High School Should Start Later Than Elementary School

Have you ever had a restless night of sleep? The feelings of achiness and fatigue overwhelms you the whole day. Now imagine that you slept this was every night. Accomplishing simple tasks would be difficult if one is sleep deprived. Performing at your potential would almost be impossible. In order to get rid of these unforgettable feeling many people would sleep late and go to bed early. But with such early start times for high school many students feel sleep deprived and do not achieve their best. Doing so would improve students health. Some individuals feel that keeping the start times at their current time would be best for parents and school districts. However, many people believe that delaying school start times would positively†¦show more content†¦As a result of a changing body and mind, adolescent sleep cycles have different needs than those of adults or younger children. As a matter of fact, Biologically, sleep patterns shift toward later times for both sleeping and waking during adolescence -- meaning it is natural to not be able to fall asleep before 11:00 pm (â€Å"Teens†). In addition to biological change in sleep patterns, teenagers also tend to have eccentric sleep cycles. Obtaining less than healthy hours of sleep during the school week and then catching up on their sleep on the weekends. Most teenagers during the school week, do not get the suggested amount of sleep. In fact, according to a recent poll conducted by the National Sleep Foundation, 80% of teenagers do not get the suggested amount of sleep of 9 hours on school nights (â€Å"School Start†). With changing bodies and minds, along with an increased amount of schoolwork and extracurricular activities, teenagers need more sleep than children of a younger age. Experts believe that moving back the start time of school for high school students will improve grades, test scores, and the overall health and personality of many students. Some people believe that school times should stay the way they are, with high school students starting earlier than elementary school students. Even with such fascinating evidenceShow MoreRelatedGraduation Speech : The National Sleep Foundation1681 Words   |  7 Pagesduring the school year. A big component of sleep loss is a direct result of the early start times for high school. Between after school sports, work, and homework the average teen does not make it to bed before 11p.m. Adolescents then proceed to wake up before 6:30 a.m. to make it to school on time leaving them with an insufficient amount of sleep. Many fatigued teenagers then come to school and easily miss out on learning. School officials have presented a variety of solutions to school boards toRead MoreThe Day Dreamers1574 Words   |  7 PagesCity High are sluggish and lethargic? Are they just lazy and unmotivated? No, most of them probably suffer from lack of sleep, caused by biological clocks that are set to a different schedule than their classes. Teenagers have a physiological need to stay up later and sleep longer than pre-adolescents, yet the daily schedule of the school runs oblivious to this. At City High students usually have to get up a little before 6:30, yet it is only natural for teenagers to get up later in theRead MoreSchools Should Have A Later Start Time1324 Words   |  6 Pagesa considerable amount of investigating it appears as if their lack of energy could be due to sleep deprivation resulting from early school start times. When later school times have been compared to those schools that start earlier, there are significant changes in the behaviors and results that students emit in a school environment. Schools should have a later start time that is better suited to the biological needs of adolescents as a way to aid them in achieving a higher quality education. ThereRead MoreLater School Start Times Essay1415 Words   |  6 PagesLater School Start Times Everyone has always hated getting up super early to go to school. As children get older they move to different schools, from elementary to middle to high school, and the start times get earlier. In elementary school it was never a problem getting up but getting older, it always got harder to get up and the days were always longer. Schools start so early in the morning that it is hard to focus and students tend to miss more of their earlier classes and attend all of theirRead MoreThe Era of Sleep Is Over Essay1416 Words   |  6 PagesI have found a problem that should not be over looked. For many years students and teachers have had precious hours of sleep seized from them by schools all across the great United States of America. I am no attorney, but I do know seizure of property without a proper warrant is against the Fourth Amendment; one of the twenty seven amendments our very nation has been built upon today. I am not proposing we go to court with our school systems, but I am s uggesting we can all comprise and find a fewRead MoreSchool Start Times And High Quality Sleep999 Words   |  4 Pagesaspect that varies wildly across the country is school start times. Deciding the start times for schools is dependent on many factors including bus schedules (Edwards, 2012), biological development (Borlase, Gander, Gibson, 2013; Perkinson-Gloor, Lemola, Grob, 2013), and parental preference (Edwards, 2012; Perkinson-Gloor et al., 2013). School start times are considered one aspect that can affect sleep duration, since they affect wake time. Adequate, high quality sleep is extremely important for adolescentsRead MoreShould School Start Later?1128 Words   |  5 PagesShould School Start Later? For years, experts have debated when the proper start time for high schools in America should be. Most high schools start at around 8:00 A.M. and some even earlier. New findings have led many experts to believe that schools should start later than 8:00, around 9:00 to 9:30. Most students would agree and appreciate the extra sleep. Starting school later would be beneficial because teenagers need to go to bed later and get up later, less sleep for students means lowerRead More Sleep Deprivation in Americas Students Essay1485 Words   |  6 Pagessleeping in class, they are not retaining information being taught to them. Researchers have now proven that the majority of adolescents retain more information later in the day. Contrary to this information, America’s school systems are programmed to begin early in the day, which according to the sleep rhythms of most teenagers, they should still be sleeping. Lack of sleep of teens is not caused by choice. Many teens do not choose to stay up late at night because they are out or having fun. TheRead MoreBackground On School Start Times1553 Words   |  7 PagesBackground on School Start Times in the United States For years and years there has been a lot of discussion about when a reasonable time for students to wake up and go to school should be. There are two main sides. One side believes that school should start later, and the other side believes that the school start times should not be changed. The average teenagers’ alarm for school goes off as early as 6:00 A.M. A little less than half of U.S. public schools start before 8:00 A.M. Studies show thatRead MoreGraduation Speech : School Start Times1192 Words   |  5 PagesSchool Start Times At six in the morning a loud blaring Beep Beep Beep blares from a teenager’s alarm clock followed by an agitated smack of a hand. Everyday, students stumble into school stressed out and exhausted. High schools around the nation begin around seven in the morning causing students to fall asleep in classes. For years this has been occurring, but now it is time for change. All high schools should start later in the morning to improve the overall experience of schooling. In medical

Analysis Of The Denial Of St Peter - 1134 Words

The Denial of St. Peter Michelangelo Merisi de Caravaggio’s The Denial of St. Peter depicts the accusal of Peter for being a disciple of Jesus. Painted in 1610 on oil on canvas as was the emerging medium of paintings during the Italian Renaissance. It is on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the Caravaggio and Southern Italy room in the European paintings department. Caravaggio’s piece is relatively medium sized and place directly at eye-level. In this painting, he is being accused by the woman to the soldier. Caravaggio portrays the story of the Denial of St. Peter, as told in all four Gospels (Matthew, John, Luke, Mark) of the Bible. When Jesus was arrested, he prophesied that Peter, his disciple would denounce his name†¦show more content†¦There is a spotlight on St. Peter’s face and half of his accusers face, indicating that the focus of the painting with light, that Peter is the main figure. Caravaggio uses light to portray a specific moment in the Denial of St Peter, the light shines directly onto Peter, half of the woman accusing him and no light on the soldier. The soldier is in the shadow but the light is slight directed on his back. With the light centered on St. Peter and his accuser’s face, the lines are contoured, to mimic reality in the pictures. The figures facial expressions, (emphasized on St. Peter) look more realistic. The lines and textures on Peter’s face, suggest that he i s rejecting the accusation, as the lines in his forehead are creased as he shrugs up his eyebrows and St. Peter’s hands are placed inward. The drapery on the garments on the figures look realistic, but looked as if they were placed like costumes. St. Peter’s face is the one most accented. The figures in the painting take up most up the space. The background is not emphasized. St. Peter’s accuser and the soldier are very close to each other and St. Peter is further away from them, indicating that he is not in cahoots (USE A DIFFERENT WORD) of the accusations. The textures in the clothes of st peter, realistic color. The painting looks more of a picture and the onlooker is right there in the scene too. Oil on canvas provided for the painting to come across moreShow MoreRelatedThe Time Of The Music1398 Words   |  6 Pagesmusic critics’ analysis such as Laurence Dreyfus and Michael Marissen, it will become clearer as to how Bach used certain techniques to represent his own beliefs at the time and what his possible intentions were when composing his St John Passion. Aria no. 13 â€Å"Ach Mein Sinn† is at the point of the story where Peter is weeping because he denied that he knew Jesus. Bach’s emphasis on the word â€Å"mein† which could be argued to help the listener to relate to Peter’s denial as their own denial of Christ.Read MoreEssay about Ind Aff Theme Analysis1511 Words   |  7 Pagesnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; SHORT STORY PROJECT: IND AFF THEME ANALYSIS Extreme relationships often tend to be abusive in some way from one of the partners towards the other. Very marked age differences some times show a sense of immaturity or a parenting feeling, it is hard to assimilate to someone who in deed is veryRead MoreLycidas Analysis1492 Words   |  6 PagesAn Analysis of John Miltons â€Å"Lycidas† Milton’s Lycidas is a poem in the form of a pastoral elegy written in 1637 to mourn the accidental death of Milton’s friend Edward King. The theme of the elegy is mournful or sadly reflective. Though lyrical, it is not spontaneous, and is often the result of deliberate poetic art. The elegy is a conscious work of art, and not a spontaneous expression of sorrow. The elegiac poet engages himself in discursive reflections. Death, the primary theme of most elegiesRead MoreAugust Wilson3685 Words   |  15 Pageslist of Literary Lions by the New York Public Library.Y In 1987, Mayor George Latimer of St. Paul, Minnesota proclaimed May 27th August Wilson Day and he is often referred to as the Bard of St. Paul.3 After all this recognition and acclaim August Wilson is still an unknown to countless millions. I myself, being a Theatre major, was not even aware of his monstrous achievements until I took a play analysis class as part of my majors requirement. He was born Frederick August Kittel, Jr. on AprilRead MoreThe Best Theology Would Need No Advocates1963 Words   |  8 Pagesin WWI. Barth was startled by both Germanys increasing military power and the support his teachers took among it. Embittered with the moral deficiency of Liberal Theology, Barth began expanding his study of the Bible. By reexamining the teaching of St. Paul in the Epistle to the Romans, Barth emerged with a completely fresh theological basis. (Mueller, 1964). However, Barth faced the challenge of interpreting the relationship between justification and social righteousness. This was very importantRead MoreAnalysis the Use of Stream of Consciousness in Mrs Dalloway8784 Words   |  36 PagesAnalysis the use of stream of consciousness in Mrs Dalloway BY Qian Jiajia Prof. Zhang Li, Tutor A Thesis Submitted to Department of English Language and Literature in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the degree of B.A in English At Hebei Normal University May 8th , 2009 Abstract As one of the representative writers of novels of stream of consciousness, Virginia Woolf has made important contributions to the development of the technique of stream of consciousnessRead More Comparing the Love of Romeo and Juliet, Twelfth Night and the Bible4838 Words   |  20 PagesRomeo and Juliet. St. Johns first epistle provides a profound insight into the nature of love. He states that there is no fear in love; perfect love drives out all fear. (I John 4:18) More explicitly, he declares that if anyone has fear, he does not have true love. (I John 4:18) The implications of this passage in Shakespeares works will be elaborated later. Among the multitudinous biblical references to love, the most comprehensive and decisive assessment of true love comes in St. Pauls FirstRead MoreHealth Care Reform3830 Words   |  16 Pages400% of the FPL ($88,000 for family of 4 in 2010) so their maximum out-of-pocket payment for annual premiums will be from 2% to 9.5% of income,[10][11] providing incentives for businesses to provide health care benefits, prohibiting denial of coverage and denial of claims based on pre-existing conditions, establishing health insurance exchanges, prohibiting insurers from establishing annual coverage caps, and support for medical research. According to White House and Congressional Budget OfficeRead MorePros and Cons of Globalization2741 Words   |  11 Pagesglobalization has primarily become a fiscal term, and its impact is not limited to the economy of the countries only as well as the term globalization actually refers to every aspect of life like cultural, social, psychological and of course, political (Peter and Wu, 2005). The growing importance of economic ties, innovations in transportation and the revolution in communications have sped the global transmission of new technologies, new ideas, and new diseases, such as, SARS (Kent, 2003). Because ofRead MoreThe Death of John Savage in Brave New World2197 Words   |  9 Pageskept at bay by the use of a drug, or else the whole society will collapse. It is part of the human experience to be involved with reality. Living in a fantasy world is no condition fit for an operational utopia. As Lenina tries to live her life in denial and not worry about her problems, she, â€Å"walked across the roof to the lift. On her way down to the twenty-seventh floor she pulled out her soma bottle. One gramme, she decided, would not be enough; hers had been more than a one-gramme affliction.

