understanding the procedural criminal law differences. The differences between felonies and misdemeanors will also determine the magnitude of punishment that a criminal offender receives. Breach of peace is considered a crime in common law countries. Ms. Singh’s case should be addressed by classifying her crime either as a felony or misdemeanor before deciding the punishment she should receive. The aim of this paper is to bring out the distinction between a felony and a misdemeanor so as to know the punishment that one is likely to receive for the crime of breaching peace. Both felonies and misdemeanors are classes if criminal offenses that are punishable by the law. Many scholars note that the differences between a felony and a misdemeanor lie in the possible penal ties that may be imposed for each type of crime. The consequences of the convictions of felonies and misdemeanors will help in determining the difference between the two classes of crime. Different jurisdictions have different punishments and criminal law procedures for felonies and misdemeanors. In order to understand the difference between a felony and misdemeanor, it is imperative to define the two terms as in the paper.... Definition of a felony The word felony has numerous definitions. The person who commits a felony is commonly referred to as a felon (Scaros, 2004). According to Currier and Eimermann (2009), a felony is defined as a significantly serious crime which is punishable either by death or a term longer than one year in a federal or state prison. Scaros (2004), on the other hand, defines a felony as a serious crime that carries a minimum term of one year or more only in a state prison because one year or less can be served in county jails. However, Emanuel (2007) notes that felons may sometimes receive sentences less than one year, depending on the limits set by the statute or the judge’s discretion. Another way in which a felony may be defined is a crime for which federal law may punish by imprisonment for more than one year or by death (Emanuel, 2007). Felonies are the crimes taken to be of high seriousness. Definition of a misdemeanor A misdemeanor is defined as a criminal offense that is less serious compared to a felony (Currier & Eimermann, 2009). Scaros (2004), defines a misdemeanor as a criminal offense that is not as serious as a felony and is usually punishable by a jail term of less than one year, a fine or both. Another scholar, Emanuel (2007), points out that a misdemeanor is defined by comparing it to a felony. The degree of seriousness of a misdemeanor is much less than that of a felony. He therefore defines a misdemeanor as an instance of misdeed or misbehavior and is considered a transgression or minor offense. Difference between a felony and misdemeanor It is important to note that both felonies and misdemeanors are criminal offenses under common law

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

RESORT MANAGEMENT - Research Paper Example c. The resort would include 4 main luxury suites and 12 executive double rooms with additional facilities like local sightseeing services, shuttle systems, laundry facilities, restaurants, buffet breakfast options, free internet connection and room services like spa therapy. The service provided by the resort would include both the primary services and a number of augmented services. d. The main departments relevant to the resort would include a tourism management department, operations management department, human resources department and accounting and finance departments (Abrams and Abrams 56). e. The target market trends include increasing interest towards visiting these kinds of places for adventure sports and preference to spend more money for getting high quality service and experience. The visiting trends of the tourist are similar in both winter and summer seasons which mean that the resort is likely to generate good business all round the year (Predeaux 102). a. The resort is expected to add value to the host community. The establishment of the new business would create employment opportunities for the local people and thus create economic opportunities in the area. Also, the local suppliers of products and services required for the hospitality industry would benefit from the scopes of providing their products to the new resort. The investments in the resort would also improve the economic scenario of the area and contribute to the revenue generation of the area. b. However, the equipments and installations required for the skiing and other sporting activities provided by the resort like the gondola services and rope tows may disrupt the local habitats of the area. The deforestation of some areas for establishing the skiing facilities and the accommodation spaces may lead to harmful impacts on the environment. The original ecosystem may be damaged by the establishment of the resort and its ancillary services.

Share Price Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Share Price Report - Essay Example Therefore; this study will provide a sharp insight of Tesco plc and Morrison (Wm) Supermarkets PLC as discussed. 1. A plot of the share price of the project companies (Tesco plc and Morrison (Wm) Supermarkets PLC) over the study period relative to movements in the FTSE 100 index. Source: Author Source: Author 2. Assess major economic and other events that have affected these companies and their share price over the project period (1st October 2012 – 22nd March 2013). Tesco supermarket operates under the parent Tesco private limited company that operates supermarkets and 5 hypermarkets. The supermarket operates under retail industry and offer products such as clothes, toys, Groceries, music, electric products to mention just but a few. The company reported revenue of 3.15 billion pounds as at 2008.Additionally the profit margin was reported to rise by 9.5% in the subsequent periods (The Telegraph, 2013). This increase was attributed to its large market share of non-food items c ausing the prices and the value of its shares to rise. In above connection, Tesco Company had shown great improvements with respect to its shares prices. This could have been attributed to adoption of online trade making it possible for Tesco supermarket to reach numerous customers within a shortest time possible (The Telegraph. 2013). On the other hand, Morrison (Wm) Supermarket is the public limited company that operates in retail industry with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. Additionally, the company offers variety of products such; food stuffs, wines, health products, spirits, furnitures, entertainment items pharmacy items to mention just but a few. It has been reported that Morrison supermarket is the fourth largest super market after Tesco and is among FTSE 100 index. Morrison (Wm) Supermarket reported revenue of 18.116 billion pounds in 2013 and a net income of 647 billion pounds (The Telegraph, 2013). Morrison share prices have been influenced by market forces, econo mic factors such as recession, competitors and technology employed causing a fluctuation on its share prices as shown in table 1.2 at the end of text. According to The Telegraph, 2013, the company was planning to employ grocery technology in order to increase its efficiency, it is predicted that application of grocery technology will help to improve its stocks performance (The Telegraph, 2013). 3. Discuss factors which have affected the sector as a whole. Economic condition was reported to affect performance of the retail sectors more significantly. For instance, the 2008 economic recession was still felt in 2012 and 2013. Such condition may have impacted significantly causing the two supermarkets to increase prices of food staffs (Yahoo finance, 2013). This further caused share prices for both Tesco and Morrison supermarkets to decline making the value of shares to fall. On the other hand, government and market regulations may have impacted on share prices. Whereby, government may increase corporate taxes, making the company to experience low returns. This may consequently cause a negative influence to the entire sector. Connectively, unfavourable political climate may negatively influence shares price due to uncertainty (Puxty, Dodds and Wilson, 1988). 4. Compare and contrast these events and share price movements in these companies with what has happened to the comparator company (Sainsbury (J) PLC) over the project

