Chemistry Extra Credit

Tim Bruce The subject that I will be focusing on through the course of this extra credit paper, is one about the combination of Aerospace Engineering and Chemistry. Chose this particular topic because of my future life goals. Which include getting a degree in aerospace engineering. Also became interested while researching for this paper in a particular sub topic of the TV which is called aerodynamicist's.Aerodynamicist's is the study of gases which takes into account the effect of motion, heat, and chemical changes. Which is important to the field of aerospace engineering in the fact that aerospace engineers design aircraft, spacecraft, satellites, and missiles. In addition, they test prototypes to make sure that they function according to design. So you can see how the two connect. But exactly what kind of chemistry is involved?Obviously chemistry is deep rooted into Aerospace technology. Aerodynamicist's primarily focuses on molecular interactions at typically high Mach Numbers, su ch as that seen in a combustion chamber of a rocket or that of a reentry vehicle. So although aerospace engineering is typically design and building oriented you would absolutely need a chemists back round when thinking about these types of things. Anything involving materials and processes also involves chemistry.Examples include, failure analysis of microcircuit packaging contaminant analysis, corrosion problems, electroplating and conversion coating problems, paint adhesion problems, thermoses polymer failures, evaluation of urological and thermal properties of prepares, adhesives, laminates and Adair absorbing coatings, soldering problems, firing pin failures, surface cleaning, alloy analysis, and process tank analysis. All of which are inside the aerospace field.But these are only a small amount of connections that Aerospace engineering and chemistry have together. But as stated before in the examples we see that included was a lot of rockets and when you think of rockets many will tend to think about NASA- Now NASA has been synonymous with space travel since its creation. But few tend to recognize he men behind the scene, when they see a space shuttle take off into orbit.The men and women of Aerospace engineering need to take into account not only the rocket but also the astronauts that pilot the space craft. When designing these machines, biological and chemical actions that will take place in the astronauts bodies. For instance what kind of chemical changes might happen to our bodies while piloting this space craft or how to limit the amount of g force put on the pilots as they take off and many many more factors.This diagram, although very simple to what aerospace engineers use, gives you a look into how many factors such as altitude, angle, speed, and maneuver time effects g force. So as you can see chemistry is deeply involved in the field of aerospace engineering. But not only that chemistry is involved in everything we do. It is everything, and ev erywhere.