Project Management for Accountability and Ethics-myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about theProject Management for Accountability and Ethics. Answer: Reflection: The below mentioned report is a reflective study of the skills that are involved in a good leader and what are his/her responsibilities to achieve target driven with cost effectiveness. Moreover it also include how a leader is developed and what motivates them to be so. In addition to this, it also include the best approaches and models applied by those famous leaders. Albert Einstein stated that everything must be made in a very simple way but it should not be simpler. However, it all depends on the thinking capacity of an individual that think that the leaders and made to lead and followers are made to follow and that came into the mind because of the relationship between the leadership, management and followers (Kruse, 2013). Leaders are the people who leads or commands and directs a group of people especially works as a head in an organization. They are the one who inspires others and motivate them to achieve a desired goals or objectives. They influence others and make something extraordinary happen (Galbraith, 2015). As per my opinion, Bill gates is one of the admiring leader in 21st century. William Bill Gates is co-founder and chairman of Microsoft Corporation. He was born on 28th October, 1955. He is considered to be one of the top most admirer and leader in todays generation. He is also ranked as one of the richest person in America. The contribution and innovativeness of Bill gates has turned out to be one of the best example today. He dropped out from his university in order to start his own company which has been successfully introduced and established and well known to everyone (Boggs, 2011). He was retired from company in 2008 but he created a demanding and abrasive boss legacy after his retirement. He was able to achieve huge number of recognition and awards for the skills he had. All the engineers and designers who used to visit him daily used to say that he often manage to face the challenges so well and he has always been able to set an example for others. The leadership qualities of Bill Gates are focused, passionate, clear vision and mission, continuous learner and risk bearer (Covey, 2013). In addition to this, Bill Gates followed authoritarian leadership style. He stated that he was liable to take the charge of every activities that are involved in an organization and others must be aware of it. Other employees and subordinates working in an organization must know about the authorities that were assigned to them. Later, he knew that this style of leadership was slowly not able to work well because this style never gave an opportunity to innovative skills. This style always created an obstacle in creativity. It was stated that in those days, Bill Gates required so much control which forced him to sign off all the expenses as well (Gates, 2013). But despite of this, he was also able to follow other leadership style as well. Later, he decided to follow transactional leadership style. Transactional leadership style is also commonly known as managerial leadership. It basically aims on the idea and concept of a transaction that take place between a leader and his team members. He is a transactional leader who tends to motivate others and develop positive changes among his followers. He keeps on doing his work with full dedication and stand with a sound organization vision. The subordinates follows him and tends to perform task at their best. Likewise, Bill Gates also focuses on reward-punishment strategy. This strategy state that every employees in the organization must be rewarded and motivated if he/she performs a good job and on the contrary, every employees must be punished if he/she fails to do the assigned task (Nonaka Takeuchi, 2011). Major criticism Microsoft was working well but despite of celebrating success, it is more important to heed the lessons to be learnt from failures. There were many people who were not happy with the success of Bill Gates and they were trying to pull down the efforts but he was continuously stuck to his dedication and proved himself. He was aligned with the commitment The stronger you stand the bolder you get the faster these negatives wither. It was later found that IBM made a contract for Operating system which will combine IBM clone PCs. But Bill Gates continued to work and was focused on creating and developing windows. There were lots of hinders and obstacles that hampered the company but he managed to cover all those issues very well (Manes Andrews, 1993). Bill Gates said Whether its Google or Apple or free software, weve got some fantastic Competitors and it keeps us on our toes. It was always a motivation for him to compete with his competitors like Google and Apple despite of lowering down oneself. He became more focused towards building more range of products and earning more satisfied customers. He did not only focused on enhancing the knowledge but also focused on making people understand the needs of windows (Northouse, 2017). Similarly, Bill Gates also stated Google kicked our butts. Google was launched in 1998 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin. At the same time, Gates also introduced an innovative search in 1998 known as MSN search. Google, being a well-known company is fast and focused on accurate results. The search engine of Google stood out to be one of best thing in those days. Later Nick Scheidies wrote in Income Diary, MSN Search was none-of-the-above. Even after this, Gates did not bothered about creating a better search engine. He continued using the existing search engine but did not made any efforts in creating new search engine that could compete Google. Despite of having all the necessary resources, Gates did not find focusing on search engines and he let that opportunity slip from his hand which could make Microsoft stand in the top today (Shah Mulla, 2013). Who motivated Bill Gates? There is always someone who stands by your side and motivates you to perform a certain task and achieve success. Similarly, bill gates was also inspired and motivated by Roberts and his childhood friend Paul Allen. Bill gates met Paul who was his senior and they became best friends. They has common interest in computers though they were not similar by nature. Paul was introvert and Bill was extrovert. They always used to spend time working on computer programs. They also used to argue over computer programs and claimed who was right and who was wrong. Bill gates later introduced payroll program with the help of Paul (Brown Duguid, 2017). Likewise, in 1970, they both panned to start a business by creating a program called Traf-o-Data. It is a computer program which aims at controlling and monitoring traffic patterns that are involved in satellite. It costed them $20,000. Then they started to introduce their own company but Bill parents wished to complete his studies first instead of getting involved in any business. They also wished Gates to become a lawyer. When it comes to me, I have also faced this problem in my real life when parents and child have two different opinion about ones career. M y parents also wanted me to become a doctor which I totally disagreed with because I had no interest. Anyways, later, Bill and Paul moved to different city and worked separately. But they both were able to create an opportunity in the field of computer so well. Paul inspired Bill to work for computer programs in his early childhood. Then, later they both met Ed Roberts who asked both of them to write about software program for his company. They both gave a test together and they worked as per the instruction. Later, they both were hired and soon they were able to find Microsoft together (Pandey, 2017). In 1983, Paul suffered from cancer and resigned from the company but he always made a footprint on Bills entire life. Leadership style followed by Bill Gates Bill Gates has ranked himself by creating a direction for other employees in a company. He always had a specific vision in his mind which helped him to move in particular direction and achieve success. He had a vision A computer on every desk and in every home. For it, he started working hard those times when personal computers were rare in use. He always had a belief that he can do something very good and was always committed towards his goal. This proved him to be a transformational leader. He always had faith on his values that were created by him and that pushed him to achieve the committed goal. He has proved himself to be business icon and everyones desire to win such position. He has successfully made a remarkable vision in todays generation which made him a different leader from all the other leaders. He not only wanted to make such company which will impact the world rather than he focused on driving the bus which he did (Gilliard, 2017). Bill Gates is also directive in nature because he always expect his subordinate to get what he wants. He always focused that his main role in the company is to achieve the companys vision at any cost. He never wanted to get things done in private because he had a belief that if things are done in private, it can never be resolved. Every activities must be done in open so that one must know about the changes that take place in the market (Al-Asfour Lettau, 2014). He is also participative and consultative in nature. He refuses to seek advises form others and makes his own advices. He also used to respond to all the emails of the employees within 24 hours and get their queries resolved at time. Gates also participated in Think Week which gave Gates an opportunity to read all the 100 documents written by his employees about the issues of the company (Gera, 2015). This made him to earn trust and build healthy relationships with his employees. He always used to care about his employees and took their advices. The employees working in his organization are always free to express their ideas and advices which were heard by Bill (Bel, 2010). As a result, it can be concluded that some people are predisposed from their childhood from the very early stage so that they can either stand as a leader. This is just a way how a person would be attracted in a very natural way either by being a leader. Bill Gates was also inspired and motivated by Paul and Robert which made him become a successful leader today. Moreover, a leader can be any person who motivates other people and the title may not be match according the particular management position. References Al-Asfour, A. Lettau, L. (2014). Strategies for leadership styles for multi-generational workforce. Journal of Leadership, Accountability and Ethics, 11(2), p.58. Bel, R. (2010). Leadership and innovation: Learning from the best. Global business and organizational excellence, 29(2), 47-60. Boggs, G. R. (2011). The American community college: From access to success. About Campus, 16(2), 2-10. Brown, J. S., Duguid, P. (2017). The Social Life of Information: Updated, with a New Preface. Harvard Business Review Press. Covey, S. R. (2013). The 7 habits of highly effective people: Powerful lessons in personal change. Simon and Schuster. Galbraith, J. K. (2015). The new industrial state. Princeton University Press. Gates, B. (2013). Bill Gates: My plan to fix the worlds biggest problems. The Wall Street Journal. Gera, D. (2015). Bill gates leadership style. Retrieved from: https://www.slideshare.net/Dinesh_gera/bill-gates-leadership-style Gilliard, M. (2017). Bill Gates Leadership Style. Retrieved from: https://leadership-and-development.com/bill-gates-leadership-style/ Kruse, K. (2013). What is leadership. Forbes Magazine, 3. Manes, S., Andrews, P. (1993). Gates: How Microsoft's mogul reinvented an industry-and made himself the richest man in America. Simon Schuster. Nonaka, I. Takeuchi, H. (2011). The wise leader. Harvard business review, 89(5), pp.58-67. Northouse, P.G. (2017). Introduction to leadership: Concepts and practice. Sage Publications. Pandey, B. (2017). Leadership Style of Bill Gates. Retrieved from: https://www.scribd.com/doc/134042780/Leadership-Style-of-Bill-Gates Shah, T. Mulla, Z.R. (2013). Leader motives, impression management, and charisma: A comparison of Steve Jobs and Bill Gates. Management and Labor Studies, 38(3), pp.155-184.

