The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner Chapters 16

â€Å"She has surrendered,† the redhead explained. â€Å"Surrendered?† Jane snapped. I peeked up to see the dark-cloaks exchanging glances. The redhead had said that he'd never seen anyone surrender before. Maybe the dark-cloaks hadn't, either. â€Å"Carlisle gave her the option,† the redhead said. He seemed to be the spokesperson for the yel ow-eyes, though I thought Carlisle might be the leader. â€Å"There are no options for those who break the rules,† Jane said, her voice dead again. My bones felt like ice, but I didn't feel panicked anymore. It al seemed so inevitable now. Carlisle answered Jane in a soft voice. â€Å"That's in your hands. As long as she was wil ing to halt her attack on us, I saw no need to destroy her. She was never taught.† Though his words were neutral, I almost thought he was pleading for me. But, as he had said, my fate was not up to him. â€Å"That is irrelevant,† Jane confirmed. â€Å"As you wish.† Jane was staring at Carlisle with an expression that was half confusion and half frustration. She shook her head, and her face was unreadable again. â€Å"Aro hoped that we would get far enough west to see you, Carlisle,† she said. â€Å"He sends his regards.† â€Å"I would appreciate it if you would convey mine to him,† he answered. Jane smiled. â€Å"Of course.† Then she looked at me again, with the corners of her mouth stil slightly holding the smile. â€Å"It appears that you've done our work for us today†¦ for the most part. Just out of professional curiosity, how many were there? They left quite a wake of destruction in Seattle.† She spoke of jobs and professionals. I was right, then, that it was her profession to punish. And if there were punishers, then there must be rules. Carlisle had said before, We follow their rules, and also, There is no law against creating vampires if you control them. Riley and my creator had been afraid but not exactly surprised by the arrival of the dark-cloaks, these Volturi. They knew about the laws, and they knew they were breaking them. Why hadn't they told us? And there were more Volturi than just these four. Someone named Aro and probably many more. There must have been a lot for everyone to fear them so much. Carlisle answered Jane's question. â€Å"Eighteen, including this one.† There was a barely audible murmur among the four darkcloaks. â€Å"Eighteen?† Jane repeated, a note of surprise in her voice. Our creator had never told Jane how many of us she'd created. Was Jane real y surprised, or just faking it? â€Å"Al brand-new,† Carlisle said. â€Å"They were unskil ed.† Unskil ed and uninformed, thanks to Riley. I was beginning to get a sense of how these older vampires viewed us. Newborn, Jasper had cal ed me. Like a baby. â€Å"Al ?† Jane snapped. â€Å"Then who was their creator?† As if they hadn't already been introduced. This Jane was a bigger liar than Riley, and she was so much better at it than he was. â€Å"Her name was Victoria,† the redhead answered. How did he know that when even I didn't? I remembered that Riley had said there was a mind reader in this group. Was that how they knew everything? Or was that another of Riley's lies? â€Å"Was?† Jane asked. The redhead jerked his head toward the east like he was pointing. I looked up and saw a cloud of thick lilac smoke bil owing from the side of the mountain. Was. I felt a similar kind of pleasure to what I'd felt imagining the big vampire shredding Raoul. Only much, much greater. â€Å"This Victoria,† Jane asked slowly. â€Å"She was in addition to the eighteen here?† â€Å"Yes,† the redhead confirmed. â€Å"She had only one other with her. He was not as young as this one here, but no older than a year.† Riley. My fierce pleasure intensified. If – okay, when – I died today, at least I didn't leave that loose thread. Diego had been avenged. I almost smiled. â€Å"Twenty,† Jane breathed. Either this was more than she had expected, or she was a kil er actress. â€Å"Who dealt with the creator?† â€Å"I did,† the redhead said coldly. Whoever this vampire was, whether he kept a pet human or no, he was a friend of mine. Even if he were the one to kil me in the end, I would stil owe him. Jane turned to stare at me with narrowed eyes. â€Å"You there,† she snarled. â€Å"Your name.† I was dead anyway, according to her. So why give this lying vampire anything she wanted? I just glared at her. Jane smiled at me, the bright, happy smile of an innocent child, and suddenly I was on fire. It was like I'd gone back in time to the worst night of my life. Fire was in every vein of my body, covering every inch of my skin, gnawing through the marrow of every bone. It felt like I was buried in the middle of my coven's funeral bonfire, with the flames on every side. There wasn't a single cel in my body that wasn't blazing with the worst agony imaginable. I could barely hear myself scream over the pain in my ears. â€Å"Your name,† Jane said again, and as she spoke the fire disappeared. Gone like that, as if I'd only been imagining it. â€Å"Bree,† I said as fast as I could, stil gasping though the pain wasn't there anymore. Jane smiled again and the fire was everywhere. How much pain would it take before I would die of it? The screams didn't even feel like they were coming from me anymore. Why wouldn't someone rip my head off? Carlisle was kind enough for that, wasn't he? Or whoever their mind reader was. Couldn't he or she understand and make this stop? â€Å"She'l tel you anything you want to know,† the redhead growled. â€Å"You don't have to do that.† The pain vanished again, like Jane had turned off a light switch. I found myself facedown on the ground, panting as if I needed air. â€Å"Oh, I know,† I heard Jane say cheerful y. â€Å"Bree?† I shuddered when she cal ed my name, but the pain didn't start again. â€Å"Is his story true?† she asked me. â€Å"Were there twenty of you?† The words flew out of my mouth. â€Å"Nineteen or twenty, maybe more, I don't know! Sara and the one whose name I don't know got in a fight on the way†¦.† I waited for the pain to punish me for not having a better answer, but instead Jane spoke again. â€Å"And this Victoria – did she create you?† â€Å"I don't know,† I admitted fearful y. â€Å"Riley never said her name. I didn't see that night†¦ it was so dark, and it hurt!† I flinched. â€Å"He didn't want us to be able to think of her. He said that our thoughts weren't safe.† Jane shot a glance at the redhead, then looked at me again. â€Å"Tel me about Riley,† Jane said. â€Å"Why did he bring you here?† I recited Riley's lies as quickly as I could. â€Å"Riley told us that we had to destroy the strange yel ow-eyes here. He said it would be easy. He said that the city was theirs, and they were coming to get us. He said once they were gone, al the blood would be ours. He gave us her scent.† I pointed in the human's direction. â€Å"He said we would know that we had the right coven, because she would be with them. He said whoever got to her first could have her.† â€Å"It looks like Riley was wrong about the easy part,† Jane said, a hint of teasing in her tone. It seemed like Jane was pleased with my story. In a flash of insight, I understood that she was relieved Riley hadn't told me or the others about her little visit to our creator. Victoria. This was the story she wanted the yel ow-eyes to know – the story that didn't implicate Jane or the dark-cloaked Volturi. Wel, I could play along. Hopeful y the mind reader was already in the know. I couldn't physical y take revenge on this monster, but I could tel the yel ow-eyes everything with my thoughts. I hoped. I nodded, agreeing with Jane's little joke, and sat up because I wanted the mind reader's attention, whoever that was. I continued with the version of the story that any other member of my coven would have been able to give. I pretended I was Kevin. Dumb as a bag of rocks and total y ignorant. â€Å"I don't know what happened.† That part was true. The mess on the battlefield was stil a mystery. I'd never seen any of Kristie's group. Did the secret howler vampires get them? I would keep that secret for the yel ow-eyes. â€Å"We split up, but the others never came. And Riley left us, and he didn't come to help like he promised. And then it was so confusing, and everybody was in pieces.† I flinched at the memory of the torso I'd hurdled. â€Å"I was afraid. I wanted to run away.† I nodded at Carlisle. â€Å"That one said they wouldn't hurt me if I stopped fighting.† This wasn't betraying Carlisle in any way. He'd already told Jane as much. â€Å"Ah, but that wasn't his gift to offer, young one,† Jane said. She sounded like she was enjoying herself. â€Å"Broken rules demand a consequence.† Stil pretending I was Kevin, I just stared at her as if I were too stupid to understand. Jane looked at Carlisle. â€Å"Are you sure you got al of them? The other half that split off?† Carlisle nodded. â€Å"We split up, too.† So it was the howlers that got Kristie. I hoped that, whatever else they were, the howlers were real y, real y terrifying. Kristie deserved that. â€Å"I can't deny that I'm impressed,† Jane said, sounding sincere, and I thought that this was probably the truth. Jane had been hopeful that Victoria's army would do some damage here, and we'd clearly failed. â€Å"Yes,† the three vampires behind Jane al agreed quietly. â€Å"I've never seen a coven escape this magnitude of offensive intact,† Jane continued. â€Å"Do you know what was behind it? It seems like extreme behavior, considering the way you live here. And why was the girl the key?† Her eyes flicked to the human for just a moment. â€Å"Victoria held a grudge against Bel a,† the redhead told her. So the strategy final y made sense. Riley just wanted the girl dead and didn't care how many of us died to get it done. Jane laughed happily. â€Å"This one† – and she smiled at the human the way she'd smiled at me – â€Å"seems to bring out bizarrely strong reactions in our kind.† Nothing happened to the girl. Maybe Jane didn't want to hurt her. Or maybe her horrible talent only worked on vampires. â€Å"Would you please not do that?† the redhead asked in a control ed but furious voice. Jane laughed again. â€Å"Just checking. No harm done, apparently.† I tried to keep my expression Kevin-ish and not betray my interest. So Jane couldn't hurt this girl the way she'd hurt me, and this was not a normal thing for Jane. Though Jane was laughing about it, I could tel it was driving her crazy. Was this why the human girl was tolerated by the yel ow-eyes? But if she was special in some way, why didn't they just change her into a vampire? â€Å"Wel, it appears that there's not much left for us to do,† Jane said, her voice a dead monotone again. â€Å"Odd. We're not used to being rendered unnecessary. It's too bad we missed the fight. It sounds like it would have been entertaining to watch.† â€Å"Yes,† the redhead retorted. â€Å"And you were so close. It's a shame you didn't arrive just a half hour earlier. Perhaps then you could have fulfil ed your purpose here.† I fought a smile. So the redhead was the mind reader, and he'd heard everything I'd wanted him to hear. Jane wasn't getting away with anything. Jane stared back at the mind reader with a blank expression. â€Å"Yes. Quite a pity how things turned out, isn't it?† The mind reader nodded, and I wondered what he was hearing in Jane's head. Jane turned her blank face to me now. There was nothing in her eyes, but I could feel that my time had run out. She'd gotten what she needed from me. She didn't know that I'd also given the mind reader everything I could. And protected his coven's secrets, too. I owed him that. He'd punished Riley and Victoria for me. I glanced at him from the corner of my eye and thought, Thanks. â€Å"Felix?† Jane said lazily. â€Å"Wait,† the mind reader said loudly. He turned to Carlisle and spoke quickly. â€Å"We could explain the rules to the young one. She doesn't seem unwil ing to learn. She didn't know what she was doing.† â€Å"Of course,† Carlisle said eagerly, looking at Jane. â€Å"We would certainly be prepared to take responsibility for Bree.† Jane's face looked like she wasn't sure if they were joking, but if they were joking, they were funnier than she'd given them credit for. Me, I was touched to the core. These vampires were strangers, but they'd gone out on this dangerous limb for me. I already knew it wasn't going to work, but stil . â€Å"We don't make exceptions,† Jane told them, amused. â€Å"And we don't give second chances. It's bad for our reputation.† It was like she was discussing someone else. I didn't care that she was talking about kil ing me. I knew the yel ow-eyes couldn't stop her. She was the vampire police. But even though the vampire cops were dirty – real y dirty – at least the yel ow-eyes knew it now. â€Å"Which reminds me†¦,† Jane went on, her eyes locking on the human girl again and her smile widening. â€Å"Caius wil be so interested to hear that you're stil human, Bel a. Perhaps he'l decide to visit.† Still human. So they were going to change the girl. I wondered what they were waiting for. â€Å"The date is set,† said the little vampire with the short black hair and the clear voice. â€Å"Perhaps we'l come to visit you in a few months.† Jane's smile disappeared like someone had wiped it off. She shrugged without looking at the black-haired vampire, and I got the feeling that as much as she might have hated the human girl, she hated this smal vampire ten times as much. Jane turned back to Carlisle with the same vacant expression as before. â€Å"It was nice to meet you, Carlisle – I'd thought Aro was exaggerating. Wel, until we meet again†¦Ã¢â‚¬  This would be it, then. I stil didn't feel afraid. My only regret was that I couldn't tel Fred more about al of this. He was going almost total y blind into this world ful of dangerous politics and dirty cops and secret covens. But Fred was smart and careful and talented. What could they do to him if they couldn't even see him? Maybe the yel ow-eyes would meet Fred someday. Be nice to him, please, I thought at the mind reader. â€Å"Take care of that, Felix,† Jane said indifferently, nodding at me. â€Å"I want to go home.† â€Å"Don't watch,† the redheaded mind reader whispered. I closed my eyes.