Goodner Brother Inc Essay Example for Free

Goodner Brother Inc Essay 1. Key internal control objectives of Goodner’s Huntington Sales Office: a. Controls should be able to prevent and detect fraud. Authorization should be required for every sales transaction. Woody would not be able to sell returned tires from customers and consignees for his own benefits if all sales transactions needed prior management’s approval. b. Controls should aim at safeguarding physical assets. Sales Office should ensure that only certain authorized personnel could get access to the warehouse and at any time security should be enforced to minimize inventory shortages and shrinkages c. Controls should ensure the completeness and accuracy of accounting records. Woody would charge merchandise that he sold for his benefit to the accounts of large volume customers. Or in other words, Woody has altered the nature of the transactions by inflating the number of tires the customers actually ordered. 2. Key internal control weaknesses that were evident in the Huntington unit’s operations a. Strong reliance on the honesty and integrity of the employees they hired. The company recruited its personnel basing off references and recommendations; however this practice could not make up for the lack of a strong internal control system. b. Insufficient personnel. Its crew of 10 to 12 people had to staff its 14 sales outlets. Many of Goodner’s personnel had to take on double positions such as Goodner’s secretary who worked as both the receptionist and the bookkeeper. c. Unrestricted access to the accounting system by the unit’s sales manager and two sales representatives. This gave Woody a good opportunity to commit fraud. d. Lack of security for its tire inventory, which typically ranged from $300,000 to $700,000 per each sales outlet. 3. Control policies or procedures to alleviate the control weaknesses identified in question 2: a. Authorization of transactions: Management approval should be required on all transactions. Otherwise, the tire purchase request should be made by one individual and got approved by a different one. b. Segregation of duties: The secretary should not act as both the secretary and the receptionist. Report on returned items should be generated by one individual and then another individual should receive and put the returned items back to stock.

Maintaining a Competitive Edge in Business

Maintaining a Competitive Edge in Business INTRODUCTION   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The performance of nay business nowadays is very much triggered by stringent competition due to the existence of other players in the respective industries with the iam of providing the general consuming public with products and servces which were previously made available by other suppliers. To survive such predicament, businesses execute their own set of strategies. Various operations strategies have ben identified in order to maintain their sustainable competitive edge and to establish their place in the market as against other players in the industry. In this paper, the researcher will closely analyze the case of J. Sainsbury, a leading supermarket with interests in finance in the United Kingdom. The researcher will identify the performance objectives of the entire industry and compare it with that of J Sainsbury, and analyze order qualifiers and order winners as regards to the business operation of the business. More importantly, the researcher will also give suggestions on what steps can the company do in order to maintain its sustainable competitive advantage despite the growing competition in the industry with the entry of other players and the growth of previously identified competitors. PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Performance objectives refer to a set of goals and aims specified by the company or the industry which are expected to be achieved after implementation and execution of a set of strategies which are formulated top improve the performance of the organization. The supermarket industry in the United Kingdom is very diverse and competent as each have varying strategies and tools on how they can better serve the public so that they will have an increased market share as against the other players. The key performance objectives of the operations of these supermarkets are geared towards increasing their market share and generating more profit. One of the performance objectives of the entire supermarket industry in the United Kingdom would be to increase their economic value which involves earnings in profit, creation of new customers, innovation, and the best use of available resources. Furthermore, another performance objective of operations in the industry would be imp rovement of the companies social function which entails their ability to perform the conduct of their business while reaping benefits which are beneficial to the society such as corporate social responsibility measures. One more performance objectives would be to improve its human capital which in turn will reciprocate better service in the industry. Another performance objective of the business would be helping in the growth of the nation through improving internal and external environment of the company. The last performance objective of the company would be to be able to expand operations on other areas of the business aside from food retail which has been the industrys main business. ORDER QUALIFIERS AND ORDER WINNERS   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Order qualifiers refer to the characteristics various products which are offered by the company that can qualify for such products or services to be considered for purchase by the customer. On the other hand, an order winner refers to the characteristics of a product or service that wins the order or the final and most important factor which triggers the purchase. A company is said to be in a trouble if its best investments or its sustainable competitive edge is not important to the general consuming public. Order qualifiers and order winners are important for the firms products and services because eit stipulates the criteria which are identified by the consuming public and these criteria must be present in their offerings for such to be considered as a valuable option.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  For instance, in the United Kingdom, when the shoppers think of which supermarket they should buy their needs, they consider these supermarkets in terms of order qualifiers. Order qualifiers would include which ones has the lowest price, highest quality of products, socially responsible business, most accessible, among other factors, nonetheless, presented with this qualifiers, the customer will choose which one to visit base on the order winner or the characteristic or final consideration which makes them choose that supermarket, normally the organizations sustainable competitive advantage. For instance, it can be assumed that what makes J. Sainsbury an order winner is its focus on quality which makes them the best in food and health as they deliver to the public a perpetually improving quality shopping experience exceeding customer expectations. THE OPERATONS OF J. SAINSBURY   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Being one of the leading supermarkets in the United Kingdom, J. Sainsbury has been continuous in providing the public with a shopping experience of the highest quality in terms of the products and services which it offers. The remaining section will discuss the operations of J. Sainsbury in line with the performance objectives in the industry which have been earlier identified.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first performance objective identified was economic benefits. J. Sainsburys operation undeniably surpassed is economic benefits as illustrated by the profits which the company earned in the previous year. According to the companys Chief Financial Officer, they made good progress despite the challenging economic environment and their sales even soared 6% higher from the previous year which is indicative of a good economic performance. The company is also generating more than 18 million customer transactions on a weekly basis with a 16% market share. Furthermore, in terms of its social function the company also showed in its operating review its continuous emphasis of corporate social responsibility as being significant in the growth of their business. The company has made a positive difference in many communities by being able to support charities such as Comic Relief where they raised almost 10 million pounds and Active Kids where their donation almost reached 70 million pounds worth of sport equipments and other items. They have also implemented efforts to reduce to negative environmental impact of some supermarket practices such as when it comes to plastic bags. The improvement of the workforce has also been identified as a performance objective in the industry. Such has been shown by the company thorugh its efforts to improve the quality of the labor force for better service. It also continuously gives out monetary bonuses and incentives for good service performance which will motivate the employees to do better because they know that they are being recognized. Another performance objective earlier identified was being able to help in the growth of the nation. J. Sainsburys has been committed to this by providing employment opportunities which gave the citizens an avenue of earning as they work in a dynamic corporate environment. It also perpetually creates opportunities to help the unfortunates in the nation by involving in partnersh ips with different groups. The last performance objective of the industry as earlier identified would be being able to expand their operations to open more opportunities and to serve more markets. J. Sainsburys response to this objective would be improvement in its non-food sector such as sales for home and lifestyle items. They have also expanded business through their additional channels to reach more market such as going on-line. RECOMMENDATIONS   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As what has been shown by the discussion above, it can be assumed that the performance of J. Sainsbury in the market is doing well. The financial performance is indicative of good business while their corporate social responsibility is indicative of how well they help the society by bringing back whatever they have earned from the public. The strategies which have been identified and formulated by the company showed success in being able to maintain its competitive advantage in the market and in being able to manage competition from other players in the industry. The increase in their net sales is indicative that they were able to manage other players and they were able to do business in a good way despite the challenges which where brought about by the global economic downturn.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To be able to maintain its competitive position in the industry, J. Sainsbury must be able to perpetually put an emphasis on its on-going strategies and how maximum benefits can be reaped from such. Competition will always be rough in an industry which is as rough as the supermarket business in the United Kingdom. Both small and big players will have continued efforts in order to outplay and compete against each other. There will be competitive efforts which will focus mainly on price as such ahs been deemed as the most important order qualifier among the general consuming public. To be able to manage such competitive strategies, J. Sainsbury must always remember that the lowest price does not guarantee the most market. Price is a big indication towards purchase, but more emphasis should be put into quality as such is more important. There is a significant need to be able to compete on price. Nonetheless, the need to compete on quality can otherwise prove to be mo re paramount among consumer concerns.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The operations strategies which have been earlier identified will help the company increase its share in the market or at least retain its current position. The researcher recommends that the company must put a continued emphasis on its efforts towards helping the community and the entire nation. The corporate social responsibility or the set of practices of every organization which are geared towards the environment should always be of paramount concern. The general consuming public is being increasingly aware of how to protect the environment. With that, the company must be sensitive towards this concern and must continue its efforts towards providing the public with an environmentally friendly shopping experience such as through the bags their use and improvement in their waste disposal practices in order to keep the environment clean. Moreover, they should also continue their efforts to help communities in which they pay back from the revenues they have earned from the public. A portion of their earnings shall be directed towards helping others by showing value to the same society which gave them the profit in the business. More importantly, it should continue to generate employment opportunities in the United Kingdom to be able to help the nation and to help improve the performance of the business by employing more competent and qualified individuals who can render excellent customer service which in the long run will translate into increased profit.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The competitive environment for supermarkets in the United Kingdom is tough. Nonetheless, with the formulation of effective individual operation strategies, the business will be able to outplay competition and survive in the marketplace as it continue on its perpetual efforts to help the public by offering them with a shopping option of the highest quality. REFERENCES: J. Sainsbury Annual Company Report (2009). Retrieved on April 29, 2010 from http://www.j-sainsbury.co.uk/files/reports/ar2009_report.pdf Business Studies (n.d.). Objectives of Business. Retrieved on April 29, 2010 from http://www.nos.org/Secbuscour/cc03.pdf Waterman H. (2007). UK Supermarket CSR Reports: A Comparison Using Environmental and Social Reporting Guidelines. Retrieved on April 29, 2010 from http://www.fcrn.org.uk/researchLib/theses/supermarket%20CSR%2007%20Holly%20Waterman.pdf