Succubus on Top CHAPTER 9

â€Å"Nice glow,† Bastien told me when he answered the door the following afternoon. â€Å"Yeah. Tell me about it.† I traipsed into his house wearing the Tabitha body, and pulled up a stool at his kitchen counter. He handed me a Mountain Dew from the refrigerator. â€Å"Why so glum? Couldn't have been all that bad.† â€Å"It was okay. In that sleazy, backroom sort of way. Seth came over afterward and couldn't stop telling me how pretty I was.† â€Å"Of course he did.† Bastien was sporting a glow of his own today. â€Å"How could he help it? He's a weak mortal, just like they all are.† I ignored the jibe and took down half the can in one gulp. â€Å"On the topic of ‘weak mortals,' how'd your football game go?† â€Å"Ridiculously boring. Bill must have fantastic speech writers because his conversation is on the same level as that cupboard's over there. But, on the bright side, I did talk to Dana several times, and I think I repaired the damage you did.† â€Å"Ye gods, will you get over this? I didn't do anything. You have no one to blame for that but yourself.† â€Å"Hey, I didn't fall down the stairs. Anyway, I took your advice and played sympathetic brother. She really seemed to go for it. Except†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Except what?† He frowned, blue eyes perplexed. â€Å"She seems to like me well enough. She asks about my job, she asks about you. But something's weird. I just don't feel like†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Like she's going to throw herself at you any time soon? Huh. I never would have guessed.† His expression hardened, doubts banished. â€Å"It's just a matter of time, that's all. Like that convent in Brussels. Remember how well that turned out?† I grinned. â€Å"Just a matter of time. Sure. So what are your plans today?† â€Å"Nothing. I'll probably go out later, but now I'm just sort of hanging around. Mitch is supposed to be at work, after all.† â€Å"Well, let's sneak you out and go see a movie or something.† Frankly, I was eager to do something semi-fun. I had finally made it to my day off, and it hadn't come a moment too soon. The only thing that bothered me was not knowing what had happened at the bookstore when – or rather if – Doug came in this morning. If Warren or Paige had been around, they might have banned him for a while. But I certainly didn't have that power, and I hated to lose the coverage anyway. I'd finally resorted to calling Janice, telling her to ring my cell immediately if there were any repeat problems. I hadn't heard anything so far. Bastien allowed himself grudging interest in a movie. â€Å"Anything good playing?† The doorbell rang before we could check. â€Å"Geez, Bas. It's like Grand Central Station whenever I'm here.† â€Å"Probably a Jehovah's Witness,† he decided, checking out the door invisibly. â€Å"Huh. It's Jody. Wonder what she wants.† I supposed Dana visiting would have been more serendipitous, but I found Jody's presence a relief. â€Å"Well, let her go. You're supposed to be at work.† He nudged me. â€Å"You answer.† â€Å"Me?† â€Å"Sure. Make up some reason to be here. She's chummy with Dana. You can do some reconnaissance.† â€Å"Oh, for goodness – â€Å" The doorbell rang again, and Bastien looked at me pleadingly. I had a good opinion of Jody, but I didn't like him mixing me up in his affairs. Grumbling, I went to the door. Maybe she was just dropping off more baked goods or something, I thought. Her face burst into a grin upon seeing me. â€Å"I was hoping it was you! I thought I recognized the Passat.† I smiled back at her. â€Å"Good memory. Did you need Mitch? He's at work.† â€Å"No, not really. I just saw the car and wanted to say hi. Are you hanging out here?† â€Å"Uh, yeah. It's my day off, and I promised him I'd†¦do some yard work.† Bastien, hovering invisibly nearby, got a kick out of that. â€Å"It's a great day for it,† she agreed. I supposed it was, in that crisply sunny sort of way that sometimes shows up in winter. At least we had no rain today. â€Å"What were you going to do? It looks like the lawn service took care of most of the leaves.† That it had. I tried to think of something superfluous that suburbanites wouldn't have already underpaid someone else to do. â€Å"I was going to plant some flowers.† â€Å"Oh!† She clasped her hands together, brown eyes alight. â€Å"That's a great idea. Do you want some help?† â€Å"Uh†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Beside me, Bastien nearly had a seizure. He nodded his head vigorously and mouthed the word reconnaissance. Yard work was the last thing I wanted to do on my day off, but now I'd gone and boxed myself in. â€Å"Sure. I don't really know what to do anyway.† That had to be the understatement of the year. â€Å"Let me grab my coat, and we'll go to my favorite nursery,† she squealed. â€Å"This is going to be fun.† She dashed back to her house, and I glared at Bastien. â€Å"I hate you.† â€Å"Don't I know it.† He clapped me on the back. â€Å"I'm sure you have a green thumb somewhere, Fleur . If not, you can shape-shift one.† â€Å"You owe me. Big time.† Jody drove us to some gardening place that looked like a maze of greenery to me. Actually, greenery wasn't quite the right word. Many of the trees and plants had lost leaves, turning brown and yellow as winter deepened. A maze of vegetation, I guess. â€Å"They're still alive,† she told me, assessing plants with an expert eye. â€Å"Although, this isn't exactly the best time to do plantings. Still, we should be able to manage something since the ground isn't too hard yet.† I grimaced. â€Å"Sounds dirty.† She laughed. â€Å"How'd you get slated for this?† â€Å"My brother doesn't†¦always think things through. And he's pretty persuasive when he wants to be.† And annoying. And pushy. â€Å"I can see that. He's pretty cute too. Bet he gets women to do anything he wants.† â€Å"You have no idea.† This made her smile again. â€Å"Well, hang in there. Once you get started with this kind of stuff, you get into it. And it's not that dirty. You want dirty, I'll tell you about Guatemala someday.† â€Å"When were you in Guatemala?† Whoa. Somehow I managed her circle picking places like Malibu and Paris for vacations. â€Å"When I was in the Peace Corps.† â€Å"You were in the Peace Corps?† â€Å"Yup. When I was younger.† I stared after her as she continued checking out the selection. Jody had been in the Peace Corps and worked as an art teacher. She was clearly talented creatively. She was smart and had a good personality. How the hell had she gotten mixed up with Dana? We ended up buying several plants she called Christmas Roses, plus some bulbs she warned might or might not come up in the spring. Once back at Bastien's, we bundled up in coats and gloves and set to digging in his front yard. I saw him peek out the window and wave at me at one point; I stuck my tongue out at him when Jody wasn't looking. Jody was only too happy to tell me about her past. I'd ask the occasional clarifying question, and she'd then go on for a while more. I listened, commenting occasionally, and – as much as I hated to admit it – found the afternoon passing pleasantly. She had been right: garden work wasn't so bad once you started. Inevitably, her chatter turned to the CPFV, and she both surprised and relieved me by admitting some discontent. â€Å"I mean,† she was saying, â€Å"I stand by them. Absolutely. It's just sometimes, I wish we were doing things in different ways. â€Å" I looked up, happy to take a break from hacking at the hard ground. â€Å"What kinds of things?† She pursed her cute lips together. â€Å"I guess†¦like†¦we spend a lot of time telling people what to do and what not to do, you know? Like we're trying to help them lead better lives, and I think that's good. After all, Dana says an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.† Ugh. Clich? ¦ anyone? â€Å"But I also wish we were doing something for those that need help now. Do you know how many families in this area don't have enough to eat? It'd be great if we could work with local food banks to do something about that – especially with the holidays coming up. Or like†¦we do a lot to help teens make smart choices, but I visited some shelters for girls that are already in trouble. They've run away. They're pregnant. Dana says they're lost causes, but†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"You don't think so?† I asked gently. She had stopped digging too and stared absentmindedly at the bulb she held. â€Å"I don't think anyone's beyond help. But Dana†¦I mean, she's so smart. She knows more than me about this stuff. I trust what she says.† â€Å"Nothing wrong with questioning.† â€Å"Yeah, I suppose. It's just, well, she's been a good friend to me.† Her eyes focused on something not here, something far away and long ago. â€Å"A couple years ago, Jack and I had some, you know, problems. I mean, it happens right? No relationship's perfect.† â€Å"No,† I agreed grimly. â€Å"Anyway, she helped me work through that. I feel sort of†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Obligated?† Jody fumbled. â€Å"I-I don't know. I guess so. Sometimes, she's hard to know†¦like she can surprise you with things you never saw coming. Other times†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She shook her head and gave a nervous laugh. â€Å"I don't know what I'm saying. She's wonderful. The most amazing person I've ever met. She does so much good.† She changed the subject abruptly after that, and I let her. We moved on to happier topics, and I found myself laughing along with her and enjoying her company. At one point, I ran into Bastien's kitchen and made us hot chocolate. We drank it outside as we finished the last of our plants, finally sitting back and admiring our handiwork. Despite my initial misgivings, I kind of liked accomplishing something so tangible. â€Å"Look,† said Jody. â€Å"Dana just came home.† Sure enough, Dana's Explorer pulled in next door, and a moment later, the woman herself strolled over. She graced us with one of those ice-bitch smiles. â€Å"This looks cozy.† Jody's earlier bubbly nature seemed somewhat diminished. â€Å"Tabitha needed some gardening help, so I came over.† â€Å"Wasn't that nice of you.† Dana gave the other woman a look I couldn't interpret, save that disapproval and possibly anger underscored it. Although I had been arguing to the contrary with Bastien, I got the feeling I might truly have pissed off Dana more than I'd suspected, creating the bad impression he kept accusing me of. It looked like Dana may even have voiced her opinions of me to Jody. I watched Jody's face pass through a range of emotions. I felt pretty confident there was more iron in there than her surface showed, and for a half a second she looked as though she might lash out in defiance. Then, after a moment's eye contact, she looked away, backing down. Perhaps I should have simpered just then and tried to weasel into Dana's good graces, but mostly I felt angry at what I perceived as her chastisement. She had no right to do that Jody. â€Å"It was incredibly nice,† I said sharply. â€Å"Jody's one of those rare, honestly good people in the world. Not just one who pretends to be. But of course you already know that.† Jody blushed furiously, and the edges of Dana's smile twitched a little. â€Å"Yes. Yes, she is. How's your ankle doing?† â€Å"Good as new.† â€Å"Glad to hear it.† We all waited in awkward silence. I decided I would wait out Dana this time, no matter how scary that stare. She, of course, was a master of waiting, so it wasn't a surprise when Jody was the one who cracked. Honestly, I couldn't blame her. â€Å"Well. Jack should be home soon. I should get going.† I stood up with her and helped her gather the tools. We all exchanged a few more stiff remarks, then parted ways. â€Å"What happened? What happened?† exclaimed Bastien when I came back inside. â€Å"I saw Dana out there.† â€Å"Nothing new. Jody's a saint; Dana's a bitch. I hope you hurry up and get this done with.† â€Å"Damn it, I'm trying! I don't suppose you found out anything useful?† â€Å"Not really†¦although, I think Jody knows something about Dana. Something juicy enough even for you. She wouldn't tell me exactly what.† The incubus clung to this piece of information like a dog with a bone. â€Å"You've got to find out what! Call her up tomorrow. Take her to lunch.† â€Å"Jesus, Bastien. I like her, but I'm not doing your work for you. This is your show, remember? Besides, I do have a life, you know. â€Å" He scowled. â€Å"That's up for debate.† â€Å"Why are you so worked up about this Dana thing anyway? I mean, I'd love to see her fall, but the way you're acting†¦I don't know. It's totally pushing you over the edge.† â€Å"Why shouldn't I be worked up? Just because you don't play the soul game anymore doesn't mean the rest of us don't have an eye on our careers.† I knew Bastien too well not to suspect there was some other reason we were fighting all the time. â€Å"And that's all it is, huh? Just good old-fashioned American work ethic?† â€Å"Yes,† he said stiffly. â€Å"There's nothing wrong with that.† We locked matching Hunter gazes, and I tried to let him know with my eyes that I knew there was more than he was telling me. He stared stonily back, refusing to open up. At last, I shook my head, not wanting to be drawn into any more fighting. â€Å"Mind if I use your hot tub?† I asked instead. He gestured toward the back patio. â€Å"Sure. Have the run of the house. Use me and go.† â€Å"You're being childish.† Not answering, he went off to watch TV. I let myself out through the patio and flipped open the hot tub's lid. Hot steam poured out, and I sighed with pleasure. It felt downright decadent after being out in the cold all day. Glancing around, I took in the vine-covered privacy trellises. There were three of them with a person-sized gap between each one. Dusk was rapidly giving way to darkness, and I felt pretty obscured from the neighbors. I stripped off my clothes and tentatively put a foot in the tub. Hot. Very hot. I yanked it out, then waited a minute before trying again. Slowly, I eased the rest of me in, bit by bit. When I was finally submerged from the neck down, I exhaled happily and leaned my head back against the edge. Fantastic. I kicked on the bubbles and closed my eyes. Suddenly, I found myself able to forget it all. Doug. The guy from the club. Dana. Seth. Well, maybe not Seth entirely. But I could forget the bad things, at least. When my hair had curled from the steam and sweat was rolling down my forehead, I stood up and sat on the tub's edge, letting the air dry me off. A lot of people don't understand outdoor hot tubs, but I preferred them to indoor ones. Nothing can match that temperature change. Once cooled, I sat back in the water, ready to repeat the process. I could have done this all night and been perfectly happy. I'd only been back in the water a few minutes when I heard a twig snap from somewhere nearby. It was like a bad-horror-movie clich? ¦, butterrifying nonetheless. I shot out of the water, splashing everywhere, scrambling over the side as I heard a rustle of leaves and brush. â€Å"Bastien!† I yelled, running back into the house. He tore into the room, face pale and alarmed. â€Å"What's the matter?† I backed away from the patio, pointing. â€Å"There's someone out there. â€Å" Nothing could really hurt me, of course, but being immortal does not relieve a person of instinctual fear and caution. There'd be time to feel embarrassed about girly behavior later. His eyes cut to the patio, and he moved outdoors without any hesitation to look around. My knight. I waited in the kitchen, dripping water onto the wood floor, my heart still thumping. He returned a few minutes later and shook his head. â€Å"There's nothing out there. You imagined it.† â€Å"No. It was there. I heard it.† â€Å"Then it was an animal.† He suddenly smirked. â€Å"Or maybe Reese getting a thrill.† When I didn't laugh at the joke, he approached and pulled me to him, unconcerned about getting his clothes wet. My body trembled against his. â€Å"It's all right,† he murmured. â€Å"You're okay. You're safe.† He pulled off his blazer and wrapped it around me. It was too big, but it felt wonderful. I huddled against him, still too fazed to shape-shift some more substantial clothing on. â€Å"Come on, Fleur .You know I'm here. You know I won't let anything happen to you.† The animosity we'd built from our fight went away, and suddenly we were back to normal again. He took me upstairs to his bedroom, still keeping his arm around me. I shape-shifted dry as we walked and turned back into my Georgina self. Changing into his usual shape as well, he pulled me down to the bed with him so my head rested on his chest. A lot of immortals don't understand the way incubi and succubi relate to each other. We tend to touch a lot, in ways that are small but still intimate by most standards. I'd been accused many times of being sexually involved with Bastien – or someone else – over the years. Yet the truth was that in all of our time together, he and I had never actually had anything romantic happen. We were close, physically and emotionally, but that came from friendship, nothing more. Because honestly, when you spent most of your existence giving complete strangers access to your body, it seemed stupid not to enjoy physical bonding with those you actually cared about. And again, by physical bonding, I just meant small things, not even those that resulted in orgasm or a PG rating. Petting. Stroking. Massaging. Kissing here and there. They were all signs of closeness. We needed them, I think, to keep ourselves sane with the way we lived. And there was a certain comfort to knowing that in doing this, the other person got exactly the same thing in return. I could not have had such an equitable emotional relationship if I'd sought a similar physical exchange with, say, Hugh or the vampires. It would have meant something different to them. Which was why I could lay there in Bastien's bed, half naked, with my body twisted around his. We laughed under the blankets, reminiscing about past times when we had to sleep in similar – but less comfortable – ways. Ship cabins. Narrow boardinghouse beds. Campsites along country roads. Then too, we'd huddled together for warmth and security. I ended up spending the whole night with him. He held me the entire time in as gentlemanly a way as Seth might have. But with Bastien, I didn't toss and turn with worry all night over what damage one careless touch might do. It was the best night of sleep I'd had in weeks. When I returned home the next day, I called Seth and asked him if he'd been at the bookstore yesterday. He verified that he had and that Doug had behaved himself. â€Å"He was kind of goofy and chipper but nothing like that day.† â€Å"Good. I hope that's the end of it.† There was an awkward pause, and then Seth asked, too casually: â€Å"Were you out again last night? I called you pretty late and didn't get an answer. â€Å" â€Å"Oh, yeah. I stayed at Bastien's all night.† â€Å"Oh.† Silence. â€Å"It's not what you think,† I hastily assured him. â€Å"We just slept. Perfectly platonic. Just like†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"You and me?† Silence. â€Å"Nothing happened. He's like a brother to me. Honest. He's the last person you should be jealous of.† â€Å"I'm not jealous. Not exactly. But if you say it's nothing, then it's nothing. I didn't mean to sound like I was accusing you of lying. I know you wouldn't do that.† I thought about oral sex at the dance club and my bare skin pressed against Bastien's. I might not lie, but I didn't always tell Seth the whole truth either. A few days later, Seth and I went to another Nocturnal Admission concert. Doug and I had worked together all week in a civil manner, if not exactly a friendly one. Seth picked me up at my place and again could only stare in wonder at my appearance. I'd gone out hunting with Bastien last night – against my better judgment – and had taken another victim. The glamour hadn't quite diminished yet, and I would have looked hot even in a burlap bag. So, I suppose wearing the kind of dress I did was just outright mean. It was a little slip of a dress in gray cotton jersey, with a ribbon threaded around it that tied just under my breasts. The thin-strapped, V-necked top showed lots of cleavage; the skirt hung soft and drapey to just above my knee. It was like a winter sundress. Seth put his arms around me and nuzzled my neck. â€Å"You never fail to surprise me. I always think I know what to expect with you. Then I actually see you, and†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He couldn't finish, but his eyes did it for him. They slid up and down my body, making my insides melt. Throw me on the bed and take me, I begged silently. Out loud I said, â€Å"We should get going.† At the concert, Nocturnal Admission performed as spectacularly as last time. Their following had increased, and people packed every square inch of the place. I had trouble seeing the stage but could hear every golden note. Fortunately, I got to see plenty of Doug later. The venue had let him use the place for another wild, post-concert party. Adoring women – and several men – clung flirtatiously to him and the other band members. Doug hugged me when he saw me, arranged for someone to make me a decent drink, and acted as though nothing had happened between us. I guessed I was glad to set aside the hard feelings, but now that I knew what to blame his behavior on, his bright and wild demeanor unnerved me. Casey showed up at one point, still looking a bit gaunt, but obviously on the mend. From across the room, I watched her tentatively approach Alec. He'd been talking to Wyatt the guitar player and turned to give her an obviously forced and fake smile. I couldn't hear the conversation, but the message came through loud and clear. She wanted to talk to him, to get his attention in some way, and he was blatantly snubbing her. I could see him shaking his head as she spoke, an almost desperate look on her face. Finally, he simply walked away, leaving her staring and upset. â€Å"I want to go over there and punch him,† I told Seth. â€Å"No, you don't. It's their business, not yours.† I turned on him. â€Å"Damn it, Seth! How can you always be so placid and nonconfrontational? Don't you stand up for anything?† He regarded me coolly. If he was surprised or offended by my outburst, he didn't show it. â€Å"I stand up for plenty of things. I just know when to pick my battles, that's all. So should you.† â€Å"You realize he slept with her and then turned around and dropped her cold. He may have even used sinister ways to do it.† â€Å"Believe me, I'm not condoning that, but Casey's got to be the one to say something. Otherwise, it's just you making accusations and starting a scene.† I scowled, half agreeing with him but still wishing I could help. Looking around, I couldn't see her anymore, which was probably just as well. With any luck, she'd gone home and would swear off the company of men for a while. Seth left for the bathroom, and almost the moment he was gone, Alec sidled up. â€Å"Hey, Georgina. You look hot.† â€Å"Thanks,† I said. I angled my body away, hoping he'd get the signal I wasn't interested. He was lucky I didn't just turn around and deck him. â€Å"You're, like, the best-looking woman in here tonight.† Whether that was actually true or not, I knew the life-force surplus made me the most attractive. There was a difference. Eyeing Alec, I suddenly toyed with the idea of returning his flirtation and sleeping with him. I rather liked the idea of seeing him sprawled out unconscious and sick somewhere. Nah. On second thought, considering he was such a sleazebag, I probably wouldn't steal enough energy to do much more than wind him. â€Å"You drinking those vodka gambits again?† he asked, still pushing the act. â€Å"Gimlets,† I corrected. â€Å"Well, the bar can make anything if you want something different. And there's weed everywhere. I think I saw Corey with acid too.† This guy just couldn't stop trying to fuck women over. He didn't care how he did it. Seth showed up just then, and I turned to him with a dazzling smile. â€Å"Nice talking to you Alec,† I said breezily, taking Seth's arm. â€Å"See you around.† â€Å"What was that about?† asked Seth, once we were out of earshot. â€Å"That asshole was trying to pick me up again. Right after turning away Casey. God, I hate him. He was trying the usual stuff too. Trying to push more drinks on me. Telling me how hot I was.† Seth leaned his face toward mine. â€Å"You are hot.† â€Å"Stop that. You're giving me funny ideas.† He continued holding me close. I really needed to wait two days before seeing him after a fix. â€Å"Ever wonder how far I could kiss you on the lips?† he asked. â€Å"What do you mean?† â€Å"Well, I can somewhat substantially kiss your cheek and neck, right? Your lips though†¦well, those have to be quick, brushing kind of kisses. Too much intensity and tongue with your mouth is right out. So, I figure there must be a middle ground.† â€Å"Have you been drinking?† â€Å"Just thinking, that's all.† The rapture from my glow was reflected in his face. Forgetting about anyone we knew seeing us, I let him lean his mouth toward my own. Ever so gently, his lips touched mine. Not a family-type slip of a kiss, nor a saliva-exchanging deep kiss either. It was like a caress. His lips slowly stroked my lips, his tongue just barely tracing the contours of my mouth. Electricity ran from my head to my toes and tried to run back up again, but it got delayed between my legs. Seth stepped away. â€Å"Anything bad happen?† â€Å"No,† I breathed. â€Å"But I think we need to conduct several repeat experiments, just to make sure.† Suddenly, from across the room, we heard whoops and cheers, followed by a terrific crashing sound and gasps of alarm. Without conscious communication, Seth and I moved as one to see what had happened. Doug lay in a heap on the floor in front of the stage, laughing hysterically. â€Å"What's going on?† I asked Corey. His eyes were heavily dilated, and I remembered Alec saying the bass player had acid. â€Å"It's a new Olympic sport. Stage-table High Jumps.† Following his gaze, I saw a table set up on the stage. About fifteen feet away, on the floor by Doug, was an overturned table. I looked back and forth. â€Å"Did he try to jump from that table to that one?† Corey cackled. â€Å"Sure did. Shit. He almost made it. Caught the edge on his way down.† â€Å"He could have broken his leg,† muttered Seth in disgust. â€Å"Or worse.† Doug seemed to be okay. Some solicitous women in tight shirts were helping him stand. He caught my eye and laughed harder. â€Å"Don't look so panicked, Kincaid. I'm fine†¦but if you want to make sure, you can come kiss me too and make it all better.† He winked at Seth, and others laughed with him, without knowing why. I was soon forgotten as more adoring people swarmed in. Seth and I retreated. â€Å"What was he thinking?† I fretted. â€Å"I mean, he's always doing crazy acrobatic stuff on stage, but he had to have known he couldn't make that.† â€Å"If he's not thinking straight, there's no telling what he believes. Drugs,ll do that. Give you a sense of invincibility.† I reminded myself to look up those drug names Cody had suggested. I didn't know if it'd do any good, but it'd at least make me think I was doing something. â€Å"Hey,† I exclaimed, pulling Seth to an abrupt stop. â€Å"It's him again.† â€Å"Who?† â€Å"That guy talking to Alec. The weird gothic, male-model-type guy.† Seth followed my gesture. Way on the other side of the place, near the bar, Alec and the man I'd seen at the earlier concert were having a heated argument. The GQ-poet guy looked stern and cold tonight, dampening his otherwise suave and polished looks. Alec had a pleading look. The drummer gesticulated frantically, his face desperate and frightened. The other man shook his head sternly, face unyielding. He waved a hand toward the crowd and then said something to Alec. Alec's face paled, and he once more turned into a pitiful supplicant. The other man shook his head yet again, then strode off. He didn't approach us exactly, but he had to move in our direction to reach the exit. He was still a good fifty feet away and separated by walls of people when an odd, prickly feeling touched my skin. It was strange and discordant, yet sleek at the same time. It was almost like what I'd felt around Doug and the band, except that had been unidentifiable. This was clearly a person's signature. It was linked to that man, pulsing with sentience. I choked out a strangled sound and quickly stepped back out of range. Pulling Seth with me, I threw my arms around him and kissed his neck. As I did, I watched out of the corner of my eye as the strange man froze and jerked his head around, looking out over the crowd. He had felt me too. His eyes passed over us several times, but we drew no especial focus. We were just another couple getting hot and heavy. I tensed, waiting for him to come closer and try to sense me again. Without knowing why, I didn't want him to find me. He scanned a bit longer before giving up and continuing his retreat. When he had left, I relaxed and leaned into Seth. â€Å"What†¦?† â€Å"That man that was talking to Alec,† I said, still in shock. â€Å"He's an immortal.† Seth's eyebrows rose. â€Å"Really? What kind? Angel? Demon?† â€Å"None of the above. He's not one of mine.† â€Å"What do you mean not one of yours?† â€Å"Not all immortals are part of the heaven and hell system. There are a lot of other creatures walking the world: nymphs, orisha, oni†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"You do realize you've just thrust me into a theological quandary likely to keep me awake at night for years,† he joked. When I didn't answer, he turned serious. â€Å"Okay. So what kind was he?† I shook my head. â€Å"That's the thing. I don't know. I don't know what he was exactly.†