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World of Work Silver - Organisational Awareness - Coursework Example Jaguar is exported to more than 60 countries around the world. In mid-2008 India’s Tata Motors acquired JLR for  £1.15 billion in what is seen as a move to expand its production line and cut down on costs (Grant, 2010). JLR conducts its sales to customers mainly through franchised distributors and importers. However, since 2008 activities, the demand for Land Rover cars and sales immediately declined by almost one-quarter. In 2009, for instance, 144,133 car sales were registered. Jaguar also recorded a slump in sales by almost 20 per cent to about 52,500 in 2010 (Grant, 2010). Regardless, Jaguar is an effective innovation-driven organization in its internal processes, judging by the unique car designs created through innovation and seamless R&D processes. In order to improve the quality of its products, JLR has reduced its product lines to two instead of the initial six (Raynal, 2012). This implies that JLR is keen on differentiation of a lean product line, which is achievable through technological and product line modernisation. The company spends heavily on R&D so as to come up with products which not only meet but exceed current and future customer expectations. But compared to other market rivals, JLR carefully balances its innovation with the primary risk in the current business environment – cost overruns in the unpredictable market forces. Nonetheless, Jaguar’s supply chain management is still poor, judging by the low presence of the products in the developing economies compared to its market rivals such as Mercedes Benz or General Mo tors (Harris, 2013). Owing to the fitness of the Land Rover brand for different purposes, the brand is apparently performing better than the Jaguar brand (Gomes et al, 2007). After the recent acquisition, the company has shifted major head office decisions to India in an attempt to strengthen its market presence across the two products. In India, the company seeks to

Jehovah Witness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Jehovah Witness - Essay Example Founded in the year 1874, the teachings and beliefs on the church Adventist theological teachings were adopted into the Watchtowers teachings (Garraty and Carnes, 92), and has two magazine publications the WATCHTOWER and the AWAKE! (King, 443). The bible used by the Jehovah witness is known as the- new world translation, this bible version is different from other bibles in two different verses, John 1:1; 8:58 and Hebrews 1:8, though there are other different passages that have been adopted to support Jehovah Witnesses doctrines. Jehovah witness is a Christian sect with distinctive religious practices and rituals that appear to be dissimilar to other Christian churches and organizations; therefore, this paper therefore explores the practices of this Christian sect in comparison to the Baptist church in south Florida. This is a very controversial and aggressive religious group in south Florida, which bans pursuit of higher education amongst their members, and instead encourages evangel istic activities. In addition, the group only allows marriages amongst fellow members of the group and practices door to door campaign of their teachings and amongst the members, and it is only the younger members of the group who do a lot of this work. Jehovah witness is also known as the Watchtower Society has the following theological beliefs, practices and rituals such as they ban their members from celebrating any holidays and birthdays. Their members are banned from taking part in flag salutes, engaging in civil duties, participating in politics or engaging in war like activities. Furthermore, members are not allowed to transfuse blood, allowed to make minimal contact with people, who are non members of Jehovah Witness, even if it is their family and friends and also avoid contact with former members of the sect. Members of the Society are also not allowed to pursue higher education or limited pursuit of higher education; they outlaw critical thinking and arguments. Literature materials which are written by members are banned if such pieces of materials are deemed as being critical of the society or if the materials paint the society in a bad light. Non members of the Jehovah Witness religious group are banned from attending churches sermons and prayers, in addition, the members are not allowed to undertake religious broadcasting, instead they have to perform house to house proselytizing (Gruss 296). Comparison between Jehovah witness and the Baptist church in south Florida Jehovah witness in south Florida inserted the name Jehovah to replace the word God, and that Jehovah alone is the Father. Conversely, in other mainstream churches such the Baptist they draw their beliefs form the Roman Catholic of the Holy Trinity- the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Secondly, the Watchtower believes that Jesus is the created Archangel whereas the Baptist believes that Jesus is not a creation, He is the most high- the Almost God. In the scriptures of the Baptist bible, this is proclaimed in Revelation 1:7-8, 17, 18, 2:8, 22:12-13, 20 Isaiah 9:6; 44:24, 48:12 John 1:3 Hebrews7:3 and John 1:3. Jehovah Witness believes that it is Jehovah who raised Jesus from death in a form that is angelic and without the human body. Baptist’s on the other hand believe that on the third day after his death, he resurrected from the dead in a physical human form, shown in the books of Luke 24:39 Acts 17:31, John 2:18-22 and Philippians 2:5-11. Jehovah Witness believe that the Holy Spirit is a servant of God and the Holy Spiri