Economic Development In The Uae Economics Essay

Economic Development In The Uae Economics Essay UAE United Arab Emirates as we call it has managed to become the regional trading hub of the middle-east along with being an enormously growing business capital. The country is also referred to as the wealthiest in the Region with the GDP per capital income of around $49500 (forecast 2011). The credit for much of the development goes to the oil and gas reserves of the country because the UAE has the third largest reserves of the OPEC. Even though the UAE is fairly dependent on oil as it comprises of 20% of the international GDP, yet the diversification measures are constantly taken to shift the economy away from being highly dependent on the Oil prices. This diversified economy of The UAE is definitely a success and a role model for the all the other economies in the GCC to follow. The vision of UAE is to become the best country in the world by 2021. (GCC) UAE VISION 2021 The vision of UAE is to be among the best countries on the world by 2021. They aspire to be united in knowledge, prosperity, destiny and responsibility. The vision 2021 portrays some of the responsibilities of the UAE government. UAE will introduce high quality global standard infrastructure, government services and recreational environments. Emiratis will benefit highly from customer oriented government services offered at the best quality. Excellent communication infrastructure will promote business networking and give them a leading edge when they interact with the world UAE Government Strategy 2011-2013 UAE government strategy highlights the main priorities of the government in the coming two years covering the period of 2011-2013. The strategy will act as a benchmark for federal entities to develop and their strategic plans. The strategy lays the foundation for the vision of 2021. The strategy is basically divided in to 7 general principles Enhance the role of national entities and in carrying out operative regulations and cohesive policies by successful planning and implementation. Enhance coordination and cooperation among National entities and local government. Focus totally on delivering high class, customer oriented and integrated government services. Spend in human resource competences and create and polish leaders. Encourage efficient resource management within the national entities and leverage the dynamic partnerships. Implement a culture of brilliance through strategic thinking, uninterrupted performance improvement and excellent results Encourage transparency and enhance the accountability mechanisms of the government throughout the federal entities. UAE is the second largest economy in the Arab gulf and it is consistently ranked among the fastest growing economies of the world. During the past 40 years GDP of UAE has grown tremendously from $6.5 billion in 1971 to a massive total of $1248 billion in 2011.which is roughly a 192x increase (The glorious four decades of the UAE). The per capita GDP of Dubai has increased from 100000 dirhams (1975) to 174000 dirhams in (2011). This outstanding performance has forced international organizations to rank Dubai among the top emerging markets in the world along with china, Turkey, India, Singapore, Russia, Malaysia and Brazil. The strategy for the diversification of income resources has proved successful. According to local and international report the steady economic growth has not solely resulted from energy production and exports of oil, as the case with other oil economies, it has resulted from diversifying sources of income and minimization on the reliance of oil. Many sectors such a s the financial services, logistics, tourism and other strategic sectors in the economy have not been favored by the government for the provision of oil. According to recent statistics oil contribution tom the GDP has decreased from 70% in 1971 to 29% in 2010. This approach portrays a massive achievement of the country in the area of economics because it portrays great contribution towards the stability of the national economy. According to the recent forecast by (IMF), the GDP growth of UAE is prone to rise from 3.3% in 2011 to 3.8% in 2012. It is also expected that the UAE will maintain a double figure surplus of around 10.3% in 2012. Environment has been rated as a potential component of The UAE development strategy, UAE has never overlooked the environment factor and has always regarded environment protection as a major goal of its sustainable development strategy. The government has addressed harsh desertification and developed water resources for increasing greenery. Agriculture has also been addressed thoroughly by the government of UAE, and the government has been successful in achieving goals despite the problem of scarcity and desertification. The main goal for the development and growth of agriculture sector has been the provision of food to the local economy. This is because the government regards it as being an element of national security. The industrial sector has also boomed a lot on the 21st century with investment in this sector amounting to DH101.12 billion in 2010 (IMF). Around 4960 industries have been established and the total number of workers employed has increased dramatically. This clearly portrays the vision of federal and local government to modify and develop the Industrial sector. Over the years UAE has managed to establish a modern infrastructure which solidly addresses the needs of public services for citizens and businesses. The infrastructure not only includes roads, power and bridges but also transcends to include, specialized and economic free zones. The free zones are more than 30 in number and are widely spread all over the emirates. The real estate sector at the Abu Dhabi and Dubai contributed heavily towards the transformation of the country (GCC). The real estate in these states has been referred to as the world renowned real estate front with new and modified concepts and green building. The tourism sector has also improved tremendously over the years. It was the record high in 2010 with the number of tourists reaching over 10 million. What majorly contributed to the tourism sector has been the strategic location and domestic flow of local and foreign investments in the sector. The investment size associated with tourism and infrastructure has been 47 billion Dh on average over the last 10 years. Presently the Dubai Airport is ranked as the fourth best Airport of the world. Conferring to the Travel and tourism competitiveness report of 2011 published by the world economic forum (IMF), the UAE was ranked 30 among the lot of 139 countries and was ranked first in the middle -east as the most progressive country in tourism and travel with the score of 4.78. The foreign trade accounts for 70% of the UAE Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The country has a wide network of trading partners around the world and it enjoys bilateral trade relations all of them. It is forecasted that the foreign trade will grow in excess of 25% after 2011, because of the massive improvements in the economic environment of the UAE (Trade). The UAE is among the largest exporter and importer countries of the world with exports of $235 billion and imports of $170 billion. The exports comprise of 2% of the total world exports whereas the imports comprise of 1.4% of the total world imports. The massive balance of payment surplus has benefitted the economy of UAE tremendously. Non-oil exports of the country have increased form Dh 2 billion in 1981 to Dh 27.4 billion in 2010. Dubai standard for 82% of the total nonoil exports of the UAE in 2010. Abu Dhabi comprised of 14% and Ras-Al-Khaimah comprised of 2.5% of the total nonoil exports in the UAE. The financial services sector (UAE) has also witnessed rapid growth in the past few years. An important role was played by the commercial and specialized banks of the UAE in sponsoring economic activity and trade in the country. Fifty one banks are currently operating in the country including 23 national banks. Financial markets have also contributed heavily in mobilization of domestic savings; the Abu Dhabi securities market and the Dubai financial market are figured as the main financial markets of the country. Dubai International financial market was also established to become the free zone for the most important financial centers in North Africa and the Middle-East. The government also invested its accumulated surpluses in international institutions such as the Abu Dhabi investment authority, and this contributed heavily to the countryà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s domestic wealth (Suwaidi). When it comes down to competition UAE has achieved record figures in Arab and the international competitiveness field. UAE regards competitiveness as its most strategic direction. For the sake of this the government has established a council known as the Emirates competitiveness Council. The aim of this council is to improve the performance of the key sectors of the country and to ensure the wellbeing and good quality life for its citizens. The economic council of Dubai also setup the Dubai competitiveness center. The aim of this center is to kind Dubai as the utmost competitive city in the world. Abu Dhabi department of economic development has also established a competitive office. All these bodies work together for the national economy which is taking a lot of strides to include UAE among the best economies of UAE till the year 2021. UAE is now ranked among the top in the competitive group. It is ranked third in the Arabs world and twenty seventh worldwide (Jones). The main competitors of UAE in the Arab world have been Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman and Egypt to say the least. The global competitiveness report has allotted high rank to the UAE for the past three years (2011-2012). UAE leads the list of emerging markets that includes India, China, Russia and Brazil. E-Government in the UAE. The federal egovernment project started in the UAE in the year 2001 when the ministry of finance carried out the edirham. It was the first eservice that helped the electronic payment for accessing the federal government services (Interact).Since then, many of the federal and local level entities have launched eservices that have proven to be time efficient and cost efficient and the government is also experiencing reduced operational costs and increased efficiency In offering the services. The egovernment strategy was then setup in 2003. IBM helped to conduct an evaluation study for the development of the executive plan. The ministry of finance started an operational plan for e-government in 2004. The memorandum of understanding was signed between Etisalat and the government to provide infrastructure for e-government in March 2005. Then finally in june 2008 the TRA passed a resolution to develop a plan for IT in the federal government. Federal E-GOVERNMENT Plan 2012-2014 The vision of the federal government of the UAE 2012-2014 plan is to maximize the competitiveness of the UAE by the provision of world class practices in all the areas of E-government. The federal E-Government plan development is dependent upon a strategic framework consisting of three dimensions. The dimensions include E-Services, E-readiness and the ICT environment (Interact) E-Government has been successfully launched in the UAE and is operating at local levels as well. six out of seven emirates including Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Dubai, Ajman, Fujairah, and Ras Al Khaimah. All of them have launched their official portals. E-COMMERCE in the UAE The E-Commerce is responsible for overseeing the implementation of the E-commerce Law and the services of certification in the UAE. It promotes adherence to the regulations and laws which enables safe and secure E-commerce transactions. The ultimate mission and target of E-commerce department is to promote economic development and technological advancement and innovation within the defined limits of a just e-commerce regulatory regime totally in line with the global standards (Aya). It also aims to establish a regulatory and licensing regime that will be responsible for providing optimal development and encourage innovation, growth, competition and massive investment in the UAE ICT and the ecommerce sector, via implementation of the best global practices and standards while responding to the market needs and local consumers. THREATS TO THE UAE ECONOMY UAE economy is not perfect as yet and is still not the number one economy of middle-east. It has to strive hard in order to be more competitive in the region. The economy of UAE is facing heavy competition from Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Saudi Arabia has a lot of oil reserves and many seaports for international trade. The competition is intense. UAE has just managed to pass both Saudi Arabia and Egypt in the UAE (Abdul Basit) but it is still not enough to get a comprehensive lead in the economic standing of the region. Some of the recent threats to the UAE economy has include the recent Euro Crisis in Europe. IMF has issued a warning to the UAE that it could be hit by the worsening situation in Europe after the recent news of Spain seeking a 100 billion euros bail out. Other threats to the UAE economy include the heavy government subsidies by the government in the UAE and its agriculture sector. The obsolete tax system is ranked as a potential threat as well because it is very different from the tax system around the world. Job cuts in the Expanding UAE economy have also been listed as a potential threat to the economy as a whole (Bundhun). Diminishing Oil reserves in Dubai is also an issue that needs to be taken into account. Although UAE has been pretty successful in shifting from oil to nonoil exports, yet the focus should be on decreasing the oil exports further to create a provision for diminishing oil reserves. The emerging economic world powers in the world include China, India, Turkey, Russia, Brazil to name a few. UAE is a trading partner to china and the importance of trading partners is every high because china is also among the fastest growing emerging economies today. USA is going through a a bad patch right now because of its deteriorating economic conditions, but it is a strategic partner of UAE in trade and infrastructure. American goods and services discover a ready market here provided they bring a technological superiority or a new feature. Along with that US is also among the biggest competitor of UAE because of its high quality products with latest technology and after sales service. The competition is intensely high and UAE will have to focus on the quality and after sales service to compete effectively in the future (Interact). CONCLUSION Looking at all the recent developments and the achievements of UAE, it is true to say that UAE has been acting like a champion in the past decade with constant innovations and increased international trade. The introduction of E government and E commerce has helped the domestic economy lot in everyday life (Aya). The main focus of this system by UAE was to accelerate continuous in the economy. The International standing OF UAE has also improved a lot and it is now ranked 27th in the world and third in the UAE (Jones) which is no less than a milestone for them. The dependency on oil exports has increased and non-oil exports now comprise of more than 70% of the total exports, Dubai being the highest contributor in the non-oil exports sector. This will also prove to be an Asset for UAE in the times of oil crisis. The manufacturing sector of the economy is also booming and is now ranked as the number one manufacturing sector in the UAE. With all these milestones and achievements it is no t hard to believe that UAE will be among the best economies of the world till 2021.