Spm Essay Module

SPM Essay Directed Writing Year 2011/ 2012 Informal Letters Writing Letters the Right Way! This week we will take a look at letter writing. Generally, students are taught to write two types of letters – formal letters and informal letters. Informal letters are easier to write in terms of format, language and tone. These letters are sometimes called social or friendly letters. Examples of informal letters include letters to family members and friends. When writing an informal letter, remember to use the right format. Format of Informal Letters: use the most common salutation _____________, include the writer’s address and ate in the upper right hand corner. The date can be written in different forms. (7th September 2009, 7 SEPTEMBER 2009 or 7. 9. 2009) _____________, _____________. _____________. Dear _______, ____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________. _______________________________________________ _____________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________. ____________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________. nclude a suitable complimentary close. (Your loving daughter) Do not use ‘Regards’ as it is considered slightly more formal and distant. Also, do not use ‘Best Wishes’ as this is considered inappropriate. Reminder! – When you write an informal letter†¦ ? Do not use slang words. ? Do not use words which are in a language other than English. This means you cannot write ‘Dear Abah’, or ‘Dear Amma’ even if that is how you address your parents. ? Do not sign off with ‘Love and Kisses’. Keep that for your personal letters. _________________, _________________ TOPIC: HEALTHY LIFESTYLE Your Task:You received a letter from your pe n pal. In the letter, she expressed anxiety of gaining weight. Write a letter to her giving suggestions about how she can reduce weight. Below are the suggested ideas that you would include in your letter. Diet ? Balanced diet to provide sufficient amount of nutrients ? Enjoy plenty of whole-grains, fruits and vegetables Exercise ? Exercise regularly helps to burn calories and manage weight ? Trade some coach time for physical activities ? Eat moderate portions ? Take stairs instead of elevator ? Eat regular meals ? Walk to near destinations ? Drink plenty of water ? Avoid late dinners

Theory to Marketing 2 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Theory to Marketing 2 - Assignment Example Pick a brand like Chobani for instance, which advertises yogurt. I feel that such, when strategically advertised, could attract many customers to a company, which sells yogurt (Sorenson, 2012). A company such as Alpenrose Dairy could benefit substantially from this brand. The Chobani brand is attractive, which could bring a lot of customers to the market. I would encourage Alpenrose Dairy to use this brand all over the renowned social media sites such as facebook and twitter to market their dairy products, yogurt in particular. Market researchers also advise that, in order to the get people to buy your products, companies should make sure that their brand image is put on the covering of the product before it is sold (Sorenson, 2012). Since the Chobani brand is such a strong brand, many people will want to buy the product in order to be associated with it. Finally, I would advise Alpenrose Dairy to market the Chobani brand in other places like television advertisements, in order for their products to cover a wide geographical

Twelve questions in Management Information System Assignment

Twelve questions in Management Information System - Assignment Example In the â€Å"conversations† that introduce the textbook chapters thus far, Lucas Massey, the IT Director, tends to get a lot of pressure from his colleagues at GearUP. He has suggested approaches that do not align with the company’s strategy, and several times, when he has attempted to explain his perspective, he and his co-workers get frustrated. Using the skills gained in this course it will be easy for me to manage a situation like this in my job experience. In simple terms, I will just employ quality communication and teamwork skills to ensure that we as a team speak one a language. In addition, to ensure that the targeted MIS ends up a successful project, I will involve most of the key company stakeholders (both I.T professionals and other workers or targeted users of the system) in the development and implementation of the MIS. Lastly but certainly not the least, I will work closely with all the team members to ensure that the MIS goes hand in hand with the business strategies of the company (Oz