Sherlock Holmes and the Speckled Band Essay Example for Free

Sherlock Holmes and the Speckled Band Essay At the start of the story there are small rises of tension and falls, the use of Victorian Melodrama creates drama for the reader. When Helen Stoner comes in and tells Holmes about her family it is slow paced and little or no tension at all. Then she tells of her sisters death, which makes the tension rise. In the story there two lulls before the storm which is when everything is quiet happy and slow paced but then the action breaks out and the pace and tension rise But we shall have horrors enough before the night is over for goodness sake let us have a quiet pipe and turn our minds for a few hours to something more cheerful. There are four main high points in the story, the last being the climax. This is where Dr Roylott dies. Sherlock Holmes was the first real fictional detective and is still very popular today. He was a private detective, not a member of the police force because in those days the police werent held in high regard. He was put on a pedestal by the people who read about him because he was fulfilling everything the police werent. Many of todays TV detectives are based on Holmes including Colombo, Jonathan Creek, Poirot and Morse. Sherlock Holmes is instantly recognizable in his deerstalker hat and his long cloak but actually these were not originally his clothes. Someone who was drawing him made them up. We also recognize him by his magnifying glass and that he plays the violin and smokes a pipe. He smokes his pipe when he is meditating or trying to work out a clue or puzzle. Holmes personality is very polite but not emotional, he is a middle class gentleman and very logical. He always tries to outdo the people he meets. He does this in the story when he describes how Miss Stoner arrives and when he straightened out the poker which Dr Roylott had bent in anger. Inspector Morse is very similar to Sherlock Holmes. He is recognized by his red car, his classical music and his love for real ale. His mannerisms are like those of Holmes too, he is a polite middle class gentleman, very clever but is abrupt. He cares inside but doesnt show it. Morse also has a sidekick who is called Lewis; he is like Holmes Dr Watson. The reason for a sidekick is to narrate the story, to make the detective look a lot cleverer and to be an ally to us the readers. I had no keener pleasure than in following Holmes in his professional investigations, and in admiring the rapid deductions, as swift as intuitions, and yet always founded on a logical basis, with which he unraveled the problems which were submitted to him. Obviously a murder mystery has to have a murder and we usually find out who the murderer is at the end of the story. The Speckled Band is quite unusual because we know that Roylott is the killer but we dont know how he does it. Dr Roylott has an imposing physique and the author associates him with what we would generally consider bad using similes and metaphors. He is an archetypal villain and his only friends are wandering gypsies that arent trusted by others. These gypsies are associated with exotic pets and curses. Roylott is reclusive and has a beastly nature. He planned the murder in advance and spent and spent plenty of money on making sure that it took place. If Roylott is the archetypal villain then Helen Stoner is the archetypal victim. In Victorian literature women were portrayed as heroines who need help from heroes. Helen Stoner is weak, vulnerable and very emotional. She brings the only element of emotion into his story. She is emotional where as Holmes is logical. She plays a vital role in the story because she is the stepdaughter of the murderer, the sister of the murdered and the next in line. Helen Stoner is the stereotypical female of her time. She is like the prey and Roylott is the predator. When she comes to see Holmes her appearance is old and worn out. Her face all drawn and grey, with restless frightened eyes, like those of some hunted animal. She has aged before her time her features and figure were those of a woman of thirty, but her hair was shot with premature grey and her expression was weary and haggard. The stereotypical view of women has changed a lot over the last century. In the times that The Speckled Band was written women were seen as frail people who needed help from big strong men. In the 1920s Agatha Christie wrote books where a woman solved murder cases but people still thought she was stupid. Now in the year 2003 there are women who command entire police forces. In my opinion I dont think that The Speckled Band is very effective as a murder mystery because it is too obvious that Roylott is the killer. It is very good as a how-dun-it because its frustratingly hard to workout how Roylott killed his stepdaughter. Conan Doyle included a red herring into the story to try and throw us off course but I dont think it works at all. Its almost as if he just put it in at the end as a rushed job. Graham Dessington Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Arthur Conan Doyle section.

A Comparison Between Chesapeake And New England History Essay

A Comparison Between Chesapeake And New England History Essay During the period between the later parts of 16th century and early 17th century, most to the European nations were so eager to continue in their current state of colonizing different states within the newly found Americas. One particular European nation that had a clearly mapped out strategy and so clearly sent out many groups to most of the parts of eastern coast especially two parts known as Chesapeake and New England is England. It is worth noting that there was a scramble and a rush in a bid to conquer as many nations as possible due to the benefits that would result in the process. As a result in the late 1700s the two nations that were conquered by England later joined up to become one nation. However, it should be noted that from the onset, the two nations were unique and their own unique identities. The differences that existed between these two nations actually illustrate the main reason why England decided to colonize them at that time. This article brings out the major di fferences that existed between Chesapeake and New England in terms of their English Colonies. Land use is the first variation that existed between Chesapeake and New England. It is important to note that the New England had interests in terms of land use that was basically distinct from Chesapeake. In terms of Chesapeake, the major interest was basically in the large land coverage that included Rhode Island, Plymouth, Massachusetts Bay Colony, New Haven and Connecticut. These locations represented a massive amount of land that Chesapeake was basically interested in. The English settlers around this region were mainly interested in mining activities which included the mining of gold as well as silver. They were hoped to find these minerals to help them in their trading activities. In addition they were also in the land to find a northwest link to Asia so that they would expand their trading activities. It is also worth noting that the quest to find a cure the syphilis disease was also part of their mission in the land. This can also be combined with the quest to find any meani ngful valuable that they could carry for trade back in Europe. On the other hand, the New England settler had a different motive concerning their settlement on the land. They were majorly concerned about the artisan industries that were comprised of printing, carpentry and shipbuilding. As a result their major mission was to find materials in the land that could help them in terms of expanding their mission in the land which was mainly comprised of expanding the artisan industry. Labor also characterized the mission of the Chesapeake and New England settlers in North America. Chesapeake region was mainly swampy and not suitable for typical crop growing activities. However 5 years after their arrival in the land saw the discovery of tobacco which actually did well. In this regard, it is important to note that due to the tobacco growing in the land, Chesapeake settler used and employed cheap labor in their fields. As a matter of fact, they developed an indentured servitude system in which individuals who desired free passage to America had offer their services in terms of labor for some years before being allowed to enter into America. On the other hand, New England region was not characterized of large farms and so most of them basically depended on small farms and other home-based type of industries such as carpentry and printing. Due to the home-based industry businesses, the New England settlers did not need to hire labor as their families were enough to pr ovide the needed labor force for their work. As a result, it is worth noting that slavery never developed much in the northern part as compared to the southern. Religion also formed a major difference between the Chesapeake and New England settlers in America. It is worth noting that most of the New Englanders majorly composed of the Puritan Separatists who were in the quest for freedom in religion. This came at a time the Church of England actually separated from the Catholicism which was the major religion at that time during the reign of Henry VIII. As a result, the major religion of this land was largely composed of Protestantism. It should, however, be noted that a given group with the protestants actually wanted a complete separation from Catholicism. As a result, they went ahead to establish the Anglican Church. However, it should be noted that this only became a reality after 1692. The religious tone of the region was low as many people never really had interest in the England church. On the other hand, the New Englander had claims that they were actually more godly in comparison to any other group of colonialists. This region was ma inly composed of a section of settlers who were escaping persecution due to their religious faith. As a result, the region became extremely religious-based and actually had claims that they were far more godly than all other colonists  [1]  . Social composition between Chesapeake and New England settlers was also different. As a matter of fact, it is worth noting that Chesapeake region was categorically set apart for male settlement which was first composed of businessmen as well as adventure seekers. Later on, there was the introduction of the indentured slaves and servants who were actually willing to seek opportunity for work in the new country. Diseases and difficulty of work due to the conditions in the place at that time actually led to most of them being widely spread in the entire region. As a result, their life expectancy levels went lower as compared to their New England counterparts. In addition, the disease condition as well as the difficult labor condition made the families to stay apart in the quest for better environment free from sickness. This led to so much instability in the region in terms of social organization  [2]  . There were people who were constantly being shipped into the region for the pur poses of making the region well balanced socially. The social rungs were also characterized by major gaps as only plantation owners were at the top, a very small group of small scale farmers at the middle section, and the indentured slaves combined with the servants at the bottom part of the grid. This created such a major imbalance in the social balance of this region since the shortages were being felt in almost all the spheres of social networks of this particular side. On the other hand, the social composition as well as the demographic mix of New England was highly different. This is because this particular region was mainly composed of colonialists having their towns as well as families which move together. Their level of prosperity, therefore, grew further since they were always together. As a result of the unity, this society was well balanced socially and even economically. Religion and family also prospered due to stability in the social composition. This was highly contri buted to by the fact that they were constantly together. It can, therefore, be noted that New England provided a healthy society in which individuals colonialists developed socially and spiritually  [3]  . In conclusion, it is important to note that in as much as both Chesapeake and New England settlers had a common goal of looking for better territories which could provide them with more economic, social and religious freedom, there were various differences that actually existed between them. The differences were majorly in terms of the land use which saw both settlers having different purposes for the land they had acquired; religion whereby the colonialists had different spiritual needs and agenda in the lands in which they settled; social composition whereby both Chesapeake and New England colonial settlers had different social needs, challenges which influenced their prosperity and religious practice in their lands of settlement; economic achievements were also different as the level of economic growth of the settlers differed majorly due to the extent of trading activities as well as availability of market for their commodities. It can therefore be noted that New England and Ches apeake were similar in terms of their mission but different in terms of activities that there involved with in the land in which they settled.