College Admissions Essay: I’m Not Deaf, and I’m Not Dumb! :: College Admissions Essays

I’m Not Deaf, and I’m Certainly Not Dumb! A hearing loss can present many obstacles in one's life. I have faced many issues throughout my life, many of which affected me deeply. When I first realized that I was hearing-impaired, I didn't know what it meant. As I grew older, I came to understand why I was different from everyone. It was hard to like myself or feel good about myself because I was often teased. However, I started to change my attitude and see that wearing hearing aids was no different than people wearing glasses to see. I attended the BOCES Program for the Hearing Impaired for eleven years. I initially liked BOCES but later grew to dislike this program. The teachers often made me feel incapable of doing what the "normal kids" were doing. I wanted to do more challenging things! I remember that one time I asked one of my teachers if I could take a Spanish class. Her reply was "NO!". She didn't think I could handle it because I had a hearing loss. I was persistent and took the class anyway. I did very well. I proved her wrong. But above all, I proved to myself that if I wanted something enough, I could do it. It was a great feeling! During my junior year of high school, I was transferred from the Boces Program to East Meadow High School. This was an exciting time in my life! I was finally going to attend classes with "hearing" students. So many emotions filled my head. I was happy but, on the other hand, I was scared. I thought these kids would tease me and not accept me for who I am. When I went into the classroom, every student looked at me as if I were different, but they liked me anyway. Much to my surprise, within a couple of days I had made friends. I quickly realized that they didn't think of or treat me as I were different. They saw me for who I am on the inside, not a person with hearing aids on the outside. Although I have a hearing problem, it doesn't stop me from living the life of a teenager. I enjoy doing things with friends and I am involved in school activities. I had the opportunity of joining Key Club this year and participating in their community-related services.

Insurance for White Masculinity: Methods of Control to Ensure a Dominan

Insurance for White Masculinity: Methods of Control to Ensure a Dominant Race The nineteenth-century saw great changes within America and from these changes an ideology was created in an effort of understanding and unification among white men. Changes were occurring so rapidly that they could not be digested and readily accepted, therefore opposition to these rose very significantly. The nineteenth century saw for a great number of political changes as the black race began to collect rights, the arrival of immigrants on an unprecedented scale, the colonization of the remaining world, and the change of women’s roles. White women started to become more educated and moved out of the house and into workplace disrupting the domestic order that was essential to keeping men’s lives stable as Tocqueville claims that the â€Å"regularity of [women’s] affection was the safeguard of American men’s lives† and without this regularity a hysteria and insanity developed. (Barker-Benfield 47) White women were immediately labeled as threat to the lineage of white men because the civilized woman began to be considered a â€Å"Race of Hysteria.† (Briggs 1) Women were considered hysterical as it was believed that as a civilization became more civilized it became a â€Å"breeding place for insanity† and these ideals were pushed upon women because their roles in society were significantly changing and men were not apt to accept these changes readily. (Barker 52) White Masculinity was developed out of the idea of making sure that white women would not become a â€Å"racial threat† to white men’s lineage; white women were supposedly becoming civilized and hysterical at the same time and then began to significantly lose in population because of these problems to the other... ...aura. â€Å"The Race of Hysteria: ‘Overcivilization’ and the ‘Savage’ Women in Late Nineteenth-Century Obstetrics and Gynecology.† American Quarterly 52.2 (2000). . - Evans, Dylan â€Å"An Introductory Dictionary of Lacanian Psychoanalysis†. - Goodis, David. The Moon in the Gutter. Great Britain: Serpent’s Tail, 1983. - Lansbury, Coral. â€Å"Gynecology, Pornography, and the Antivivisection Movement.† Rutgers University, (Spring 1985): 23 pars. - Nelson, Dana D.. National Manhood. London: Duke UP, 1998. - Rabate, Jean-Michel. The Cambridge Companion to Lacan. Cambridge UP, 2003. - Salinger, J.D.. The Catcher in the Rye. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 1945. - Thompson, Jim. The Nothing Man. New York: Vintage Crime, 1954. Insurance for White Masculinity: Methods of Control to Ensure a Dominan Insurance for White Masculinity: Methods of Control to Ensure a Dominant Race The nineteenth-century saw great changes within America and from these changes an ideology was created in an effort of understanding and unification among white men. Changes were occurring so rapidly that they could not be digested and readily accepted, therefore opposition to these rose very significantly. The nineteenth century saw for a great number of political changes as the black race began to collect rights, the arrival of immigrants on an unprecedented scale, the colonization of the remaining world, and the change of women’s roles. White women started to become more educated and moved out of the house and into workplace disrupting the domestic order that was essential to keeping men’s lives stable as Tocqueville claims that the â€Å"regularity of [women’s] affection was the safeguard of American men’s lives† and without this regularity a hysteria and insanity developed. (Barker-Benfield 47) White women were immediately labeled as threat to the lineage of white men because the civilized woman began to be considered a â€Å"Race of Hysteria.† (Briggs 1) Women were considered hysterical as it was believed that as a civilization became more civilized it became a â€Å"breeding place for insanity† and these ideals were pushed upon women because their roles in society were significantly changing and men were not apt to accept these changes readily. (Barker 52) White Masculinity was developed out of the idea of making sure that white women would not become a â€Å"racial threat† to white men’s lineage; white women were supposedly becoming civilized and hysterical at the same time and then began to significantly lose in population because of these problems to the other... ...aura. â€Å"The Race of Hysteria: ‘Overcivilization’ and the ‘Savage’ Women in Late Nineteenth-Century Obstetrics and Gynecology.† American Quarterly 52.2 (2000). . - Evans, Dylan â€Å"An Introductory Dictionary of Lacanian Psychoanalysis†. - Goodis, David. The Moon in the Gutter. Great Britain: Serpent’s Tail, 1983. - Lansbury, Coral. â€Å"Gynecology, Pornography, and the Antivivisection Movement.† Rutgers University, (Spring 1985): 23 pars. - Nelson, Dana D.. National Manhood. London: Duke UP, 1998. - Rabate, Jean-Michel. The Cambridge Companion to Lacan. Cambridge UP, 2003. - Salinger, J.D.. The Catcher in the Rye. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 1945. - Thompson, Jim. The Nothing Man. New York: Vintage Crime, 1954.