Smart Watches

Introduction There is need for radical transformation on how ageism has been perceived and handled over the years. Old age and the associated impacts of aging have led to myriads of health complications, loss of memory, high dependency level, and loss of social touch with events taking place in the immediate world. This essay briefly explores how technology can be embraced in order to minimize the effects of old age.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Smart Watches specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Problem statement The old generation faces a lot of social discrimination especially in the modern societies. Old age seems to be a bother to the young generation bearing in mind that old people often experience higher levels of dependency than the young generation. They are also faced with additional health complications that demand regular attention (Mann 2005, p.26). Moreover, old people are relatively slow in terms of responding to stimuli and therefore, they require assistance and guidance from time to time. However, there are ways through which modern technology can be adopted in order to combat the negative effects of old age. High-Level Requirements: assumptions Smart watches are wrist watches that have been invented so that they can improve the overall functioning of watches since most users have been unable to properly utilize the watch technology (Morley Charles 2008, p.62). They have been used to improve technology in connecting several people. In other words, this type of wrist watch is meant to offer users with additional features that can improve their social lives. Smart watches came into demand since they can be used for multiple purposes. For instance, they can be used to access the internet as any other computer. In addition, they can indicate updates on weather, sports, and traffic movement. Needless to say, electronic mails and several other sites connected to the internet can be accessed using a smart watch. Therefore, smart watches are specially designed to meet the needs of all types of people although individuals who are in old age can immensely benefit from this type of technology. Constraints The main constraint that faces this modern application is that most people are not ready and willing to embrace the new technology installed in smart watches. Google glasses are also able to interface most of the applications at ago to enhance usability. It also improves the performance of the various individuals who are using it. The technology will also be enhancing the reliability and the way people interact. Since Smart watches are worn on the wrists, the technology will enhance them to use it at any moment and at any place wherever they are. For example the smart watches can be used when cycling, swimming and also when jogging and at the various working places. They are light, consume less energy and are relatively cheap.Advertising Looking for report on aging? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Another challenge is the issue of size. Quite a number of users have argued that the size is not appealing as the display of the information is not as large as expected by most users. Background Smart watches are a type of wrist watches that have been designed with high level of interaction in order to offer multiple services to users especially those who are in old age (Stair George 2010, p.12). Users are able to maintain their social lives in spite of old age. Some of the core features and functions of this type of watch include data storage, sending messages through speaking, monitoring sugar level, blood pressure, and heart beat as well as taking and sharing both audio and video files. Smart watches use technology known as SPOT (Smart Personal Object Technology) that is aimed at bringing the power of technology to users.NET. They are computerized and they enhance low power consumption and low energy sources as compared to the other devices such as laptops and other technology related products. The main aim of building the smart watches is to improve communication and also make the gadgets more useful in the day to day lives. SPOT is a technology that is used to deliver the necessary information and domains that aid in improving the welfare of the technology used. SPOT uses the main mode of technology has the FM broadcasting does. IT delivers the web-based data that is related to the smart appliances such as the smart watches. Stakeholders The application and technology will be used by old people from all types of backgrounds. It will be modified by adding several vital applications so that old people will find it easy to use even in an environment with several communication barriers. Interaction mechanisms Easier and faster mode of communications will be applied to increase the rate at which the information is passed from one person to another. Some of the Input output devices that will be used in the project are the LCD displays, microprocessors and the numeric displays that are able to display to the users. The input and the output devices also enable users to boost their performance when interacting with the device. The private life and work environment of an individual using a smart watch will be improved due to the hardware used to manufacture the gadget. The vibration feedback integrated acceleration sensors installed in this type of watch will indeed boost the user’s experience (Heckman 2008, p.72).Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Smart Watches specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It is definite that the user will be offered with a non-obtrusive interaction with the computerized watch. Since the watch will be able to recognize physical activities, an aged user will be able to complete his or her social life without relying on external assistance. References Heckman, D 2008, A Small World: Smart Houses and the Dream of the Perfect Day, Duke University Press, Durham. Mann, WC 2005, Smart Technology for Aging, Disability and Independence: The State of the Science, John Wiley Sons, Hoboken. Morley, D Charles, S.P 2008, Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow, Course Technology, Boston. Stair, R M George W. R 2010, Fundamentals of Information Systems, Course Technology Boston. 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Clubs and Activities in Redlands High School Essays

Clubs and Activities in Redlands High School Essays Clubs and Activities in Redlands High School Essay Clubs and Activities in Redlands High School Essay Essay Topic: High School Clubs and Activities in Redlands High School BY tnshit1786 All courses completed during the 2012-2013 school year: 1 . Biology Honors 2. American Sign Language (ASL) 3. Physical Education (P. E. ) 4. ASB 5. English Honors 6. Geometry Honors Activities Redlands High school has a various amount of clubs, sports and activities. I am in involved in a few clubs and a couple of activities. I am the secretary for the freshmen class ASB, I am in Key Club, and I am also part of the ASL club. These clubs are very important to me and I dedicate my time and hard work to them as much as I can. ASB stands for the Associated Student Body. Students in ASB plan, organize, and participate in such activities as formal and informal dances, Homecoming, Spirit Week, grade-level competitions, community awareness projects, cultural events, and Staff Recognition throughout the year. The students in ASB work to raise school spirit in events held during lunch and during any other events. They are always on top of everything and ahead on every task. I am the secretary and my Job is to keep minutes, which report member attendance of all meetings. I keep general files stocked and make additions to the general files. Informing the presidents and vice- opportunity for me and I enjoy it a lot. Key Club is the oldest and largest service program for high school students. It is a student-led organization whose goal is to teach leadership through helping. Key Club International is a part of the Kiwanis International family of service-leadership programs. A local Kiwanis club sponsors many local Key Clubs. This club includes students who want to dedicate their time to community service and other school activities. We raise money and try to make our club better so we have more opportunities to go out and compete with other schools. We all have fun and work hard at the same time. It is a great use of my time and effort. American Sign Language Club (ASL) is a club where all of the ASL class students get together and go above and beyond what is taught in class. We learn different types of signs and also put up a lot of fundraisers for our club so we can afford to have professional deaf speakers come and meet us. We try to organize fun sport days for the students that involving signing as an educational purpose. We work hard to make our ASL classes go up. Personal Statement I plan on doing a lot throughout high school and reaching all of the goals I have set for myself. During my four years of high school I want to take as many AP and honors lasses as possible and receive good grades in them. I want to earn scholarships so I can get into a nice medical school. School is very important to me and I feel like I must complete as many classes as I can throughout the summer so I can have room for my core classes during the school year. Last year over summer I took a semester of health class. I took that class because I wanted to take P. E, ASL, and ASB in my freshmen year. I did not have room for health and felt like taking it over summer would be a great idea. This year I want to take P. E. both semesters of summer school so I can have room for the classes I really need to take. I always work hard when it comes to school and make sure I pass the class. I will take full advantage of this scholarship and will not let it go to waste at all. My future career goal is set and ready. I have always wanted to be a Pediatrician. Working with babies, kids, and teens is something I know I will enjoy. In order for me to reach my career goal, I have to finish my schooling along with good grades. I need to get accepted to a good college and take all the classes necessary for my Job. I have everything planned and set up and I am glad that AAA Academy is there for the students who need to take extra

Film sequence Essays

Film sequence Essays Film sequence Essay Film sequence Essay Focus on how one or more of the mise-en-scene, performance, cinematography, editing and sound create meaning and generate a response in a film sequence.* The clip must be a complete sequence of no more than 7 minutes in length* If the sequence is a complex one, it may be much shorter than 7 minutes.I have chosen to look at the final 7 minutes of the film saw. I will be looking at the use of sound and mise-en-scene and what affect this has on the audience. I will start from the scene where Lawrence cuts of his foot and I will only be looking at the scenes involving Lawrence and Alex.There arent a lot of non-diegetic sounds used in this sequence but the effect of that is that it makes the sequence appear more realistic to the audience therefore making it scarier. Diegetic sound is used most throughout the sequence and example of the use of diegetic sound is the tape recorder found later in the sequence. At the Beginning of the scene, Alex is screaming and shouting at Lawrence telling h im dont do it, we can sort this out! The tone of Alexs voice scares the audience as he sounds scared which adds to the horror of Lawrence cutting of his foot. We can also hear Lawrences screams of pain, which are slightly muffled from his shirt. The fact that we can still hear his screams loudly shows how much he is screaming making this scene seem realistic to the audience.As the scene progresses, we can see Lawrence getting weaker and one way that we know he is getting weaker is the dramatic change in his voice before and after cutting his foot. We hear him screaming and shouting loudly in the scene before, then once he cuts of his foot, his voice becomes quieter and deeper with gasps in between sentences, this shows that he is really weak and finds it difficult to speak.We get to the point where Lawrence gets the gun and points it at Alex. Alex voice shows his fear of dying and we can also hear the sorrow in Lawrences voice as he says You have to die. This makes the audience feel sorry for both characters and leaves us wondering what will be happening next.Once Lawrence shoots Alex, he breaks down and cries saying there, Ive done it, now show them to me. The sobs in between sentences show his upset. The character Zep enters the room and we can hear the anger in Lawrence voice as he shouts. You can also hear the fact that the gun now has no bullets as Lawrence tries to shoot Zep. We can also hear the anger in Alexs voice as he gets up and hits Zep with part of the toilet. From this we can hear the toilet hitting Zep and we can also here his head smashing from the power of the hit. This leaves the audience shocked as they though Alex was dead and that Lawrence was going to die.Once Lawrence has left the room, we can hear Alex looking through Zeps pockets then he comes across a tape recorder. He plays it and its the same voice that was on their tape recorder shown early in the film. This leaves the audience and Alex confused as the tape tells Zep that he has t o keep them hostage. Know the audience is wondering who is the Jigsaw killer?We can hear Alexs breathing increase which creates fear and increases the tension for the audience. An uneasy music begins to play gradually getting louder and faster which increases the tension for the audience. The man who we as the audience though was dead gets up, as he does, the music increases and so does Alexs breathing. The music helps create shock from this character up rise and puts more fear on Alexs character. The music play is Non Diegetic as we as the audience can hear but Alex cant. the music helps show the atmosphere of the scene, the fact that its uneasy puts the audience on edge and wonder what is about to happen.When the dead man speaks we recognise his voice as the same one as on the tape recorder and Alex and the audience become aware that he is the Jigsaw killer, this shocks the audience that the Jigsaw killer had been there the whole time.There is then a montage that shows different s cenes throughout the film which makes sense of the whole movie. As the montage progresses, the music playing over the top speeds up and so does the length of scene change. This scares the audience but makes them realise the whole film as it runs through the whole lot and we can see how everything is relevant. As the music increases so does the audiences heart rate which increases the fear in this scene.As we get towards the end of the film we hear a voiceover of the Jigsaw killer saying some people are so un grateful to be alive and we see the Jigsaw leave the room and before he slams the door we hear him say game over this scares the audience. As the scene finishes all we see is blackness and we can hear Alexs screams over the credits. This leaves the audience feeling uneasy and asking questions like will Alex survive? What happened to Lawrence? Does the Jigsaw killer ever get caught?There are loads if factors that affect the mise-en-scene. I will be focusing on the set design, the use of make up, the use of props and the use of lighting and looking at the affect this has on the tension in the film.The set design is in a bathroom and its dirty and broken with a dead body in the centre. This makes the area look horrible which adds to the horror iconology. The pipes and chains make it seem like a prison and theyre constricted, this helps create fear with the audience. The fact that theres no windows and one door thats locked gives the feeling of isolation and restriction which leaves the audience feeling uneasy and on edge.There is a good use of make up on Lawrence as there is the blood from his foot which makes it look like hes actually cutting it of. Then also as the scene progresses we see him getting paler and his skin colour turning slightly blue. There is also make up on the dead man as it looks like his head has been smashed even though he is alive.There is minor use of props as there is only simple ones such as a saw, a gun and a tape recorder. The tap e recorder is the only prop that isnt used as a weapon which leaves the audience asking questions as to who the jigsaw killer is once the tape recorder is discovered.The lighting in these scenes is very simple as the bathroom is lit using a blue filter which makes the bathroom seem colder and more depressing. At the end of the sequence, the lights are turned of by Jigsaw and there is a green light behind him witch shows his outline. This makes Jigsaw seem mysterious as we cant see him it also suggests that hes secretive and theres still stuff we dont know. Once the door is shut, there is complete blackness and nothing can be seen, this creates fear with the audience as it plays on the childhood fear of the dark.

Gynecomastia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Gynecomastia - Essay Example Although this condition worries those a lot that experience it, yet they are least likely to share what they experience with others because they don’t want to be made fun of. Most people are not aware of this condition and hence tend to make fun of the individuals that carry gynecomastia. As I read more, I came to know that people tend to go for expensive surgeries in order to get this treated, but most resolve to lie in pain with it because they don’t have the courage to discuss their problem with anyone. Thus, the patient lacks emotional support. I read the readers’ comments at the end of the article and many expressed that they wanted to do something about it but didn’t know how to go about it. This motivated me to interview a surgeon and seek his opinion regarding the treatment of gynecomastia. The first thing I did about it was get an appointment with the surgeon. He is a famous surgeon in a government hospital and has been performing surgeries for ov er 15 years. I had already prepared a list of questions that I needed his replies to. The questions were; â€Å"How often do you encounter the cases of gynecomastia? What are the possible treatments for gynecomastia? What is the cost of surgery and which is the most cost-effective treatment? How can gynecomastia be prevented?