My Mother, My Hero Essay -- Personal Narrative Writing

My Mother, My Hero In 1859 Henry Ward Beecher said, "the mother’s heart is the child’s schoolroom." I believe that statement because of experiences I’ve had with my own mother. I have learned more about life from her than from my 15 years of schooling. Over the last 20 years my mother has taught me many valuable lessons just by being a living example of compassion, thoughtfulness, and generosity. She is an angel that has protected and carried me throughout life. In the book, One Day My Soul Just Opened Up, Iyanla Vanzant said, "a truly compassionate person is one who can feel what you feel because they are one with you in mind, body, and spirit, not out of obligation or a false sense of responsibility. A compassionate person is one who understands what you are going through and, rather than joining you in your suffering and fear, sees for you the blessing and the victory at the end. A compassionate person does not join in the victim mentality of blaming others; instead they will stand strong with you, supporting you through the acceptance of the situation. The compassionate person knows with you, for you, and when necessary in spite of you, that all things work together for your good." That quote is like a mirror image of my mother because she encompasses all those traits. She showed me the utmost compassion when I was in high school. I was very sick with a chronic disease. I couldn’t walk and I was in constant pain. Though I couldnâ €™t see it at the time, my mother saw for me how lucky I was. She consistently pointed out that I was lucky that we could afford the doctors I needed. I was lucky that Fibromyalgia wasn’t deadly. And I was lucky that I had family and friends who were there for me. She saw for me the positive thi... ...s Thanksgiving she donated money to Bethel Mission to provide a Thanksgiving dinner for the homeless. And every Christmas she buys presents for the underprivileged. As the saying goes, "no one stands as straight as when he stoops to help someone." My mother is my hero because she has taught me to treat others with compassion, thoughtfulness, and generosity. She taught me that those values were important in the best way, by living her own life according to them. She didn’t just tell me about values she felt were important, she lived by them. I have always admired my mother and felt so blessed to have her in my life. I know I am a better person for having her for a mother. Works Cited: The Giant Book of American Quotations. Carruth, Gorton and Ehrlich, Eugene. Portland House. New York. 1988. Vanzant, Iyanla. One Day My Soul Just Opened Up. Fireside. 1998. My Mother, My Hero Essay -- Personal Narrative Writing My Mother, My Hero In 1859 Henry Ward Beecher said, "the mother’s heart is the child’s schoolroom." I believe that statement because of experiences I’ve had with my own mother. I have learned more about life from her than from my 15 years of schooling. Over the last 20 years my mother has taught me many valuable lessons just by being a living example of compassion, thoughtfulness, and generosity. She is an angel that has protected and carried me throughout life. In the book, One Day My Soul Just Opened Up, Iyanla Vanzant said, "a truly compassionate person is one who can feel what you feel because they are one with you in mind, body, and spirit, not out of obligation or a false sense of responsibility. A compassionate person is one who understands what you are going through and, rather than joining you in your suffering and fear, sees for you the blessing and the victory at the end. A compassionate person does not join in the victim mentality of blaming others; instead they will stand strong with you, supporting you through the acceptance of the situation. The compassionate person knows with you, for you, and when necessary in spite of you, that all things work together for your good." That quote is like a mirror image of my mother because she encompasses all those traits. She showed me the utmost compassion when I was in high school. I was very sick with a chronic disease. I couldn’t walk and I was in constant pain. Though I couldnâ €™t see it at the time, my mother saw for me how lucky I was. She consistently pointed out that I was lucky that we could afford the doctors I needed. I was lucky that Fibromyalgia wasn’t deadly. And I was lucky that I had family and friends who were there for me. She saw for me the positive thi... ...s Thanksgiving she donated money to Bethel Mission to provide a Thanksgiving dinner for the homeless. And every Christmas she buys presents for the underprivileged. As the saying goes, "no one stands as straight as when he stoops to help someone." My mother is my hero because she has taught me to treat others with compassion, thoughtfulness, and generosity. She taught me that those values were important in the best way, by living her own life according to them. She didn’t just tell me about values she felt were important, she lived by them. I have always admired my mother and felt so blessed to have her in my life. I know I am a better person for having her for a mother. Works Cited: The Giant Book of American Quotations. Carruth, Gorton and Ehrlich, Eugene. Portland House. New York. 1988. Vanzant, Iyanla. One Day My Soul Just Opened Up. Fireside. 1998.

Comparing Like Water for Chocolate and One Day in the Life of Ivan Deni

Like Water for Chocolate and One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich    Like Water for Chocolate (LWC) written by Laura Esquivel and One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich (ODLID) written by Alexander Solzhenitsyn, are two very different types of novels with more evident discrepancies than similarities. The first novel LWC, splendidly illustrates the life of a young Mexican campesina named Tita whom lives under the authoritarian rule of her mother. The second novel ODLID, originally a Russian publication, demonstrates the life and hardships of a middle-aged man named Ivan Denisovich in a Soviet work camp in Siberia. The themes revolve around both protagonists, Tita and Ivan, whom each set the overall tone of the novels. The dominant theme in both novels is the oppression the protagonists are exposed to on a daily basis. Consequently, the characters and the plots also incorporate aspects of oppression such as parental censorship and personal ill treatment. The characters, theme, and plots correlate with one another and also are associated with the cultural background of each novel, ODLID from Russia and LWC from Mexico. The influence culture has on the development of the characters, theme, and plots sets the stage for apparent similarities and differences between both novels.    The primary examples of cultural influences in LWC and in ODLID, are the mindsets of the protagonists. The cultures influence the rather listless conduct of the protagonists by establishing precincts that cripple their inner aspirations. Initially, Tita's conduct is influenced by the Mexican culture. She demonstrates a submissive behavior towards her mother. This is explained by Mexican culture of the early nineteen ... ...al influences. In LWC, the Mexican culture plays huge role in the novel introducing the reader to a unique lifestyle packed with cooking, love affairs, attractive dramas, and oppressed dreams. In ODLID, the Russian culture also flavors the novel by creating a very vapid and listless stage on which Ivan Denisovich's daily routine is delineated as realistic as possible. It would be tedious to point out all the ways, in which culture influences each novel, but it is important to take into account the prominent role culture plays in the formation of the individual novels. Like Water for Chocolate (LWC) written by Laura Esquivel and One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich (ODLID) written by Alexander Solzhenitsyn do not only exemplify great pieces of literature, instead they also serve as tools to map out and comprehend the cultures they were built upon.   