Arthur Millers The Crucible :: Arthur Miller Crucible Essays

Arthur Miller's The Crucible Arthur Miller individualises characters through their style of speech in many ways. Abigail Williams, one of the main characters, is a very attractive young lady, as portrayed in the text. However, her personality is bitter spiteful and vengeful. This has been shown by the way Miller individualises her, through her speech. Abigail is very bossy and has a lot of authority; "Uncle, the rumour of witchcraft is all about: I think you'd best go down and deny it yourself. The parlour's packed with people, sir. I'll sit with her". She seems to take control in a stressful situation, and hence controls people through their fear: "I think you'd best go down". Miller uses this sentence, in order to portray Abigail as a very manipulative and some-what controlling person. Miller also exposes the fact that Abigail is very spiteful and demanding. This is shown when Abigail is having an argument with her uncle, Parris. "She hates me, uncle; she must, for I would not be her slave. It's a bitter woman, a lying, cold, snivelling woman, and I will not work for such a woman!" This shows how Abigail puts everyone down, and tries to make out that she is the innocent victim in all the chaos. Another way Miller individualises Abigail, is the way she blames other people to get her self out of trouble- "Not I, sir- Tituba and Ruth". This shows how Miller puts across to the audience, the 'real' Abigail. Yet again, Miller reveals Abigail as being manipulative and controlling. "I have been hurt, Mr Danforth; I have seen my blood runnin' out! I have been near to murder every day because I done my duty pointing out the Devil's people- and this is my reward! To be mistrusted, denied questioned like a-". This also shows how Abigail is making everyone else feel sorry for her, as she has been doing the right thing. This is effective as it again brings out the 'real' Abigail, a cunning, sly, deceiving person. Abigail Williams wants to protect herself, and hence confesses, as she wants the same attention as Tituba, not to suffer, This shows her selfishness as she doesn't want to get hung and therefore follows Tituba's lead. "I want to open myself! I want the light of God; I want the sweet love of Jesus!" Miller uses the word "open" to emphasise the fact that Abigail doesn't want to just reveal herself, but "open" her. This then shows the audience how overdramatic Miller makes Abigail. In conclusion, I feel that Miller has effectively individualised Abigail, as a self-centred, overdramatic, deceiving woman. Mr Hale, another one of Miller's characters, however he is not as