Islamic Responses to Western Modernization in the Middle East Essay

Islamic Responses to Western Modernization in the Middle East - Essay Example In present times, when modernity is largely defined according to the terms of the West, Islam has often been criticized of being regressive and unable to move on with the times. This paper shall look at two articles that came out in The New York Times and in BBC. According to Nicholas Kristof and Timur Kuran, there is an underutilization of women in the Middle Eastern Muslim Countries. They however, argue that this is a fairly recent phenomenon. They argue that it was the advent of industrialization that has resulted in a comparatively less liberated atmosphere that women have to face in Muslim countries of the Middle East. The authors talk about the different standards that are set in ascertaining the contributions of women in the different cultural frameworks. They also argue that the problems that are found with the Islamic treatment of women can be traced to a faulty assessment and interpretation of Islam. It happens according to them as a result of â€Å"Islamism†, a phen omenon that occurs as a result of the conflict between modernity and Islamic worldviews. According to them, such conflict deepens the stands that are taken by hardliners within the Islamic establishment, making them adopt more and more regressive perspectives (Kristof and Kuran). There are problems with such an approach. One of them is that it does not admit of the possibility of a debate into the tenets of Islam that actually may be oppressive for women. Apart from this, it also talks of the possibility of a utopian form of Islam that can be achieved merely through a different interpretation of it. Apart from these flaws, this approach also ignores the historical marginalization that woman of these communities have faced and the economic and social repercussions of it. The article seeks to set right the flaws in religion through religion and not through a holistic intervention. Roger Hardy’s article does not fall into the trap of offering alternatives. He talks of the flaws in the processes of modernity and the hurry that it has displayed in asserting its superiority over Islamic structures of society. Instead of incorporating changes, what the colonizers sought to do was to impose them. This, Hardy suggests is something that was counter-productive. According to him, one of the major issues that such communities have with modernity is the doubt that it introduces into the psyche of the societies that it is a part of. This problem persists in most Muslim societies of today as well (Hardy). As can be seen, there are several problems that can be identified right from the level of the perspective of the author(s). To find or to suggest any solution would not be a conclusive venture but a beginning. This is so because any possible solution needs to emerge from a dialogue in which every party which has a stake needs to be a participant. As a result, one needs to take on board the doubts that are voiced by the Islamic establishment and also organizations that work within such countries for the empowerment of women for making such a solution. A solution needs to be reached through a compromise where each party is willing to cede ground to the other. However, this does not mean that outmoded ways of living that unfairly oppress one section of mankind are allowed to stay on. The inevitability of progress has to be accepted. The oneness of the progress of humanity in a

Evaluate strategies which may be used by businesses Essay Example for Free

Evaluate strategies which may be used by businesses Essay Evaluate strategies which may be used by businesses and governments to improve the competitiveness of a country’s goods and services. Competitiveness is the ability of a firm or a nation to offer goods and services that meet the quality standards of the local people and world markets at prices that are competitive and provide adequate returns on the resources employed or consumed in producing them. Governments have an important role for improving the competitiveness of their country’s goods and services. Governments are able to change regulations and taxes according to what they believe about their country’s state of economy. For example, a government may decide to decrease the corporation tax in order to improve the competitiveness of a country’s goods and services. A decrease in the corporation tax will encourage new firms to set up and existing firms to invest. Corporation tax is a levy placed on the profit of a firm with different rates used for different levels or profits. They are taxes against profits earned by businesses during a given taxable period. If there is a decrease in the corporation tax, it means that firms will have an increased retained profit since less money goes to the government revenue. This will allow firms to use this money to improve competitiveness. More spending on investment will be possible which will increase productivity. If the firms invest on capital goods such as machinery that will benefit the firm by producing at lower cost, then the firm might able to set lower prices in order to improve price-competitiveness. For example the UK government reduced the headline corporation tax rate from 30% to 28% in 2007 Budget. Reducing corporation tax increased the retained profits for UK firms that can plough back into investment projects. This should help to boost the UK capital stock. It should also help the UK to keep attracting foreign direct investment which improves the competitiveness furthermore since British firms may gain from the advanced technology and innovation of foreign multinationals. (Technology transfer) However, if the government decreases corporation tax, there might be some firms that decide to save the retained profits instead of spending on investment. This might be because there is a period of recession and firms might find it risky to invest. In addition many firms have chosen not to reinvest as they have been more concerned with making short term profits rather than investing in the future. If firms choose to save rather than invest their retained profits, a decrease in the corporation tax wouldn’t improve competitiveness. Another measure to improve competitiveness is to increase government spending on education and training. If the government can improve the quality of teaching in schools and universities and encourage more people to go to university, then this should lead to increase in productivity of the workforce in the future. Greater productivity will lead to greater efficiency in firms which will in turn lead to lower average costs of production. This may improve the price competitiveness of UK goods and services. In addition it would improve the non price competitiveness since a more educated workforce is likely to be able to be more creative and innovative. Greater innovation should lead to better quality products and the creation of patents, copyrights, brands etc. However, increased spending on education and training by the government does not always lead to increased global competitiveness. It will depend greatly on exactly how the money is spent. For example expenditure for improving school buildings or Ofsted inspections may not necessarily improve the effectiveness of the teachers and the quality of education. On the other hand spending on training teachers and advancing their professional development, might be a more effective means of improving educational standards in the future and increasing productivity. However even in this case the effects are not likely materialise until the longer term. Another way in which the government can improve the non price competitiveness and price competitiveness in international markets is to encourage innovation and research. Tax allowances have been made available to businesses spending on innovation and research. However, there has also been a variety of programmes which enable some businesses to gain grants for research and development R D and to set up knowledge transfer networks and universities. Such measures are likely to be more successful than tax cats since firms are given incentives to research and development through receiving tax concessions and from making connection to universities where they have the opportunity to learn about the latest scientific and technological advancements. On the other hand businesses, are able to introduce a variety of measures to improve the competitiveness of the goods and services. These include increasing the level of investment on new technology, on staff training, on ICT, etc . One way by which businesses might improve the competitiveness of their goods or services is by increasing the spending on R D. By increasing the spending on R D, businesses will most probably benefit from product and process innovation. If a business manages to create a unique and different product than the rest products in the market, it would be able to compete much more easily since consumers will prefer to buy the most innovated and technological updated products. For example Steve Job’s firm, Apple spent $758 million on RD during the first fiscal quarter of 2012. If we take Apple as an example which is one of the most profitable companies, we clearly see that it has benefited from the heavy spending on R D. It has come up with products such as the iPhone where the sales reached the number of 98,144,000 in the first three quadrants of 2012. However, some businesses prefer not to spend on R D because they do not think about the longer term. Also there are other firms that fail to spend on R D. For example the procedure of R D may result in no innovative products or procedures that will improve competitiveness and therefore. Another way, by which businesses might improve competitiveness, is by improving productivity. Productivity is the output per worker. There are different ways by which productivity can be improved. For example if the firms increase the wages, workers might be motivated to work harder. Also, training can improve the knowledge and skills of staff. Improved recruitment and selection may have the same effect which will increase productivity in the short term. If the business increases spending on training, workers will be more educated and informed about their job. This will increase the productivity since they will be able to produce more output at the same working hours and wages. If the productivity is increased, it means that more output will be produced at relatively the same costs. This will allow the firm to get bigger in size, lower the running and operational costs, increase income and gain a greater share of the market. This will increase both price and non-price competitiveness. However productivity doesn’t always improve competitiveness. For example if training isn’t done effectively, and workers do not give attention or really care about the job, then they won’t improve their knowledge and skills, training will not improve productivity, and therefore productivity will not improve competitiveness. In addition, productivity might not improve competitiveness because in the case of increasing the wages in relation of the output the worker producers, there are workers that wouldn’t be motivated by an increase in their salary and therefore will not produce a greater output. Productivity can be used as a measure to improve competitiveness only if it is used correctly and it can increase both price and non-price competitiveness. It can improve price competitiveness by allowing the businesses to set lower prices and improve non-price competitiveness by expanding as a firm and increasing its popularity.

The two poems I have chosen to explain are Piano by D H Lawrence and :: English Literature Essays

Explore how two of the poems you have studied deal with the theme of looking back on a relationship The two poems I have chosen to explain are Piano by D H Lawrence and In Mrs Tilchers Class by Carol Ann Duffy; I have chosen these two poems because they both tell us about the same sort of memory, i.e. of a good time in their childhood. Moving on to the mood of the poems. Both poems are very emotional and although they are both happy memories the emotions vary, for example in 'Piano' the poem is very sad and nostalgic 'till the heart of me weeps' as the poet wishes that he could return to those presumably happier times, on the other hand 'In Mrs Tilchers class' is very childish and as in a dreamy world 'the laugh of a bell swung by a running child' The mood shows the intention of the poems. In 'In Mrs Tilchers Class' this was to recreate the safety warmth and happiness of childhood innocence and how it all changed at the end of primary school 'the inky tadpoles changed from commas into exclamation marks' I believe this symbolizes the change from a child into an adolescent. However in 'Piano' the poem is showing us how the past will always shape us he tells us how we can never go back to the past 'I weep like a child for the past' The structure and the form support the intention of the poems. In 'In Mrs Tilchers Class' the structure is very simple and easy to understand, there is no rhyming scheme, four octets and eight syllables to a line this helps to recreate the idyllic primary classroom by being very simple like the sort of things that a young child would be learning about. However 'Piano' has a very complex structure, in comparison, and although again the syllable count is random the rest is not so, there are three regular quatrains each with rhyming couplets. In particular the poets style shows us how they feel. In 'piano' the poet's style is one that is very emotional to do this, the poet hast used lots of emotive language 'weep' and 'flood of remembrance' also D