Michael Manley

Michael Norman Manley (December 10, 1924 – March 6, 1997) was the fifth Prime Minister of Jamaica (1972 – 1980, 1989 – 1992). The second son of Jamaica's Premier Norman Manley and Jamaican artist Edna Manley, Michael Manley was a charismatic figure who became the leader of the Jamaican People's National Party a few months before his father's death in 1969. Contents [hide] 1 Reforms 2 Diplomacy 3 Violence 4 Opposition 5 Re-election 6 Family 7 Retirement and death 8 Sources 9 Notes Reforms Manley soundly beat the unpopular incumbent Prime Minister Hugh Shearer (his cousin) in the election of 1972 after running on a platform of â€Å"better must come,† giving â€Å"power to the people† and leading â€Å"a government of truth. † Manley instituted a series of socio-economic reforms that yielded mixed success. Though he was a biracial Jamaican from an elite family, Manley's successful trade union background helped him to maintain a close relationship with the country's poor, black majority, and he was a dynamic, popular leader. Unlike his father, who had a reputation for being formal and businesslike, the younger Manley moved easily among people of all strata and made Parliament accessible to the people by abolishing the requirement for men to wear jackets and ties to its sittings. In this regard he started a fashion revolution, often preferring the kariba shirt or bush jacket over a formal suit. Diplomacy Manley developed close friendships with several foreign leaders, foremost of whom were Julius Nyerere of Tanzania, Olof Palme of Sweden, Pierre Trudeau of Canada and Fidel Castro of Cuba. With Cuba just 145 km (90 miles) north of Jamaica, he strengthened diplomatic relations between the two island nations, much to the dismay of United States policymakers. At the 1979 meeting of the non-aligned movement, Manley strongly pressed for the development of what was called a natural alliance between the Non-aligned movement and the Soviet Union to battle imperialism. In his speech he said, â€Å"All anti-imperialists know that the balance of forces in the world shifted irrevocably in 1917 when there was a movement and a man in the October Revolution, and Lenin was the man. Manley saw Cuba and the Cuban model as having much to offer both Jamaica and the world. In diplomatic affairs, Manley believed in respecting the different systems of government of other countries and not interfering in their internal affairs. Violence Manley was the Prime Minister when Jamaica experienced a significant escalation of its political culture of violence. Supporters of his opponent Edward Seaga and the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and Manley's People's National Party (PNP) engaged in a bloody struggle which began before the 1976 election and ended when Seaga was installed as Prime Minister in 1980. While the violent political culture was not invented by Seaga or Manley, and had its roots in conflicts between the parties from as early as the beginning of the two-party system in the 1940s, political violence reached unprecedented levels in the 1970s. Indeed, the two elections accompanied by the greatest violence were those (1976 and 1980) in which Seaga was trying to unseat Manley. Violence flared in January 1976 in anticipation of elections. A State of Emergency was declared by Manley's party the PNP in June and 500 people, including some prominent members of the JLP, were accused of trying to overthrow the government and were detained, without charges, in a specially created prison at the Up-Park Camp military headquarters [1]. Elections were held on 15 December that year, while the state of emergency was still in effect. The PNP was returned to office. The State of Emergency continued into the next year. Extraordinary powers granted the police by the Suppression of Crime Act of 1974 continued to the end of the 1980s. Violence continued to blight political life in the 1970s. Gangs armed by both parties fought for control of urban constituencies. In the election year of 1980 around 800 Jamaicans were killed. While the murder rate in Jamaica has long been high, Jamaicans were particularly shocked by the violence at that time. In the 1980 elections, Seaga's JLP won and he became Prime Minister. Opposition As Leader of the Opposition Manley became an outspoken critic of the new conservative administration. He strongly opposed intervention in Grenada after Prime Minister Maurice Bishop was overthrown and executed. Immediately after committing Jamaican troops to Ronald Reagan's invasion of Grenada in 1983, Seaga called a snap election – two years early – on the pretext that Dr Paul Robertson, General Secretary of the PNP, had called for his resignation. Manley, who may have been taken by surprise by the maneuver, led his party in a boycott of the elections, and so the Jamaica Labour Party won all seats in parliament against only marginal opposition in six of the sixty electoral constituencies. During his period of opposition in the 1980s, Manley, a compelling speaker, travelled extensively, speaking to audiences around the world. He taught a graduate seminar and gave a series of public lectures at Columbia University in New York. In the 1980s a Judicial Enquiry, the Smith Commission, was held on the 1976 State of Emergency. Manley admitted that he declared it on evidence that was manufactured to help him win the forthcoming election. In 1986 Manley travelled to Britain and visited Birmingham. He attended a number of venues including the Afro Caribbean Resource Centre in Winson Green and Digbeth Civic Hall. The mainly black audiences turned out en masse to hear Manley speak. Re-election By 1989 Manley had softened his socialist rhetoric, explicitly advocating a role for private enterprise. With the fall of the Soviet Union, he also ceased his support for a variety of international causes. In the election of that year he campaigned on a very moderate platform. Seaga's administration had fallen out of favor – both with the electorate and the US – and the PNP was re-elected handily. Manley's second term was short and largely uneventful. In 1992, citing health reasons he stepped down as Prime Minister and PNP leader. His former Deputy Prime Minister, Percival Patterson, assumed both offices. Family Michael Manley had 5 children: Rachel Manley, Joseph Manley, Sarah Manley, Natasha Manley and David Manley. Retirement and death Manley wrote seven books, including the award-winning A History of West Indies Cricket, in which he discussed the links between cricket and West Indian nationalism. Michael Manley died of prostate cancer on 6 March, 1997, the same day as another Caribbean politician, Cheddi Jagan of Guyana

Barriers Can Limit Access to Opportunity

Barriers can limit access to opportunity (Health and Culture diversity) When it comes to achieving opportunity, many people have to face barriers or challenges. For example, a child from a poor family background might have a goal of going to medical school and graduating with a medical degree. But in this case, the barrier could be financial. Likewise, a person moved from his country to another country for work. He found difficulty in understanding his colleagues who speak a strong regional or national accent.This could be a communication barrier and might be challenging to him. These barriers can limit access to opportunity. Nurses work with patients from a range of ethnic, cultural and religious groups and a people from diverse social backgrounds. So nurses need to know enough about diverse groups to develop an awareness that enhances planning and caring for patients. According to the nursing code of ethics, her primary commitment is to the patient whether an individual, family, gr oup, or community.She is responsible and accountable for individual nursing practice and determines the appropriate delegation of tasks consistent with the nurse’s obligation to provide optimum patient care. For example, a language barrier can be a challenge while provide quality care to patient. According to the nursing code of ethics, a patient has right of appropriate care, hence the nurse can confront with this barrier by assigning an interpreter who can work as a communicator between the nurse and the patient. It helps the patient to explore the real problem that is he facing.And a nurse can apply an appropriate method for his promotive, preventive and curative services which are the basic right of the patient. A Patient can also be from a different culture than that of the nurse. Hence, this could also act as a challenge while providing quality care. So she has to confront this situation by gaining more knowledge about the culture of the patient and respecting the patie nt’s morals and values. Failure to understand and manage social and cultural differences may have significant health consequences for people of diverse backgrounds.