Three Types of System-Wide, Human Process Interventions Essay

Three Types of System-Wide, Human Process Interventions - Essay Example In order to generate a comprehensive understanding of organizational development, three types of system-wide human processes had been identified namely Confrontation Meeting, Intergroup Relation and Large-Group Intervention.Thereby, based on this approach, the paper shall concentrate on describing the various features of the categories and their influence on the organizational behavior.Table of Contents Summary 2 1.0. Introduction 4 2.0. Types of System-wide, Human Process Intervention 5 2.1. Confrontation Meeting 5 2.2. Intergroup Relation 6 2.3. Large-Group Intervention 7 3.0. Conclusion 8 References 9 1.0. Introduction The term ‘Organizational Development’ can be defined as the usage of the behavioral and science-based interventions that have been planned in the work setting in order to improve the functioning of the organization and the individual development.Notably, changes may take place at any point of time in the work setting since the world is continuously chan ging.Contextually, the organizational change consultants and the change leaders have an important role to play in facilitating human process interventions.The responsibility of the OC consultant is to facilitate the work of aligning the structure of the organization, its culture and the human processes adhering to the organization’s strategic plan. ... In the same way, the interventions of different intensities may ultimately yield different results (Porras, 2011). 2.1. Confrontation Meeting The system-wide process intervention techniques help to advance the processes such as vision, organizational problem-solution, task accomplishment and leadership between the groups for the purpose of the major subsystem. The first intervention is the organization confrontation meeting. It is one of the most ancient wide process intervention techniques. It aims at the mobilization of the employees in order to solve their problems at times of stress (Sangamithra, n.d.). At times the top management of the organization may face the problem of accessing accurately the state of the organization’s health in times of stress or change. When there is a major change in the organization such as change in the leadership or the organization structure through mergers and/or acquisitions, or introduction of any kind of new technology, there tends to be great confusions that have a negative impact on the productivity and the morale of the employees. Therefore, at times of such difficulties the group of top management may spend many hours together and try to solve the business problem. They can also try to find out a feasible solution in order to cope up with the problem. Now at the same time these managers may spend less time with their subordinates as well as with the rest of the organization. The people in the lower level often complain as being left out. They report of feeling less sense of possession in the organization. When these kinds of problems are faced by the organization then the top management may take actions in order to bring back the situation at stable

Law Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Law Project - Essay Example Additionally, the law protects the employers from irresponsible employees (Gulf News. 2013). In this case, this research indents to find out the relationship between employee rights to be informed prior to being fired and the authority of employers to terminate employees’ responsibilities without notice. To analyze the situation of employer termination procedures, a case study on ABC v. XYZ (pseudo named as a classified case) in which the claimant, ABC, accuses the defendant, XYZ, to pay the periodical allowance (Small Claims Tribunal, 2012). This research makes use of article 61 and article 102(1-7), which deal with employee work termination. This research makes use of secondary data through the use of a case study. Case studies are accounts relating to a topic of interest about a specific entity. In this case, a case study is used in the analysis of recorded data regarding a real life situation. Since information is already published, a case study is considered a secondary source unless a live coverage through the use of primary data collection method, observation, is used. In order to access information relating to UAE labor law, the internet will be utilized since it provides relevant and recent information sources unlike print materials (Gulf News. 2013). The rationale of using the case study method in this case is to ensure that various other sources on the background of the case can be provided. In the analysis of legal data, this research makes use of FIRAC analysis method where facts, issue, rule, analysis, and conclusion are the legal analysis variables considered in this case. The nature of the data presented in the case study is in literature, descriptive format, and descriptive analysis is selected as the most appropriate method of analysis. The chosen case study to support the objectives of the research project include ABC v. XYZ case as well as two articles from the UAE

Action Assignment#3 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Action #3 - Assignment Example They energize their goals, missions and visions to doing the best always. Leaders become more determined than ever in changing the society for the better. My name is Majed. I worked for eight years as a high school teacher of Arabic. The Ministry of Education provided me with a scholarship to study leadership at the University in the United States in order to gain the experience necessary to further my career. To be honest, the course has helped me a lot in growing as a leader. I learnt different values of leadership from the course which were lacking in my life. One of these values I learnt is the significance of responsiveness. I have applied responsiveness in different fields of leadership and the end result has been pleasing. Currently, I am the president of the American Youths for Change whereby I have enabled many young people abandon drug abuse. As a leader, I have motivated thousands of youths to pressurize their political leaders to become responsible. I have also staged numerous leadership seminars in both locally and internationally. In these seminars, I have been able to preach the importance of accountability to young leaders. This is due to economic stagnation which has affected many countries. Ideally, my dream is to see a corruption free world where leaders uphold the responsibility bestowed to them by their people. As a leader, I also dream to see a world where the rule of law is respected and a society where the opinion of every citizen counts. I also want to see a society where leaders have moral values and integrity. This will allow we the citizen have trust and hope in our government. As a leader, I want to leave a good legacy as someone who changed the society in a positive manner. I want to create a change in the society for the growth of my people. This is because I strongly believe that any standing society today has a possibility of dying. I want death to be alien to my society. My efforts to inspire the society have been rewarded.

Gas Price effect on the economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Gas Price effect on the economy - Essay Example Some develops faster and stronger than the others. Other factors can also be influence by the policies of the government, industry, technology, raw materials, and environment. The prosperity of the economy rises and falls with these factors, and one of these factors is through the industry of gas. When we talk about gas, it is inseparable with oil industry. Oil and gas industry is considered to be one that holds a stronghold in the world and America’s economy today. Oil and gas industry greatly affects the economy. The economy receives an improvement when there are large reserves and an increase of active drills in respect to oil and gas. People are able to consume more if the price of gas and oil falls. According to Perner (2008), the current gasoline prices are likely to have a large impact on consumer spending but a much smaller impact on the amount of gasoline purchased. Instead, the effect is likely to be felt in other areas of spending such as vacations, entertainment, e lectronics or eating out. Barbara Hagenbaugh (2007) stated in her report that economists believe that rising gas prices hurt but its impact is fairly limited.

Challenges and Opportunities in Strategy Implementation Essay - 2

Challenges and Opportunities in Strategy Implementation - Essay Example According to the paper the set plans need to well communicated throughout the organisation to enable all the staff to work together to achieve the company’s expected future results. Both new and existing organizations strive to get the biggest share of customers in the market. To acquire a big market share, organisation conduct different practices and activities to be more appealing and better placed in the market. There needs to be set procedures by the organizations that cover the whole field. An organisation that operates without set plans and procedures stand a chance to overlook other crucial areas needed to be better placed in the market. From this paper it is clear that organizations that set strategies and work towards implementing them are the ones that enjoy a greater market share. Putting set plans to action is one of the most important parts of achieving expected results. The small actions carried out in an organisation on a day to day basis need to be well linked to each other so as to contribute to the expected organizational results. Small daily targets need to be structured to contribute to the strategy of the organisation. Organizations need to be well structured so that all the staff can respect the expected results of the organisation. Communicating the strategies to the staff is crucial to ensure all staff works with a uniform purpose, which is to achieve the expected results of their organisation. For customer retention, organizations need to learn from the market reaction to various processes. Organizations with good strategy implementation plans are better placed to ensure that successful processes are continuously carried out and the non-effective processes are replaced with more productive processes.

The Indianas Religious Freedom Restoration Act Essay

The Indianas Religious Freedom Restoration Act - Essay Example The essay "The Indiana’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act" talks about the Indiana’s religious freedom restoration act. Law doesn't grant businesses a right to categorize against anyone. Many followers of this Indiana's restoration act affirmed that they hoped it would help the Christians to evade participation in same sex weddings. Secondly, there is no burden in these laws. Those people behind it emphasize that it is a form of defense so that religious person is not obligated to act in ways that infringe their way of life. These laws were at first described as a way of shielding individuals from harm, for instance, to put off the management from forcing people to go against their beliefs except when there was a sound cause for such infringement and no fine option found. The Indiana law also incorporates a language in it to ensure that parties in private lawsuits or administrative actions can claim a religious basis for their questioned behavior. The supporters view t he law as just the protections for religious freedom. Those people who believe in the Indiana law say that there has been an exaggeration of the likely effects of the law and misunderstanding of how it works. They add that those people who invoke the law to avoid lawsuits should go through a judicial process in which the burden of their beliefs is compared with the interest of the state in imposing a fine or carrying out a mandate. These laws have drawn criticism for having the potential to support discrimination against gay and lesbian couples.

Social networking paper Essay Example for Free

Social networking paper Essay Today, 1.5 billion people belong to an online social network, which is one out of every nine people in the world. If you are a part of this phenomenon, just how much does it affect your daily life? People join these sites for a wide variety of reasons. With just a few clicks you can speak to friends and family that may be millions of miles away; or check up on your favorite musicians latest updates. No matter what the reason, there is no denying that social networks have become a major part of society, in the work place, at home, and around the world. Many social networking sites are made for a specific group of people, such as Facebook for college students, or MySpace for music and party people. However, they all have a common structure. Once you sign up for a particular site, you will be asked a number of questions such as your name, age, location, interests, marital status, and possibly a small section to write an â€Å"about me.† Many sites also encourage uploading a profile picture, and some allow you to add a â€Å"skin† or some type of multimedia to your profile. Creating a profile on a social network allows you to define yourself however you wish to be seen. You are able to share your views, and express your interests. Many people feel a sense of independence and self esteem from using these sites. Some people may even create a â€Å"second† life and get lost in an online world, completely losing track of reality. People become addicted to social networking, losing sleep over these sites, ignoring their work duties, or even their loved ones to update a status or check the latest â€Å"trending topics.† According to affilatenetworking.com, as of April 5th 2012, the top five social networking sites are: Facebook, with an estimated 800 million users; Twitter, with an estimated 175 million users; Linkedin, with over 115 million users; Google Plus, with an estimated 90 million users; and Pintrest, which is a brand new social networking site, but is already in the top 30 most visited websites in the USA. With these sites having so ma ny active users, it makes sense that they are prime places to advertise. These sites are users of â€Å"targeted marketing†, meaning that they use information provided by you, to decide which advertisements to show. Facebook for example, uses things you â€Å"like†Ã‚  to determine what ads to show in the sidebar. So if you liked a Facebook page for Thai food, the ad shown on your homepage may be a Thai restaurant that is close to your provided location. Along with your likes, Facebook uses your location, sexuality, and relationship status as means to advertise. ​Companies are not the only ones using the growing popularity of social networks to their advantage; celebrities and artists do as well. They do not normally place ads on the page, but rather make their own Facebook or Twitter for publicity and to share their work. Lady Gaga, for example, has 45,633,442 Facebook fans and 16,862,231 Twitter followers. She is one of the more popular celebrities in social media, but definitely not the only one. Among the rather interesting list of users are: Barack Obama, Kanye West, Megan Fox, and even Oprah Winfrey. By using these sites, public figures such as the aforementioned can communicate with their fans, and share photos and videos with them. They can also promote their latest campaign, music, or movie release. If a celebrity wants to promote a social cause, social media is also a helpful tool to gain supporters. ​Even though social media has many great characteristics and outcomes, there are also some drawbacks and concerns. For example, privacy issues. Facebook and MySpace make it very easy to retrieve personal information and harm someone. Phishing and scams occur often, by scammers who try to steal your personal information for fraud or identity theft. There are also websites that are made to look exactly like your favorite social networking site to steal your password. Once they have the password, they are able use it to send out spam, and even viruses, from your account, or destroy your profile. ​The most venerable victims of social media dangers are children. Predators can pose as children with the same likes and interests as the child, and trick that child into telling them almost anything, including where they live. The safety of a child is at risk when they are on any social networking site. Predators are the biggest danger for children, but there are also scams that affect them. There are hackers or scammers that target children to use their identity to open a credit card, since the credit of a child is always in good condition. ​The problems with social media do not end with people that we don’t know. They also cause problems with the people that are close to us. According to a survey by the American Academy of Matrimonial lawyers, one in five divorces in the United States involve Facebook, and 80 percent of divorce  lawyers have reported a spike in the number of cases that use social media for evidence of cheating (Gardner, David). The websites offer an outside source of communication that never existed in the past, allowing people to reconnect with past lovers or meet new ones. They also provide a distraction that takes away from the time that intimate couples are supposed t o share. ​Many employers also use social networks in their hiring process. If a person seeking a job has certain information, comments, or pictures on their page, it can comprise the decision of the employer. The Washington Post released an article stating that there are now background checking services that exclusively run social media background checks for companies all over the country (Duran). A reference to drugs or even inappropriate jokes in a status can completely change a company’s decision. ​There are also cases that take social media past the hiring process, and use it as a cause to fire someone that is already working for them. In Pennsylvania, a teacher posted a picture of herself dressed as a pirate, holding a plastic cup, with the caption under the picture reading â€Å"drunken pirate.† She was then fired for promoting underage drinking. Whether or not these charges were fair, the facts cannot be changed; social media is public. It’s something that anyone can see, including employers, children, students, and parent s (Duran). ​However, social media does not have to be feared or avoided. The more aware users are to the potential dangers, the better. As long as they are used correctly, social networking sites are a great way to interact. Avoiding them would just keep you from communicating and interacting in our society. They provide many useful tools, and an enjoyable way to keep in touch. ​ A social networking site is an online community in which people can connect to other with similar interests. Since their start in 1995 with Classmates.com, social networking sites have grown immensely to include huge websites such as Facebook, YouTube, hi5, and orkut.com (scribd.com). Through these sites, people can communicate, meet new friends, and share information and common values. Businesses can communicate with employees, advertise new products, speak to consumers about current products, and even get ideas for new or improved products. Social networks have changed the way we live today. They provide a means of being socially involved that never existed, and there is no telling how far they will take us, how long they will be around, or how much more they will grow. As a young adult, I can say that social media  affects my life on a daily basis, as it does millions of others’. We are living in an era of the Internet, and there is no turning back now.