Key Objectives of an Organization Essay

Task 1A. Identify the mission, values and key objectives of an organization of your choice and assess the influence of stakeholders The Body Shop is a public limited company they mainly specialize in beauty products, however they are very much different compared to regular make up brands such as DIOR, SHU UMERA and so on, they are different in a way that they use natural products and they are against animal cruelty. They use plants resources wisely. The body shop is different because of their values. Ms Dame Anita roddick, was a human rights activist and the founder of the body shop. AGAINST ANIMAL TESTING Every one of the body shops products is animal cruelty free and vegetarian. they were the first international cosmetics brand to be recognized under the Humane Cosmetics Standard for our Against Animal Testing policy. FOR TRADING FAIRLY They believe in fair trade to such an extent, that over 20 years ago we set up our own fair trade programme, called Community Trade. Body Shop believe this level of commitment to trading fairly is unique in the cosmetics industry. Community Trade now works with over 30 suppliers in more than 20 countries, providing over 25,000 people across the globe with essential income to build their futures. Most of our products contain Community Trade ingredients. OUR FIVE CORE VALUES The Body Shop is a leader in promoting greater corporate transparency, and we have been a force for positive social and environmental change through our campaigns around our five core Values: Support Community Trade, Defend Human Rights, Against Animal Testing, Activate Self-Esteem, Protect Our Planet. OUR CHARITABLE FOUNDATION We also have our own charity, The Body Shop Foundation. Launched in 1990 (registered charity no. 802757) we give financial support to pioneering, frontline organisations that otherwise have little hope of conventional funding. The Foundation’s focus is to assist those working to achieve progress in the areas of human and civil rights, environmental and animal protection. Let us move on to the various stakeholders in the organization. Primary Stakeholders Usually internal stakeholders like stockholders, customers, suppliers, creditors, and employees. Secondary Stakeholders Usually external stakeholders like general public, communities, activist groups, business support groups, and the media. The influence of various stakeholders on the organization establishes a balance of priorities on the organization. Some examples of balances that various stakeholders bring to the organization are: Stockholders: The stockholders of the organization ensure that the organization is constantly looking for new means to improve operating net profits. The stockholders of the companies keep a keen eye on the performance of the organization through the quarterly reports of the organizations submitted to respective regulatory bodies in the world. This ensures that the organization keeps a fine balance between working for short-term profits while keeping a firm eye on the long-term business possibilities that may emerge. Positive performance by a company over a long  period of time is rewarded through improved prices. Customers: The most important to any business, customers of an organization keep the organization on their toes to offer best of services in comparison with the market. The organizations strive hard to meet the ever-growing customer expectations in terms of improved products and services and reduced cost for these improved services year on year. Improved performance of the organization to meet customer demands is rewarded through more business orders. Employees: The employees of the organization are the assets of the organization that keeps the organization nimble and agile to meet the customer expectations resulting in profits that meet the stockholders expectations. The employees are rewarded through promotions and merit increments based on their contributions to meet the organizations goals, vision and objectives. Task 2 Evaluate the extent to which the organization achieves the objectives of three stakeholders. As mentioned above there are two different types of stakeholders, there is primary and there is secondary. Primary stakeholders include Internal stakeholders like stockholders, customers, suppliers, creditors, and employees. Secondary includes External stakeholders like general public, communities, activist groups, business support groups, and the media. Beginning with the internal stakeholders also known as primary stakeholders, the employees obviously work towards the goals and objectives that are set,  however in the body shop they are in for it in a different way as the people are passionate. They’re a customer-focused business that strives to create a fantastic experience for everyone who shops and works at The Body Shop. Aside from employees and customers they are also dedicated to their suppliers and creditors as well as stockholders. The body shop is dedicated to the planet and the people in simple words. The body shop is financial stable meeting their financial objectives as well as meeting the stock holders objectives which is keeping on-going improvements and new objectives which is what the body shop is already doing. Achievement of Customer Objectives: The organization is always talking about the natural way of beauty. In addition, the company also shares very positive information of the number of accounts where they have grown the relationships to multimillion dollar revenue generating business accounts through good performance in existing contracts and offering greater value to the customer though their foresight and operations management. This has resulted in good customer retention and repeats businesses for the company across various lines of businesses. Achievement of Employees objectives: Body shop has a large workforce employs over 100,000 employees across the globe and has become an employer of choice. This has provided many opportunities to the employees to grow professionally and vertically as well. Additionally, the body shop provides merit increments every year based on the performance of the employees, which keeps them engaged in their roles and glued on to the target objectives. Task 3. Explain the responsibilities of the organization and strategies employed to meet them. The body shop not only has responsibilities that they must keep to the company and their customers but also the environment, which is why they do the natural way. Nature is the key objective and responsibility to the Body Shop. Their responsibilities towards the environment can be seen on their website, the body shop focuses on cruelty free make up. More  responsibilities and strategies are shown below AGAINST ANIMAL TESTING Every one of the body shops products is animal cruelty free and vegetarian. they were the first international cosmetics brand to be recognized under the Humane Cosmetics Standard for our Against Animal Testing policy. FOR TRADING FAIRLY They believe in fair trade to such an extent, that over 20 years ago we set up our own fair trade programme, called Community Trade. Body Shop believe this level of commitment to trading fairly is unique in the cosmetics industry. Community Trade now works with over 30 suppliers in more than 20 countries, providing over 25,000 people across the globe with essential income to build their futures. Most of our products contain Community Trade ingredients. OUR FIVE CORE VALUES The Body Shop is a leader in promoting greater corporate transparency, and we have been a force for positive social and environmental change through our campaigns around our five core Values: Support Community Trade, Defend Human Rights, Against Animal Testing, Activate Self-Esteem, Protect Our Planet. OUR CHARITABLE FOUNDATION We also have our own charity, The Body Shop Foundation. Launched in 1990 (registered charity no. 802757) we give financial support to pioneering, frontline organisations that otherwise have little hope of conventional funding. The Foundation’s focus is to assist those working to achieve  progress in the areas of human and civil rights, environmental and animal protection. These are their values as well as responsibilities. The employees of Body shop and the suppliers all use environmental friendly products and packaging to support the living earth. Task 4. Explain how economic systems attempt to allocate and make effective use of resources Resource allocation is used to assign the available resources in an economic way across the economy. This may be done at a regional level, Social strata based or on priority basis. Resource allocation can be studies under two broad heads This includes majority of resources that is used in today’s economy except some specific natural resources that are allocated to ensure an Oligopolistic or Monopolistic market. The economic systems attempt to distribute the available resources in an even manner through the price elasticity model. The price elasticity model proposes that demand and supply in the market will drive the cost of the resource. This is typically seen as below |High Demand – low Supply |High Prices | |Low Demand – High Supply |Low Prices | In the above cases, both demand and supply are relative to each others volumes. In a competitive market scenario, the requirement of products and services and its availability guides the prices of these resources. Given that Money by itself is a limited resource available to market forces, high prices of resources ensure optimized consumption of high priced resources. Once the resource prices are above the price of an alternative resource, market forces will start using the alternate resource as a main resource until such time that the prices of the original resource is again affordable  due to slowdown of demand. This is typically seen in the oil and gas business wherein some manufacturing organizations shift to alternative fuels like BP oil and residue oil in lieu of diesel fuel price rise. This model ensures that resources are optimally used by the economy and any steep increase in consumption is controlled through increased prices resulting in optimized allocation and effective use. allocation of some natural resources may not always take the same route as marketed resources. This is typically done by the government’s authorities to ensure lower prices of producers that reaches the consumers at large and to ensure availability of certain products to all and sundry of the population. Some very good examples of such resources are Irrigation Water supplied at subsidy to farmers, Coal allocation to Thermal power stations to ensure low electricity prices for consumers etc An economic system is consist of the several processes of organizing and motivating labour, manufacturing, allocating, and circulating of the results of human labour, including goods and services, consumer products, machineries, equipment’s, and other technology used as inputs to future manufacturing and the infrastructure within and through which manufacturing, circulation, and distribution occurs. There are three types of economic system which are generally accepted by the different nations. They are: Free market, centrally planned, mixed market. 1. Free market economic system: The interference of government is reserved at a lowest point or mistreated in open market system and all the finances assets comes under the private sectors as well market. Price mechanism will decide the amount of goods or services to be provided with respect to the market demands. The majority judgments are on the basis of market mechanism. The supply, demand and capability play the very important function in market  judgment making. According to observing at the open market operations it lifts a variety of unexplained questions like who will generate the goods and services and infrastructures for the country to congregate the requirements of the public. 2. Centrally planned economy system: Centrally planned economic system explains that government assigns the financial possessions; government initiates all the arrangement concerning the financial actions. Private sectors are held in reserve in distant in participation of any monetary gathering. These types of finances were establish in the Asian, central Europe, Eastern Europe and Latin American nations but now a days these are set up in Cuba, Iraq, Iran, North Korea etc. In this structure fundamentally joblessness troubles will not be tackled because government organize all the monetary performances and possessions will be owed on the basis of requirements of its persons and dissimilar industries contribution. 3. Mixed economy system: This structure is a combination of all other structures. The organism where together capitalism and socialism monetary schemes are involved it is called as the mixed financial system. In this globalizing world largely the countries are acquiring this financial system. Mixed financial system divides the obtainable financial possessions accessible in the country to mutually private sectors and government. Task 5. Discuss the impact of social welfare and industrial policy initiatives on organizations and the wider community. The social welfare and industrial policy of a nation impacts not only the economy but also the larger community. |Social Welfare Policy |Health Policy | | |Housing Policy | | |Income maintenance Policy | | |Education Policy | | |Social Security | |Industrial Policy |Inflation control | | |Financial Market stability | | |Manufacturing boost for increase in employment rate | Health policy can be described as the â€Å"judgment, plans, and measures that are commenced to attain specific health care goals within a society.