Instant Car-Pooling on the Android Platform

CS 8803 AIAD TERM PROJECT REPORT TEAM#2 CS 8803 – AIAD Project Report. Instant Car-Pooling on the Android Platform Vinaya Shenoy Parikshit Sudumbrekar Madhura Tipnis 1 CS 8803 AIAD TERM PROJECT REPORT TEAM#2 Table of Contents: Introduction Objectives Motivation Technology Overview Related Work Architecture Project Screen-Shots Evaluation Future Work Project Experience Conclusion References 3 3 3 4 5 5 6 14 14 15 16 17Table of Figures Figure 1: Android Technological Overview Figure 2: Carpool Application – Starting Window Figure 3: Carpool Application – Create a new Event Figure 4: Carpool Application – Contact List Figure 5: Carpool Application – Events Created history Figure 6: Carpool Application – SMS for carpool invitation received Figure 7: Carpool Application – Car pool Invitation Details Figure 8: Carpool Application – Details for the event creator Figure 9: Carpool Application – Map showing pick-up points 4 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 2 CS 8803 AIAD TERM PROJECT REPORTTEAM#2 Introduction: With increasing convergence between different technologies like the cellular world, internet (IP) world, different applications have become popular and many more are under development. One of the prominent services popular amongst the users is the â€Å"Location Based Services† and â€Å"presence†. The current location-based services out there in the market use the policy of ‘broadcasting locations' while enabling any activity between the various users. This may lead to unintended recipients being the beneficiary of certain events.With this in mind, we aim to develop an application/service that would enable selective delivery of events/messages to the intended recipients based on their location. This would help in avoiding thousands of messages being sent to unintended recipients. Thus, not only the location of the intended recipient is taken into consideration; but the context of the location i s also taken into consideration. In this project, we define the context of the recipient as its distance from the initiator of the event. Objectives: The objectives of the „Instant Car Pooling Application? can be stated as follows: 1.Enable users to create events that would specify the following information? The total vacancy in the car. ? The time at which the event is going to take place. ? The Final destination. 2. Development of the logic that would enable? Poll in the location information of all the intended recipients. ? Take decision based on the context on the location. ? Send „sms? to all the selected recipients and handle the accepted or rejected messages received from the recipients. 3. Generate a Google Map that shows the initiator the map between his location, all the recipients that agreed to his car pooling event and the final destination.We aim to demonstrate all these scenarios on the „Android Emulator?. Motivation: The application under considerat ion, the „Instant Car Pooling? application, is a novel idea which has never been implemented before. This became our source of motivation for going ahead with this project. All the current car pooling methods are 1. Time consuming. 2. Require a lot of before-hand planning. 3. Require several rounds of communications in the form of series of e-mails or a series of telephonic conversations. 3 CS 8803 AIAD TERM PROJECT REPORT TEAM#2 Also, there seems to be an absence of a „Car Pooling? pplication on the mobile phones. This motivated us to develop our application on the „Android Platform? , one of the upcoming and latest mobile platforms launched by Google. A different source of motivation behind the development of this application is that of the „Georgia Tech India Club?. All the members of this club complained about receiving thousands of mails which either requested for a Car Pool or which offered a Car Pool. Thus, uninterested students used to receive such ma ils. We thought; why not develop a „mobile-based instant Car Pooling application? s our gift to the student community of Georgia Tech? This really gave us the passion to go after the completion of this project. The initiator of the event could select intended recipients from the contact list. The application then checks for the relative context of the location of all the selected recipients and forwards the event to only those recipients that satisfy the context. Technology Overview: Figure 1: Android Technological Overview Android is a new operating system for the G1 phone that has been released by Google in 2008.The main difference that sets the Google G1 phone apart from other operating systems is that the Android is based on an open source platform. This implies that anyone can view and even modify the source code. This results in constant evolution of the software. In case a developer senses that there is a certain feature that is currently not included then he or she can incorporate it in the phone and the software would develop. Since it is a fairly new platform, it is not as 4 CS 8803 AIAD TERM PROJECT REPORT TEAM#2 developed as other mobile operating systems.But considering the open source nature and other features, it can go a long way beyond other mobile operating systems. The hardware associated with the phone is provided by various companies. As and when the hardware becomes more advanced, the Android OS will be able to support more features functions. Related Work: 1. Location tracking is the most essential thing and a definite pre requisite for any mobility related application. This can be done in different ways. 2. A social tool has been developed which helps the user connect with people around him. This tool has been developed on the Symbian Operating System.The location of the user is detected in the cell phone by getting information from the cell tower. This application doesn? t need GPS. Each user can keep up with what is happening wi th people in the friend? s list. Broadcasting of messages is the approach followed in this tool. It also provides other features like connecting people with similar interests. It helps the user explore various places in and around the location detected. 3. There is a mobile social networking service called Loopt which broadcasts the location of the user even when the phone is closed.It also allows sending of messages or sharing of photos between contacts. This Loopt is currently limited to the Sprint network. Architecture: The users that have this application installed on their cell phones can use this application as either initiators of car pooling event or as invitees for a car pooling event. When the user launches this application, the user is given three options to choose from. The user can create a new car pool event, view the events that he has created earlier or view invitations for car pool event from other users.When the user chooses to create a new event, he is given a for m which has fields such as subject of the car pool, time of the car pool, vacancies in the car, destination address of the car pool, and a button to choose from the list of his contacts. The user enters the values in the fields and then clicks on the contact list. The contact list is displayed from which the user selects the contacts he wants to send the invitation of the car pool to. All the invitees will be sent an SMS with the details of the carpool event.When the invitee accepts an invitation, the carpool application on his phone will respond back to the initiator with the current GPS location of the invitee. When the initiator gets back the positive reply from an invitee, he will retrieve the location co-ordinates from the sms and using reverse geocoding functionality of the Geocoder utility will calculate the street address of the contact. Now when the initiator views the event generated, he can see all those who all have responded to the event. A Google map is created with th e locations of all those who have responded to the event.It gives the order of pick up as per the order in which the invitees have responded. We have used the Google Map API here for 5 CS 8803 AIAD TERM PROJECT REPORT TEAM#2 generation of the route map based on the location as detected by the geo coder. Once the vacancies are full, the other invitees who try to accept the invite later are displayed a message which says that the car is full. Project Screenshots: Figure 2: Carpool Application – Starting Window This is the first screen that appears on the cell phone display when the user starts the application. There are three options that are provided.They are ? ? ? Create an event – This allows the user to start a new car pool. View created events – This allows the user to go back and view the car pool events that have been created earlier by him. View Invitations – This option lets the user view invitations for other car pooling events from his friends. 6 CS 8803 AIAD TERM PROJECT REPORT TEAM#2 Figure 3: Carpool Application – Create a new Event This screen appears on the cell phone display when the user chooses to create a new car pooling event. In the subject box, the user can type out a short description of the purpose of the car pool.Since it is an instant car pooling application, the day is set to the current day as recorded in the cell phone. The user is given a list of times to select from when he clicks on the â€Å"pick a time† option. Also the user is allowed to specify the number of vacancies in his car to go to a particular destination. The user enters his destination address in the destination 7 CS 8803 AIAD TERM PROJECT REPORT TEAM#2 box. Then the user can select contacts from his contact list to whom all the event will be sent to. Figure 4: Carpool Application – Contact List This screen is the contact list.The user can select the contacts he wishes to send the car pool event invite to, with the hel p of check boxes provided next to the names of the contacts. When the user clicks on â€Å"add to event†, the invitation is sent to the selected contacts from the contact list. This event is sent in the form of a „sms?. 8 CS 8803 AIAD TERM PROJECT REPORT TEAM#2 Figure 5: Carpool Application – Events Created history This screen is displayed on the cell phone display when the user chooses to view the car pool events created by him. The user can click on the individual events to view the details of each event.This list contains all the past events as well as the pending events. 