A Game of Thrones Chapter Twenty-two

Arya Her father had been fighting with the council again. Arya could see it on his face when he came to table, late again, as he had been so often. The first course, a thick sweet soup made with pumpkins, had already been taken away when Ned Stark strode into the Small Hall. They called it that to set it apart from the Great Hall, where the king could feast a thousand, but it was a long room with a high vaulted ceiling and bench space for two hundred at its trestle tables. â€Å"My lord,† Jory said when Father entered. He rose to his feet, and the rest of the guard rose with him. Each man wore a new cloak, heavy grey wool with a white satin border. A hand of beaten silver clutched the woolen folds of each cloak and marked their wearers as men of the Hand's household guard. There were only fifty of them, so most of the benches were empty. â€Å"Be seated,† Eddard Stark said. â€Å"I see you have started without me. I am pleased to know there are still some men of sense in this city.† He signaled for the meal to resume. The servants began bringing out platters of ribs, roasted in a crust of garlic and herbs. â€Å"The talk in the yard is we shall have a tourney, my lord,† Jory said as he resumed his seat. â€Å"They say that knights will come from all over the realm to joust and feast in honor of your appointment as Hand of the King.† Arya could see that her father was not very happy about that. â€Å"Do they also say this is the last thing in the world I would have wished?† Sansa's eyes had grown wide as the plates. â€Å"A tourney,† she breathed. She was seated between Septa Mordane and Jeyne Poole, as far from Arya as she could get without drawing a reproach from Father. â€Å"Will we be permitted to go, Father?† â€Å"You know my feelings, Sansa. It seems I must arrange Robert's games and pretend to be honored for his sake. That does not mean I must subject my daughters to this folly.† â€Å"Oh, please,† Sansa said. â€Å"I want to see.† Septa Mordane spoke up. â€Å"Princess Myrcella will be there, my lord, and her younger than Lady Sansa. All the ladies of the court will be expected at a grand event like this, and as the tourney is in your honor, it would look queer if your family did not attend.† Father looked pained. â€Å"I suppose so. Very well, I shall arrange a place for you, Sansa.† He saw Arya. â€Å"For both of you.† â€Å"I don't care about their stupid tourney,† Arya said. She knew Prince Joffrey would be there, and she hated Prince Joffrey. Sansa lifted her head. â€Å"It will be a splendid event. You shan't be wanted.† Anger flashed across Father's face. â€Å"Enough, Sansa. More of that and you will change my mind. I am weary unto death of this endless war you two are fighting. You are sisters. I expect you to behave like sisters, is that understood?† Sansa bit her lip and nodded. Arya lowered her face to stare sullenly at her plate. She could feel tears stinging her eyes. She rubbed them away angrily, determined not to cry. The only sound was the clatter of knives and forks. â€Å"Pray excuse me,† her father announced to the table. â€Å"I find I have small appetite tonight.† He walked from the hall. After he was gone, Sansa exchanged excited whispers with Jeyne Poole. Down the table Jory laughed at a joke, and Hullen started in about horseflesh. â€Å"Your warhorse, now, he may not be the best one for the joust. Not the same thing, oh, no, not the same at all.† The men had heard it all before; Desmond, Jacks, and Hullen's son Harwin shouted him down together, and Porther called for more wine. No one talked to Arya. She didn't care. She liked it that way. She would have eaten her meals alone in her bedchamber if they let her. Sometimes they did, when Father had to dine with the king or some lord or the envoys from this place or that place. The rest of the time, they ate in his solar, just him and her and Sansa. That was when Arya missed her brothers most. She wanted to tease Bran and play with baby Rickon and have Robb smile at her. She wanted Jon to muss up her hair and call her â€Å"little sister† and finish her sentences with her. But all of them were gone. She had no one left but Sansa, and Sansa wouldn't even talk to her unless Father made her. Back at Winterfell, they had eaten in the Great Hall almost half the time. Her father used to say that a lord needed to eat with his men, if he hoped to keep them. â€Å"Know the men who follow you,† she heard him tell Robb once, â€Å"and let them know you. Don't ask your men to die for a stranger.† At Winterfell, he always had an extra seat set at his own table, and every day a different man would be asked to join him. One night it would be Vayon Poole, and the talk would be coppers and bread stores and servants. The next time it would be Mikken, and her father would listen to him go on about armor and swords and how hot a forge should be and the best way to temper steel. Another day it might be Hullen with his endless horse talk, or Septon Chayle from the library, or Jory, or Ser Rodrik, or even Old Nan with her stories. Arya had loved nothing better than to sit at her father's table and listen to them talk. She had loved listening to the men on the benches too; to freeriders tough as leather, courtly knights and bold young squires, grizzled old men-at-arms. She used to throw snowballs at them and help them steal pies from the kitchen. Their wives gave her scones and she invented names for their babies and played monsters-and-maidens and hide-the-treasure and come-into-my-castle with their children. Fat Tom used to call her â€Å"Arya Underfoot,† because he said that was where she always was. She'd liked that a lot better than â€Å"Arya Horseface.† Only that was Winterfell, a world away, and now everything was changed. This was the first time they had supped with the men since arriving in King's Landing. Arya hated it. She hated the sounds of their voices now, the way they laughed, the stories they told. They'd been her friends, she'd felt safe around them, but now she knew that was a lie. They'd let the queen kill Lady, that was horrible enough, but then the Hound found Mycah. Jeyne Poole had told Arya that he'd cut him up in so many pieces that they'd given him back to the butcher in a bag, and at first the poor man had thought it was a pig they'd slaughtered. And no one had raised a voice or drawn a blade or anything, not Harwin who always talked so bold, or Alyn who was going to be a knight, or Jory who was captain of the guard. Not even her father. â€Å"He was my friend,† Arya whispered into her plate, so low that no one could hear. Her ribs sat there untouched, grown cold now, a thin film of grease congealing beneath them on the plate. Arya looked at them and felt ill. She pushed away from the table. â€Å"Pray, where do you think you are going, young lady?† Septa Mordane asked. â€Å"I'm not hungry.† Arya found it an effort to remember her courtesies. â€Å"May I be excused, please?