† There are many groupings of health guidelines, involving personal health care policy, pharmaceutical policy, and policies regarding health of public such as vaccination policy, tobacco control policy or breastfeeding promotion policy. They may envelop monetary subjects and liberation of health care, access to care, quality of care, and health equity. The contemporary theory of health care includes right of entry to medical professionals from different sections as well as medical technology, such as medications and surgical tools. It also includes easy access to the newest data and confirmation from research, comprising medical research and health services research. Public housing is a type of housing tenure in which the possession is hold by a government authority, which may be central or local. Social housing refers to leasing housing which may be possessed and controlled by the state, by non-profit firms, or by a mixture of the two, generally with the aspire of offering housing which could affordable. Education policy can be defined as the compilation of laws and regulations which manages and directs the functions of education systems. Education takes place in a lot of type for countless functions through several organizations. An example involves early childhood education, kindergarten from side to side to 12th grade, two and four year colleges or universities, graduate and professional education, adult education and job training. Consequently, education policy can straightly influence the educated persons involved of all ages. Income maintenance Policy is habitually functional due to several curriculums formulated to offer a residential with income at times when they are not able to take care of themselves. Income preservation is on the basis of a mixture of five major kinds of program: 1. Social insurance: 2. Means-tested benefits: 3. Non-contributory benefits:. 4. Discretionary benefits. 5. Universal or categorical benefits Social security a social insurance program given that social security or protection against socially renowned circumstances, involving scarcity, old age, disability, joblessness and others. Social security relates to a bunch of advantages obtainable (or not available) from the state, market, civil society and households, or through a grouping of these organizations, to the person/family to trim down multi-dimensional deprivation. The Industrial Policy plan of a country, from time to time condensed IP, is its official planned attempt to support the expansion and progress of the producing sector of the economy. A country’s infrastructure (transportation,  telecommunications and energy industry) is a main element of the industrialized sector that frequently has a main role in the Industrial Policy. Industrial strategies are division definite, unlike broader macroeconomic strategy. They are occasionally label as interventionist as conflicting to laissez-faire finances. Several kinds of industrial strategies comprise ordinary fundamentals with other kinds of interventionist exercises such as trade policy and fiscal policy. An example of a distinctive industrial policy is import-substitution-industrialization (ISI), where trade barriers are provisionally obligatory on a number of key sectors, such as manufacturing. By selectively securing some business, these business are provided moment in time to study (learning by doing) and improve. Task 6. Evaluate the impact of macro economic policy measures and the influence of the global economy on UK-based organizations and stakeholders. Macroeconomic policy instruments define the macroeconomic measures that can be straight away managed by an economic policy former. Instruments can be divided into two subsets: a) Monetary policy instruments and b) Fiscal policy instruments. Monetary policy is carried out by the Federal Reserve or the central bank of a country or supranational region. Fiscal policy is formulated by the Executive and Legislative Branches of the Government and contracts with supervising a nation’s Budget. 1) Monetary policy Monetary policy instruments comprise of directing short-term rates (Fed Funds and Discount rates in the U.S.), and altering reserve necessities for commercial banks. Monetary policy can be moreover extensive for the market (short-term rates low relative to inflation rate) or restraining for the  market (short-term rates high relative to inflation rate). Traditionally, the main purpose of monetary policy had been to direct or restrain domestic inflation. In recent times, central bankers have frequently paying attention on a second objective: running economic growth as both inflation and economic growth are highly interconnected. 2) Fiscal policy Fiscal policy comprises in supervision the national Budget and its investment so as to manipulate economic activity. This necessitates the growth or development of government expenses regarding particular government curriculum such as building roads or infrastructure, military expenditures and social welfare programs. It also involves the elevating of taxes to finance government expenses and the increase of debt (Treasuries in the U.S.) to meet both the ends (Budget deficit) between receipts (tax receipts) and expenses regarding the execution of government curriculum. Increasing taxes and lowering the Budget Deficit is considered to be a preventive fiscal policy, as it would decrease cumulative demand and slow down GDP growth. Reducing taxes and raising the Budget Deficit is measured as an outgoing fiscal policy that would enlarge collective demand and encourage the economy. The impact of macroeconomic policy measures On enlargement, there likely to be periods of strength follow by phase of weak or even negative growth (recessions), particularly known as the economic cycle. All governments have an objective of eradicating this cycle. They desire repeated, sensible expansion that never ignites price increments. Fresh governments have stimulated closer to this ‘Goldilocks’ scenario. Become aware of that the growth rate has been over 2% without receiving out of hand for six years. Subsequent the bust/boom/bust of the early 80s/late 80s/early 90s, this is quite an accomplishment. Inflation has also been extraordinarily submissive by historical standards.  Subsequent the horribly inflationary 70s (peaked at 25%) and the near 10% figure ten years ago, RPIX has been growing at 3% pa or less for six years. The objective of full employment has efficiently been relegated to the history books. Unemployment reached one million in the 80s for the first time since the 30s, and then continued to reach 3 million (or 4 million, depending on the definition) within three years. Having said that, ‘full employment’ does not mean that everyone has a job. It is a depressing reality of economic life that UK customers favor imported goods to those made in Britain. The degree of the current account deficit mainly depends, consequently, on how well we export our services. Unfortunately, services are not quite as exportable as goods, so the UK is constantly fighting a losing battle. Optimistically the modifications in technology, and our capability to utilize them, will permit us to enlarge our exports of services by sufficient in the future to permit for the deficit in goods. Some economists consider that there is no problem, since in a world of completely mobile capital; the UK no longer depends completely on their own pool of foreign reserves to compensate for its importation. These days, if you want something from overseas but you do not have the foreign currency, then immediately purchase it on the Foreign Exchange Markets. Due to the global characteristics of financial markets, the financial services industry is deeply prejudiced by worldwide monetary improvement. These financial connections to international markets are just one of the numerous conducts in which wider worldwide expansion influence the UK economy. Global economic developments For instance the current commotion in financial markets – also have a significant manner on the resolution of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC). Similar to the UK, in an open economy worldwide forces can affect the prices to rise and vary about its aim or goal temporarily, and also insert  instability into the real economy. We have observed growing oil and product costs determined by tough universal demand push up price rises in the UK and further main economies over the earlier period and couple of years. By distinction the fresh modifications and alterations in international financial market circumstances could decline demand situations in the UK and globally put forth descending pressure on price rises. These are all aspects we require to take into consideration in our attention rate judgment. Ultimately it is domestic monetary policy Not the state of the international economy, which will conclude the UK inflation rate. The challenge for the MPC consequently is to regulate interest rates to make sure that worldwide pressure does not generate lengthened and important divergence in price rises from its aim. Global economy affects UK inflation There are a broad diversity of conducts in which international economic expansion influence the UK economy and therefore manipulate our rate of price rises. The entire procedure of globalization has structural influence on the UK economy, comprising the influence on labor relocation. The prices of trade in goods and services are the first one has an impact. Imports account for approximately 30% of the value of goods and services directly and indirectly sold by UK business at residence and overseas. On the other hand, the prices of trade in manufactured merchandise will also reproduce the resources and power utilized in their produce, forming a supplementary indirect influence from product markets. The second channel of impact from the international economy is through demand. Tough expansion of demand, whether it derives at residence or overseas, permits the profit margins to develop and is pushed at an upward pressure on expenses, mainly when the economy is operating close to its capacity limits. By the similar token, weak demand exercises a dampening  impact on cost and price augmentation. Manipulating demand situations with the help of interest rates is one of the major means due to which the Monetary Policy Committee controls UK price rises. International economic expansion influence demand circumstances in the UK both directly and indirectly. The direct influence comes in the course of alteration in the demand for UK exports of goods and services, which make up approximately a quarter of the production of UK businesses on average. The significance of abroad demand diverges significantly among diverse sectors of the UK economy. Some manufacturing sectors sell a huge percentage of their production abroad, and for manufacturing industry as a total exports are approximately half the worth of production. In calculation to this export channel, there are also indirect financial connections in the course of which international economic circumstances can affect UK demand. The UK business society is extremely intercontinental, depicting our custom as a trading nation and the honesty and friendliness of our financial markets to abroad investment. A lot of UK businesses are branch of bigger worldwide groupings, which is probable to strengthen the compassion of their investment and other trade judgments to worldwide demand and profitability. In accumulation to these price and demand factors, there is a third method in which worldwide economic situations might also influence UK price rises, which is in the course of their influence on the pricing conditions. As businesses turn out to be further skilled and global in edge, some economists have disagreed that international circumstances have turn out to be more and more significant in influencing pricing actions, relation to domestic issues. As per this vision, the worldwide equilibrium of demand and supply and spirited forces on international markets may appear to have an important influence on cost in economies which are release to global business, such as the UK. The role of monetary policy In a world in which worldwide progress has a significant manner on UK price rises, monetary course of action should react in subsequent way. One ending you might illustrate from my conversation so far is that UK price rises will be deeply subjective by international upgrading. And however, in spite of the modifications we have observed in the worldwide market more than the decade, UK price rises has been low down and extraordinarily steady. Three major traditions in which financial guidelines can act as a factor to manipulate the price rises when the UK economy is batter by worldwide shocks. The first of these is the affect the interest rates on the exchange rate. The exchange rate is not straightly managed by financial policy. But financial policy has a significant impact. The interest rate discrepancy among diverse currency and the aspects, which are anticipated to manipulate its influence in currency markets due to their influence on the possible income to investors. If financial policy is constrict comparative to other countries, or is estimated to be constrict, this will be likely to push up the exchange rate in the next to time. Such an increase in the exchange rate should have a dampening influence on import cost augmentations, and can consequently answer an increase in worldwide price rises pressures. It also affects how eye-catching abroad markets are to exporters and consequently has a supplementary influence through the state of demand. The second way in which financial policy can contradict worldwide monetary forces is due to its influence on domestic demand expenditure by customers and investment by the private sector, both of which are exaggerated by interest rate alteration. Customer expenditure is the biggest single constituent of demand in the UK, and accounts for concerning 60% of domestic expenditure. A contraction in policy such as we have observed over the past year should have an important influence on the expansion of utilization, and therefore domestic demand. A third steady aspect is the reliability of financial policy and its  influence on cost prospect. If price raises prospect stay fast at or shut to the price rises goal, turbulence to the price rises pathway should demonstrate momentary, and it will be simpler for financial policy to be carried out a provisional shift in price rises. The duty of the MPC is now made simple by the practice of a decade and a half of low and steady price rises, which has assisted to fasten UK, price rises prospects. The impact and pass-through of the identified unconventional policy shocks should help to learn more about the extraordinary policy measures taken by central banks as a response to the financial turmoil. Some caution is, however, required. A caveat of the analysis is that the estimations are based on a sample period that covers the turbulent period on financial markets, as well as normal times. An implicit assumption is hence that the parameters did not change dramatically as a consequence of the crisis. In addition, the analysis only captures unconventional monetary policy to the extent that the measures influence the banking sector. Hence, a useful extension would be to also include direct lending of central banks in private markets in the analysis.