9 CS 8803 AIAD TERM PROJECT REPORT TEAM#2 Figure 6: Carpool Application – SMS for carpool invitation received When the message is sent to the contacts, the message as shown above appears on the display of the contacts to which the message is sent. The name of the car pool event generator also appears in the message pop up. 10 CS 8803 AIAD TERM PROJECT REPORT TEAM#2 Figure 7: Carpool Ap plication – Car Pool invitation details When the user clicks on â€Å"view invitation† option on the main page, the user is displayed the screen above.The invitation gives details of the car pool which includes the subject of the car pool, the name of the initiator of the event, the time at which the car pool is scheduled to take place, the destination of the car pool and the status of the reply. The user is given to options to respond to the message of either attending or not attending. The user can click on either one depending on his choice. Once the user responds to a message he won? t be given an option to change his decision. 11 CS 8803 AIAD TERM PROJECT REPORT TEAM#2 Figure 8: Carpool Application – Details for the event creatorThis page will be displayed to the user who created the events. It will give him a summary of the event with details such as the subject, the time of the event, vacancies in the car, destination of the car pool, invitees to the even t, and the order of pickup of the invitees who responded. The order of pickup is decided on first come first serve basis currently. Also the user is given an option to check the map of the route now by clicking on â€Å"show route map†. 12 CS 8803 AIAD TERM PROJECT REPORT TEAM#2 Figure 9: Carpool Application – Map showing pick-up pointsThe route map is displayed to the creator of the car pool event when he clicks on the â€Å"show route map† option. Along the route, the pick-ups in the order of first come first serve are plotted. The interesting thing about this application is that in the beginning when no recipient has accepted the invitation, the initiator of the event can view a map of source (his location) and the final destination. As and when recipients accept the car pooling invitation, the map is updated and it shows all the intermediate pick-up points (the locations of the recipients who have accepted the car pooling invitation).Thus, the initiator of t he event now has the entire map, wherein he has all the information about the route to follow. 13 CS 8803 AIAD TERM PROJECT REPORT TEAM#2 Evaluation/Testing: We tested our application by running four instances of the emulator on the same machine. In each emulator we stored three contacts with their numbers being the port numbers on which the other three emulators were running. We then tested the following scenario: 1. When a user creates a new event, the event is created properly ensuring that all the parameters are valid. For eg, the user can? put a time in the future or put a negative vacancy, give no invitees. Also, we verify the destination address provided by the user to ensure that the address is correct and exists on the map. 2. Once the event is created, we verified that all the invitees got an sms message with the proper details and the invitation is displayed in their invitation list. 3. When an invitee accepts an invitation a reply sms with his GPS coordinates is sent bac k to the initiator. 4. When the initiator gets a accept response, the event is updated and the initiator can see the pickup location of the invitee on the map. . When the carpool for an invite becomes full, all invitees who respond after that get a carpool full response sms. Future Work: This project provides a proof of concept of the „Car Pooling? application. It is a stripped down version of our dream „Car Pool? application. There are a lot of improvements that can be incorporated into this project that makes it more complete and feature rich. The future work with regards to this project can be summarized as follows: 1. Currently, the initiator sends car pooling invitation to his friends from his contact list.Their location is forwarded back to him when they accept the invitation. This helps in the creation of the Google Map for the event initiator. In the future, we could have a web service that handles all this location information. This would also solve some privacy related issues like the publishing of recipient location etc. 2. At the moment, the routes are decided on the „First Come First Serve? basis. This means, the route is decided on the order in which the recipients accept the car pooling invitation. But the path obtained from this may not always be the shortest path.Thus we could have algorithms like the „Dijkstra? s? algorithm or Algorithmic concepts like „Dynamic Programming? to calculate the shortest path between source, destination and all the recipients. Thus, optimization on this front can be obtained. 3. The web service can be programmed to handle the context of the location. The context of the location can be determined by its proximity to the location of the event creator. Thus, the web service can determine a radius and determine the recipients which fall within the 14 CS 8803 AIAD TERM PROJECT REPORT TEAM#2 adius as the ones who would receive the car pooling event message; while those which lie outside the radius would be ignored. Thus, broadcasting of the event can be avoided. 4. Other features can include displaying only the events that are pending when the user clicks on the „View Created Events? button. All the past and completed events could be stored in a separate „history log?. 5. Currently, the final destination needs the complete address of the location. In the future, the final destination address could be populated by extracting information from the „subject? of the event and using Google Maps functionalities.For example, if the user types in „Trip to Wal-Mart? as the subject, then the final destination address could be filled automatically by the closest Wal-Mart store located near him. Project Experience: Working on the project was a learning process with a lot of interesting discoveries. The Android platform being comparatively new was a challenge to work on, since very less documentation was available as well as little support was available thro ugh the online communities. During the initial phase of the project, all the various APIs that were supported were studied to determine their use and feasibility towards the project.During this initial feasibility study, we realized that certain API support have been removed from the latest version of Android. This included the crucial one of Google Maps, which our project was dependent on. Thus, began another study to determine the use of actual Google Map APIs through the Android code. Also the basic idea of the project made us realize that how convenient car pooling can be made with this application. The project exposed us to the latest technology in the area of mobile platform development. In class the various issues in mobile computing were covered.Also there was an extensive explanation of mobile computing in general. This discussion helped us a lot in the project. We realized that issues such as less power on the device, etc. can be a problem if there are huge amounts of comp utations to be done. Thus, we made a point to keep the client as this as possible and with this aim in mind, we also aim to develop a web service in the future that would completely take care of all the computation and make the clients really „thin?. Location based services were extensively covered in the class. This motivated us to incorporate them into our project.We have extensively used locations in our project, in fact we have the plotted the Google Map by making use of them. Due to such background developed in class, we thought of experimenting on the Android platform. It gave us a boost to explore the yet not totally discovered areas in Android API usage. 15 CS 8803 AIAD TERM PROJECT REPORT TEAM#2 Initially we wanted to test the project by executing instances of the Android emulator on different machines. These emulators would then communicate between each-other through means of messages. But, we were not able to demonstrate in this fashion due to certain technological challenges.In the end, we demonstrated the application by executing different instances of the Android emulator on the same machine. We further aim to test the performance of our application by adding a number of recipients and measuring the time taken for the Google Map to build. This would help us in determining whether the time remains for large number of recipients, finding the bottle-necks if any and moving towards a cut-off for the number of recipients for which the application shows normal execution time. Conclusion: Thus, this project successfully demonstrated a mobile based „Car Pooling? application.This application would help in the process of creation of „instant car pool? events. Thus, we successfully reduced the long conversations needed for normal car pool events. In future, more functionality can be added to make this application more robust and more feature rich. With the advent of smart phones, this application, when developed to its fullest, would be ab le for all to use and make their journeys much more enjoyable and comfortable. 16 CS 8803 AIAD TERM PROJECT REPORT TEAM#2 References: 1. Android API documentation. (n. d. ). Retrieved from Android Developers: http://developer. ndroid. com/reference/packages. html 2. Android Development Community Forum (n. d). Retrieved April 2009 from http://www. anddev. org/index. php 3. Google Maps API documentation. (n. d. ). Retrieved from Google maps: http://code. google. com/apis/maps/documentation/ 4. Strickland, J. (n. d. ). How the Google Phone Works. Retrieved April 2009, from How Stuff Works: http://electronics. howstuffworks. com/google-phone5. htm 5. What is Android. (n. d. ). Retrieved April 2009, from developer. android. com: http://developer. android. com/guide/basics/what-is-android. html 17