† she recited stiffly. â€Å"You may not,† the septa said. â€Å"You have scarcely touched your food. You will sit down and clean your plate.† â€Å"You clean it!† Before anyone could stop her, Arya bolted for the door as the men laughed and Septa Mordane called loudly after her, her voice rising higher and higher. Fat Tom was at his post, guarding the door to the Tower of the Hand. He blinked when he saw Arya rushing toward him and heard the septa's shouts. â€Å"Here now, little one, hold on,† he started to say, reaching, but Arya slid between his legs and then she was running up the winding tower steps, her feet hammering on the stone while Fat Tom huffed and puffed behind her. Her bedchamber was the only place that Arya liked in all of King's Landing, and the thing she liked best about it was the door, a massive slab of dark oak with black iron bands. When she slammed that door and dropped the heavy crossbar, nobody could get into her room, not Septa Mordane or Fat Tom or Sansa or Jory or the Hound, nobody! She slammed it now. When the bar was down, Arya finally felt safe enough to cry. She went to the window seat and sat there, sniffling, hating them all, and herself most of all. It was all her fault, everything bad that had happened. Sansa said so, and Jeyne too. Fat Tom was knocking on her door. â€Å"Arya girl, what's wrong?† he called out. â€Å"You in there?† â€Å"No!† she shouted. The knocking stopped. A moment later she heard him going away. Fat Tom was always easy to fool. Arya went to the chest at the foot of her bed. She knelt, opened the lid, and began pulling her clothes out with both hands, grabbing handfuls of silk and satin and velvet and wool and tossing them on the floor. It was there at the bottom of the chest, where she'd hidden it. Arya lifted it out almost tenderly and drew the slender blade from its sheath. Needle. She thought of Mycah again and her eyes filled with tears. Her fault, her fault, her fault. If she had never asked him to play at swords with her . . . There was a pounding at her door, louder than before. â€Å"Arya Stark, you open this door at once, do you hear me?† Arya spun around, with Needle in her hand. â€Å"You better not come in here!† she warned. She slashed at the air savagely. â€Å"The Hand will hear of this!† Septa Mordane raged. â€Å"I don't care,† Arya screamed. â€Å"Go away.† â€Å"You will rue this insolent behavior, young lady, I promise you that.† Arya listened at the door until she heard the sound of the septa's receding footsteps. She went back to the window, Needle in hand, and looked down into the courtyard below. If only she could climb like Bran, she thought; she would go out the window and down the tower, run away from this horrible place, away from Sansa and Septa Mordane and Prince Joffrey, from all of them. Steal some food from the kitchens, take Needle and her good boots and a warm cloak. She could find Nymeria in the wild woods below the Trident, and together they'd return to Winterfell, or run to Jon on the Wall. She found herself wishing that Jon was here with her now. Then maybe she wouldn't feel so alone. A soft knock at the door behind her turned Arya away from the window and her dreams of escape. â€Å"Arya,† her father's voice called out. â€Å"Open the door. We need to talk.† Arya crossed the room and lifted the crossbar. Father was alone. He seemed more sad than angry. That made Arya feel even worse. â€Å"May I come in?† Arya nodded, then dropped her eyes, ashamed. Father closed the door. â€Å"Whose sword is that?† â€Å"Mine.† Arya had almost forgotten Needle, in her hand. â€Å"Give it to me.† Reluctantly Arya surrendered her sword, wondering if she would ever hold it again. Her father turned it in the light, examining both sides of the blade. He tested the point with his thumb. â€Å"A bravo's blade,† he said. â€Å"Yet it seems to me that I know this maker's mark. This is Mikken's work.† Arya could not lie to him. She lowered her eyes. Lord Eddard Stark sighed. â€Å"My nine-year-old daughter is being armed from my own forge, and I know nothing of it. The Hand of the King is expected to rule the Seven Kingdoms, yet it seems I cannot even rule my own household. How is it that you come to own a sword, Arya? Where did you get this?† Arya chewed her lip and said nothing. She would not betray Jon, not even to their father. After a while, Father said, â€Å"I don't suppose it matters, truly.† He looked down gravely at the sword in his hands. â€Å"This is no toy for children, least of all for a girl. What would Septa Mordane say if she knew you were playing with swords?† â€Å"I wasn't playing,† Arya insisted. â€Å"I hate Septa Mordane.† â€Å"That's enough.† Her father's voice was curt and hard. â€Å"The septa is doing no more than is her duty, though gods know you have made it a struggle for the poor woman. Your mother and I have charged her with the impossible task of making you a lady.† â€Å"I don't want to be a lady!† Arya flared. â€Å"I ought to snap this toy across my knee here and now, and put an end to this nonsense.† â€Å"Needle wouldn't break,† Arya said defiantly, but her voice betrayed her words. â€Å"It has a name, does it?† Her father sighed. â€Å"Ah, Arya. You have a wildness in you, child. ‘The wolf blood,' my father used to call it. Lyanna had a touch of it, and my brother Brandon more than a touch. It brought them both to an early grave.† Arya heard sadness in his voice; he did not often speak of his father, or of the brother and sister who had died before she was born. â€Å"Lyanna might have carried a sword, if my lord father had allowed it. You remind me of her sometimes. You even look like her.† â€Å"Lyanna was beautiful,† Arya said, startled. Everybody said so. It was not a thing that was ever said of Arya. â€Å"She was,† Eddard Stark agreed, â€Å"beautiful, and willful, and dead before her time.† He lifted the sword, held it out between them. â€Å"Arya, what did you think to do with this . . . Needle? Who did you hope to skewer? Your sister? Septa Mordane? Do you know the first thing about sword fighting?† All she could think of was the lesson Jon had given her. â€Å"Stick them with the pointy end,† she blurted out. Her father snorted back laughter. â€Å"That is the essence of it, I suppose.† Arya desperately wanted to explain, to make him see. â€Å"I was trying to learn, but . . . † Her eyes filled with tears. â€Å"I asked Mycah to practice with me.† The grief came on her all at once. She turned away, shaking. â€Å"I asked him,† she cried. â€Å"It was my fault, it was me . . . â€Å" Suddenly her father's arms were around her. He held her gently as she turned to him and sobbed against his chest. â€Å"No, sweet one,† he murmured. â€Å"Grieve for your friend, but never blame yourself. You did not kill the butcher's boy. That murder lies at the Hound's door, him and the cruel woman he serves.† â€Å"I hate them,† Arya confided, red-faced, sniffling. â€Å"The Hound and the queen and the king and Prince Joffrey. I hate all of them. Joffrey lied, it wasn't the way he said. I hate Sansa too. She did remember, she just lied so Joffrey would like her.