Why Did The Soviet Union Not Invade Poland History Essay

Why Did The Soviet Union Not Invade Poland History Essay This essay will primarily analyse the factors that prevented the Soviet Union from intervening in Poland in 1981, when faced with political opposition by the Solidarity movement. There are four main reasons as to why the USSR decided against the invasion of Poland: StanisÅ‚aw Kanias involvement in the decision making process, the USAs pressure on the Soviet government, domestic factors affecting the Soviet Union and Wojciech Jaruzelskis successes in crushing the opposition. When combined, these factors worked as obstacles to the Soviet Unions decision to invade Poland. The Polish crisis officially burst onto the scene in August 1980. Under the leadership of Lech Walesa, some 10 million poles joined the solidarity movement which immediately set off alarm bells for the communist government in charge. Solidarity was an umbrella organisation which consisted of political and social organisations that wanted a change in the state of affairs in Poland. Solidarity aimed to hold the regime to its communistic promises of government by the people and less work for more pay. Furthermore it demanded free elections and called for a referendum on the replacement of the communist government. Solidarity was so influential that it was allowed to register as a political organisation which encroached on the monopoly of power that the communist government had normally enjoyed. The sheer numbers in Solidaritys ranks and position of relative power it held as a political opposition group caused panic in the Moscow Kremlin. The Soviet military reserves were called up and w arships were sent to ports in Poland. Furthermore a special commission was set up by the Kremlin headed by Mikhail Susolov to investigate the roots of the crisis as well as a remedy to tame the uprising. This background to the Polish crisis gives a solid foundation upon which analysis can take place as to why the invasion of Poland did not take place. StanisÅ‚aw Kania played a crucial role in delaying the intervention till a time when the Polish government had proved itself incapable of handling the political opposition. In the early days of 1981 the Soviet Union had drawn up plans for military intervention in Poland. Soviet, East German and Czechoslovak troops would enter Poland, with 18 divisions remaining in close proximity to the city. The short but effective campaign was set to crush the solidarity movement and restore the communist governments supremacy in Poland. This campaign would have no doubt been complete humiliation for the Polish regime and its leaders, who would be viewed by the rest of the world and, Warsaw pact member alike, as a government incapable of controlling its own people. Furthermore this intervention would have left the Polish government with few supporters and a huge loss of faith from the general population. Kania, being a member of the ruling class in Poland, was determined not to let this h appen and thus played a vital role in delaying the Soviet intervention. On December the 5th during the Moscow summit Kania addressed Brezhnev and fellow Warsaw pact leaders of the critical condition of administrative affairs in his country. He acknowledged the threat that Solidarity posed to communist power in Poland however he emphasized that intervention was not the answer. He stated, If there were to be an intervention there would no doubt be a national uprisingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ which would leave socialist ideas swimming in blood. His open and truthful manner of addressing his countries problems gained the confidence of Leonid Brezhnev. At the end of the summit Brezhnev concluded that the intervention would be postponed in order to give Polish officials a chance to regain the confidence of the public and tame the political opposition. Hence Kanias influence proved a crucial obstacle to the Soviet intervention of Poland in 1981. The USA used its influence as the other global hegemony to great effect in deterring the Soviet Union from invading Poland. The USAs constant threats to the Soviet Union, under the Carter administration, leading up to 1980 are often seen as rather inadequate. Upon hearing that the Soviet Union planned to intervene in Poland, Jimmy Carter put out a press release stating that non intervention of Poland would have clear benefits for the USSR and US- Soviet relations. The Carter administration also had an informant within the Polish borders, who updated them on all Soviet military advancements. When informed of the Warsaw Pacts build up of troops around the Polish border, Carter promptly disclosed the information to the press and the Solidarity movement, thus denying the invaders the element of surprise. Although these threats and actions did have some effect on the Soviet decision making process, they were more useful as a foundation upon which the Reagan administration were able to bui ld their own intimidating tactics. Upon its inauguration into office the Regan administration stated that Soviet intervention in Poland would have dire consequences on US- Soviet relations and strongly advised them to stay out of Polish affairs. Furthermore Reagan emphasised that if Polish forces were to intervene in Poland it would be a, Polish matter in which the US would stay out. Rather than just target threats at the Soviet Union, the USA also provided economic incentive to make the Polish crisis a solely Polish affair. Regan ordered the rescheduling of Polands enormous debt to its creditors in order to enable a relatively peaceful political solution, as opposed to a violent military one. This debt postponement meant that the Polish regime could not focus more resources towards crushing the political uprising thus giving Soviet officials a major reason to leave the Polish crisis to Polish officials. Reagans tactics worked in intimidating the Soviet Union; the Soviet Union would ultimately factor in US relations as a big reason to stay out of Poland. The state of domestic affairs and the importance of public opinion are quite naturally seen as the biggest reasons for the Soviet decision to not intervene in Poland. In the 1980s Soviet leaders had a new found sensitivity towards public opinion. In order to continue the spread of communism, especially in the third world, the Soviet Union needed to portray itself as a progressive nation with the peoples best interest at heart. The Polish crisis had cropped up at a time when the USSR was engaged in a failing war in Afghanistan, with a faltering economy based on deteriorating terms of trade and the dà ©tente having all but ended. Yuri Andropov addressed the politburo on the 10th of December stating that it was an enormous risk to go into Poland that would most likely end in catastrophe. He stated that the USSRs priorities had changed since the 1950s and that they no longer needed Poland to maintain their influence. In addition he addressed the economic and political sanctions that the West would surely impose upon them which would prove an even greater strain on the already waning Soviet economy. On the other hand public opinion was of great importance to both the USA and the USSR and whichever side was deemed to be winning the battle would no doubt be in a better position to influence world affairs. Andropov addressed this point as well by clearly stating, that an invasion in Poland was out of the question because, World public opinion will condemn us [USSR]. These claims by Andropov were well found because the USSR was at a crossroads where they needed to focus on their own countries interests above all others. Ultimately the communist regime being replaced by Solidarity would have only proved a small obstacle for the USSR. The USSRs position of power and influence would have been enough to prevent the downfall of communism in Poland to be mirrored in the rest of the empire. In bordering East Germany and Czechoslovakia the polish crisis was received with relat ively neutral opinions. Their firmly rooted conservative regimes did not fear their respective populations to follow suit. This was mainly due to the fact that the populations of the two countries looked down on Poland for their massive debt and economic backwardness. If a large scale war were to have broken out between communism and capitalism, the USSR would have had no trouble in marching through Poland and reclaiming it and thus the leaders of the politburo concluded that there would be no immediate intervention in Poland. In making this decision Brezhnev remarked, Okay we wont go in, although if severe problems occur we would. Hence in this way the Soviet Union proved to be more concerned with long term western pressure and world public opinion than short term loss of a Warsaw pact member. Jaruzelskis success in imposing martial law is, in my opinion, the most crucial reason as to why the Soviet Union did not invade Poland in 1981. In the final weeks of 1981 it seemed as though the Soviet Unions decision not to invade Poland rested solely on the success of martial law in Poland. In the early days of December Jaruzelski held a conference directed towards Solidarity and other opposition groups where he said, If Polish forces do not manage to break resistance by Solidarity they [the public] could expect other countries to introduce armed forces in Poland. On December the 12th, the night prior to the proclamation of martial law, Warsaw Pact forces in neighbouring countries were put on alert in the case of a large scale public uprising that the Polish authorities would be unable to manage. The imposition of martial law on December 13th 1981 caught Solidarity and other opposition groups off guard. All political organisations, such as solidarity, were banned, a curfew was put in place and all telephone and postal mail were subject to censorship. The initial resistance to martial law proved to be weak and no match to Jaruzelskis military patrols that roamed the streets. Over 90 people were killed in the initial uprising which showed that Jaruzelski was liable to resort to extreme brutality in order to ensure that the nation was once again firmly under the grip of the communist regime. Furthermore in order to further hamper the opposition, all known solidarity members were rounded up for interrogation and Lech Walesa, Solidaritys leader, amongst other opposition leaders was arrested. Jaruzelskis tactics were working in the mere weeks after martial law was imposed. Special military courts were set up which had an outstandingly high rate of conviction. Jaruzelski instilled fear within the population to the magnitude that they refused to go on strike because they were likely to lose their jobs and be detained without trial. Underground Solidarity leaders att empted to rally the population to go on strike at their places of work, in response to this water tanks and armoured cars were sent to large factories and mills to combat any opposition. An underground Solidarity leader said, It was too much to ask of workersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ without specific strategy it was unfair to ask workers to risk their jobs. The public began to fear assembling in opposition to the government because they feared the over used police brutality and were no longer certain about receiving a free and fair trial. Lack of strong and organised opposition put Soviet intervention in Poland out of the question. Brezhnev no longer saw the need to intervene in a country where the communist regime had seemed to, at least temporarily, have the public and opposition under control. In the early 1990s Jaruzelski gave an interview to justify his proclamation of martial law in Poland, where he stated that martial law was the lesser evil in the given scenario. Had he not imposed it the Warsaw pact forces would have inevitably invaded the country. Thus the success of martial law stands as the biggest reason for Soviet non-intervention of Poland in 1981. The four main reasons that stood in the way of the Soviet Union intervening in Poland, all have their respective merits. However it is in the last two reasons, internal problems in the Soviet Union and Jaruzelskis success in crushing the opposition, that stand out as the most crucial. Had Solidarity taken power in 1981, all obstacles preventing the USSR from invading Poland would have vanished and an army would have ultimately been sent into Poland. However in my opinion Jaruzelskis success in imposing martial law was the only factor that gave the Soviet Union a finality about their decision to not invade Poland and must thus stand as the main point of analysis when considering the given question.