Fluke, or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings Chapter 27~28

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN The Found World The whale ship opened its mouth, and Nate and the crew spilled out onto the shore like sentient drool, which was some coincidence, since that's exactly what lay beneath the hard shell of the landing. They were met by a group of whaley boys, one of whom handed Nate a pair of Nikes, then went off to trade clicks and squeals and greeting rubs with the returning crew. It was so bright after nearly ten days in the whale ship that Nate couldn't immediately tell what was happening. The rest of the human crew were wearing sunglasses as they sat down on the ground to put on their shoes, only a few feet from the ship's mouth. From the rigid feel of the ground, Nate thought they might be on a dock of some kind, but then Cal Burdick took off his own sunglasses and handed them to Nate. â€Å"Go ahead. I've been looking at all of this for a lot of years, but I think you'll find it interesting.† With the dark glasses, Nate was able to see. His eyes were fine, but his mind was having a hard time processing what they were telling him. It was as light as daylight (on an overcast day, at least), but they were not outdoors. They were inside a grotto so immense that Nate could not even make out the edges of it. A dozen stadiums could have fit inside the space and still left room for a state fair, a casino, and the Vatican if you snipped off a basilica or two. The entire ceiling was a source of light, cold light, it appeared – some sections yellow, some blue – great blotches of light in irregular shapes, as if Jackson Pollock had painted a solar storm across the ceiling. Half of the grotto was water, flat and reflective as a mirror, the smoothness broken by small whaley boys porpoising here and there in groups of five and six, their blowholes sending up synchronized blasts of steam every few yards. Whaley kids, he thought. Fifty or so whale ships of different spec ies pulled up to the shore, their crews coming and going. Huge segmented pipes that looked like giant earthworms were attached to each of the ships, one on each side of the head, and ran off to connections on shore. The ground – the ground was red, and as hard as linoleum, polished, yet not quite shiny. It ran out for hundreds of yards, perhaps over a mile, and appeared to continue halfway up the walls of the immense grotto. Nate could see openings in the walls, oval passages or doorways or tunnels or something. From the size of the people and whaley boys passing in and out, he could tell that some of the openings were perhaps thirty feet around, while others seemed only the size of normal doors. There were windows next to some of the smaller ones – or what he guessed were windows – their shapes all curves and slopes. There wasn't a right angle in the grotto. Hundreds of people moved about amid as many whaley boys, maintaining the ships, moving supplies an d equipment on what seemed very normal hand trucks and carts. â€Å"Where in the hell are we?† Nate said, nearly wrenching his neck trying to look at all of it at once. â€Å"I mean, what in the hell is this?† â€Å"Pretty amazing,† Cal said. â€Å"I like to watch people when they see Gooville for the first time.† Nate ran his hand over the ground, or floor, or whatever this surface was they were sitting on. â€Å"What is this stuff?† It appeared smooth, but it had texture, pores, a hidden roughness, like stoneware or – â€Å"It's living carapace. Like a lobster shell. This whole place is living, Nate. Everything – the ceiling, the floor, the walls, the passageway in from the sea, our homes – it's all one huge organism. We call it the Goo.† â€Å"The Goo. Then this is Gooville?† â€Å"Yes,† Cal said, with a big smile that revealed perfect teeth. â€Å"And that would make you?† â€Å"That's right. The Goos. There's a wonderful Seussian logic to it, don't you think?† â€Å"I can't think, Cal. You know how all your life you hear people talk about things that are mind-boggling? It's just a meaningless clich – a hyperbole – like saying that you're wasted or that something is bloodcurdling?† â€Å"Yep.† â€Å"Well, I'm boggled. I'm totally boggled.† â€Å"You thought the ships were impressive, huh?† â€Å"Yeah, but this? One living organism shaped itself into this complex†¦ what? System? I'm boggled.† â€Å"Imagine how the bacteria who live in your intestinal tract feel about you.† â€Å"Well, right now I think they're pissed off at me.† A group of whaley boys was gathering about ten yards away from them, pointing at Nate and snickering. â€Å"They're coming down to check out the newcomer. Don't be surprised if you get rubbed up against in the streets. They're just saying hi.† â€Å"Streets?† â€Å"We call them streets. They're sort of streets.† Now, out of the dim yellow light of the whale ships, Nate realized that there was a wide variety in the whaley boys' coloring. Some were actually mottled blue, like the skin of a blue whale, while others were black like a pilot whale, or light gray like a minke whale. Some even had the black-on-white coloring of killers and Pacific white-sided dolphins, while a few here and there were stark white like a beluga. The body shapes of all were very similar, differing only in size, with the killer whaley boys, who were taller by a foot and heavier by perhaps a hundred pounds, having jaws twice the width of the others'. He also noticed in the brighter light that he was the only human who had a tan. The people, even Cal and the crew, looked healthy; it just appeared that none of them had ever seen the sun. Like the British. Nuà ±ez came over and helped Cal, and then Nate, to his feet. â€Å"How're the shoes?† she asked Nate. â€Å"They're strange after not wearing any for so long.† â€Å"You'll be wobbly for a few hours, too. You'll feel the motion when you stand still for a day or so. No different from having been at sea in normal ship. I'll take you to your new quarters, show you around a little, get you settled in. The Colonel will probably send for you before too long. People will help you out, humans and whaley boys. They'll all know you're new.† â€Å"How many, Cielle?† â€Å"Humans? Almost five thousand live here. Whaley boys, maybe half that many.† â€Å"Where is here? Where are we?† â€Å"I told him about Gooville,† said Cal. Nuà ±ez looked up at Nate and then pulled her sunglasses down on her nose so he could see her eyes. â€Å"Don't freak out on me, huh?† Nate shook his head. What did she think, that whatever she was going to tell him was going to be weirder, grander, or scarier than what he'd seen already? â€Å"The roof above this ceiling – which is thick rock, although we're not exactly sure how thick – anyway, it's around six hundred feet below the surface of the Pacific Ocean. We're about two hundred miles off the coast of Chile, under the continental shelf. In fact, we came in through a cliff in the continental rise, a cliff face. â€Å"We're six hundred feet underwater right now. The pressure?† â€Å"We came in through a very long tunnel, a series of pressure locks that pass the ships along until we're at surface pressure. I would have shown you as we came through, but I didn't want to wake you.† â€Å"Yeah, thanks for that.† â€Å"Let's get you to your new house. We've got a long walk ahead of us.† She headed away from the water, motioning for him to follow. Nate nearly stumbled trying to look back at the whale ships lining the harbor. Tim caught him by the arm. â€Å"It's a lot to take in. People really have freaked out. You just have to accept that the Goo won't let anything bad happen to you. The rest is simply a series of surprises. Like life.† Nate looked into the younger man's dark eyes to see if there was any irony showing there, but he was as open and sincere as a bowl of milk. â€Å"The Goo will take care of me?† â€Å"That's right,† said Tim, helping him along toward the grotto wall, toward the actual village of Gooville, with its organically shaped doorways and windows, its knobs and nodules, its lobster-shell pathways, its whaley-boy pods working together or playing in the water, where was housed an entire village of what Nate assumed were all happy human wackjobs. After two days of looking for meaning in hash marks on waveforms and ones and ohs on legal pads that were hastily typed into the machine, Kona found a surfer/hacker on the North Shore named Lolo who agreed to write it all into a Linux routine in exchange for Kona's old long board and a half ounce of the dankest nugs[1]. â€Å"Won't he just take cash?† asked Clay. â€Å"He's an artist,† explained Kona. â€Å"Everyone has cash.† â€Å"I don't know what I'm going to put that under for the accountant.† â€Å"Nugs, dank?† Clay looked forlornly at the legal-pad pages piling up on the desk next to where Margaret Painborne was typing. He handed a roll of bills over to Kona. â€Å"Go. Buy nugs. Bring him back. Bring back my change.† â€Å"I'm throwing in my board for the cause,† said Kona. â€Å"I could use some time in the mystic myself.† â€Å"Do you want me to tell Auntie Clair that you tried to extort me?† Clay had taken to using Clair as a sort of sword of Damocles/assistant principal/evil dominatrix threat over Kona, and it seemed to work swimmingly. â€Å"Must blaze, brah. Cool runnings.† Suddenly something sparked in Clay's head, a dj vu trigger snapping electric with connections. â€Å"Wait, Kona.† The surfer paused in the doorway, turned. â€Å"The first day you came here, the day that Nate sent you to the lab to get the film – did you actually do it?† Kona shook his head, â€Å"Nah, boss, the Snowy Biscuit see me going. She say keep the money and she go to the lab. When I come back with my ganja, she give me the pictures to give to Nate.† â€Å"I was sort of afraid of that,† Clay said. â€Å"Go, blaze, be gone. Get what we need.† So three days later they all stood watching as Lolo hit the return key and the subsonic waveform from a blue-whale call began scrolling across the bottom of the screen, while above it letters were transcribed from the data. Lolo was a year older than Kona, a Japanese-American burned nut brown by the sun with ducky-yellow minidreads and a tapestry of Maori tattoos across his back and shoulders. Lolo spun in the chair to face them. â€Å"I mixed down a fifty-minute trance track with sixty percussion loops that was way harder than this.† Lolo's prior forays into sound processing had been as a computer DJ at a dance club in Honolulu. â€Å"It's not saying anything,† said Libby Quinn. â€Å"It's just random, Clay.† â€Å"Well, that's the way it's gone so far, right?† â€Å"But there's been nothing since that first day.† â€Å"We knew that might happen, that there couldn't be messages on all of them. We just have to find the right ones.† Libby's eyes were pleading. â€Å"Clay, it's a short season. We have to get out in the field. Now that you have this program, you don't need the manpower. Margaret and I will bring back more tapes – we have them coming in from people we trust – but we can't afford to blow off the season.† â€Å"And we need to go public with the torpedo range,† Margaret added, less sympathetic than Libby had been. Clay nodded and looked at his bare feet against the hardwood floor. He took a deep breath, and when he looked up, he smiled. â€Å"You're right. But don't just blow a whistle and hope someone will notice. Cliff Hyland told me that the diving data was the only thing they were worried about. You're going to need proof that humpbacks dive close to the bottom of the channel, or the navy will claim that you're just being whale buggers and there's no danger to the animals. Even with the range.† â€Å"You're okay if we go public, then?† asked Libby. â€Å"People are going to know about the torpedo range soon enough. I don't think that's dangerous for you. Just don't say anything about the rest of this, okay?† The two women looked at each other, then nodded. â€Å"We have to go,† Libby said. â€Å"We'll call you, Clay. We're not running out on you.† â€Å"I know,† Clay said. After they left, Clay turned to the two surfers. Thirty years working with the best scientists and divers in the world, and this was what it came down to: two stoner kids. â€Å"If you guys need to go do things, I understand.† â€Å"Outta here,† said Lolo, on his feet and bounding toward the door. Clay looked at the screen where Lolo had been sitting. Scrolling across it: WILL ARRIVE GV APPRX 1300 MONDAY__HAVE__SIZE 11 SNEAKERS WAITING FOR QUINN__END MSS__AAAA__BAXYXABUDAB. â€Å"Get him back,† Clay said to Kona. â€Å"We need to know which tape this was.† â€Å"Libby gave them all to him.† â€Å"I know that. I need to know where she got it. Where and when it was recorded. Call Libby's cell phone. See if you can get hold of her.† Clay was trying to make the screen print before the message scrolled away. â€Å"How the hell does this thing work?† â€Å"How you know I'm not leaving?† â€Å"You woke up this morning, Kona. Did you have a reason to get out of bed other than waves or pot?† â€Å"Yah, mon, need to find Nate.† â€Å"How'd that feel?† â€Å"I'm calling Libby, boss.† â€Å"Loyalty is important, son. I'll go catch Lolo. Confirm which tape it was.† â€Å"Shut up, boss. I'm trying to dial.† Behind them the cryptic message scrolled out of the printer. CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT Single-Celled Animal Stockholm syndrome or not, Nate was starting to get tired of the whole hippie-commune, everything-is-wonderful-and-the-Goo-will-provide attitude. Nuà ±ez had come by for three days running to take him out on the town, and every person he met was just a little too damn satisfied with the whole idea that they were living inside a giant organism six hundred feet under the ocean. Like this was a normal thing. Like he just wasn't getting with the program because he continued to ask questions. At least the whaley boys would blow wet raspberries at him and snicker as he walked by. At least they had some sense of the absurdity of all this, despite the fact that they shouldn't even have existed in the first place, which did seem to be a large point of denial on their part. They'd installed him in what he guessed was a premier apartment, or what you'd call an apartment, on the second floor, looking out over the grotto. The windows were oval, and the glass in them, although perfectly clear, was flexible. It was like looking out on the world through a condom, and that was just the beginning of the things that creeped him out about this place. He had a kitchen sink, a bathroom sink, and a shower – all of which had big honking sphincters in the bottom of them – and the seal on the door around his refrigerator, if that's what you called it, appeared to be made out of slugs, or at least something that left an iridescent slime on you if you brushed up against it. There was also a toothed garbage disposal in the kitchen, which he wouldn't even go near. The worst of it was that the apartment didn't make any attempt to conceal that it was alive. His first day there, when the human crew from the whale ship had come by for a drink – a ho usewarming – there had been a scaly knob on the wall by the front door that when pushed would cause the door to open. After the crew left and Nate returned from his shower, the doorknob had healed over. There was a scar there in the shell, but that was all. Nate was locked in. There was a tom-tom thrumming of stones hitting his front picture window. Nate went to the window, looked out on the vast grotto and harbor, then down on the source of his torment. A pod of whaley-boy kids was winging stones at his window. Thump, thump-a, thump. The stones bounced off, leaving no mark. When Nate appeared at the window, the thumping became more furious, as the whaley kids picked up the pace and aimed right at him, as if a well-placed shot might drop him in a dunking tank. â€Å"There's a reason cetaceans don't have hands in the real world!† Nate screamed at them. â€Å"You are that reason! You little freaks!