† â€Å"We all lie,† her father said. â€Å"Or did you truly think I'd believe that Nymeria ran off?† Arya blushed guiltily. â€Å"Jory promised not to tell.† â€Å"Jory kept his word,† her father said with a smile. â€Å"There are some things I do not need to be told. Even a blind man could see that wolf would never have left you willingly.† â€Å"We had to throw rocks,† she said miserably. â€Å"I told her to run, to go be free, that I didn't want her anymore. There were other wolves for her to play with, we heard them howling, and Jory said the woods were full of game, so she'd have deer to hunt. Only she kept following, and finally we had to throw rocks. I hit her twice. She whined and looked at me and I felt so ‘shamed, but it was right, wasn't it? The queen would have killed her.† â€Å"It was right,† her father said. â€Å"And even the lie was . . . not without honor.† He'd put Needle aside when he went to Arya to embrace her. Now he took the blade up again and walked to the window, where he stood for a moment, looking out across the courtyard. When he turned back, his eyes were thoughtful. He seated himself on the window seat, Needle across his lap. â€Å"Arya, sit down. I need to try and explain some things to you.† She perched anxiously on the edge of her bed. â€Å"You are too young to be burdened with all my cares,† he told her, â€Å"but you are also a Stark of Winterfell. You know our words.† â€Å"Winter is coming,† Arya whispered. â€Å"The hard cruel times,† her father said. â€Å"We tasted them on the Trident, child, and when Bran fell. You were born in the long summer, sweet one, you've never known anything else, but now the winter is truly coming. Remember the sigil of our House, Arya.† â€Å"The direwolf,† she said, thinking of Nymeria. She hugged her knees against her chest, suddenly afraid. â€Å"Let me tell you something about wolves, child. When the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies, but the pack survives. Summer is the time for squabbles. In winter, we must protect one another, keep each other warm, share our strengths. So if you must hate, Arya, hate those who would truly do us harm. Septa Mordane is a good woman, and Sansa . . . Sansa is your sister. You may be as different as the sun and the moon, but the same blood flows through both your hearts. You need her, as she needs you . . . and I need both of you, gods help me.† He sounded so tired that it made Arya sad. â€Å"I don't hate Sansa,† she told him. â€Å"Not truly.† It was only half a lie. â€Å"I do not mean to frighten you, but neither will I lie to you. We have come to a dark dangerous place, child. This is not Winterfell. We have enemies who mean us ill. We cannot fight a war among ourselves. This willfulness of yours, the running off, the angry words, the disobedience . . . at home, these were only the summer games of a child. Here and now, with winter soon upon us, that is a different matter. It is time to begin growing up.† â€Å"I will,† Arya vowed. She had never loved him so much as she did in that instant. â€Å"I can be strong too. I can be as strong as Robb.† He held Needle out to her, hilt first. â€Å"Here.† She looked at the sword with wonder in her eyes. For a moment she was afraid to touch it, afraid that if she reached for it it would be snatched away again, but then her father said, â€Å"Go on, it's yours,† and she took it in her hand. â€Å"I can keep it?† she said. â€Å"For true?† â€Å"For true.† He smiled. â€Å"If I took it away, no doubt I'd find a morningstar hidden under your pillow within the fortnight. Try not to stab your sister, whatever the provocation.† â€Å"I won't. I promise.† Arya clutched Needle tightly to her chest as her father took his leave. The next morning, as they broke their fast, she apologized to Septa Mordane and asked for her pardon. The septa peered at her suspiciously, but Father nodded. Three days later, at midday, her father's steward Vayon Poole sent Arya to the Small Hall. The trestle tables had been dismantled and the benches shoved against the walls. The hall seemed empty, until an unfamiliar voice said, â€Å"You are late, boy.† A slight man with a bald head and a great beak of a nose stepped out of the shadows, holding a pair of slender wooden swords. â€Å"Tomorrow you will be here at midday.† He had an accent, the lilt of the Free Cities, Braavos perhaps, or Myr. â€Å"Who are you?† Arya asked. â€Å"I am your dancing master.† He tossed her one of the wooden blades. She grabbed for it, missed, and heard it clatter to the floor. â€Å"Tomorrow you will catch it. Now pick it up.† It was not just a stick, but a true wooden sword complete with grip and guard and pommel. Arya picked it up and clutched it nervously with both hands, holding it out in front of her. It was heavier than it looked, much heavier than Needle. The bald man clicked his teeth together. â€Å"That is not the way, boy. This is not a greatsword that is needing two hands to swing it. You will take the blade in one hand.† â€Å"It's too heavy,† Arya said. â€Å"It is heavy as it needs to be to make you strong, and for the balancing. A hollow inside is filled with lead, just so. One hand now is all that is needing.† Arya took her right hand off the grip and wiped her sweaty palm on her pants. She held the sword in her left hand. He seemed to approve. â€Å"The left is good. All is reversed, it will make your enemies more awkward. Now you are standing wrong. Turn your body sideface, yes, so. You are skinny as the shaft of a spear, do you know. That is good too, the target is smaller. Now the grip. Let me see.† He moved closer and peered at her hand, prying her fingers apart, rearranging them. â€Å"Just so, yes. Do not squeeze it so tight, no, the grip must be deft, delicate.† â€Å"What if I drop it?† Arya said. â€Å"The steel must be part of your arm,† the bald man told her. â€Å"Can you drop part of your arm? No. Nine years Syrio Forel was first sword to the Sealord of Braavos, he knows these things. Listen to him, boy.† It was the third time he had called her â€Å"boy.† â€Å"I'm a girl,† Arya objected. â€Å"Boy, girl,† Syrio Forel said. â€Å"You are a sword, that is all.† He clicked his teeth together. â€Å"Just so, that is the grip. You are not holding a battle-axe, you are holding a—† â€Å"—needle,† Arya finished for him, fiercely. â€Å"Just so. Now we will begin the dance. Remember, child, this is not the iron dance of Westeros we are learning, the knight's dance, hacking and hammering, no. This is the bravo's dance, the water dance, swift and sudden. All men are made of water, do you know this? When you pierce them, the water leaks out and they die.† He took a step backward, raised his own wooden blade. â€Å"Now you will try to strike me.† Arya tried to strike him. She tried for four hours, until every muscle in her body was sore and aching, while Syrio Forel clicked his teeth together and told her what to do. The next day their real work began.