Packet-Hiding Method for Preventing Selective Jamming Attack

Packet-Hiding Method for Preventing Selective Jamming Attack Abstract The open nature of the wireless medium leaves it vulnerable to intentional interference attacks, typically referred to as jamming. This intentional interference with wireless transmissions can be used as a launchpad for mounting Denial-of-Service attacks on wireless networks. Typically, jamming has been addressed under an external threat model. However, adversaries with internal knowledge of protocol specifications and network secrets can launch low-effort jamming attacks that are difficult to detect and counter. In this work, we address the problem of selective jamming attacks in wireless networks. In these attacks, the adversary is active only for a short period of time, selectively targeting messages of high importance. We illustrate the advantages of selective jamming in terms of network performance degradation and adversary effort by presenting two case studies; a selective attack on TCP and one on routing.We show that selective jamming attacks can be launched by performing real -time packet classification at the physical layer. To mitigate these attacks, we develop three schemes that prevent real-time packet classification by combining cryptographic primitives with physical-layer attributes. We analyze the security of our methods and evaluate their computational and communication overhead. Algorithm 1. Symmetric encryption algorithm 2. Brute force attacks against block encryption algorithms Algorithm Description We propose a solution based on All-Or- Nothing Transformations (AONT) that introduces a modest communication and computation overhead. Such transformations were originally proposed by Rivest to slow down brute force attacks against block encryption algorithms . An AONT serves as a publicly known and completely invertible pre-processing step to a plaintext before it is passed to an ordinary block encryption algorithm. Architecture Existing System Jamming attacks are much harder to counter and more security problems. They have been shown to actualize severe Denial-of-Service (DoS) attacks against wireless networks. In the simplest form of jamming, the adversary interferes with the reception of messages by transmitting a continuous jamming signal , or several short jamming pulses jamming attacks have been considered under an external threat model, in which the jammer is not part of the network. Under this model, jamming strategies include the continuous or random transmission of highpower interference signals Proposed System In this paper, we address the problem of jamming under an internal threat model. We consider a sophisticated adversary who is aware of network secrets and the implementation details of network protocols at any layer in the network stack. The adversary exploits his internal knowledge for launching selective jamming attacks in which specific messages of high importance are targeted. For example, a jammer can target route-request/route-reply messages at the routing layer to prevent route discovery, or target TCP acknowledgments in a TCP session to severely degrade the throughput of an end-to-end flow To launch selective jamming attacks, the adversary must be capable of implementing a classify-then-jam strategy before the completion of a wireless transmission. Such strategy can be actualized either by classifying transmitted packets using protocol semantics, or by decoding packets on the fly. In the latter method, the jammer may decode the first few bits of a packet for recovering useful packet identifiers such as packet type, source and destination address. After classification, the adversary must induce a sufficient number of bit errors so that the packet cannot be recovered at the receiver [34]. Selective jamming requires an intimate knowledge of the physical (PHY) layer, as well as of the specifics of upper layers Modules:- 1. Network module 2. Real Time Packet Classification 3. Selective Jamming Module 4. Strong Hiding Commitment Scheme (SHCS) 5. Cryptographic Puzzle Hiding Scheme (CPHS) Module Descriptions Network module- We address the problem of preventing the jamming node from classifying m in real time, thus mitigating Js ability to perform selective jamming. The network consists of a collection of nodes connected via wireless links. Nodes may communicate directly if they are within communication range, or indirectly via multiple hops. Nodes communicate both in unicast mode and broadcast mode. Communications can be either unencrypted or encrypted. For encrypted broadcast communications, symmetric keys are shared among all intended receivers. These keys are established using preshared pairwise keys or asymmetric cryptography. Real Time Packet Classification Consider the generic communication system depicted in Fig. At the PHY layer, a packet m is encoded, interleaved, and modulated before it is transmitted over the wireless channel. At the receiver, the signal is demodulated, deinterleaved, and decoded, to recover the original packet m. Moreover, even if the encryption key of a hiding scheme were to remain secret, the static portions of a transmitted packet could potentially lead to packet classification. This is because for computationally-efficient encryption methods such as block encryption, the encryption of a prefix plaintext with the same key yields a static ciphertext prefix. Hence, an adversary who is aware of the underlying protocol specifics (structure of the frame) can use the static ciphertext portions of a transmitted packet to classify it. 3. Selective Jamming Module We illustrate the impact of selective jamming attacks on the network performance. implement selective jamming attacks in two multi-hop wireless network scenarios. In the first scenario, the attacker targeted a TCP connection established over a multi-hop wireless route. In the second scenario, the jammer targeted network-layer control messages transmitted during the route establishment process selective jamming would be the encryption of transmitted packets (including headers) with a static key. However, for broadcast communications, this static decryption key must be known to all intended receivers and hence, is susceptible to compromise. An adversary in possession of the decryption key can start decrypting as early as the reception of the first ciphertext block. 4. Strong Hiding Commitment Scheme (SHCS) We propose a strong hiding commitment scheme (SHCS), which is based on symmetric cryptography. Our main motivation is to satisfy the strong hiding property while keeping the computation and communication overhead to a minimum. The computation overhead of SHCS is one symmetric encryption at the sender and one symmetric decryption at the receiver. Because the header information is permuted as a trailer and encrypted, all receivers in the vicinity of a sender must receive the entire packet and decrypt it, before the packet type and destination can be determined. However, in wireless protocols such as 802.11, the complete packet is received at the MAC layer before it is decided if the packet must be discarded or be further processed . If some parts of the MAC header are deemed not to be useful information to the jammer, they can remain unencrypted in the header of the packet, thus avoiding the decryption operation at the receiver. 5. Cryptographic Puzzle Hiding Scheme (CPHS) we present a packet hiding scheme based on cryptographic puzzles. The main idea behind such puzzles is to force the recipient of a puzzle execute a pre-defined set of computations before he is able to extract a secret of interest. The time required for obtaining the solution of a puzzle depends on its hardness and the computational ability of the solver. The advantage of the puzzlebased scheme is that its security does not rely on the PHY layer parameters. However, it has higher computation and communication overhead We consider several puzzle schemes as the basis for CPHS. For each scheme, we analyze the implementation details which impact security and performance. Cryptographic puzzles are primitives originally suggested by Merkle as a method for establishing a secret over an insecure channel. They find a wide range of applications from preventing DoS attacks to providing broadcast authentication and key escrow schemes System Requirements: Hardware Requirements: System: Pentium IV 2.4 GHz. Hard Disk: 40 GB. Floppy Drive: 1.44 Mb. Monitor: 15 VGA Colour. Mouse: Logitech. Ram: 256 Mb. Software Requirements: Operating system :- Windows XP Professional Front End :- JAVA, Swing(JFC),RMI Tool :Eclipse 3.3

Cultural Competence Essay -- essays research papers

The American Academy of Family Physicians website defines cultural competence as: â€Å"A set of congruent behaviors, attitudes and policies that come together as a system, agency or among professionals and enable that system, agency or those professionals to work effectively in cross-cultural situations. The word "culture" is used because it implies the integrated pattern of human thoughts, communications, actions, customs, beliefs, values and institutions of a racial, ethnic, religious or social group. The word competence is used because it implies having a capacity to function effectively.† Campinha-Bacote constructed a model that depicts cultural competence into five different areas: cultural awareness, cultural knowledge, cultural skill, cultural encounter, and cultural desire. When working as a healthcare professional, one needs to strive for cultural competence by mastering each of these areas. To begin my journey on mastering each area of cultural competence, I need to first assess my placement in each of the five categories. A very important area is cultural awareness. This involves conducting self-examination of any biases that I may have towards a certain culture. I am guilty of having such biases. While I do not have many biases, it is important that I work through each one and realize that biases are not facts. I am a Caucasian female who grew up in the suburbs of Detroit. I attended a private school from kindergarten until my sophomore year of college. My school was not very diverse. Once I started working, I was able to meet a few more people of different cultures. All of my professions have been in the suburbs, and the majority of people have been Caucasian. Eastern Michigan University is very diverse. I am glad that I am finally able to experience such an environment. Cultural knowledge is when a health care professional seeks information regarding different cultures and ethnic groups. They look at the differences that one culture/ethnic group may have regarding treatment of an illness, health conditions, and biological variations. I have yet to do any personal research in this area. I have learned about some of these differences in a few of the nursing classes this past year and a half. I know that this is a detrimental area of nursing, especially since our country is becom... ...nts who have been of a different culture and I am willing to care for many more. By reviewing my position in each of the areas in the model, I realize that I do not yet fit into the expectations. I believe that I am on my way to achieving cultural competence. I still need to work on cultural awareness. I need to conduct a further self-examination to be sure I understand each of my biases. I need to start researching to improve my cultural knowledge. My cultural skill needs to improve in the aspect of becoming more comfortable in conducting a cultural assessment. I engage in conversations, and in friendships with people of other culture (cultural encounter) and enjoy becoming culturally aware and knowledgeable (cultural desire). This guide is very appropriate for the nursing field. I believe that I am culturally competent enough to work in a health care profession. I will continue to improve in each category. Everyday is a new day. I will be exposed to people of many backgrounds. I need to be ready and willing to adapt so that each person will feel equally comfortable and will receive equivalent healthcare. http://www.aafp.org/fpm/20001000/58cult.html#2 October 6, 2004

drugs` Essay -- essays research papers

This is a movie about a mother named Sara Goldfarb played by Ellen Burstyn, her son and only child Harry played by Jared Leto, his best friend Tyrone C. Love played by Marlon Wayans, and Harry’s girlfriend Marion Silver played by Jennifer Connelly. The movie opens with a scene in which Harry is in the process of taking his mother’s television against her wishes. His mother is addicted to her T.V., and now that Harry has left home, it is her whole universe. Her favorite show is one where a man who has lost a lot of weight runs a game show. Her dream is to some day be on his show. Harry’s friend Tyrone is waiting outside the apartment to help him push the T.V. across town to the appliance man’s store where they sell the set and use the money to buy Heroin. The next scene shows Sara, Harry’s mother retriving the set back from the appliance man for what is most likely the hundreth time or so. Sara is what we call an â€Å"enabler†; she turns her head to whatever Harry does and makes excuses for him. From there Harry and Tyrone get high with Harry’s girlfriend Marion. Soon we see as the addiction progresses, Harry and Tyrone begin to hatch a plan to score a large amount of Heroin so they can sell it and have their stash for free. This is a common train of thought for addicts. It is this same type of cognitive process that leads a Meth addict to setting up a home lab and cooking dope him, or herself. Then we see Sara get a phone call from a Television studio and are informed that she h...