Labor Negotiations Essay

Many times, the process of collective bargaining agreement (CBA) negotiations is referred to as being â€Å"an art†. Although it is guided by various labor laws and there are multitudes of theories that claim to have established best practices in the field, every negotiation simply has too many unique variables to consider to ever be approached as anything more than an art. Even in the short span in which new negotiations are required to reach an updated contract, too many changing factors on both sides of the table are apt to make the extrapolation of one bargaining scenario to the next inefficient and ineffective. There is no â€Å"one-size-fits all† approach. What worked best in one instance could potentially fail with dire consequences in another. To attempt to define, or even identify a structured component to the process would be futile. People, personalities, economics, demographics, policy and law are not static, nor are needs, wants, concepts, trends or priorities. Deception and intimidation during negotiations is commonplace, and unfortunately sometimes holds more relevancy than fact. For these reasons,  it is important for labor negotiators to be able to anticipate the worst, but hope to ultimately achieve a best case scenario. The final, ratified contract is applied to both parties, and hopefully in the end, it represents what is best for all involved. There are many potential stakeholders depending on the industry, but in the case of the community of Pleasant Ridge, it is the students and that ultimately have the most to lose. This can easily be forgotten when bargaining teams’ self-interests take hold. Deciding on the appropriate bargaining techniques and strategies requires a very well-thought out, careful approach. Whatever approach is used has to take into account the past, current and future needs of both parties, and has to be based on an accurate analysis of external and internal data, as well as political considerations. Successful negotiators must be adaptable and flexible in their thought processes and behaviors, and must be willing to compromise as situational needs dictate. As several different personality types compete and interact, even within the confines of one bargaining team, negotiations can be a very daunting process. All of this is important to keep in mind as we examine and analyze the case of the community of Pleasant Ridge. Bargaining Strategy A bargaining strategy should only be determined once all of the relevant, factual information has been reviewed. That is not to say a strategy cannot be changed depending on circumstances once negotiations begin, but it is useful to set the tone for negotiations and help insure a mutually understood strategic concept among bargaining team members. Recent labor relations practice has moved away from traditional adversarial bargaining, or â€Å"zero-sum† bargaining, and has focused more on interest-based bargaining, or â€Å"win-win† bargaining. According to Cutcher-Gershenfield, â€Å"A close look at the interest-based experiments in labor relations reveals that adversarial institutional patterns have often been rejected in favor of more collaborative, problem-solving techniques without a full appreciation of the underlying reasons for the establishment of the original institutional patterns.† (1996, 323). In theory, winning with interest-based bargaining is presu med to be agreement of the parties to a ratified contract that both can live with (Kearney, 209, 134); not â€Å"winning† in the sense that one party  ultimately prevails over the other on any particular issue. In the case of Pleasant Ridge, there is no single reason to preclude interest-based bargaining as an effective strategy. As the Pleasant Ridge Board of Education (Board) and the Pleasant Ridge Classroom Teachers Association (PRCTA) commence negotiations over a new CBA, it is important to note that both parties are in a relatively good position. From a fiscal standpoint, the school is doing well. Student enrollment is increasing, local property revenues are increasing and State Revenues are expected to increase for the upcoming school year. While none of these items are guaranteed, barring any unexpected national, state or local political catastrophes, short-term projections should remain fairly accurate and consistent. This may place the Board at a slight disadvantage during negotiations when considering ability to pay, especially considering the PRCTA memberships’ apparent adversarial position. It serves to underscore the importance of the Board to sincerely attempt to negotiate a finalized contract during the first steps of the process. In comparing wages, hours and working conditions, the PRC TA is not far off when it is reviewed against comparable teachers’ unions. Even when considering labor markets that are competitive in the long run, however, the over-all analysis should include information about employer attributes because labor markets do not adjust instantaneously (Eberts and Stone, 1985, 274). The consequences of ignoring district-specific information are potentially serious, according to Eberts and Stone (1985, 274). To push an employer into economic oblivion as the result of unrealistic contract demands could have disastrous consequences for all involved. While the memberships’ concerns are very important, they must keep in mind their best interests in finalizing a contract with few to no concessions quickly. It is up to the PRCTA to educate their members on the long term affects their present actions may have. Additionally, in a world of economic uncertainty and increasing demand for education reform, the PRCTA is better suited to act quickly so that public sentiment and political forces have less likelihood of effecting policy change before they have a ratified contract. A ratified contract provides strong protections for union members against ever-changing political forces. Bargaining Position of the Board Labor negotiations can be a strategic nightmare fraught with competing priorities and concerns from every affected player. For the community of Pleasant Ridge, the primary considerations of the Board and the PRCTA during negotiations will predominantly revolve around advancing self-interests, whether they impact external stakeholders or not. That is an almost inherent aspect of the process. Public and political sentiment may or may not be secondarily considered, and will certainly be impacted, but those concerns typically do not guide the negotiations process. Kerchner and Koppich argue in their article, Negotiating What Matters Most: Collective Bargaining and Student Achievement, â€Å"that it is in the public interest for teacher unions and school districts to negotiate student achievement goals even though neither may want to do so.† (2007). While morally laudable, realistically this will most likely never happen outside of the legal environment, and is way beyond the scope of this analysis. Contract length could be the most important protection the Board could achieve. A two year contract would be very beneficial for the Board, because it removes the dangers of making accurate financial projections too far in the future. It would also allow the Board more flexibility in bargaining positions that are tied to economics because they would not be invested in a lengthy contract should political or economic factors significantly change. Aside from a two year contract, the Board should support a 3% raise the first year of the contract, and a 3% raise the second year, conditioned on the promise of the PRCTA memberships’ public support for the upcoming millage. This would get the PRCTA membership very close, if not above, a competitive market salary within their own comparable communities at a relatively quick rate, while bolstering the financial position of the Board to be able to implement future contractual raises should the millage be approved. Additionally, the Board will not incur all of the increased costs of implementing the salary increases all in one year, making it more palatable for the school district in general, while not simultaneously rendering the budget unsustainable. The Board should also support agreement to grant tenure in the 3rd year on the condition of the elimination of the one year wage payout provision. Not only does this achieve comparability within the comparable community context, it serves as a huge future economic win for the Board. In the event layoffs become necessary, the burden of paying out a years’ salary to  any tenured teachers would be an undeniable savings should the school district experience tough economic times. Since decreasing the class size to 25 would increase the number of teachers required, it would be more fiscally responsible for the board to leave this item status quo. The Board could add an amendment allowing for the hiring of teacher’s aides should the classroom population exceed 25, but it shouldn’t be an initial position. If push comes to shove and this single item becomes a deal-breaker, the Board and the PRCTA could revisit the issue at 27 students, as long as an agreement could be achieved with a provision requiring no additional teachers or classroom space.   There is no guarantee that the student population will continue to increase, so agreeing to this item could have unintended financial consequences later. It is never outside the realm of reality that one teacher’s salary could mean the difference between balancing and not balancing the budget. Reasonable Settlement for the Union In determining the reasonableness of a settlement for the PRCTA, several factors should be considered. Typically, wages are at the forefront of union demands, and the fact that the Board is willing to raise salaries to levels above the comparable communities the PRCTA selected should speak volumes. That alone may be enough to achieve ratification. In addition, the PRCTA needs to consider the effects of having an arbitrator decide their fate. If the Board is being reasonable in their proposal, there is no reason to chance the final decisions in the hands of an individual who may or may not agree with position of the PRCTA. The Board has not requested concessions, comparable wages have been offered, and other positions lean toward the comparable communities of the union. In a fact-finding or arbitration scenario, the Board would undoubtedly be able to find comparable communities supporting their position. According to Crawford, final offer arbitration’s distinguishing feature is that it threatens bargainers with a settlement determined by the relative desirability to the arbitrator of their final offers. This creates incentives for bargainers to move their final offers closer to what they think the arbitrator wants, even if they are uncertain of his wishes (1981, 207). In the Pleasant Ridge scenario, the position of the Board is more than reasonable, and should ultimately be accepted as such by the PRCTA, rather than advancing to fact-finding or final offer  arbitration. Fact-Finding â€Å"The consequences of impasse are evident in the amount of private and public resources spent on civil litigation, the costs of labor unrest, the psychic and pecuniary wounds of domestic strife, and in clashes among religious, ethnic and regional groups.† (Babcock, Lowesenstein, 1997, 326) Should the parties reach impasse and the matter be referred to fact-finding, the Fact-Finder should make a recommendation based on the school district’s current and projected future financial position (ability to pay), the current political environment as far as public education policy is concerned, and to a lesser extent, should consider the proposals in comparison to those of comparable communities. In making a settlement recommendation, the Fact-Finder should find the initial position of the Board to be quite consistent with that of the PRCTA, as well as quite generous and reasonable. It is almost certain that a Fact-Finder would agree with the Board’s position on wages and tenure. It is reasonable to think that he or she would agree on tenure, but possibly decrease rather than eliminate the year of salary payout, unless they considered a layoff situation a financial hardship. If the Board could successfully present that as a business case, a Fact-Finder may agree. With regard to class size, a three to five student decrease should not present a significant enough business case to cause the school district to absorb an increase in additional teaching salaries and roll-up costs. A Fact-Finder should support that item as remaining status-quo. Final Offer Arbitration The board would undoubtedly have to go to arbitration to remove the politics of implementing a contract from their hands should the parties not be able to reach a settlement. With two of the board members being labor union members, and three endorsed by the Pleasant Ridge Central Labor Union (PRCLU), not going to arbitration would be political suicide. As demonstrated in previous board elections, two members lost to candidates who were endorsed by the PRCLU, showing the strength that the PRCLU exhibits. Having a neutral party force a contract on both sides would be the only political out the Board members would have. In a final offer settlement package, it is of the utmost importance that both parties consider the most  desirable benefits that could be achieved, and tailor the final offer package around those. Prioritization of issues is significant, as well as is reasonableness. In the final offer package, it would be incumbent on the Board to submit lower contractual wage increases, potentially to 2% each year of a two-year contract, with class size and tenure remaining status quo, with the elimination of the one-year wage payout provision. For the PRCTA, it would be beneficial to package a deal containing a 5 year contract with 2% wage increases for each year of the contract. Considering they really have nothing to lose since concessions aren’t being considered, they should also incorporate the decreased class size of 25 students, and tenure to reflect the 3 year comparable. Even if the arbitrator sides with the Board, the PRCTA hasn’t lost anything besides the one-year payout provision. Likely, that is something that will affect very few of the current members. REFERENCES Babcock, L., & Loewenstein, G. (1997). Explaining bargaining impasse: The role of self-serving biases. Advances in behavioral economics, 326. Crawford, V.P. (1981), Arbitration and Conflict Resolution in Labor-Management Bargaining. The American Economic Review. 71(2). Papers and Proceedings of the Ninety-Third Annual Meeting of the American Economic Association. 205-210. Cutcher-Gershenfeld, J. (1996). Bargaining Over How to Bargain in Labor-Management Negotiations. Negotiation Journal, 10(4), 323-335. Retrieved on March 22, 2014 from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1571-9979.1994.tb00032.x/abstract. Eberts, R.W. and Stone, J.A. (1985), Wages, Fringe Benefits, and Working Conditions: An Analysis of Compensating Differentials. Southern Economic Journal. 52(1). 274-280. Kearney, R.C., Labor Relations in the Public Sector, Fourth Edition. CRC Press. 381. Kerchner, C.T. and Koppich, J.E. (2007). Negotiating What Matters Most: Collective Bargaining and Student Achievement. A merican Journal of Education. 113(3). 349-365. Retrieved on March 22, 2014 from http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/512736. Walton, R. E. (1994). Strategic negotiations: A theory of change in labor-management relations. Harvard Business Press.