† Thump, thump-a, thump, thump, clack. Occasionally a missed throw hit the shell-like frame of the window, sounding like a marble hitting tile. I sound like Old Man Spangler yelling at my brother and me for raiding his apple trees, Nate thought. When did I turn into that guy? I don't want to be that guy. There was a soft knock on the shell of his front door. As he turned, the door flipped open like shutters, two pieces of shell retracting on muscles hidden in the wall. Nate felt like a surprised box turtle. Cielle Nuà ±ez stood in the doorway with canvas shopping bags folded under her arm. She was a pleasant woman, attractive, competent, and non-threatening; Nate was sure that's why she'd been chosen to be his guide. â€Å"You ready to do some shopping, Nate? I called to tell you I was coming, but you didn't answer.† The apartment had a speaking apparatus, a sort of ornate tube thing that whistled and buzzed green metallic beetle wings when there was a call. Nate was afraid of it. â€Å"Cielle, can we drop any pretense that we are just buddies out for the day? You lock me in here when you leave.† â€Å"For your own safety.† â€Å"Somehow that always seems to be the argument the jailer uses.† â€Å"You want to go get some food and clothes or not?† Nate shrugged and followed her out the door. They walked along the perimeter of the grotto, which seemed a cross between an old English village and an Art Nouveau hobbit housing project: irregularly shaped doors and windows looking into shops that displayed baked goods and other prepared foods. Evidently the Goo wasn't big on having fire around for home cooking. All the cooked foods were prepared somewhere else in the complex. There was a warming cabinet in Nate's apartment that looked like a breadbox made out of a giant armadillo shell. It worked great. You rolled the top open, put the food in, then promptly lost your appetite. â€Å"Let's get you something to wear today,† Cielle said. â€Å"Those khakis are on loan. Only the whale-ship crews are supposed to wear them.† As they walked, a half dozen whaley kids followed them, chirping and giggling all the way. â€Å"So I'd get in trouble if I started kicking whaley kids down the street?† â€Å"Of course,† Cielle laughed. â€Å"We have laws here, just like anywhere else.† â€Å"Evidently not ones that forbid kidnapping and unjustified imprisonment.† Nuà ±ez stopped and grabbed his arm. â€Å"Look, what are you complaining about? This is a good place to be. You're not being mistreated. Everyone's been kind to you. What's the problem?† â€Å"What's the problem? The problem is that all you people were yanked out of your lives, taken away from your families and friends, taken from everything that you knew, and you all act like it doesn't bother you in the least. Well, it bothers me, Cielle. It fucking bothers me a lot. And I don't understand this whole colony, or city, or whatever this thing is. How does it even exist without anyone knowing about it? In all these years, why has no one gotten out and spoiled the secret of this place?† â€Å"I told you, we were all going to drown –  » â€Å"Bullshit. I don't buy that for a second. That gratitude toward your rescuer only lasts for a short while. I've seen it. It doesn't take over your life. Everyone I've met is blissed out. You people worship the Goo, don't you?† â€Å"Nate, you don't want to be locked in, you won't be locked in. You can have the run of Gooville – go anywhere you want. There's hundreds of miles of passages. Some of them even I haven't seen. Go. Leave the grotto and go down any one of those passages. But you know what? You'll be back looking for your apartment tonight. You are not a prisoner, you're just living in a different place and a different way.† â€Å"You didn't answer my question.† â€Å"The Goo is the source, Nate. You'll see. The Colonel – ; â€Å"Fuck the Colonel. The Colonel is a fucking myth.† â€Å"Should we get some coffee? You seem grumpy.† â€Å"Damn it, Cielle, my caffeine headache is not relevant.† Actually it was, sort of. He hadn't had any coffee today. â€Å"Besides, how do I know it's coffee we're drinking? It's probably some mutant sea otter/coffee bean hybrid beverage.† â€Å"Is that what you want?† â€Å"No, that's not what I want. What I want is a doorknob. And not an organic nodule thing – I want a dead doorknob. One that always has been dead, too. Not something that you used to be friends with.† Cielle Nuà ±ez had backed away from him several feet, and the whaley kids who'd been following them had quieted down and gone into a defensive pod formation, the big kids on the outside. People who were out walking, and who normally made a point of nodding and smiling as they passed, took a wide detour around Nate. There was an inordinate amount of whistling among the milling whaley boys. â€Å"That going to do it for you?† Nu;ez asked. â€Å"A doorknob. I get you a doorknob, you're a happy man?† Why should he be embarrassed? Because he'd scared the kids? Because he'd made his captors uncomfortable? Nevertheless, he was embarrassed. â€Å"I could use some earplugs, too, if you have them. For sleeping.† For ten hours out of twenty-four, the grotto went dark. Cielle explained that this was for the comfort of the humans, to help them keep some semblance of their normal circadian rhythms. People needed day and night – without the change many people couldn't sleep. The problem was, the whaley boys didn't sleep. They rested, but they didn't sleep. So when the grotto went dark, they went on about their business. In the dark, however, they were all constantly emitting sonar clicks. At night the grotto sounded like it was being marched upon by an army of tap dancers. Consequently, so did Nate's apartment. Nu;ez nodded. â€Å"We can probably do that. You want to go get a steaming hot cup of sea otter now?† â€Å"What?† â€Å"I'm just kidding. Lighten up, Nate.† â€Å"I want to go home.† He'd said it before he even realized it. â€Å"That's not going to happen. But I'll send word. I think it's time you met with the Colonel.† They spent the day going to shops. Nate found some cotton slacks that fitted him, some socks and underwear, and a pile of T-shirts from one tiny shop. There was no currency exchanged. Nuà ±ez would just nod to the shopkeeper, and Nate would take what he needed. There was little variety in any of the shops, and most of what they carried was goods from the real world: clothes, fabric, books, razor blades, shoes, and small electronics. But a few shops carried items that appeared to have been grown or made right there in Gooville: toothbrushes, soaps, lotions. All the packaging seemed to come out of the seventeenth century – the shopkeepers wrapped parcels in a ubiquitous oilcloth that Nate thought smelled vaguely of seaweed and indeed had the same olive color as giant kelp. Patrons brought their own jars to carry oils, pickles, and other soft goods. Nate had seen everything from a modern mayonnaise jar to hand-thrown crockery that had to have been made a hundred years ago. â€Å"How long, Cielle?† he asked as he watched a shopkeeper count sugared dates into a hand-blown glass jar and seal it with wax. â€Å"How long have people been down here?† She followed his gaze to the jar. â€Å"We get a lot of the surface goods from shipwrecks, so don't be impressed if you see antiques; the sea is a good preserver. We may have salvaged it only a week ago. A friend of mine keeps potatoes in a Grecian wine amphora that's two thousand years old.† â€Å"Yeah, and I'm using the Holy Grail to catch my spare change. How long?† â€Å"You are so hostile today. I don't know how long, Nate. A long time.† He had dozens, hundreds more questions, like where the hell did they get potatoes when they didn't have sunlight to grow anything? They weren't bringing potatoes up from a shipwreck. But Cielle was letting him get only so far before claiming ignorance. They had lunch at a four-stool lunch counter where the proprietor was a striking Irishwoman with stunning green eyes and a massive spill of red hair and who, like everyone, it seemed, knew Cielle and knew who Nate was. â€Å"Got you a Walkman then, Dr. Quinn? Whaley boys will drive you to drink with that sonar at night.† â€Å"We're going to get him some earplugs today, Brennan,† Cielle said. â€Å"Music, that's the way to wash the whaley-boy whistles,† the woman said. Then she was off to her kitchen. The walls of the cafe were decorated with a collection of antique beer trays, glued in place, as Nate had learned, with an adhesive that was similar to what barnacles secreted to fasten themselves to ships. Nailing things up was frowned upon, as the walls would bleed for a while if injured. Nate took a bite of his sandwich, meatballs and mozzarella on good crusty French bread. â€Å"How?† he asked Cielle, blowing crumbs on the counter. â€Å"How does any of this stuff get made if there's no flame?† Cielle shrugged. â€Å"No idea. A bakery, I'd guess. They make all the prepared food outside the grotto. I've never been there.† â€Å"You don't know how? How can that be?† Cielle Nuà ±ez put down her own sandwich and leaned on one elbow, smiling at Nate. She had remarkably kind eyes, and Nate had to remind himself that she had been ordered to be his friend. Interesting, he thought, that they'd choose a woman. Was she bait? â€Å"You ever read A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, Nate?† â€Å"Of course, everybody does.† â€Å"And that guy goes back to Camelot from the late nineteenth century and dazzles everyone with his scientific knowledge, mainly because he can make gunpowder, right?† â€Å"Yes, so?† â€Å"You're a scientist, so you might do better than most, but take your average citizen, a guy who works at a discount store, say. Drop him in the twelfth century, you know what he'll achieve?† â€Å"Make your point?† â€Å"Death by bacterial infection, more than likely. And the last words on his lips will probably be, ‘There's such a thing as an antibiotic, really. My point is, I don't know how this stuff is made because I haven't needed to know. Nobody knows how to make the things they use. I suppose I could find out and get back to you, but I promise you I'm not holding out on you just to be mysterious. We do a lot of salvage on the whale ships, and we have a trade network into the real world that gets us a lot of our goods. When a freighter leaves pallets of goods for the people on remote islands in the Pacific, all they know is that they've been paid and they've delivered to shore. They don't stay to see who takes the goods away. The old-timers say that it used to be that the Goo provided everything. Nothing came in from the outside that wasn't on their backs when they got here.† Nate took a bite of his sandwich and nodded as if considering what she'd just said. Since he'd arrived in Gooville, he had spent every waking moment thinking about two things: one, how this whole place could possibly function; and two, how to get out of it. The Goo had to get energy from somewhere. The energy to light the huge grotto alone would require tens of millions of calories. If it got energy from outside, maybe you could use that same pathway to get out. â€Å"So do you guys feed it? The Goo?† â€Å"No.† â€Å"Well, then-â€Å" â€Å"Don't know, Nate. I just don't know. How does dry-cleaning work?† â€Å"Well, I assume that they use solvents, that, uh – Look, biologists don't have a lot of stuff that needs to be dry-cleaned. I'm sure it's not that complicated a process.† â€Å"Yeah, well, right back at you on all of your questions about the Goo.† Cielle stood and gathered up her parcels. â€Å"Let's go, Nate. I'm taking you back to your apartment. Then I'm going right to the whaley-boy den and find out if they can get the Colonel to see you. Today.† Nate still had a couple bites of his sandwich left. â€Å"Hey, I've still got a couple of bites of my sandwich left,† he said. â€Å"Really? Well, did you ask yourself where in Gooville we got meatballs? What sort of meat might be in them?† Nate dropped his sandwich. â€Å"Bit of the whining wussy boy, aren't we?† said Brennan as she came out of the kitchen to take away their plates. Nate was reading a cheesy lawyer novel that he'd found in the small library in his apartment when the whaley boys came for him. There were three of them, two large males with killer-whale coloring and a smaller female blue. Only when the blue squeaked â€Å"Hi Nate† in a mashed-elf voice did he recognize it as Emily 7. â€Å"Wow, hi, Emily. Is just Emily okay, or should I always say the Seven?† Nate always felt awkward with someone afterward, even if there wasn't anything for the ward to be after. She crossed her arms over her chest and bugged out her left eye at him. â€Å"Okay,† Nate said, moving on, â€Å"I guess we'll be going, then. Did you see my new doorknob? Brand-new. Stainless steel. I realize it doesn't go with everything else, but, you know, it feels a little like freedom.† Right, Nate. It's a doorknob, he thought. They led him around the perimeter of the grotto, beyond the village, and into one of the huge passageways that led away from the grotto. They walked for half an hour, tracing a labyrinth of passageways that got narrower and narrower the farther off they went, the bright red lobster-shell surface fading into something that looked like mother-of-pearl the deeper in they went. It glowed faintly, just enough so they could see where they were going. Finally the passageway started to broaden again and open into a large room that looked like some sort of oval amphitheater, all of it pearlescent and providing its own light. Benches lined the walls around the room, all in view of a wide ramp that led to a round portal the size of a garage door, closed now with an iris of black shell. â€Å"Ooooh, the great and powerful Oz will see you now,† Nate said. The whaley boys, who normally found practically anything funny, just looked away. One of the black-and-whites started whistling a soft tune from his blowhole. â€Å"In the Hall of the Mountain King† or a Streisand tune – something creepy, Nate thought. Emily 7 backhanded the whistler in the chest, and he stopped abruptly. Then she put her hand on Nate's shoulder and gestured for him to go up the steps to the round portal. â€Å"Okay, I guess this is it.† Nate started backing up the ramp as the whaley boys started backing away from him. â€Å"You guys better not leave me, because I'll never find my way back.† Emily 7 grinned, that lovely hack-a-salmon-in-half smile of hers, and waved him on. â€Å"Thanks, Em. You look good, you know. Did I mention? Shiny.† He hoped shiny was good. The iris opened behind him, and the whaley boys fell to their knees and touched their lower jaws to the floor. Nate turned to see that the pearlescent ramp led into a vibrant red chamber that was pulsing with light and glistening with moisture as the walls appeared to breathe. Now, this looked like a living thing – the inside of a living thing. Really much more what he'd expected to see when the whale had eaten him. He made his way forward. A few steps in, the ramp melded into the reddish flesh, which Nate could now see was shot through with blood vessels and what might be nerves. He couldn't get the size of the space he was in. It just seemed to expand to receive him and contract behind him, as if a bubble were moving along with him inside it. When the iris disappeared into the pink Goo, Nate felt a wave of panic go through him. He took a deep breath – damp, fecund air – and strangely enough he remembered what Poynter and Poe had told him back on the humpb ack ship: It's easier if you just accept that you're already dead. He took another deep breath and ventured forward a few more feet, then stopped. â€Å"I feel like a friggin' sperm in here!† he yelled. What the hell, he was dead anyway. â€Å"I'm supposed to have a meeting with the Colonel.† On cue, the Goo began to open in front of him, like the view of a flower opening from the inside. A brighter light illuminated the newly opened chamber, now just large enough to house Nate, another person, and about ten feet of conversational distance. Reclining in a great pink mass of goo, dressed in tropical safari wear and a San Francisco Giants baseball hat, was the Colonel. â€Å"Nathan Quinn, good to see you. It's been a long time,† he said.