Integrative Learning Project: Organizational Setting Essay

The Kennedy Law Firm, PLLC, serves the north-central part of Tennessee and south-central part of Kentucky, with offices in Clarksville, Tennessee. The firm was established on Christian principles, focusing on helping individuals through their greatest times of need, in 1984. The firm handles a wide array of types of cases, including personal injury, criminal defense, bankruptcy, divorce, and custody matters in state, federal, and military courts. Kevin C. Kennedy is its founding member and managing partner, yet still practices and is still active in the firm’s operations. There are three office locations across the city; with a main office by the county courthouse, another office close to Fort Campbell’s gates, and the last location provides a location closer to individuals on the northeastern part of town. Mission The Kennedy Law Firm’s main mission is â€Å"to be that rock in times of trouble by providing quality legal advice and support to people going through divorce, an arrest, injury or bankruptcy† (Google+, 2015). The firm seeks to provide its services based on Christian ideals, which the founding partner pursues by actively participating in numerous community events. The office by Fort Campbell is even being used by a church for services and other meetings. Mr. Kennedy does not hide his commitment to God, and he boldly proclaims his views in advertising and other interactions. The firm meets this mission by opening at 7:00 AM Monday through Friday, staying open until 6:00 PM Monday through Thursday, and being open on Saturdays from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. There is not one other firm in the Clarksville area that has hours which are as accommodating to their customer base. Mr. Kennedy even encourages his attorneys to schedule appointments outside of those hours, should it be something that the customer needs to get the legal service desired. Customers The Kennedy Law Firm’s external customer base is made up of individuals from all walks of life, from rich to poor, Christian to non-believer, and any and all race or ethnicity. Virtually anyone may fall victim to the perils of a legal battle, so the firm’s customers cannot be classified as falling within any particular â€Å"type† or â€Å"category†. Internally, the firm’s customers are made up of the attorneys. The paralegals, assistants, and other support staff must ensure that the work they are doing meets the needs and wants of the attorneys. Furthermore, the attorneys must work hard to meet the high standards for a Christian organization, as set by the managing partner. Value As an attorney for the firm, I provide legal services for the customers that walk through the door. More specifically, I am one of only a couple of attorneys that have committed to remain in the office until 6:00 PM to ensure that an attorney is available when the office is open. Furthermore, I provide greater payment flexibility to clients so that they might actually be able to afford quality legal representation without taking on an insurmountable debt. Even though as a young attorney with a growing client base I do not make an income which many may attribute to attorneys when they think of them, I still attempt to take on pro bono work to help those individuals that cannot even afford the flexible payment arrangements which we try to establish. My previous work for Westlaw, a legal research provider, has also made me invaluable to the firm. I have helped other attorneys and paralegals in the firm with posing research queries and setting up their accounts to get the most from the system with the least amount of effort. I was able to increase the efficiency of research efforts for practically every individual within the firm. This means that the services we provide can be done at less cost, a saving which can be passed on to clients in an effort to make justice more accessible for all. Biblical Integration Christianity plays a huge role in this firm, and it was one of the major factors which drew me to seeking employment with the firm. Not only does the firm unashamedly advertise its Christian ideals and roots, the  atmosphere in the office shows the same strong embrace of such ideals. Employees are free to discuss their religious viewpoints with one another, which only further solidifies the family-like environment which permeates the firm. Every meeting is closed with a prayer, and every morning a Bible study session is offered in the conference room for those employees wanting and able to attend. Reference The Kennedy Law Firm, PLLC. Google+ profile page. Retrieved on January 25, 2015, from https://plus.google.com/110251003608330856023/about?hl=en

Computer Operating System Essay

The Windows series of operating systems produced by the Microsoft Corporation primarily make use of two file systems: the File Allocation Table (FAT) and the New Technology File System (NTFS). Additionally, some versions of Windows NT also support the use of the High Performance File System (HPFS), a result of Microsoft’s joint developer involvement with IBM to produce the OS/2 operating system. (Duncan, 1989; Custer, 1994) Initially released with DOS, FAT makes use of a table which indexes information on which sections of the storage medium are free, unusable or taken up by files. Disk space is partitioned into distinct units known as sectors or clusters. There is no real organization to the directory structure of FAT, and as such free disk space can become distributed across many different sectors, resulting in file space being allocated in discontiguous sectors. As such, data is highly fragmented and increases seek times. (Microsoft, 2007; Duncan 1989) HPFS was first introduced with OS/2. It improved over the core functionality of the FAT system by introducing additional room for metadata attributes. Allocation units were changed from clusters to physical sectors of 512 bytes each, optimizing the disk space used for each file. HPFS directory entries also hold more attribute data: they possess single sector FNODEs that serve as the control structure for each directory. Fragmentation is drastically reduced by allocating as much of a file in contiguous sectors. However, the HPFS is dependent on a Super Block which contains the control structures of the root directory – essentially the root FNODE. The Super Block is thus vulnerable to corruption or loss from a bad sector which can compromise an entire partition’s useability. (Microsoft, 2007; Duncan, 1989) NTFS was designed to meet the growing demand for network servers and file sharing capabilities and it borrowed many of its concepts from the HPFS. (Kozierok, 2001) It is a journaling file system which permits greater recoverability by reverting files back to a useable state in the event of power failures and system crashes that occur during file transactions. Additionally, it also makes use of an expanded meta-data system which allows administrators to set a wider variety of access and use controls to files. The NTFS also optimizes data by storing small files into the Master File Table of the NTFS itself. The larger system format limit provides means that allocation units are much more refined as well. (Microsoft, 2004; 2007) Memory management on Windows has an access limit of up to 4GB of physical memory, and as such, the allocation of memory to processes is limited by this cap. By using paging to transfer pages of data between main memory and an auxiliary storage device such as a hard drive, it can overcome some of the limitations of physical RAM and enable system processes to have their own 4GB logical address space. Additionally, Windows accords memory protection to process in such a manner as to prevent access to one another, which is crucial to ensure that processes can operate simultaneously without compromising their functionality. (Garg, 2008) Microsoft Windows is essentially an operating system that is built with multi-tasking in mind, which in effect, allows multiple programs to be executed simultaneously. Each application is composed of one or more processes, each of which provides the resources needed to execute a program. Processes are composed of threads, a discrete unit by which processor time is allocated and a single thread, called the primary thread initiates the process. Each thread may execute any portion of code in the process, including those already being executed by another thread. Virtual address space and system resources are shared by threads of a single process, though exception handlers, scheduling priority and other components that determine a thread’s importance and role within the context of a process. (Microsoft Developer Network, 2008) Windows possesses many of the essential features crucial to basic security such as authentication and access control, encryption schemes and protection profiles. However, the API for cryptography is easily compromised by the fact that it easily trusts multiple keys in certifying authority of access. As such, only one code key is necessary to render a system vulnerable. Such a compromise is possible either through accidental disclosure of the private key or when the certifying authority mistakenly issues a certificate. On the level of network security protocol, Windows makes use of IPSec, a cryptographic IP-level protection system which is an open standard in the industry, which functions not only through data encryption and verification of hosts but by detecting modifications made to data during network transit. (Quardt, 2004) Windows security is at its most problematic with regards to applications and non-operating system products. Part of the problem is that for the purposes of consumer convenience, Microsoft Windows continues to be reliant on legacy applications that contain security threats that were of trivial matter during their initial release. Furthermore, the signature architecture of Microsoft programs is to mix application code and data, such as ActiveX for example, can allow untrusted data from outside the system to activate code. (Quardt, 2004) Also, Windows approves digitally signed code even if it is supplied from outside of the system, which means that a system administrator must implicitly trust whoever has signed the code to have subjected it to appropriate code review. In essence, the problem with Windows security is that trust and certification is so decentralized as to deny systems administrators total control and authority over the trustworthiness of code.   REFERENCES Microsoft Corporation. (2007, May 7) Overview of FAT, HPFS and NTFS File Systems. Retrieved August 9, 2008 from: http://support. microsoft. com/kb/100108 Microsoft Corporation (2004, May 5) Local File Systems for Windows. Retrieved August 9, 2008: http://download. microsoft. com/download/5/b/5/5b5bec17-ea71-4653-9539-204a672f11cf/LocFileSys. doc Duncan, R. (1989, September) Design goals and implementation of the new High Performance File System. Microsoft Systems Journal, 4, 5, 1-13. Custer, H. (1994) Inside the Windows NT File System. Washington: Microsoft Press. Kozierok, C. M. (2001, April 17). Overview and History of NTFS. PCGuide. Garg, P. â€Å"Windows Memory Management. † Intellectual Heaven. Retrieved August 10, 2008 from: http://www. intellectualheaven. com/Articles/WinMM. pdf Microsoft Developer Network (2008, August 7). â€Å"About Processes and Threads. † Retrieved August 10, 2008 from: http://msdn. microsoft. com/en-us/library/ms681917(VS. 85,printer). aspx Hart, J. M. (2004) Windows System Programming, 3rd Edition. Boston: Addison-Wesley Professional. Quandt, S. (2004, May 25) â€Å"Linux and Windows security compared. † Linux. com Retrieved August 11, 2008 from: http://www. linux. com/articles/36273? page=2

Oxfam Operational Management

The purpose of this assignment is to apply the main theories within operations management to summaries and critically evaluate the main issues facing Sofas within the following strategic and operational contexts: l. Globalization and International management II. Environmental management Ill Social responsibility lb. Technology v. Knowledge Management Figure 1 The Operations Strategy and Management model (Slack, N. , Chambers, S. , Johnston, R. , 2007) 1 Sofas Background Information The name Sofas comes from the Oxford Committee for Famine Relief, founded in Britain in 1942 during Second World War.Sofas International was formed in 1995 by a group of independent non-governmental organizations. Sofas is an independent organization affiliated to Sofas International, a global confederation of 14 independent Sofa's (www. Spam. Org). In 2010 Sofas was working in 99 countries. Sofas works directly with communities to find and influence solutions to poverty and injustice (www. Sofas. Org). So fas are working on development programs, emergency work and research. In 1948 Sofas opened its first charity shop. Sofa's current network of more than 830 charity shops are run by about 22000 volunteers and are a key source of income.Orders can be made by mail or over the Internet. Sofas teamed up with Yahoo! (Carroll, 2010) Sofas has an annual expenditure of US $700 million and employs around 1300 staff, of whom around 700 are based in Oxford, I-J, ND the others, together with about 1 500 locally recruited staff, work overseas. Sofas is best known for its work in emergency situations providing humanitarian aid where it is needed. However much of Sofa's work continues after the initial response. Sofa's Strategic plan 2007/10 underlines five main objectives (www. Sofas. Erg): The right to a sustainable livelihood The right to basic social services The right to life and security The right to be heard The right to equity (gender and diversity) The above describes Sofa's mission stateme nt â€Å"A world without poverty and equal human rights for all people†. The Although all operations are similar, they all transform input resources into output products and services, they do differ (Slack, 2007). The Four Vs. – Volume, Variety, Variation and Visibility, have implications for the cost of product, or in case of Sofas service, to its beneficiaries.As Sofas is a non profit organization and the interest is provide improvement of lives and fast response to natural and political disasters in Third World Countries, it could be said that their success could be measured in how well tenet support Ana Involvement rennet's on loveliness AT tense teen are knelling o. The Volume for Sofas is measured by the improvement of living conditions, by how many people have an access to clear water or how many lives are saved after a natural disaster. Sofas is involved in many projects therefore the Variety should be seen as high.However due to the nature of the work Sofas do es and the help they provide, the variety demands high level of flexibility from Sofas, its employees and volunteers. In the case of a charity the Variation should be relatively low. And many charity organizations are concentrating on to one issue only. However Sofas is known for heir involvement in many projects and can offer help in various situations, natural disasters, political rows in countries of the third world, where many people are being denied a decent living.As well as providing safe water projects around the world, building schools and many others. Sofa's Variation is therefore higher than many other charities but still would not be consider high as in a profit organization. Due to the nature of raising money for their operations via their shops, appeals and various projects, the Visibility of Sofas and its people is high. The argument could be hat Sofas has more back office staff than front office and therefore the visibility is not as high. However such an argument ca n be dismissed based on the overall focus on Sofas.The contact with people is necessary for the nature of the business. Sofa's 4 Vs. summarizes in Figure 2. [pick] Figure 2 The 4 ‘v†s module in relation to Sofa's operations Operations performance objectives There are five basic performance objectives which apply to all type of organizations (Slack, 2007). These objectives specifically relates to a basic tasks of satisfying customer requirements. Every organization has stakeholders who have a high interest in its operations. As per Slack Sofa's stakeholder groups can overlap.Sofa's volunteers who work in charity shops could also be employees as well as customers. Therefore a not for profit organizations who are influenced by more complex factors which they can not affect such as natural disasters, has to even more so define its operation's role, position and operation strategic objectives to show their stakeholders how they perform. The five objectives are quality, speed, dependability, flexibility and cost. Sofas aims to deliver high quality in each situation and project they are involved in.The quality s measured by the satisfaction of customers however in Sofa's case the satisfaction is not going to be reflected the same way as satisfaction with product or service of companies who produce these for profit. Sofa's customers are in many cases highly satisfied with a bare minimum of life standards and the help they receive. However quality coo a De considered Trot ten way AT Improvements AT humans' lives and livelihoods and its sustainability. Speed is something that is of a very high importance for Sofas. To respond fast to natural and other disasters is number one priority.The speed of the response could mean the difference between life and death. However improvement of women's rights and Sofas project of bringing education to all is anything but a speedy as the importance is to stabilize the changes first to make sure they are going to be permane nt improvements to their lives. For Sofas stakeholders dependability is a very important factor. For the people who receiving the help and support it is important to know that the support will be there and it is not Just a promise. For the volunteers and people who donated it is important to see that changes are being made and support is being given.Flexibility is the highest priority. Sofas is not only involved in various projects around the world but also needs to be able to change their plans and actions to respond fast to many situations such as political changes within the country where they providing their support. Or in the case of natural disaster, Sofas needs to be ready to respond fast, to provide basic supplies for humanitarian support. Their employees and volunteers need to be flexible to react quickly to safe lives and livelihood. Operations have to change at short notice.Even the charity shops which are mostly stable operations have to be flexible and sometimes change their operations to respond to situation in the world. In the case of natural disasters the nature of donations needs to change, not only cash donations are required but food, clothes or blankets. Cost is a very difficult measurement for a charity organization. It is important to keep its costs down to achieve more with the money raised however in many situations it is not about keeping the cost low but about saving lives, providing fast response and help when its needed and this can drive cost up.With natural disaster it is not important the amount invested in to the help but the help that is provided. When people loose everything even a little amount of help and support is highly appreciated and therefore the cost is not of a high importance. Figure 3 Sofa's Polar Diagram The role of operations Operations management can make or break any business (Slack, 2007). Hayes and Wheelwright's four stages of operations contribution evaluate the role and contribution of the operations funct ion (Slack, 2007). Sofa's operations are at stage 4.Sofas does compete with other charities for donations and volunteers. However, where other charities offering food and money, Sofas offers lives stock, seeds, smelter, coeducation anon T s well as money winner teen are name (www. Sofas. Org). Sofas gets involved in peoples live for longer to assure long term improvements in their livelihoods. Figure 4 The four stage model of operations contribution. Operations Strategy Operations strategy concerns the pattern of strategic decisions and actions which set the role, objectives and activities of the operations (Slack, 2007).Sofa's operation strategy is to reduce and eliminate the causes of poverty and suffering (www. Sofas. Org). As an objective the Sofa's 5 Aims are used to build the operations strategy, the top down perspectives. The bottom up perspective is reflected in improvement for the next project Sofas gets involved as the knowledge management aspects will affect how the next operation is managed. Market requirements are reflected in the numbers of people Sofas has helped to rebuild their lives. However for a not for profit organization the strategy is more complex and is affected by The Operations Challenge.Figure 5 The four perspectives on operations strategy The Operations Challenge Although operations management is seen by some as being concerned largely with the routine aspects of business, it is in fact at the very forefront of almost all equines challenges (Slack, 2007). There are many changes that the operations management needs to understand, be concerned with and adjust to. The challenges and changes in the world can be seen as a positive change which helps with Sofa's 5 Aims detailed in section 1. 1 and in appendix 1 .These are highly affected by many challenges and operations managers should be familiar with Sofa's Aims and developments to be able to apply appropriate strategies. 1 Globalization With opening of new international market were o pened many new opportunities for operations managers to develop supplier relationships (Slack, 2007). Important for Sofas as the need to have a fast and affordable access to supplies all around the world, to be able to respond fast is high on their operations strategies. The Ethical globalization affects Sofa's political affluence and it works well with ethical approaches.Acknowledging shared responsibilities for addressing global challenges and affirming that our common humanity does not stop at national borders (Slack, 2 Corporate Social Responsibility In a modern business there is more and more pressure on to the general well-being of society. Economic development on a global level cannot be separated from questions of social Justice and from ecological stability (Discarding, cited in Walleye, 2008). It is a nature of Sofas business to assure that all humans are being treated with respect and as equals.As per Sofas, nobody should compromise on their human rights. Sofas provides a ssistance and protection to ordinary men, women and children caught up in conflict or natural disasters (www. Sofas. Org). It is Sofa's believe that all people have social, economic, political and civil rights as well as rights under humanitarian law (www. Sofas. Org). Not only Sofas provides provisions of eater, sanitation and hygiene promotion they also lobby governments and the international community to live up to their responsibilities to protect civilians (www. Sofas. Org).However it needs to be considered that what might be unremarkable in one country ethical framework could be regarded as highly dubious in another's (Slack, 2007). 3 Environmental Responsibility Environmental Responsibility is getting on to an agenda of any organization. Sofas is highly involved in campaigning for Climate Change. During 2010 over 1. 5 million people in 35 countries attended Climate Hearings organizes by Sofas and its ratters (www. Sofas. Org). These are organizes by Sofas to voice directly to global policy environments the reality of Global warming and its effects on to those living in poverty.Sofas is committed to reduce their carbon footprint by setting and delivering yearly targets (www. Sofas. Org). 4 Technology Technology has impact of some sort in almost every area of operations management (Slack, 2007). Internet has the biggest impact on how the business operates. Sofas improved their engagement with their supporters due to internet and other digital communications (www. Sofas. Org). This has resulted in to increase in online donations to over E. Mm in 2010. Sofas therefore invests more of their resources in to improvement of their website.Technology is also changing the ways Sofas International works. Introduction of Single Management Structure is a big step which wouldn't be possible without constant changes in technology. Supply network is also more simple and faster due to new technologies. Technology has a huge impact on to Sofas operations and the speed the y can reach people in need. 5 Knowledge Management Knowledge is rich, interpretative and often value-laden. In very complex operations recesses, It may De almost Impossible to make ten totality AT Knowledge concerning processes fully and entirely explicit (Slack, 2007).Sofa's operations the explicit knowledge is not possible. Sofas knowledge management is build over time and is a result of Sofas experience in various projects and responses to different situations. Sofas therefore employs the Tacit knowledge. Tacit knowledge may be observed and accumulated over time (Slack, 2007). Sofa's strategies are changing based on their understanding of how the world is changing for poor people and what the best response to it would be (www. Sofas. Erg). Sofas needs to understand these changes and react with agility and effectiveness to maximize their impact on to poor people.By improving knowledge management Sofas improves disaster preparedness and response the main purpose of their business. Being an international organization that responds to human needs anywhere in the world it is highly important for Sofas to have a local knowledge. Supplies, its availability and access to it, are a need for Sofas and the knowledge of local suppliers is strategically important. Sofas is building team of trainers and experts to implement their new system around the oral (www. Sofas. Org).Security of their aid workers a knowledge of political situations and predictions in many parts of Third World countries is necessity. Supply Network Every operation is a part of a larger and interconnected network of other operations. Supply network will include suppliers and customers (Slack, 2007). As Sofas works all around the world and has to be able to respond fast to a natural disaster it has to consider many ways of supply. Design decisions of Sofas supply network are important agenda for its operations and supply managers. Sofas supply planning is very unpredictable.They have a network of sup pliers they working with to make sure they are able to react fast to any natural disaster. However to work with the affected community in a longer term they need to be able to find new suppliers in a very short time period who are closer to the area of disaster and can supply the needs of the situation. Attachment 1 states Sofa's supply policy in detail. In the policy Sofas is not only concentrating on to its supply and demands but also concentrate on to the operations challenges as described in section 4 of this assignment.The nature of Sofa's work means inventory problems. It is not cost efficient to keep a large amount of supply on hold in case of an emergency. Keeping too much could resolve in high cost related to storage. Keeping too little could mean that when there is a natural disaster and speedy response is needed, there is not enough of basic supplies such as water, food and blankets. In 2009/10 Sofas has rolled out new software tool knows as Hellos (www. Sofas. Org) to he lp with delivering the right supplies, in the appropriate amount, at the best cost, on time to the people who need it the most.It will provide a real time overview of what Sofas has, where it is and owe efficiently it can be moved to where it is needed. Conclusions It can De concluded Tanat even tone oxtail Is a not Tort pronto organization teen 00 understand the importance of operational management and strategies and acting upon it. Sofas sets clear strategies and reviews them every year. It acts upon the need of updating their operation strategies. The core business of Sofas operations is help to people who are in a need of help and support. Its 5 aims are stated and in their Annual report Sofas clearly states percentage of charitable expenditure.However looking closely on everything that Sofas was involved in over the 2010 eroded, it is clear that the greater the need the faster the response and the less important the money involved in the initial response are. Sofas has set proj ects over the period of time and with regards to these it is easy to apply operational strategies and management. It is when a natural or political disaster happen that Sofa's operations change in priority. Sofas has to be highly flexible to be able to fulfill its promises to all its stakeholders. The five performance objectives and its importance are changing. They are affected by outside forces.There is a need of constantly improving its services and overview its operations strategies to avoid failure in delivering its promise. Sofas works in constantly changing world therefore the operations within Sofas are not only important to keep its cost down but are important for the delivery and action of Sofas motto together we will end poverty. Recommendations Sofas has dedicated supply policy. However their policy does not specify how Sofas improves on smoothness of their supply and costs involved with it. In 2009 Sofas has introduced a system that unites all its international organiza tions.